Worm drive mechanism for gear operated door

A railcar door assembly comprising:

• a substantially planar door;
• at least one elongated support member rotatably mounted to said door;
• a drive mechanism associated with said door and operatively connected to said support member for selectively rotating said support member about its length to partially open and close said door;
• and,
• a stop mechanism associated with said door for preventing movement of said drive mechanism when said door is in one of a partially opened and fully closed position, said stop mechanism comprising a worm gear mechanism disposed in engagement with said drive mechanism, wherein said worm gear mechanism comprises a helical drive and a helical gear having intermeshing teeth.

A railcar door assembly comprising:

• at least one sheet member comprising a front surface;
• at least one channel disposed laterally across said front surface of said sheet member;
• at least one elongated support member rotatably mounted to said channel via a mounting mechanism, said support member comprising at least one rotatable member secured to an end of said support member;
• a gear segment operably connected to said elongated support member to effect rotation of said support member, said gear segment being mounted on a bearing plate on said sheet member front surface;
• and,
• a worm drive mechanism disposed in operative engagement with said gear segment for selectively rotating said gear segment to shift said door to one of a predetermined fully opened position and a fully closed position, said worm drive mechanism comprising a helical drive gear assembly, a first shaft, and a worm gear operably mounted to said first shaft in driving engagement with said gear segment.

An anti-spin/anti-drift locking assembly for use in an associated railcar door system including a bearing plate located on a front surface of said door, and a gear segment mounted to said bearing plate for selectively driving said door to one of a fully opened and fully closed position, said locking assembly comprising:

• a first shaft having a first end and a second end;
• a helical gear disposed on said first end of said first shaft;
• a worm gear disposed on said second end of said first shaft for operative rotational engagement with said gear segment;
• and,
• a helical drive operatively communicating with said helical gear.