Articulated car train

[57] ABSTRACT

A unit train having a plurality of articulated cars for transporting one commodity or lading in one direction of travel between two geographical areas, and a different lading in the return opposite direction of travel. Alternate freight cars of one type, such as hopper cars, are transported in an unloaded condition in one direction of travel and are transported in a loaded condition in the return opposite direction of travel. Intervening freight cars such as flat cars, are transported in a loaded condition when the alternate cars are in unloaded condition, and are transported in an unloaded condition when the alternate cars are in loaded condition. The articulated cars have common trucks between adjacent ends of all the cars in the unit train to support the ends thereon. The trucks have a load capacity adequate to support one of the supported cars in fully loaded condition but inadequate to support both of the supported cars in loaded condition.

Claims, 6 Drawing Figures

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PATENtEDAUC29 rare

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INVENTORS.

WALTER E. O'LEARY ASA FRANKLIN CHARLES

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ATTORNEY

PATENTED »UC29 ten

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PATENTED aug 2 9 rare

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PATENTED AUG 29 1972

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ARTICULATED CAR TRAIN

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Articulated car unit trains are employed primarily to haul a lading, such as coal, in one direction only. The return travel of the unit train is usually empty. Thus, large numbers of cars in unit trains, and in many instances, entire unit trains, are returned empty over long distances while other trains are employed to haul a different commodity over substantially the same distance. When return movements of commodities do exist it is unusual for the unit train to be able to handle such commodities as unit trains normally comprise a single type of car, such as open top hopper or gondola cars for coal, which cars usually are not adapted to carry the other commodities.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a plurality of articulated railway cars mounted and supported on common trucks. Alternate cars in the train are adapted for transporting one commodity of lading in only one direction of travel while intervening cars in the train are adapted for transporting different commodity in only the opposite return direction of travel. Since one-half of the cars will be empty in either direction of travel, the common supporting truck is designed to have a load capacity sufficient to transport only one of the adjacent supported cars in fully loaded condition and inadequate to support both of the adjacent supported cars in loaded condition. Alternate cars in the unit train may be of one type, such as hopper cars, while intervening cars may be of a different type, such as flat cars, for the transport of a different commodity. Thus, substantial cost savings result from the employment of common trucks which are designed to have a load capacity sufficient for only one of the supported cars in fully loaded condition as only one-half the total number of trucks for specified number of cars will be required in a unit train comprising the present invention, as compared with a train having two separate trucks for each car. The trucks, which are a substantial portion of the cost and weight of unit train, are loaded in both directions of travel, rather than in one direction of travel such as is common in most unit train operations.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly diagrammatic, of several cars of a unit train comprising the present invention with alternate cars of the same type;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, partly diagrammatic, similar to FIG. 1 but indicating the end cars of the unit train shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of common truck between a pair of adjacent cars in the unit train for supporting both cars;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged top plan of the articulated pivotal connection between adjacent cars;

FIG. 5 is a section taken generally along line 5—5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section taken generally along line 6—6 of FIG. 3.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of this invention and particularly to FIG. 1, a portion of a unit train is shown comprising the present invention. Alternate cars 10 in the unit train are indicated as open top hopper cars while intervening cars 12 are indicated as flat cars. Thus, the unit train comprises a plurality of pairs of articulated cars with every other car in the unit train being of the same type. Cars 10 are loaded in one direction of travel while cars 12 are in an unloaded condition. Cars 12 are loaded in the opposite direction of travel while cars 10 are in an unloaded condition.

Each articulated car has a common wheeled truck generally indicated 14 between adjacent cars 10 and 12 to support the adjacent ends of cars 10 and 12. As shown in FIG. 2, cars 10A and 12A which are on the ends of the unit train have conventional couplers 16 and conventional trucks on their outer ends thereby to permit coupling to suitable locomotive unit or a caboose.

Truck 14 comprises four wheels 19, a pair of side frames 20, and a bolster 22 extending between said frames 20. Bolster 22 has center plate 24 forming bowlshaped recess on its upper side. Side bearings 26 are secured to the upper surface of bolster 22 on each side thereof. Adjacent cars 10 and 12 are pivotally connected to each other over bolster center plate 24. Car 10 has a center sill 28 with a male casting 30 forming a tongue on its outer end. Casting 30 as a central vertical opening 32 and an arcuate lower surface 34 terminating rearwardly at a recess 36. Mating adjacent car 12 has a center sill 38 with a female casting 40 forming a yoke on its outer end to receive tongue 30. Upper and lower portions 42,44 of yoke 40 are spaced to receive tongue 30 and have vertical openings 46 adapted to align vertically with opening 32 for receiving center pin 48. Projection 50 on the extending end of lower portion 44 fits within recess 36 of male casting 30. Lower portion 44 has an upper arcuate surface 52 mating with lower surface 34 of male casting 30. Opening 32 is of a diameter greater than the diameter of center pin 48 to permit a limited relative vertical movement between tongue 30 and yoke 40. To secure male casting 30 within female casing 40, a retaining bar 54 extends through suitable openings in female casting 40. A retainer 56 is releasably connected on the outer end of bar 54 as shown in FIG. 6.

Extending from the end of car 10 on each side thereof is a projection generally indicated 58 having spaced sides 60 and a lower connecting bottom wall 62 as shown in FIG. 6. Bearing plates 6 and 66 are secured to bottom wall 62. Extending from the end of car 12 on each side thereof is projection generally indicated 67 having spaced parallel sides 68 and a lower bearing plate 70. Projection 67 is received within projection 58 between sides 60. Bearing plate 70 is positioned above bearing plate 66 and is adapted to contact plate 66 upon relative lateral movement between cars 10 and 12.

Truck 14 is designed to have a load capacity sufficient to transport only one of the adjacent supporting cars 10 or 12 in a fully loaded condition, and is of a

3,687,084 load capacity inadequate to support both of the adjacent supported cars 10, 12 in loaded condition. For example, a unit train may comprise a hundred cars with 50 alternate cars 10 being open hopper cars fifty (5) feet in length and 50 alternate cars 12 being flat cars sixty (6) feet in length. A so-called four-wheeled one hundred (100) ton truck having a rail load limit of 131,500 pounds may be employed between adjacent hopper cars 10 and flat cars 12. The rail load limit of 131,500 pounds comprises the following:

weightoftruck 10,000 pounds ft weight of empty adjacent car body 20,000 pounds % weight of loaded adjacent car body 20,000 pounds ft weight of lading in loaded adjacent car 81,500 pounds

Total · 3¹ ·⁵⁰θ pounds

Thus the total weight of the lading in each loaded car is around eighty (80) tons. Cars 10 may be loaded with an eighty (80) ton load of coal or sand in one direction of travel while cars 12 may be loaded with an eighty (80) ton load of lumber or sheet material in an opposite direction of travel, trucks 14 being fully loaded in both directions of travel either from the loaded cars 10 or the loaded cars 12.

While cars 10 and 12 have been illustrated as different types of cars, it is feasible to employ only one type of car in the unit train with alternate cars being loaded with one commodity in one direction of travel while the remaining intervening cars are loaded in an opposite direction of travel with a different commodity.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results obtained.