Rail car dumping system and method

Abstract

Loaded rail cars in succession are positioned at an unloading station adjacent to plural connected car lifting and inverting jaw devices which revolve around a common horizontal pivot axis extending lengthwise of the car and across the jaw devices. First power operators connected between the relatively movable jaws of the devices produce the required relative movements of the jaws of the devices in unison to effect gripping of each loaded car in preparation for raising, inverting and emptying its contents into a receiver, and subsequently releasing each car following its return empty to an upright position at the unloading station. Second power operators connected between a stationary base and the jaw devices serve to rotate the jaw devices around the common horizontal pivot axis with each car toward and from the car emptying and upright positions. The rotating jaw devices may be counterweighted to reduce the power required to move them around their common pivot axis. A deflector connected across the jaw devices prevents premature emptying of the contents of each car as it approaches a gravity emptying position above the receiver.