Strato, Inc.

Michael J Foxx

George Vermesi

Larry Hixon

Lin Hua

Jason Reiling

Jennifer Mak

Zhen Liu

Kevin P McGarvey

Edgardo Jimenez

Kevin Mcgarvey

Angled trainline support casting

A pipe clamp wedge is disclosed that can be used with an existing pipe clamp anchor to secure a brake line pipe to a rail car. The wedge has a cradle portion having a concave side receiving the pipe, and a convex wedge side opposite the concave side. The cradle portion has a height increasing in a longitudinal direction, and a pair of opposed channels on lateral sides of the wedge are adapted to receive tabs on the pipe anchor. A pair of tabs on the wedge extends in the opposite direction from the tabs on the pipe anchor on either side of the cradle portion. Thus, the wedge can be slid onto the anchor, tightening around the pipe as the wedge moves in the longitudinal direction onto the anchor, and the wedge is dimensioned so that when the wedge cannot move further, the tabs on the wedge extend beyond the pipe anchor and may be bent up (toward the railcar) to secure the wedge. The parts of the combination are adapted so that sliding the pipe onto the anchor and bending the tabs may be done with a hammer.

Pipe clamp combination

A coupler head and mounting bracket combination for supporting a brake hose fitting uses a lug formed integrally with the coupler head and a support bracket mating with the lug. In embodiments, the bracket may be installed in a plurality of vertical positions on the coupler head. The bracket is maintained in a position inboard of the lateral side of the coupler head, to reduce or eliminate the likelihood that the bracket will interfere with the other equipment or the car body. Embodiments of the invention are particularly adapted for 'E' type and 'F' type coupler heads.

System for mounting a bracket to a coupler head

Pipe clamp wedge

A tool, method and system are provided adapted to remove a gasket from a glad hand fitting, and also to vent pressurized air from between two coupled glad hand fittings. A tool is provided with an angled tool head, adapted to be received in a glad hand fitting and to be positioned against a surface of the guard arm of the glad hand. The tip of the tool head is positioned against the gasket and the tool is pivoted against the glad hand to bias the gasket out of the recess in the glad hand fitting.

Gasket removal and venting tool

Trainline support casting

A trainline support casting is provided to support flexible brake hoses between adjacent rail cars. The trainline support casting is capable of partial rotational movement during use and is supported on a mounting bracket adapted to mount directly to a coupler head of a cushioned car coupler, insuring a constant distance from the end of the coupler to the trainline support casting and a constant distance of the brake hoses above the ground according to AAR standards.

Coupler mounted bracket and trainline support casting

A brake hose support comprises: a bracket fixedly attached to the yoke of the coupling apparatus of a rail car and a swivel fitting attached to the bracket which is rotatable around a pivot center. The swivel fitting can be rotated so that the angle of the end hose opening with respect to the angle cock is adjustable.

Swivel fitting

A trolley hanger for supporting brake hose connections between rail cars which hangs securely on a trolley rod, and preferably is directly connected to an intermediate hose flange, a train line support casting flange, or trolley pipe flange, prevents lateral and rotational movement of a brake hose connection, thereby reducing unwanted brake hose uncoupling.

Trolley hanger system

Coupler mounted bracket

Trolley pipe hanger

A wafer flange assembly designed to fit in between existing components of a freight car air braking system comprises a wafer flange having a center bore and an O-ring in surrounding relation thereto to create an airtight flowpath between the air braking system components, and further comprises a tunnel bore disposed within the wafer flange and creating an airtight flowpath from the brake cylinder line to a male quick disconnect valve mounted to the wafer flange, whereto a female quick disconnect valve may be attached to facilitate measurement of the brake cylinder line air pressure.

Growing community of inventors

Hillsborough, NJ, United States of America

Michael J Foxx