Railroad car draft system assembly having improved wear life

A railroad car having an improved draft gear assembly comprising:

• a railroad car having a center still structure terminating at one end in a draft center sill section, said draft center sill section including draft center sill side walls, a yoke mounted with said draft center sill section, said yoke including upper and lower yoke members which extend longitudinally of said railroad car and parallel to each other, said upper and lower yoke members being joined at an internal end to form a yoke pocket, said upper and lower yoke members being positioned between said draft center sill side walls;
• an interlocking coupler member, said coupler member including a head portion adapted to engage another coupler member on an adjacent railroad car and a shank portion which extends longitudinally into said pocket in said yoke;
• a connector assembly mounted with said yoke and extending through said coupler shank in order to mount said coupler shank within said yoke pocket, said coupler shank including a rear butt portion positioned internally of said yoke pocket, said coupler shank being subjected to external forces due to connection of said coupler member head portion to another railroad car coupler member, which external forces translate into pivotal and other transverse stresses in said coupler member shank and said rear butt portion thereof, said connector assembly and in said yoke;
• a follower block mounted substantially between said upper and lower yoke members in said yoke pocket in a transverse position between said draft center sill side walls and in engagement with said rear butt portion of said coupler shank to receive external forces transmitted through said coupler member shank;
• resilient means mounted in said yoke pocket between said follower block and said internal end of said yoke for receiving and partially absorbing the external forces applied against said coupler member head portion, said coupler shank connector assembly, said coupler rear butt portion and said follower block;
• said follower block including a central follower block section located between said upper and lower yoke members for engaging said coupler rear butt portion on one side and said resilient means on the other side of said central section, said follower block further including upper and lower guide portions which are joined to said central follower block section and extend outwardly of said yoke pocket and into engagement with said upper and lower yoke members for maintaining said transverse position of said follower block under the stress of external forces;
• said central section of said follower block being generally rectangular including an upper and a lower edge portion;
• each of said upper and lower guide portions including tab sections positioned on said upper and lower edge portions and extending outwardly therefrom, said tab sections on said lower edge portion extending downwardly on either side of said lower yoke member and said tab sections on said upper edge portion extending upwardly on either side of said upper yoke member;
• and
• said tab sections on each of said upper and lower edge portions being spaced apart to create generally U-shaped areas in which to receive said upper and lower yoke members such that said tab sections engage said upper and lower yoke members thereby maintaining said transverse position of said follower block even under external forces transmitted from said coupler member to said follower block.