Railcar draft gear assembly and system

A draft gear assembly for use with a railcar having a coupler member and a draft sill with front and rear stops defining a draft gear pocket to receive at least part of the draft gear assembly, the draft gear pocket having a length between the front stops and rear stops, the draft gear assembly having front and back ends and comprising:

• a yoke having a back wall, a top wall extending from the back wall toward the front end of the draft gear assembly, and a bottom wall extending from the back wall toward the front end of the draft gear assembly;
• a coupler follower positioned between the back wall of the yoke and the front end of the draft gear assembly, the coupler follower having a generally vertical, indented forward facing stop surfaces;
• at least one front resilient member positioned between the coupler follower and the back wall of the yoke;
• at least one back resilient member positioned between the yoke back wall and the back end of the draft gear assembly;
• a rear follower positioned rearward of the back resilient member, the rear follower having a rearward facing stop surface;
• a center rod extending through the rear follower, through the back resilient member and through the back wall of the yoke;
• wherein prior to installation on the railcar the yoke, coupler follower, front resilient member, back resilient member, rear follower and center rod comprise an assembly, the assembly further including a shortening member on the center rod at the rear follower, the length of the assembly between the stop surface of the coupler follower and the stop surface of the rear follower being less than the length of the draft gear pocket;
• wherein after installation the rear follower is positioned against the rear stops;
• and
• wherein after installation the yoke has a neutral position, a full draft position forward of the neutral position, and a full buff position rearward of the neutral position;
• the center rod being free from tension when the coupler member is in the full draft position;
• the center rod being free from tension and compression when the coupler member is in the neutral position;
• and
• the center rod being free from compression when the coupler member is in the full buff position.

A draft gear assembly for use with a railcar having a coupler member and a draft sill, the draft gear assembly having front and back ends and comprising:

• a yoke having a back wall, a top wall extending from the back wall toward the front end of the draft gear assembly, a bottom wall extending from the back wall toward the front end of the draft gear assembly, and a yoke stop;
• a draft sill having front stops;
• a coupler follower forward of the back wall of the yoke and having a forward facing surface positioned against the yoke stop;
• said coupler follower including a pair of stop contact surfaces for contact with the draft sill front stops and a coupler bearing surface between the stop contact surfaces, at least part of the coupler bearing surface being forward of the stop contact surfaces of the coupler follower;
• at least one front resilient member positioned between the coupler follower and the back wall of the yoke;
• at least one back resilient member positioned between the yoke back wall and the back end of the draft gear assembly;
• a rear follower positioned rearward of the back resilient member, the rear follower having a rearward facing stop surface;
• a center rod extending through the rear follower, through the back resilient member and through the back wall of the yoke;
• and
• a shortening member on the center rod at the rear follower.

In combination, a draft gear assembly, a coupler and a draft sill,

• the draft sill having a pair of front stops and a pair of rear stops;
• the draft gear assembly having front and back ends and comprising:
• a yoke having a back wall, a top wall extending from the back wall toward the front end of the draft gear assembly, and a bottom wall extending from the back wall toward the front end of the draft gear assembly, the yoke having a buff stroke from a neutral position to a full buff position and a draft stroke from the neutral position to a full draft position;
• the back wall of the yoke being between the front stops and rear stops of the draft sill;
• a coupler follower positioned between the back wall of the yoke and the front stops of the draft sill, the coupler follower having generally vertical, indented forward facing stop surfaces and having a buff stroke from the neutral position to a full buff position;
• a rear follower positioned against the rear stops of the draft sill, the yoke back wall being longitudinally spaced from the rear follower;
• at least one front resilient member between the coupler follower and the back wall of the yoke;
• at least one back resilient member between the rear follower and the back wall of the yoke;
• a coupler extending forward from the yoke, the coupler having a neutral position, a draft stroke from the neutral position to a full draft position forward of the neutral position and a buff stroke from the neutral position to a full buff position back from the neutral position;
• the coupler and yoke draft stroke being such that the distance between the front face of the yoke back wall and the coupler follower decreases from the neutral spacing when the coupler is in the full draft position and the distance between the rear face of the yoke back wall and the rear follower increases from the neutral spacing when the coupler is in the full draft position;
• the coupler, yoke and coupler follower buff stroke being such that the distance between the front face of the yoke back wall and the coupler follower decreases from the neutral spacing when the coupler is in the full buff position and the distance between the rear face of the yoke back wall and the rear follower decreases from the neutral spacing when the coupler is in the full buff position.

In combination, a draft gear assembly, a coupler and a draft sill,

• the draft sill having a pair of front stops and a pair of rear stops;
• the draft gear assembly having front and back ends and comprising:
• a yoke having a back wall, a top wall extending from the back wall toward the front end of the draft gear assembly, and a bottom wall extending from the back wall toward the front end of the draft gear assembly;
• the back wall of the yoke being between the front and rear stops of the draft sill;
• a coupler follower positioned between the back wall of the yoke and the front stops of the draft sill;
• a rear follower longitudinally spaced from the yoke back wall;
• at least one front resilient member filling the longitudinal distance between the coupler follower and the back wall of the yoke;
• at least one back resilient member filling the longitudinal distance between the rear follower and the back wall of the yoke;
• a center rod extending through the rear follower, back resilient member and back wall of the yoke;
• a coupler extending forward from the yoke, the coupler having a neutral position, a full draft position forward of the neutral position and a full buff position back from the neutral position;
• wherein the rear follower is positioned against the rear stops of the draft sill when the coupler is at the full buff position, at the full draft position and at the neutral position.