Lightweight truck sideframe

An improved railcar truck sideframe of relatively light weight construction having a longitudinal axis and a longitudinal sideframe midpoint, said sideframe including a longitudinally extending upper compression member having a front end with a downwardly projecting front pedestal jaw depending therefrom and a back end with a downwardly projecting rear pedestal jaw depending therefrom,

• a longitudinally extending lower tension member having a central portion disposed generally parallel to said upper compression member and having a first end and a second end, said first end interconnected to an upwardly extending first diagonal arm and defining a first bend point, said second end connected to an upwardly extending second diagonal arm and defining a second bend point, each of said diagonal arms extending upwards to and connecting with a respective upper compression member end at a respective said pedestal jaw,
• a first and a second vertical column member respectively disposed fore and aft of said sideframe midpoint and connecting said upper and lower members together, thereby defining a bolster opening and a midsection of said sideframe, each of said vertical columns having a base and a wear plate area, said wear plate area above said base,
• said compression member, said tension member, and each of said vertical column members comprised of a respective top wall, a respective bottom wall, and a pair of respective arcuate sidewalls interconnecting said top and bottom walls together to form a respective compression member core, a tension member core, and a pair of vertical column member cores, said lower tension member top wall further including a horizontally disposed spring seat plate, said plate substantially square in configuration and extending longitudinally between said vertical column members,
• said upper compression member, said first vertical column member, and said first diagonal arm on said lower tension member defining a from periphery, which said from periphery includes a front lightener opening substantially therebetween, and said upper compression member, said second vertical column member, and said second diagonal arm on said lower tension member defining a rear periphery, which said rear periphery includes a rear lightener opening substantially therebetween, the improvement comprising:
• said upper compression member top wall having a pair of longitudinally spaced lightener hole sets formed therein, each of said hole sets generally disposed between a respective said vertical column member and a respective said pedestal jaw, each said hole set extending through said upper compression member top wall and in communication with said upper compression member core, each said hole set comprised of a first lightener hole and a second lightener hole, each said first and second lightener hole laterally centered on said upper compression member top wall, said first lightener holes of each said hole set substantially equal in cross-sectional area and proximate to a respective vertical column member, said second lightener holes of each said hole set substantially equal in cross-sectional area, said first lightener hole cross-sectional area being about twice the cross-sectional area of said second hole, said upper compression member further including an enlarged pedestal jaw hole at each said sideframe end in close proximity to a respective first lightener hole of said hole set, each said pedestal jaw hole extending through said upper compression member top wall and communicating with said upper compression member core, each respective said enlarged jaw hole extending around a respective said respective pedestal jaw and laterally centered on said upper compression member top wall;
• said lower tension member having a substantially solid bottom wall and a top wall with a respective pair of lightener holes in each respective said diagonal arm, each respective said pair of tension member lightener holes comprised of a first lightener hole and a second lightener hole, all said tension member lightener holes substantially equal in cross-sectional area, said first lightener hole on said front diagonal arm generally centered below said front lightener opening, and said second lightener hole on said front diagonal arm generally centered between said first lightener hole and said first bend point, said first lightener hole on said rear diagonal arm generally centered below said rear lightener opening, and said second lightener hole on said rear diagonal arm generally centered between said second lightener hole and said second bend point, each said pair of tension member lightener holes extending through said lower tension member top wall and in communication with said lower tension member core;
• said spring seat plate having a pair of spaced lightener openings formed in a top face of said plate such that said spring plate lightener openings are generally centered on said plate and laterally spaced from each other, said spring plate lightener openings extending through said plate and in communication with said lower tension member core;
• each of said vertical column member, including a respective set of twin lightener openings generally located in said vertical wear plate area of said column, each said set of twin lightener openings in opposed confronting relationship to each other, each said set of twin lightener openings having substantially similar rectangular shapes defined by a vertical extent and a horizontal extent, said vertical extent of said rectangular shape being greater than said horizontal extent, said twin lightener openings on each said vertical column member extending through said respective column member top wall and in communication with a respective vertical column member core.