Acf Industries, Incorporated

Jan D Holt

James C Hammonds

Gerald D Garner

Conway H Melcher

Richard H Dugge

Kenneth D Schmidt

Robert K Neff

Tom B Baker

A trailer sensor (83) for use on a retractable railcar trailer hitch (1) is disclosed. The hitch has a hitch head (3) for capturing a kingpin (K) of a trailer (T), a locking mechanism (35) for latching the hitch in its erect position, and a manually operable release mechanism (67) for retracting the hitch. A movable sensing element (85) carried on the hitch head senses the presence or absence of a trailer. A rod (93) moves the sensing element in response to operation of the release mechanism. If a trailer is supported by the hitch, the assembly blocks movement of the sensor and prevents retraction of the hitch. If no trailer is supported by the hitch, the sensing element allows the release mechanism to unlock the hitch so it can retract.

Trailer sensor for railroad hitch

A bottom outlet valve for a tank on a vehicle, especially for a railway tank car. The valve comprises a valve body including a valve seat, a valve stem spring biased toward the closed position against the seat and an operator assembly for mechanically opening and closing the valve stem. The operator assembly may be removed from the valve body in an improved facile manner by means of bolts all located exterior of the operator housing. A lost motion linkage allows the stem to seat under spring pressure even though the stem seals have become worn. The assembly has been uniquely designed to permit easier and safer installation and maintenance of the valve due in part to an improved stem cage assembly.

Tank car botton valve

A trailer hitch (1) for use on a railcar (C) is movable between an erect position and a retracted position. A first strut (9) has its lower end pivotally mounted to the railcar. A second strut (25) has its lower end movable in a horizontal direction relative to the railcar. A hitch head (3) is carried on the upper ends of the struts for engaging a trailer loaded on the railcar to hold it in place. A cushioning unit (49) is carried by the second strut to cushion the trail from impacts. A latching mechanism (57) automatically latches the hitch in its erect position and maintains it there. The latching mechanism also allows for a safe release of the hitch so it can be retracted.

Cushioned retractable hitch for railway cars

A protective cover (163) for a trailer hitch (1) for use on a railcar (C). The hitch has a support (7), a hitch head (3) carried by the support, a locking mechanism (49) for latching the hitch in an upright, erect position, and a release mechanism (90) for allowing the hitch to retract. The cover comprises a plate (165) substantially covering at least a portion of the support, the locking mechanism, and the release mechanism. One end of the plate is pivotally mounted relative to the railcar and the other end of the plate cammingly engages the hitch support so that as the hitch is erected and retracted, the plate moves with the support and covers at least a portion of the support, the locking mechanism and the release mechanism.

Protective cover for railcar hitch

An elastomeric in compression trailer hitch cushion for an over-the-road trailer hitch, as mounted on a railway car, is disclosed so as to cushion against longitudinal loads transmitted between the railroad car and the trailer. This trailer hitch cushion serves as the hitch diagonal strut and it has one end thereof secured to the railway car and its other end secured to the vertical hitch strut, with the diagonal cushioning strut being disposed so as to cushion longitudinal loads in either fore or aft direction and to maintain the vertical strut in vertical position. The cushioning strut comprises a frame, compressible elastomeric cushioning members carried by the frame, and a compression load applying system for compressing the elastomeric members relative to the frame upon a longitudinal load in either fore or aft directions relative to the railroad car being applied to the hitch. The cushion strut comprises a plurality of generally annular-shaped plates of a suitable elastomeric material, each having a center opening, an outer peripheral face, and a pair of generally parallel load bearing faces for transmitting compression forces into the elastomeric plates. These elastomeric plates alternate with a plurality of non-compressible washers, preferably metal washers, with each load bearing face of each elastomeric plate being frictionally engagable with, but being unbonded to, a respective contiguous face of one of the washers.

Elastomeric trailer hitch cushion for railway car

The flow restrictor (10) comprises a resilient and flexible porous membrance (12) over an air inlet port (18). In one embodiment an impervious member (130) is attached to the lower surface of the membrane over the air inlet port. The membrane balloons due to air flow through the inlet which greatly increases its effective cross sectional area as air flows into the plenum chamber. When air flow stops gravity and/or air pressure from the container forces the membrane against the seat (118) and the effective cross section of the membrane is reduced to approximately that of the inlet port.

Plenum chamber flow restrictor and check valve

In a railway car truck a transom is provided comprising a pair of tubes rigidly connected respectively to a pair of longitudinally extending side frames. The tubes are longitudinally and vertically aligned and are located below a bolster which extends between the side frames above the transom. A bearing rigidly attached to one of the tubes extends within the other of the tubes. The external surface of the bearing is provided with low friction material to allow the side frames to rock in respective vertical planes about a transverse axis as ups and downs in the track are transversed. However, the transom resists the tendency for the side frames to move longitudinally with respect to each other, and thus maintains the truck in tram.

Railway car truck transom including a tubular bearing assembly

In a trailer hitch head, the kingpin opening in the top plate is made sufficiently large that, when the jaws are in closed position, the trailer kingpin engages only the jaws. The jaws thus bear the entire load of horizontal impacts to the hitch head. The jaws are made of hardened steel to bear these loads and, in the front portion, the longitudinal extent of the jaws is enlarged to better react loads applied to the rear of the jaws. The jaws are attached to the top and bottom plates of the head with readily removable fasteners whereby, when the jaws become worn, they may be quickly and easily replaced without taking the hitch and the flat car out of revenue service.

Trailer hitch head having jaws which bear all of the kingpin wear

Railway car truck

A railway car truck assembly includes spaced side frames supported by truck journal bearings. A bolster extends transversely between the side frames. A spring assembly is supported on the spaced side frames and engages the lower surface of the boltster. The bolster includes a center bearing and a pair of side bearings mounted on either side of the center bearing. The side bearings receive the weight of the car body. Each of the side bearings includes an upper surface made of a first low friction material. The car body includes a depending center portion engaging the center bearing and spaced side portions having a lower surface made of a second low friction material engaging the side bearings. One of the first and second low friction materials is selected from nylon polyesters, polycarbonates, polyacetals and polysulfones. The other of the first and second low friction materials is selected from polytetrafluoroethylene. The coefficient of friction between the upper and lower surfaces is sufficiently low that the truck easily rotates with respect to the car body. The second low fricion material may optionally include a polymeric polyolefin component such as polyethylene, having a low exchange time, and the minor amount of a chemically inert fluorinated hydrocarbon polymeric material such as polytetrafluoroethylene.

Railway car truck and side bearing assembly

A railway car truck assembly having an integral H-frame includes longitudinally extending side frames integrally attached to a transverse member having a center bearing. The side frames are resiliently mounted for rocking movement on truck journal boxes. The side frames each include a constant contact side bearing adapted to take the weight of the car body. Each side bearing has an upper surface made of a first low friction material. A car body located above the truck pivots about the center bearing and includes laterally spaced depending portions having a lower surface made of a second low friction material supported on the side bearings. One of the first and second low friction materials includes filled nylon and the other low friction material includes filled polytetrafluoroethylene. The coefficient of friction between the first and second low friction materials is sufficiently low to allow relative rotation between the truck and car body.

Railway car truck side bearings

In a railway car truck a transverse member is provided including spaced sides and a member joining said sides to define a hollow portion having an open bottom such that the shear center is spaced upwardly from the neutral axis of the section. A truck center bearing is provided at about the mid portion of said transverse member which is located at about said shear center so that torsional deflection or twisting of the transverse member is avoided.

Fabricated railway car truck

In accordance with the present invention a railway car truck is provided including a pair of transversely spaced side frames and a transom which is attached solely to the side frames with a rigid connection to define an integral H frame to maintain the side frames parallel and resist truck hunting. The transom has a cross section which provides torsional flexibility which allows the side frames to rock relative to one another. Above the transom a bolster is provided which extends transversely between the side frames and rests upon spring assemblies mounted in openings in the side frames. The weight of the car body is by car body bearing assemblies mounted on the bolster above the spring assemblies. A bolster center bearing is provided which engages the car body and transmits substantially all horizontal loads from the car body through the bolster to the side frames. The spring assemblies may include two components in which one component has a resultant low spring rate which at all times in traversing ordinary track transmits the weight of the car body to the side frames, and another component having a resultant high spring rate which functions when rough track is traversed to transmit the weight of the car body to the side frames from where the weight is transmitted to the wheels to maintain the wheels on the track while the rough track is being traversed.

Growing community of inventors

St. Charles, MO, United States of America

Jan D Holt