Miner Enterprises, Inc.

Powerbrace Corporation

Steve R White

Paul B Aspengren

Christopher C Gaydos

Erik D Jensen

Guadalupe L Galvan

Adam J Merges

Paul B Aspengen

Erich A Schoedl

Andy R Kries

Bradley J Haymond

Michael D VanMaldegiam

Mark W Stanek

Eric F Wenzel

Jeff Ballerini

Michael L McGuigan

Michael D Vanmaldegiam

A mechanism for operating one or more hinged doors on a hopper car including an elongated operating shaft having a fixed axis of rotation and a linkage system for operably connecting the operating shaft to the hinged doors on the railroad hopper car. The linkage system includes an actuating link operably connected to and rotatable with the operating shaft and a connecting link for operably connecting the actuating link to each door. The linkage system links includes a primary lock for holding each door in the closed position. A selectively operated secondary lock is rotatable about a fixed axis disposed above the fixed axis of the operating shaft assembly. The secondary lock rotates between a first condition, wherein a stop engages with at least one link of the linkage assembly, and a second condition, wherein each door is permitted to move to the open position. A release mechanism is provided for releasing the primary lock by moving at least one of the links of the linkage system relative to the other thereby allowing the door to be forcibly moved toward their open position under the influence of the columnar load being placed thereon by the lading in the hopper.

Railroad hopper car door operating mechanism

A railroad car constant contact side bearing assembly plastic cap having a longitudinal axis and including a generally flat top surface with wall structure formed integral with and depending from the generally flat top surface, and a metallic insert maintained in operable association with the generally flat surface on the cap to slidably contact with an underside of a railcar whereby permitting the cap to establish a coefficient of friction ranging between about 0.4 and about 0.9 with the railcar.

Railroad car constant contact side bearing assembly

A constant contact side bearing assembly for a railcar including a housing with wall structure defining a central axis for the side bearing assembly and a multipiece cap. The cap is arranged in operable combination with the housing and includes a movable first member and a movable second member carried by the first member. A spring resiliently urges the cap members toward railcar body structure. The cap members define cooperating angled surfaces therebetween for urging wall structure on the first member and wall structure on the second member into frictional engagement with the wall structure on the housing in response to a vertical load acting on the friction contacting surface on the cap. An apparatus, carried by the cap members, allow the cap members to horizontally slide relative to each other while limiting vertical separation of the cap members relative to each other during operation of the constant contact side bearing assembly.

Railcar constant contact side bearing assembly

A railroad car constant contact side bearing assembly including a housing, a top cap arranged for vertical reciprocatory movements relative to the housing, and a spring accommodated in a spring cavity defined by the housing and cap for resiliently urging the top cap into frictional sliding engagement with an underside of a railcar body. At least one of the side bearing housing and cap is formed from a high performance plastic material whereby enhancing the vertical reciprocity of the cap relative to the housing.

A constant contact side bearing assembly for a railcar including a housing with wall structure defining a central axis for the side bearing assembly and a multipiece cap. The cap is arranged in operable combination with the housing and includes a movable first member or spring seat and a movable second member or top cap carried by the first member. A spring resiliently urges the cap members toward railcar body structure. The cap members define cooperating angled surfaces therebetween for urging wall structure on the first member and wall structure on the second member into frictional engagement with the wall structure on the housing in response to a vertical load acting on the friction contacting surface on the cap. At least the top cap is structured to establish a coefficient of friction ranging between about 0.4 and about 0.9 with the railcar during operation of the side bearing assembly.

An apparatus for controlling the discharge of materials from a railcar having a hopper carried on a mobile frame. The hopper defines a longitudinally disposed discharge opening. The railcar has a door pivotally mounted for movement between an open position and a closed position relative to the discharge opening. The apparatus for controlling the discharge of materials from the railcar includes an operating shaft and a drive operably coupled between the door and the operating shaft for causing the door to move from the closed position toward the open position in response to rotation of the operating shaft. The drive also includes a lost motion connection for protecting the operating shaft as the door freely pivots toward the open position during collapsing movement of the lost motion connection and after the operating shaft has been rotated a predetermined amount to open the door.

Apparatus for controlling discharge of material from a railroad hopper car

An elastomeric spring including an elongated elastomeric body defining a longitudinal axis for the spring and having first and second longitudinal ends. An outer surface of the elastomeric body extends between the first and second ends and has four generally planar sides, with each planar side of the outer surface being disposed to one side of and generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spring so as to reduce radial bulging of the spring in all directions when an axial load is applied to the spring. The outer surface of the elastomeric body further includes four angled corner sections extending between the first and second ends of the elastomeric body and disposed a substantially common distance from the longitudinal axis of the spring. One corner section is disposed between any two adjoining sides on the outer surface of the elastomeric body.

Growing community of inventors

Maple Park, IL, United States of America

Steve R White