Railway gondola car
AssigneeTrinity Industries, Inc.
InventorsDonald B. Fetterman, Stephen W. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotary dump gondola railway car that includes troughs which extend angularly from the centerline of the car toward the trucks and thereby lower the center of gravity of the car, increase the capacity of the car, or provide the same capacity with lowered overall height, thereby reducing the wind resistance or drag of the car and providing more efficient operation.
Claims20
A railway gondola car including trucks for moveably supporting the car on railway tracks, comprising:
- a center sill extending longitudinally of the car between said trucks;
- a gondola body including front and rear walls, side walls and a bottom;
- said bottom including a pair of generally concave troughs, one of said pair being located on each side of said center sill and extending between said trucks, each said trough extending at a downward angle from a first end toward a second end;
- and
- said first ends being located near the midpoint of the car between the trucks and said second ends being located proximate said trucks.
A railway gondola car including trucks for moveably supporting the front and rear of the car on railway tracks, comprising:
- a center sill extending longitudinally of said car, between said trucks;
- a gondola body including front and rear walls, side walls and a bottom;
- said bottom projecting downwardly on each side of said center sill forming left and right bottom portions, each said portion having an outer edge connected to said side wall and having an inner edge connected to said center sill, and each extending downwardly at an angle from a high point, relative to said tracks, located about the mid-point of said car between said trucks to a low point relative to said tracks, located proximate said trucks, defining an angular bottom surface providing clearance between said bottom surface and a vertical track curve while providing maximum volume and a low car center of gravity.
A bottom for a railway gondola car having a full length center sill that extends between trucks for supporting the car on railway tracks, said bottom comprising:
- four generally concave bottom members tapering from a first end to a relatively deep second end;
- said first ends being arranged for location near the midpoint of the car between the trucks;
- said second ends being arranged for location proximate said trucks;
- and
- end members connected to and closing the second ends of said bottom members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.