Other

New York Air Brake Corporation

Ted C Johnson, Jr

Mark Tinklepaugh

John Burch

Phil O'Reilly

Dino Capuano

Dan Rowland

An improved air brake hose coupling member for a rail car including a pivotally mounted pawl. The pawl has a ramp for engaging another coupling member. The engagement causes the pawl to be raised to an unlocking position automatically during coupling of the members. The axis of rotation of the pawl is in a plane substantially parallel to an inner coupling face of the member and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of a tubular body of the member. The coupling member also has a biasing element that causes the pawl to drop down into a locking position after coupling of the members is complete, thereby enabling the pawl to prevent undesired rotational decoupling of the members. A method for modifying existing non-locking coupling members with a pivotally mounted pawl.

Air brake hose coupling member

A crane is mounted on a platform having ground engaging legs adapted to support the platform in an elevated position straddling railroad tracks so that a railway car to be loaded or unloaded is adapted to be moved beneath the platform. The legs are adapted to be displaced between raised and lowered positions relative to the platform and are in the lowered positions thereof when the platform is so ground supported. When a railway car has been moved beneath the platform, the legs are displaced toward their raised positions whereby the platform is lowered onto the car to rest on the top edges of the side walls thereof. Preferably, the legs are also adapted to be displaced laterally between extended and retracted positions relative to the platform and are retracted when the platform rests on the car to minimize lateral projection of the apparatus relative to the car. Clamping arrangements are provided for releasably interengaging the platform and the side walls of the car when the platform is supported thereon, and the crane is operable with the platform supported on the car to achieve the loading and/or unloading thereof. The legs are also mounted on the platform for pivotal movement to horizontal positions parallel to the platform to facilitate transporting the apparatus on a flat bed railway car. A grapple assembly is provided for the crane which enables use of the apparatus to achieve a unique method of loading railway ties in a gondola car.

Apparatus for loading and unloading railway cars

A crane is mounted on a platform having ground engaging legs adapted to support the platform in an elevated position straddling railroad tracks so that a railway car to be loaded or unloaded is adapted to be moved beneath the platform. The legs are adapted to be displaced between raised and lowered positions relative to the platform and are in the lowered positions thereof when the platform is so ground supported. When a railway car has been moved beneath the platform, the legs are displaced toward their raised positions whereby the platform is lowered onto the car to rest on the top edges of the side walls thereof. The platform carries clamping arrangements for releasably gripping the side walls of the car when the platform is supported thereon, and the crane is operable with the platform supported on the car to achieve the loading and/or unloading thereof. The legs are also mounted on the platform for pivotal movement to horizontal positions parallel to the platform to facilitate transporting the apparatus on a flat bed railway car. A grapple assembly is provided for the crane which enables use of the apparatus to achieve a unique method of loading railway ties in a gondola car.

Growing community of inventors

Solon, OH, United States of America

Ted C Johnson, Jr