Railway vehicle suspension aligned truck

Abstract

A railway vehicle truck assembly comprises the following, in part: wheel sets having longitudinally spaced, transversely extending axles, and wheels mounted to the axles; transversely spaced longitudinally extending side frames mounted to the axles; and a transversely extending bolster mounted to the side frames. The bolster has a center bowl and opposed, elongated bolster arms extending from the center bowl. The bolster arms each form spaced structural walls, a first of the structural walls of the bolster arms having a bolster anchor fitting defined thereon, and a second of the structural walls having a bolster anchor opening defined therethrough. The structural walls further define an inner cavity between the walls, and bolster anchors connect the side frames to the bolster. The bolster anchors are located transversely between the side frames, further extend to the fittings, and extend at least in part through the inner cavity of the bolster and the bolster anchor openings to brackets on the side frames. Conventional equipment is useful for casting the components of the truck, the truck is quite economical, and the bolster anchors greatly enhance the alignment and performance of the trucks. The trucks are significantly smoother riding, better curving, suitable for higher train speeds, and provide railcars suitable for more sensitive payloads.