US3240168A

US3240168A - Railway car

Info

Publication number: US3240168A
Application number: US371022A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles Asa Franklin; Tierney John
Original assignee: ACF Industries Inc
Current assignee: ACF Industries Inc
Priority date: 1964-05-28
Filing date: 1964-05-28
Publication date: 1966-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 1983-03-15

Description

MarCh 1956 A. F. CHARLES ETAL 3,240,168

RAILWAY CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 28, 1964 uvk INVENTORS. ASA FRANKLIN CHARLES JOHN TIERNEY BY W, I I

AGENT March 1966 A. F. CHARLES ETAL 3,240,163

RAILWAY CAR Filed May 28, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \68 i as i,

I l l I r 1: {I II II II I! ll 1! 1| INVENTORS.

ASA FRANKLIN CHARLES JOHN TIERNEY AGENT United States Patent 3,240,168 RAILWAY CAR Asa Franklin Charles, Bridgeton, MO., and John Tierne Deer Park, N.Y., assignors to ACE Industries, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 28, 1964, Ser. No. 371,622 4 Claims. (ill. 195-406) This invention relates to railway cars and more particularly to a railway car of the open gondola type in which lading is loaded and unloaded from the open top.

Gondola cars are normally employed to carry bulky materials, such as coal, sand, gravel, steel structures and the like. Such gondola cars usually have a continuous center sill structure extending the length of the car which limits the capacity of the car and produces a relatively high center of gravity in the loaded car as well as increasing the weight of the car.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an open gondola type railway car which does not employ a continuous center sill structure extending the length of the car and has a minimum height center of gravity for the loaded car.

An additional object of this invention is the provision of such a railway car which has a relatively smooth unobstructed interior and is particularly adapted for rotary unloading with a highly effective cleanout of the car.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a gondola type railway car having a maximum volume or capacity within minimum height, length and weight ranges.

Briefly described, the gondola type railway car of the present invention comprises connected sides and ends with an open top, an end stub center sill structure at each end of the car over an associated wheel assembly, and a dropped center portion between the stub center sill structures, the sides extending downwardly between the end center sill structures and joining a bottom at arcuate junctures to form a pocket between the wheel assemblies with a smooth interior surface thereby to obtain a maximum cleanout upon unloading.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIGURE 1 is a perspective of the railway car of the present invention illustrating a gondola car having a dropped intermediate portion between the wheel assemblies;

FIGURE 2 is a partial top plan of the railway car illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial side elevation of the railway car of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation of the car illustrated in FIGURES 1-3;

FIGURE 5 is a section taken generally along line 5-5' of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragment of FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is a section taken generally along line 7-7 of FIGURE 3.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the gondola type railway car is generally designated 10 and includes

sides

12 and 14. Connecting

sides

12 and 14 are ends generally designated 16. Adjacent each end 16 is a truck assembly generally designated 20. An end stub center sill 22 being generally hat-shaped is arranged over each wheel assembly 20. The transverse centerline of car 10 is indicated by line A in FIGURES 2 and 3.

3,24%,168 Patented Mar. 15, 1966 Referring to FIGURES 3 and 4, a bolster structure includes a bottom plate 24 and a center plate 26. A bolster web 28 is secured between bottom plate 24 and a shear plate 30 which extends over the adjacent end stub center sill 22. Shear plate 30 forms the upper cover plate for the bolster structure. Extending longitudinally along each side of car 10 for the entire length thereof is a side sill 32 of channel-shape. An end sill 33 at each end of car 10 is welded to side sills 32. Shear plate 30 extends between and is secured such as by welding to side sills 32 at each end of car 10.

Extending between each pair of corner posts 34 is a vertical end sheet 36. An end slope sheet 38 extends downwardly from end sheet 36. A vertical stiffener 46 extends transversely of the car and is welded to shear plate 30 and end slope sheet 33 at each end of car 10. Vertical stifieners 41 extend longitudinally of the car and are welded to shear plate 30 and end slope sheet 38 at each end of car 10, to support slope sheet 38.

Referring to FIGURES 3, 6 and 7, vertical side posts 42 of channel-shape are spaced along each side of car 10 and are welded to the adjacent side sill 32. Side sheets 44 are welded to posts 42 to form

sides

12 and 14. A lower marginal portion of each sheet 44 is outturned at 43 and is secured such as by welding, to the upper surface of the subjacent side sill 32. An upper marginal portion of each sheet 44 is outturned at 46 and a channel-shaped member 48 is secured thereto with the top side of the channel-shaped member 48 welded to the upper surface of marginal portion 46 of each sheet 44 and the edge of the bottom leg of member 48 butt welded to the outer surface of sheet 44 as illustrated in FIGURE 6 to form a box-shaped upper side chord generally designated 49. An upper end chord designated 50 at each end of car Iii is secured to upper side chords 4% as shown in FIGURE 3.

Car 10 is particularly adapted for rotary unloading and a suitable rotary coupler C may be received within each end stub center sill 22, such as, for example, a rotary coupler of the type disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,990,962, dated July 4, 1961. It is to be understood that conventional non-rotary couplers may also be employed satisfactorily.

Secured at the lower end of each end slope sheet 38 is a support channel 52 illustrated in FIGURE 3. Slope sheet 38 is secured, such as by welding, to channel 52. A lower end plate 54 has an upper outturned leg 56 welded to support channel 52 to form a continuation of slope sheet 38 and extends downwardly adjacent the innot end of the adjacent end stub center sill 22. Extending downwardly from each side sill 32 is a trough-shaped plate generally designated 58 and forming a pocket between wheel assemblies 20. Plate 58 may be formed of a plurality of sections welded together and is secured to end plates 54. An upper generally vertical end portion 60 on each side of plate 58 is secured, such as by welding, to the adjacent side sill 32 and side sheet 44 as illustrated in FIGURE 6.

Arcuate corner portions 62 of a generally uniform radius integrally connect upper end portion 60 with horizontal portion 64 as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5. Transverse stiffeners or straps of a channel-shape are spaced longitudinally along the length of plate 58 and follow the outer surface of plate 58 between side sills 32. Stitfeners 66 are secured, such as by welding, to side sills 32 and to plate 58. To reinforce upper side chords 49 against flexure, suitable cross members 68 extend between the side chords 49.

Sides

12 and 14 are also reinforced against flexure by cross members 68. Cross members 76 extend between side sills 32 and opposite sides of plate 58 as shown in FIGURES 3 and 5. i

Car is especially adapted for fitting within a rotary car dumper such as commonly installed at port facilities and the like for unloading. The dimensions of car 10 for fitting within the rotary dumper comprise a length of 45 feet, a height measured from the rails of 12 /2 feet,

and a total width of 10 feet, four inches. Car 10 is adapted to carry 100 tons of lading, such as coal. The car has a capacity or volume of 3,890 cubic feet. The

arrangement of the dropped intermediate portion to form a pocket in the space normally taken by a center sill structure permits a high capacity car. Arcuate portions 62 eliminate sharp angles in the interior of the car thereby to minimize adhering of lading upon unloading. Thus, a highly effective cleanout is attained upon rotary unloading.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A railway car of the gondola type comprising a pair of generally vertically extending spaced sides and a pair of generally vertically extending spaced ends connecting the sides, a truck assembly adjacent each end of the car, and end stub center sill structure over each of the truck assemblies, a channel-shaped side sill extending longitudinally along each side of the car and having inwardly extending horizontal legs, each of the sides comprising a side sheet having a lower outturned marginal portion supported on and secured to the upper leg of the subjacent side sill, a generally trough-shaped bottom structure positioned between the end center sill to a position extending downwardly from the side sills to a position at a level below the level of the adjacent stub center sills to form a pocket interiorly of the car beneath the end center sill structures, said trough-shaped bottom structure comprising a generally U-shaped plate extending between and secured to the adjacent side sills against the legs of each sill to provide a box-shaped structure therewith, a plurality of generally U-shaped transverse stiffeners spaced along the length of the trough-shaped plate and secured to the plate and the lower leg of each adjacent spaced side sill thereby to reinforce the bottom structure, said bottom structure forming a relatively smooth continuation of the vertical sides with the interior of the railway car being generally unobstructed, and a plurality of generally vertical side posts spaced along the length of each side sheet and secured thereto over the upper leg of the subjacent side sill.

2. A railway car of the gondola type as set forth in claim 1 wherein a plate extends generally horizontally over each center sill structure and outwardly to a posi tion adjacent each of the side sills, an end slope sheet between each end of the car and the bottom structure over said generally horizontal sheet to connect the associated vertical end and the trough-shaped bottom structure, and a generally vertically extending member between each generally horizontal extending plate and the superjacent end slope sheet to reinforce the slope sheet.

3. A railway car of the gondola type as set forth in claim 1 wherein each side sheet has an upper outturned marginal portion, and a generally channel-shaped member is secured along said upper outturned marginal portion to form a box-shaped upper chord extending longitudinally along each upper side edge of the car.

4. A railway car of the gondola type as set forth in claim 1 wherein an end slope sheet is secured between each end of the car and the adjacent dropped pocket formed between the truck assemblies, a plate extends generally horizontally over each stub center sill structure between the side sills and beneath the superjacent end slope sheet, a channel-shaped reinforcing member closely adjacent each end of the trough-shaped bottom structure having a web secured to the slope sheet and its legs secured between the adjacent plate and end slope sheet, and an end plate on each end of the trough-shaped bottom structure having an upper outturned leg secured to the web of said channel-shaped reinforcing member to form a continuation of said end slope sheet.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,124,980 1/1915 Weaver -247 1,579,673 4/1926 Tench et al 105-406 1,605,635 11/1926 Anderson 105247 1,880,629 10/1932 Wine 105-406 2,140,268 12/1938 Moss 105-406 X 2,180,530 11/1939 Kassler et al 105253 2,473,946 6/1949 Hammerstrom 105414 2,626,573 1/1953 Swann 105406 2,633,089 3/1953 Flowers 105364 X 2,754,770 7/1956 Cooke 105406 2,865,309 12/1958 Lich 105406 3,078,814 2/1963 Candlin et al 105-406 X ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

MILTON BUCHLER, Examiner.

Claims

1. A RAILWAY CAR OF THE GONDOLA TYPE COMPRISING A PAIR OF GENERALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING SPACED SIDES AND A PAIR OF GENERALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING SPACED ENDS CONNECTING THE SIDES, A TRUCK ASSEMBLY ADJACENT EACH END OF THE CAR, AND END STUB CENTER SILL STRUCTURE OVER EACH OF THE TRUCK ASSEMBLIES, A CHANNEL-SHAPED SIDE SILL EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG EACH SIDE OF THE CAR AND HAVING INWARDLY EXTENDING HORIZONTAL LEGS, EACH OF THE SIDES COMPRISING A SIDE SHEET HAVING A LOWER OUTTURNED MARGINAL PORTION SUPPORTED ON AND SECURED TO THE UPPER LEG OF THE SUBJACENT SIDE SILL, A GENERALLY TROUGH-SHAPED BOTTOM STRUCTURE POSITIONED BETWEEN THE END CENTER SILL TO A POSITIOIN EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE SIDE SILLS TO A POSITION AT A LEVEL BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE ADJACENT STUB CENTER SILLS TO FORM A POCKET INTERIORLY OF THE CAR BENEATH THE END CENTER SILL STRUCTURES, SAID TROUGH-SHAPED BOTTOM STRUCTURE COMPRISING A GENERALLY U-SHAPED ECTENDING BETWEEN AND SECURED TO THE ADJACENT SIDE SILLS AGAINST THE LEGS OF EACH SILL TO PROVIDE A BOX-SHAPED STRUCTURE THEREWITH, A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY U-SHAPED TRANSVERSE STIFFENERS SPACED ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE TROUGH-SHAPED PLATE AND SECURED TO THE PLATE AND THE LOWER LEG OF EACH ADJACENT SPACED SIDE SILL THEREBY TO REINFORCE THE BOTTOM STRUCTURE, SAID BOTTOM STRUCTURE FORMING A RELATIVELY SMOOTH CONTINUATION OF THE VERTICAL SIDES WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE RAILWAY CAR BEING GENERALLY UNOBSTRUCTED, AND A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY VERTICAL SIDE POSTS SPACED ALONG THE LENGTH OF EACH SIDE SHEET AND SECURED THERETO OVER THE UPPER LEG OF THE SUBJACENT SIDE SILL.