Thrall Car Manufacturing Company

Trinity Industries, Inc.

James C Robertson

Ralph Hartman Schorr

Michael J Rench

James E Black, Jr

Andrew B Eaker

Mark L Litherland

Walter J Marulic

William R Baker

Peter S Dworakowski

A railway car for transportation of motor vehicles. The railway car may be articulated, comprising two or more units. The railway car may have end doors which are pivotally attached to the roof of the railway car. Flexible seals may be provided along the inner and outer edges of the end doors. Ventilation in the side walls of the railway car may be provided by small diameter perforations grouped at elevations near the top and bottom of each level. The side walls may be constructed by a combination of load bearing side wall panels which function as shear plates, and vertical posts. Protection for the door edges of motor vehicles being carried in the railway car may be provided by providing a plurality of parallel horizontal strips of a relatively soft material along the inside of each side wall on each level. A flexible enclosure may be provided between adjacent car units. A heat-reflecting corrosion-resistant coating may be provided on the galvanized steel corrugated roof to extend the life of the roof.

Auto rack railway car

A novel method and apparatus for installing and securing auto rack side panels, either during manufacture of the auto rack railway car, or during refurbishment of the car, where covers are placed over components which clamp the panel corners. In a preferred embodiment of the invention wherein end portions of elongated dust closure plates are employed to clamp side panel corners against brackets to prevent metal-to-metal contact between the end portions of the dust closure plates and the side panel corners engaged by the end portions thereof, plate covers are installed over the end portions of the elongated dust closure plates so as to be disposed between the end portions of the dust cover plates and the panel corners, to avoid abrasion and rusting as a result of friction. In accordance with a further feature of a preferred embodiment of the invention, there are provided a plurality of bracket covers which fit over the brackets between the brackets and the panel corners engaged thereby to avoid abrasion and rusting resulting from friction with the brackets.

Auto rack side panel assembly

A chock block for a vehicle transported on a deck to secure the vehicle against longitudinal movement; the chock block having a first member and a longitudinal second member lateral to the first member; the first member nesting with a track on the deck and removable from such nesting by upward displacement; the second member extending along and terminating beyond the tread face of a vehicle tire; a pin on the chock block for removably securing the first member to the track to prevent the chock block from horizontal and upward movement; the second member having a longitudinal center when viewed from the top; the chock block being essentially symmetrical about the second member longitudinal center; and the pin having a handle observable and manually operable from both sides of the second member longitudinal center to withdraw the pin forward end from a track hole to remove the chock block from the track and to help position the pin forward end in a track hole.

Vehicle wheel chock for securing vehicles during transport

A railroad car for transporting vehicles comprising a first deck having side sills and being supported near each end by a railroad truck; a vertical side wall along each side of the car; each side wall including a plurality of spaced apart vertical columns having lower ends rigidly connected to each of the side sills; a second deck horizontally located above the first deck and rigidly connected to the columns; the second deck having a hinged section joined to each opposing end of a central portion, rigidly connected to the columns, to pivot about a horizontal axis; each hinged section being vertically pivotal and having an outer end with a lock attached to it to movably secure the outer end in upward and downward positions; each hinged section having side edges; a laterally movable, spring-biased rod along each hinged section side edge; the rod having a forward end extendable beyond the hinged section side edge into locking engagement with a retainer on the adjoining car wall; the rod forward end having outwardly sloping top and bottom flat surfaces; and the retainer having a sloped surface engageable with the rod top sloped surface, and the retainer having an upper sloped surface engageable with the rod bottom sloped surface. The spring progressively and continuously forces the rod farther and farther outwards when wear occurs between the retainer and rod surfaces, maintaining contact therebetween.

Vehicle transporting railroad car with hinged deck section lock

A railroad car for transporting vehicles such as automobiles and trucks has a pair of door assemblies which close each end of the railroad car. The lower end of the door assemblies are guided in a track and the track has vertically retractable sections located where the vehicle tires roll so as to provide added load height when the car ends are open and vehicles are being loaded or unloaded. An embodiment with a pivotal, counterweighted Z-shaped member upon which the retractable track section is mounted is disclosed along with an embodiment utilizing a vertically displaceable tubular member and a coil spring.

Growing community of inventors

Lawrenceville, GA, United States of America

James C Robertson