Railway freight car truck

A railway car truck comprising

• two sideframes, each sideframe having a pedestal formed on longitudinally opposite ends thereof and substantially upright columns defining a sideframe opening intermediate the pedestals,
• a vertical surface on each column,
• each pedestal having a pedestal opening,
• a bolster transverse relative to the sideframes and having laterally opposite ends, each end extending into and supported within a sideframe opening,
• the bolster also including two laterally spaced side bearing pads on an upper surface of the bolster between the sideframes,
• a side bearing on each side bearing pad,
• a spring group in each sideframe opening that supports a respective end of the bolster,
• a friction shoe having two spaced sloped surfaces disposed between the bolster and the vertical surface of a column of a sideframe,
• the sloped surface of the friction shoe facing a complementary sloped surface of the bolster,
• and the friction shoe having a vertical wall facing the vertical surface of a column of a sideframe,
• a bearing adapter and an elastomeric adapter pad received in each pedestal opening of each sideframe,
• two brake beam assemblies supported on the railway car truck bolster and sideframes,
• each brake beam assembly comprising an elongated main section having two end portions,
• a support section extending from the elongated main section near each end portion at an acute angle,
• a standoff section extending between a center portion of the elongated main section to a center portion of the support section,
• two brake hangers each comprised of two leg sections and a bottom section joining the leg sections, the brake hanger supported from one of the sideframes,
• the brake hangers supporting the elongated main section of the brake beam assembly near each end section thereof,
• two brake heads each having a support section,
• the brake head support section being affixed to one of the end portions of the elongated main section of the brake beam,
• the two brake head support sections being spaced laterally apart to adapt to a first rail wheel gauge,
• and wherein one or both brake hangers can be reversed such that the two brake head support sections are spaced laterally apart to adapt to a second rail wheel gauge,
• wherein each brake hanger is comprised of two leg sections,
• wherein each leg section includes a support opening at an end of each leg section,
• and wherein one of the leg sections intersects with the bottom section approximately at a right angle and the other leg section intersects with the bottom section at an acute angle,
• whereby when one or both of the brake hangers are reversed in hanging from its support openings at the end of each leg section, the rail wheel gauge between the brake head support section is changed.

A railway car truck comprising

• two sideframes, each sideframe having a pedestal formed on longitudinally opposite ends thereof and substantially upright columns defining a sideframe opening intermediate the pedestals,
• a vertical surface on each column, each pedestal having a pedestal opening,
• a bolster transverse relative to the sideframes and having laterally opposite ends, each end extending into and supported within a sideframe opening,
• the bolster also including two laterally spaced side bearing pads on an upper surface of the bolster between the sideframes,
• a spring group in each sideframe opening that supports a respective end of the bolster,
• two brake beam assemblies supported on the railway car truck bolster and sideframes, each brake beam assembly comprising an elongated main section having two end portions,
• a support section extending from the elongated main section near each end portion at an acute angle,
• a standoff section extending between a center portion of the elongated main section to a center portion of the support section,
• two brake hangers each comprised of two leg sections and a bottom section joining the leg sections, the brake hanger supported from one of the sideframes,
• the brake hangers supporting the elongated main section of the brake beam assembly near each end portion thereof,
• two brake heads each having a support section,
• the brake head support section being affixed to one of the end portions of the elongated main section of the brake beam,
• the two brake head support sections being spaced laterally apart to adapt to a first rail gauge,
• and wherein one or both brake hangers can be reversed such that the two brake head support sections are spaced laterally apart to adapt to a second rail gauge.