Draft sill with locking center pin

In combination, a draft sill for a railway car, a center pin and a retainer key,

• the draft sill including:
• a pair of spaced side walls with bottom edges lying in a horizontal plane;
• center plate having an exterior horizontal surface below the level of the horizontal plane of the bottom edges of the side walls, the exterior horizontal surface having an edge defining a central aperture;
• and
• an open member having a wall defining an elongate channel vertically aligned with the central aperture of the center plate, the elongate channel having a central longitudinal axis extending through the central aperture of the center plate;
• wherein the open member includes a shelf defining an angle with the central longitudinal axis of the open member;
• wherein the center pin includes one end positioned above the level of the horizontal plane of the bottom edges of the side walls and another end positioned below the level of the plane through the bottom edges of the side walls, the center pin extending along the elongate channel and through the central aperture of the center plate;
• the draft sill further including a key passage through a portion of the draft sill;
• the retainer key being supported on the shelf and extending to and contacting the center pin;
• the key passage being sized, shaped and positioned to allow for passage of the retainer key from outside of the draft sill through the draft sill to the elongate channel.

In combination, a draft sill, a center pin and a railway truck bolster,

• the draft sill including a center plate and an open member, the center plate having an edge defining a central aperture and the open member having an elongate channel and a support member, the elongate channel being aligned with the central aperture of the center plate;
• the center pin extending between the draft sill and the truck bolster, the center pin having a central longitudinal axis, one end in the draft sill and another end in the truck bolster, at least part of the center pin being in the elongate channel and at least part of the center pin extending through the central aperture of the center plate;
• upper and lower retainer keys contacting the center pin to limit axial movement of the center pin and to limit relative vertical motion between the draft sill and the truck bolster;
• the upper retainer key being supported on the support member and movable with the center pin, the lower retainer key limiting relative motion between the center pin and the truck bolster;
• the draft sill including a key passage from the support member to the exterior of the draft sill;
• the draft sill and truck bolster being separable by removing the lower retainer key and separating the draft sill and center pin from the truck bolster;
• the center pin being removable from the draft sill by separating the draft sill and center pin from the truck bolster, turning the center pin about its central longitudinal axis, and moving the center pin and upper retainer key axially down through the elongate channel and key passage toward the center plate and through the central aperture in the center plate.

In combination, a draft sill for a railway car, a center pin and a retainer key,

• the draft sill including:
• a pair of spaced side walls with bottom edges lying in a plane;
• a center plate having an exterior surface below the level of the plane through the bottom edges of the spaced side walls, the exterior surface having an edge defining a central aperture;
• and
• an open member having a wall defining an elongate channel aligned with the central aperture of the center plate, the elongate channel having a central longitudinal axis extending through the central aperture of the center plate;
• wherein the open member includes a support member defining an angle with the central longitudinal axis of the open member, at least part of the support member being above the level of the horizontal plane through the bottom edges of the side walls of the draft sill;
• wherein at least part of the center pin is disposed in the elongate channel and wherein the center pin has one end in the draft sill and a second end extending out of the draft sill to a position beyond the level of the exterior surface of the center plate;
• the draft sill further including a key passage through a portion of the draft sill;
• the retainer key being supported on the support member and extending to and contacting the center pin;
• the key passage being sized, shaped and positioned to allow for passage of the retainer key from outside of the draft sill through the draft sill to the elongate channel.