Rail car plug door

A plug door assembly for use on a rail car having a plug door opening, said assembly comprising

• a door panel having an outer face and an inner face and being sealingly engageable with said rail car for closing the plug door opening,
• a pair of crank rods supported by the rail car and supporting said plug door, said crank rods being pivotable to move said door panel into and out of sealed engagement with said rail car,
• a seal cam assembly for pivoting said crank rods, said seal cam assembly including a locking gear, a pinion engaged with said locking gear, and an operator handle supported by said pinion, and
• means for removably mounting said seal cam assembly on said outer face of said door panel, said means for removably mounting said seal cam assembly including a mounting plate, a mounting plate cover fixed to said mounting plate, said mounting plate and said mounting plate cover supporting said seal cam assembly, and a plurality of fasteners extending through one of said mounting plate and said mounting plate cover and engaging said door panel.

A plug door assembly for use on a rail car having a side wall defining a plug door opening and providing a peripheral sealing surface, said plug door comprising

• a door panel including an edge member engageable with the peripheral sealing surface, said door panel having a thickness provided by a core having opposite faces, an inner skin made of composite materials bonded to one of said opposite faces of said core, an outer skin bonded to the other of said opposite faces of said core, said door panel defining a recess, an access panel fixed to said door panel in a position overlying said recess and having extending therethrough an elongated slot, and
• at least one crank rod located in said recess and having a portion extending through said elongated slot,
• a bearing located in said recess and supporting said crank rod for pivotal movement about a pivot axis, and
• means for pivoting said crank rod, said means including a seal cam assembly mounted on said outer skin of said door panel and a connecting rod operably connected to said seal cam assembly and said portion of said crank rod.

A plug door comprising

• a door panel including an elongated recess,
• an elongated crank rod received in said recess and supported by said door panel for pivotable movement relative thereto about a pivot axis,
• door locking means mounted on said door panel for pivoting said crank rod about said pivot axis, and
• means for substantially enclosing said crank rod, wherein said door panel has a thickness, and wherein said crank rod is enclosed within said thickness, wherein said thickness is provided by a core having opposite faces and a skin bonded to each of said opposite faces of said core, and wherein said means for substantially enclosing said crank rod includes an access plate that can be mounted on said door panel in a first position wherein said access plate overlies said recess and that can be removed from said door panel to afford access to said crank rod.