Gondola car having frameless radial truck

Abstract

A gondola-type railway car has an end structure supported on a frameless radial truck. The end structure includes a center sill and a bottom closure member. Side sill members are connected to the sides of the bottom closure member. The undersurface of the bottom closure member has eight wedge pockets thereon with reinforcement attached thereto for engaging eight support pads on the truck. The pads and the wedge pockets are arranged in four longitudinally-spaced pairs of laterally spaced pads. The bottom closure member has a reinforcement structure on its upper surface for transferring the weight of the car to the truck. The reinforcement structure includes three transverse reinforcement channels above the three inner pairs of wedge pockets. A pair of longitudinally extending channel members extend from above the outer wedge pockets to engage the outermost transverse beam to tie the outer wedge pockets into the car body structure. Gussets in the outermost transverse beam reinforce it to receive loads from the channel members. Gussets are provided in the channel members for full support of the outermost wedge pockets.