Railway car conversion to gondola car
AssigneeTrinity Industries, Inc.
InventorNorman S. Adams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hopper car is converted to a gondola-type car by replacing the hoppers and their dump doors with a light metal sheet floor. The floor sheets form a series of box-like compartments. The compartments are formed by crossbearer partitions extending between the side walls, center sill and the sheet floor. Floor frame members reinforce the rigidity of the floor structure. The partitions are formed by tubular crossbearers on gussets on the center sill, and closure walls converging at the top thereof.
Claims13
A railway car comprising:
- a generally longitudinally extending center sill and laterally spaced pair of side walls;
- said side walls each including a side sill;
- a crossbearer structure positioned above said center sill and extending between the side walls;
- a floor extending between the side walls and being connected with the crossbearer structure in a manner that substantially covers the cross bearer structure;
- and
- a floor frame structure connected with the side sills and extending below and engaging the floor for supporting and rigidifying the floor,
- said floor frame structure comprising substantially straight support members extending from one side wall to the other side wall transversely of the center sill, beneath said floor and center sill and in engagement therewith along a substantially flat surface.
A railway car comprising:
- first and second laterally spaced side walls and a center bolster extending generally longitudinally with respect to the car;
- a floor structure connected with the side walls and extending therebetween to support lading in the car;
- an end wall supported between the side walls and extending generally downwardly adjacent the longitudinal end of the car;
- said floor structure including
- an end portion fixedly connected with said end wall and extending downwardly therefrom, said end portion having a lower end;
- bend portion connected with the lower end of the end portion and angulated with respect thereto to extend downwardly therefrom;
- a bottom portion connected with the lower end of the bend portion and extending generally horizontally therefrom to form with the bend portion and the end portion, a beam structure for reinforcing the bottom portion and engaging therewith along flat areas to support lading loads,
- said bottom portion extending at the level of the bottom edge of the center bolster, and said beam structure disposed in supporting relation to said bottom portion and extending transversely beneath the center sill and connected thereto and cross bearers positioned above the center bolster and being substantially covered by said bottom portion.
A railway car for transport of freight and configured for rotary dumping of said freight, said railway car comprising:
- a pair of laterally spaced side walls including side sills;
- a center sill extending generally longitudinally between the side walls;
- a crossbearer structure supported on said center sill and extending generally laterally between the side walls and connected thereto and to the side sills;
- a floor structure substantially covering the cross bearer structure, connected with the center sill and extending between the side sills to form a bottom of the car for supporting the freight therein;
- said crossbearer structure being connected with the floor structure laterally outwardly from the center sill for laterally transferring torsional loads created in said crossbearer structure to the center sill;
- substantially straight support members transversely disposed beneath the center sill for supporting and engaging the floor structure along a substantially flat surface of the floor structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.