United-american Car Co.

Keith J Hallam

Walter J Marulic

A curved roof construction for a hopper type rail car wherein a plurality of roof support webs extend transversely between opposed car side walls at spaced intervals to each other. These webs provide support for a plurality of large roof panels which are disposed in generally end to end relationships and define the roof surface. The support webs have outwardly curved or bowed conformations between opposed ends thereof so that the roof panels will be similarly bowed. The roof panels are installed so as to define an elongated roof hatch opening generally centrally between and longitudinally of the car side walls. A roof coaming is associated with the roof panels in an adjacent surrounding relationship with the hatch opening. Elongated side plates fixedly secured to the car side walls adjacent to the top edges thereof provide mounting surfaces for the outer side edges of associated ones of the roof panels. The roof support webs include a pair of carline web assemblies disposed adjacent the car end walls slightly inboard of opposed hatch opening ends. In a partitioned type of hopper car, partition webs associated with partition panels which divide the car interior into a plurality of separate compartments comprise other of the support webs. In the case of a partitionless hopper car, additional carline webs are used for other of the support webs.

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Marietta, GA, United States of America

Keith J Hallam