Portec, Inc.

David A Stoller, Sr

Ryan M Smith

William B Culler

Paul E Wiesner

James C Robertson

Tibor Matyas

A railcar for transporting coal includes steel sheets metallized with an aluminum coating on the interior surfaces thereof normally engaged by coal lading. A coating thickness of substantially 0.006-0.009 inch significantly extends the service life of the railcar by inhibiting corrosion and abrasion of the steel sheets by the coal. The method includes the steps of cleaning all interior surfaces of the railcar sheets prior to a metallizing operation and followed by application of a seal coat.

Bulk freight rail car with metallized interior surfaces

A railway car adapted to convey cylindrical objects such as coils includes a plurality of fixed trough members and sections of shiftable inclined trough assemblies disposed atop a support deck. By selectively laterally displacing the shiftable trough assemblies the car is alternately configured to provide single/triple or double troughs, or a combination thereof, in order to achieve maximum lading capacity in any one car regardless of the diameters of the coils. Positioning elements on each shiftable trough assembly alternately mate with a fixed trough member or separate positioning elements on the support deck to specifically define the various trough modes. A lock assembly is operable to engage a retainer element carried by each shiftable trough assembly when located in either mode.

Coil car with shiftable trough assemblies

A railway hopper car includes a curved roof having a roof sheet provided with lateral edges each joined to the top of a car side sheet by a top chord assembly. Each top chord assembly includes a top chord fully disposed within the car interior and having a vertical leg joined to the interior surface of a side sheet while an opposite inclined or angular leg is joined to the interior surface of the roof sheet. A curved cover overlies both top chord legs and forms, with the roof sheet and side sheet, a smooth continuously descending profile from the top centerline of the car roof to each of the car sides.

Curved roof hooper car

An enclosure for the end opening of a vehicle having one or more interior elevated decks includes a pair of door assemblies each comprising a plurality of pivotally joined panels. The door assemblies are suspended in a vertical manner by means of hanger assemblies having tracking elements guided within a rail member disposed above the level of a vehicle elevated deck. Transverse movement of any panel concurrently displaces the entire associated door assembly, as a unitary articulated assembly, between a closed position sealing off the end opening, and an open position with the door assembly well-spaced from a lateral edge of the deck, in which latter position maximum lateral clearance is provided for lading carried by all decks or levels. With the vehicle provided with a raised top section or pitched roof, an enclosure is obtained for the upper portion of the end opening by the inclusion of inwardly directed top panel sections extending above each of the panels and which substantially conform to the pitch of the adjacent roof section when the door assembly is disposed in the open position.

Growing community of inventors

Dunwoody, GA, United States of America

David A Stoller, Sr