Pullman Incorporated

Illinois Railway Equipment Company

Pullman Transport Leasing Company

Other

Richmond Tank Car Company

Apex Railway Products Co.

Franklin P Adler

Rudolph E Nadherny

Marvin B Stark

John D Pavolka

Marvin Starks

Cargo carried on freight cars such as flat bed railway cars is secured in place by lading strapping that is tensioned around the cargo so as to compress a snubber unit of an integral, telescoping quick-release device that includes a sleeve slidably mounted in a housing secured directly to the side of the freight car, which sleeve is locked in a collapsed condition within the housing and unlocked to move between the collapsed condition and a telescoping condition, the sleeve having therewithin an anchor rod that telescopes from the sleeve in opposition to bias provided by the snubber unit. Unlocking of the quick-release device substantially reduces tension within the lading strapping before it is removed from the cargo.

Quick release load securing device

A covered hopper car having curved side wall units joined to a curved roof structure with a hollow beam side plate and having a reinforcing cap member on the roof sheets with a top portion spaced above the curved roof sheets and maintained in the spaced position by hatch coaming to reinforce the hatch openings. The car also includes a longitudinally extending hollow side sill with bolster posts located at each end and interconnecting the side sill with the side plate in such a fashion as to provide a reinforcing frame encircling the curved side wall sheets and curved roof sheets to hold the curved sheets in position during car movement.

Covered hopper car

A hopper car discharge gate operating mechanism providing a toggle or over center linkage mechanism with one link having a roller extending outwardly of the hopper vehicle and engageable with a trackside operating cam for opening and closing the hopper gates. The roller is mounted on a support arm that is carried by a mechanism link and held with a locking pin in such a manner to allow the locking pin to break and release the arm in the event the doors are jammed closed. The operating mechanism also includes a biasing spring for automatically returning the doors to a closed position after the hoppers are emptied.

Hopper car discharge gate operating mechanism

A roof structure for covered hopper cars has roof sheets with curved sections disposed on each side of a continuous trough hatch opening. A hollow, beam-type side plate connects the outer margins of the roof sheets to the side wall unit and includes an outer transition member with a curved section forming part of the side plate and also having a lip extending inwardly of the vehicle to form a continuation of the curved roof sheet. A connection piece underlies transversely extending edges of the roof sheets to join the sheets. Intermediate bulkheads or partition sheets have a rounded top to fit snugly for attachment to the curved roof sheets and are rigidified by stiffeners which extend horizontally and transversely of the vehicle from side plate to side plate and are connected thereto to join with the roof sheets and intermediate bulkheads to form a rigid roof beam which resists twisting and deflecting during transit.

Railway hopper car roof support structure

A lever operated lock mechanism for a hopper door is provided which is especially suitable for use on railway hopper cars having hinged double doors. Included in the lock mechanism is a hook assembly which is pivotally mounted on a housing secured to the door frame or slope sheet of the hopper. A keeper assembly is attached to the spreader bar joining the double doors for engaging the hook assembly, this engagement being at either of two saddle formations or notches, the first or catch saddle formation being engaged when the lock mechanism is in a catch position, and the second or closed saddle formation being engaged when the lock mechanism is in a fully closed position. Movement between the catch position and the fully closed position is greatly facilitated by fulcrum means for receiving a lever bar by which a workman can readily close the hopper doors. Pivotally mounted to the mechanism is a locking latch for abutting engagement between the housing and the hook assembly to thereby wedgingly lock the lock mechanism in its fully closed position.

Levered hopper door lock mechanism

A lock mechanism for a hopper door is provided which is especially suitable for use on railway hopper cars having hinged double doors. Included in the lock mechanism is a hook which is mounted on an outside hopper sheet and which is pivotable for engaging extensions of a spreader bar joining the double doors. The hook, being mounted through a slot therein, in addition to being pivotal is also slidable through a limited slaping path that is generally parallel to the floor of the hopper, such slidable action enabling the doors to be held at either a 'catch' position or a fully closed position. The lock mechanism positively positions the doors with opening and closing operations. An especially secure lock, one which maintains door closure even when the railway car is rotated is attained when a latch having a spring-like projection holds each hook and thus the hopper doors in their fully closed positions.

Hopper car door lock mechanism

A safety vent for hopper cars includes a tubular housing member adapted to communicate with the interior of a hopper which may be unloaded by creating a sub-atmospheric pressure therein. The vent includes a rupturable diaphragm normally blocking the entrance of air through the tubular housing to the hopper. The diaphragm comprises a material which is stretched across a tubular wall of the tubular member in a tensioned condition, and which at a predetermined PSI within the hopper, ruptures whereupon the ruptured pieces of the diaphragm recede radially outwardly against the wall of the tubular housing in a manner to occupy a minimal amount of space thereby permitting the free flow of air into the hopper.

Pressure relief valve

Venting structure for railway car

There is provided an improved safety support for adjustable mounting on brake beams of railway cars for supporting one end of a bottom connecting rod should it become detached from the brake rigging. In one modification attachment, pieces are arranged to be mounted at different elevations on a brake beam for supporting the upper ends of the safety support. In other modifications, attachment pieces are arranged for different angular mounting positions and/or different elevations in conjunction with separate positioning brackets. In still another modification right and left hand L-shaped attachment pieces have a plurality of holes in their vertical legs for mounting at different elevations and the distal ends of their horizontal legs overlap and are interconnected.

Adjustable support for bottom brake connecting rods for railway cars

In a railway hopper car a sliding gate is provided at the discharge opening of the hopper for discharging materials therefrom. The gate comprises a frame supporting a sliding gate member movable from a closed position to an open position by means of a rack and pinion arrangement. The arrangement is actuated by an operating shaft which projects out from opposite ends of the gate and includes operating heads which are adapted to be engaged by a tool for rotating the shaft. A lock arrangement is provided for maintaining the sliding gate in a closed position and includes blocking elements which in the locked position of the gate are disposed over the operating heads to prevent the insertion of a tool unitl the locking mechanism is placed in an unlocked position.

Lock for a hopper car outlet gate

An elongated hatch opening in the roof of a hopper car includes a pair of hatch covers hinged on opposite sides of the hatch. A motor and operating mechanism supported at the end of the hatch reciprocates a pair of push-pull bars positioned within the hatch opening which in turn are connected to elevating rods connected to the underneath sides of the covers, the elevating rods extending inwardly and upwardly in the closed position and have a universal joint connection with the covers. Upon movement of the push-pull bars the elevating rods move the hatch covers to an upright open position. The elevating rods and the push-pull bars may be located internally or externally of the hatch covers, i.e., inwardly or outwardly of the hopper car body.

Opening and closing means for hinged trough covers on hopper cars

A hatch cover having a locking mechanism comprising a single hand wheel with a shaft threaded to the cover for limited up and down movement as the hand wheel is turned. A locking strap is hinged on one side of the hatch cover, releasably locked on the other side and has an opening through which the shaft extends. The locking strap is confined between the hand wheel and a thrust washer attached to the shaft in such a fashion that rotation of the hand wheel in one direction produces contact between the locking strap and thrust washer to force the cover downwardly. Rotation in the other direction lifts the hatch cover to permit unlatching of the locking strap and access to the hopper.

Closing means for a hatch cover

A latch mechanism for hatch covers utilized on railway hopper cars comprises a hand or foot operated latch arm which is held in a closed position by a balanced retaining member pivotally mounted on a keeper element. The retaining member includes a nose engaging latch arm for retaining the same in a closed position. The retaining member also includes a foot element disposed below the arm. Sudden downward movement of the arm within the keeper element against the foot element causes the balanced retainer to be swung to an out-of-the-way position whereupon the arm can be unlatched from the keeper.

Foot operated latch for hopper cars

A bottom dump railway car includes gravity biased gates which are moved outwardly to an open position. Each gate includes an outwardly projecting arm having a cam follower mounted thereon. Track side cams are engaged by the cam followers which engage cam surfaces extending diagonally upwardly and arcuately outwardly so as the car travels along the cams the doors are moved outwardly to open positions.

Growing community of inventors

Michigan City, IN, United States of America

Franklin P Adler