Railroad car and end door assembly therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12139178-B2
Application number	US-202016998588-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2020
Priority date	Jan 11, 2017
Publication date	Nov 12, 2024
Grant date	Nov 12, 2024

Abstract

A gondola car has a door and an associated door frame the end. The door hangs hingedly from the header of the frame. The header runs across the top of the door opening and is connected to the top chords at either side. The door posts are positioned inside the side sheets and tie into the header at each upper corner. The side sheets lap onto the door posts to allow longitudinal adjustment of the side assemblies and the door frame relative to each other, at assembly. The side posts are connected to the header with a tie plate that is bolted to both members. The car may also have a tarp dome at each end. The tarp dome has non-welded connections that have play to permit the tarp dome to accommodate movement of the top chords.

First claim

We claim:

1. A tarpaulin dome for a railroad freight car, the railroad freight car having a longitudinal direction in which the railroad car rolls along railroad tracks, a vertical direction measured upwardly from Top of Rail, and a lateral direction oriented cross-wise to the longitudinal direction, said tarpaulin dome comprising:
a first portion and a second portion;
said first portion defining a rib over which to tighten a tarpaulin;
said second portion defining an extension for placement intermediate said rib and a top chord of an end wall of the railroad freight car;
first and second top chord mounting fittings located on opposite sides of said tarpaulin dome;
each of said first and second top chord mounting fittings inhibiting vertical and longitudinal movement of said tarpaulin dome;
each of said first and second top chord fittings permitting a degree of freedom of play in said lateral direction that is inhibited in said longitudinal direction.

2. The tarpaulin dome of claim 1 wherein said first top chord mounting fitting includes an anchor rigidly mounted to a first sidewall top chord of the railroad car; and a pin oriented in said lateral direction to permit said play.

3. The tarpaulin dome of claim 2 wherein said pin is slideable in said lateral direction relative to the anchor.

4. The tarpaulin dome of claim 2 wherein said first portion has a mooring member for placement in opposition to said anchor, and said pin permits lateral play between said mooring member and said anchor.

5. The tarpaulin dome of claim 4 wherein each of said mooring member and said anchor has lateral play relative to said pin.

6. The tarpaulin dome of claim 1 wherein, when installed on a freight car, said tarpaulin dome is free of welded connections to the freight car.

7. A tarpaulin dome for a railroad freight car, said tarpaulin dome comprising:
a first portion and a second portion;
said first portion defining a former over which to tighten a tarpaulin;
said second portion defining an extension for placement intermediate said former and a top chord of an end wall of the railroad freight car;
first and second top chord mounting fittings located on opposite sides of said tarpaulin dome;
each of said first and second top chord mounting fittings inhibiting vertical and longitudinal movement of said tarpaulin dome;
each of said first and second top chord fittings permitting lateral play;
said first top chord mounting including an anchor for connection to a top chord of a sidewall of a railroad freight car;
said anchor has a flange for rigid attachment to an upper flange of the top chord;
said anchor has an upstanding web, said web facing said former;
said former has a profile over which to tighten a tarpaulin;
said former has a flange formed at said first end thereof, said flange of said former being located shy of said profile;
said flange of said former and said upstanding web of said anchor facing each other in mutual opposition;
said flange of said former and said upstanding web of said anchor having mutually aligned apertures formed therein; and
said top chord mounting includes a plurality of pins seated in associated ones of said mutually aligned apertures.

8. A combination comprising:
a tarpaulin dome for a railroad freight car and at least a first retainer therefor;
said tarpaulin dome including a first portion and a second portion;
said first portion of said tarpaulin dome defining a former over which to tighten a tarpaulin;
said second portion of said tarpaulin dome defining an extension for placement intermediate said former and a top chord of an end wall of the railroad freight car;
first and second top chord mounting fittings located on opposite sides of said tarpaulin dome;
each of said first and second top chord mounting fittings inhibiting vertical and longitudinal movement of said tarpaulin dome;
each of said first and second top chord fittings permitting lateral play;
said second portion of said tarpaulin dome has a longitudinally outboard margin distant from said former;
said first retainer is mounted to a transversely extending top chord of an end wall assembly of an open top railroad freight car, said first retainer defining an accommodation above that top chord and below said first retainer in which to seat said outboard margin of said second portion of said tarpaulin dome, said margin thereby being captured above the top chord by said retainer.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said accommodation permits lateral play of said margin.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein said accommodation permits longitudinal play of said margin.

11. The combination of claim 8 wherein said accommodation permits longitudinal play of said margin.

12. The combination of claim 8 wherein said second portion of said tarp dome includes downwardly extending webbing transversely bracketed between sidewall top chords of the freight car, and longitudinally inboard of the most proximate end wall top chord of the freight car.

13. A tarpaulin dome for a railroad freight car, the railroad freight car having a longitudinal direction in which the railroad car rolls along railroad tracks, a vertical direction measured upwardly from Top of Rail, and a lateral direction oriented cross-wise to the longitudinal direction, said tarpaulin dome comprising:
a first portion and a second portion;
said first portion defining a rib over which to tighten a tarpaulin;
said second portion defining an extension for placement intermediate said rib and a top chord of an end wall of the railroad freight car;
first and second top chord mounting fittings located on opposite sides of said tarpaulin dome;
each of said first and second top chord mounting fittings inhibiting vertical and longitudinal movement of said tarpaulin dome;
each of said first and second top chord fittings permitting play in said lateral direction; and
said first top chord mounting fitting including an anchor rigidly mounted to a first sidewall top chord of the railroad car, and a pin oriented in said lateral direction to permit said play.

14. The tarpaulin dome of claim 13 wherein said pin is slideable in said lateral direction relative to the anchor.

15. The tarpaulin dome of claim 13 wherein said first portion has a mooring member for placement in opposition to said anchor, and said pin permits lateral play between said mooring member and said anchor.

16. The tarpaulin dome of claim 15 wherein each of said mooring member and said anchor has lateral play relative to said pin.

17. An open top railroad freight car having a longitudinal direction in which the railroad car rolls along railroad tracks, a vertical direction measured upwardly from Top of Rail, and a lateral direction oriented cross-wise to the longitudinal direction, the open top railroad freight car having a tarpaulin dome that mounts to top chords of the railroad freight car, said tarpaulin dome having top chord connection fittings, said top chord connection fittings inhibiting vertical motion of said tarpaulin dome relative to the top chords and inhibiting longitudinal motion of said tarpaulin dome relative to the top chords, notwithstanding that said top chord connection fittings accommodate a degree of freedom of motion of lateral play of top chord deflection relative to said tarpaulin dome.

Assignees

• Nat Steel Car Ltd

Inventors

• Veit Oliver M
• Black Kenneth Wayne
• Forbes James W
• Suffoletta Mark Anthony
• Batchelor James

Classifications

• B61D7/18

  pivoted · CPC title

• B61D17/06

  End walls · CPC title

• B61D19/001

  for wagons or vans (closure elements for hopper car discharge openings B61D7/16; doors convertible into loading and unloading ramps B61D47/00; B61D19/003 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B61D3/00

  Wagons or vans (tank wagons B61D5/00; hopper wagons B61D7/00; tipping wagons B61D9/00; mine cars B61D11/00; vehicles specially adapted for animal transportation B60P3/04; {container traffic B65G}) · CPC title

• B61D19/004 Primary

  swinging (B61D19/008 takes precedence) · CPC title