Thrall Car Manufacturing Company

Atchison Casting Corporation

Sam D Smith

Richard D Curtis

Michael A Peitsch

A railtruck apparatus is provided for supporting a railcar body on two longitudinally spaced wheel and axle sets. The railtruck includes a frame having two side frame members, each defining a pair of longitudinally spaced cradles. A bearing housing is received in each cradle and includes a top wall, two longitudinally spaced side walls depending from the top wall, and an open bottom sized for receipt over a journal bearing of one of the wheel and axle sets. A removable bottom cap closes off each bearing housing to permit assembly and disassembly of the wheel and axle sets. A primary suspension is positioned between each bearing housing and the frame for supporting the frame on the bearing housing, and is retained in position on the frame when the frame is raised relative to the bearing housing. Thus, when the wheel and axle sets are removed from the apparatus, the bearing housings and the primary suspension assemblies are retained on the frame. The railtruck apparatus can also be provided with a load-equalizing spring assembly for supporting each bearing housing on one of the wheel and axle sets, the load-equalizing spring assembly being operatively interposed between the bearing housing and the wheel and axle set along the path of transmission of loads between the bearing housing and the wheel and axle set so that when the set is lowered in the bearing housing, the load exerted on the set by the frame is transmitted through the primary suspension and the load-equalizing spring assembly acting in series.

Rail truck suspension and journal housing retention assembly

A railroad truck having at least four wheels comprising brakes for braking the wheels; a single enclosed air cylinder mounted on the truck; the air cylinder having first and second chambers; a conduit to supply service air pressure to the first chamber; the first chamber containing a piston pneumatically operated by service air pressure to apply controlled service braking pressure, emergency braking pressure and, when the truck is stopped, parking braking pressure, to the brakes; the second chamber containing a spring which applies automatic parking pressure to the brakes when the truck is stopped, and applies emergency fail-safe pressure to the brakes when there is a pneumatic system failure to supply air to the first chamber; apparatus to supply pressurized air to the second chamber to keep the spring from applying pressure to the brakes so long as adequate air pressure is maintained in the second chamber; a handbrake assembly mounted on the truck in a position readily accessible for manual operation when the railroad truck is joined to a vehicle or separated therefrom; and the handbrake assembly including a longitudinally reciprocal rod operative to compress the spring so that the brakes can be fully released and maintained released for an indefinite time so long as pneumatic braking pressure is not applied to the first chamber and upon reverse movement of the said longitudinally reciprocal rod compression of the spring is released so that the spring can apply pressure to the brakes unless pneumatic pressure supplied to the first and second chambers prevents application of braking pressure by the spring.

Railraod truck braking system

A railroad train comprising a plurality of highway trailers hitched front end to rear end with the end of each trailer supported on an adapter releasably connected to the trailer and with the adapter permanently mounted on the bolster of a four-wheel double-axle railroad truck, desirably a swing motion truck, with the adapter also supported by side bearings mounted on the bolster and with the adapter desirably having a secondary spring suspension.

Growing community of inventors

Richton Park, IL, United States of America

Sam D Smith