Asf-Keystone, Inc.

Amsted Rail Company, Inc.

Jeffrey Ruback

Thomas R Berg

Nathan Reese

Jay P Monaco

Ralph H Schorr

Julius I Pershwitz

Bradford Johnstone

Daniel Schneirs

A long travel constant contact side bearing for railway cars provides better handling characteristics, achieving improved tracking and curving through use of various combinations of features. The side bearing comprises a base and a generally cylindrical wall section extending upwardly from the base. A cup-shaped cap comprises a generally circular top section and a generally cylindrical wall section extending downwardly therefrom. The cap extends into the wall section of the base. At least one coil spring is provided within the base and extends to the underside of the cap.

Constant contact side bearing

An improved three-piece truck system for railroad cars provides long travel side bearings for improved stability, a 'wide' friction shoe design or equivalent to improve sideframe and bolster squareness, a resilient pedestal pad for improved curving performance and enhanced wear resistance, and a suspension system tuned and optimized for rail cars to have a minimum reserve capacity of less than 1.5 to improve motion control and ride quality, increase resistance to suspension bottoming, and increase hunting threshold speed. Such a motion control truck system is able to meet recent, more stringent American Association of Railroads standards, such as M-976, for railcars having a 286,000 lb. gross rail load rating.

Three-piece motion control truck system

An improved sideframe has a bolster opening configured to accept a variety of spring group and friction shoe assembly designs. The bolster opening is defined by a bottom section, a top compression member, and two opposing column members and has two column wear plates each secured to the opposing column members. The bottom section of the bolster opening defines a spring seat. The dimensions of the bolster opening of the sideframe allow for a variety of freight car truck suspension systems including the spring group, bolster and friction shoe used therewith.

Multi-purpose universal sideframe for railway trucks

Growing community of inventors

Edwardsville, IL, United States of America

Jeffrey Ruback