GB1568549A

GB1568549A - Railway wagons

Info

Publication number: GB1568549A
Application number: GB6829/77A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Youngstown Steel Door Co
Current assignee: Youngstown Steel Door Co
Priority date: 1976-06-24
Filing date: 1977-02-18
Publication date: 1980-05-29
Also published as: AU508384B2; DE2716435A1; CA1036003A; ZA77569B; FR2355699A1; BE876058Q; MX4222E; AU2243477A; FR2355699B1

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO RAILWAY WAGONS (71) We, THE YOUNGSTOWN STEEL DOOR COMPANY a corporation organised and existing under the laws of the state of Ohio, United States of America of 2000 Bond Court, 1300 East Ninth Street, aevelmd, Ohio 44114, United States of America do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to open top soused gondola railway wagons of depressed centre design into which bulk lading is loaded and unloaded into and from the open top.

Bulk loading of open top railway wagons is usually accomplished by socalIed "flood loaning,' with the wagon in motion and unloading is usually accomplished by rotary dumping of the wagon. Open top railway wagons (so called "gondola" wagons) are wally employed to carry bulk materials such as coal, sand, gravel, ore or the like.

Recent developments m railway wagons which can be emptied by rotary dumping have permitted a relatively low centre of gravity because of a depressed centre or "bathtub" design in which the body of the wagon is supwed on stub end sills and permits the bottom portion of the wagon body to extend downwardly between bogies. Such wagons generally have been provided with a parabolic or a concave inner shape on the top surface of the bottom sheet when viewed in crosssection and a convex outer shape on the lower or bottom surface of the bottom sheet when viewed in croes-section.

An example of such a railway wagon (or car) is shown in United States Patent Specification No. 3,713,400; such a wagon has seen succeseul service in Canada, but is not readily adaptable to service in the United States because of the relatively small size of rotary dumping apparatus used by United States railroads and shippers. There has therefore been a need for relatively shorter wagons or cars for service in the United States and elsewhere with existing rotary dumping equip ment and with equipment of current design still to be manufactured and put into use.

According to one aspect of the present invention an open gondola railway wagon comprises a permanently substantially closed bottom, a pair of generally longitudinally outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means, a pair of generally vertically extending side panel means, said bottom, said outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means and said side panel means being fixedly connected together to form the open top wagon body, reinforcing means for said side panel means including a pair of side sill means extending substantially the length of the wagon, one on each side thereof, a pair of end stub sill means located and longitudinally oriented one at each end of the wagon, a pair of bogie assemblies located one at each end of the wagon, and a pair of body bolster and center plate assembly located one at each end of the wagon within the length of the respective stub sill means to support the respective ends of the wagon body each on the respective one of said bogie assemblies, said bottom including a portion defined by sheet means extending between and below said said stub sill means and between said bogie assemblies, and said outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means each intersecting said bottom substantially above the body bolster and center plate assembly of its respective end and extending outwardly substantially to the outer end of the stub sill means at that end and upwardly substantially to the top of the wagon.

According to another aspect of the present invention an open top gondola railway wagon, comprises a permanently substantially closed bottom, a pair of generally longitudinally outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means, a pair of generally vertically extending side panel means, said bottom, said outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means and said side panel means being fixedly connected together to form the open top wagon body, reenforcing means for said side panel means including a pair of side sill means extending substantially the length of the wagon, one on each side thereof, a pair of end stub sill means located and loagitudinally oriented one at each end of the wagon, a pair of multi-axle bogie assemblies located one at each end of the wagon, and a pair of body bolster and center plate assemblies located one at each end of the wagon within the length of the respective stub sill means to support the respective ends of the wagon body each on the respective one of said bogie assemblies, said bottom including a portion defined by sheet means extending between and below said stub sill means and between said bogie assemblies, and said outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means each intersecting said bottom at its respective end substantially between axles of the bogie assembly at that end and extending outwardly substantially beyond the outermost axle of that bogie assembly and upwardly substantially to the top of the wagon.

By embodying the present invention it is possible to provide an open topped railway wagon with a depressed centre and which is shorter in length than the wagons currently being made while retaining roadability due to a low centre of gravity. This is accomplished with a minimum loss of cubic volume within the wagon while protecting devices such as top valves, fittings and reservoirs of brakes and any other safety appliances. These devices are located at an end of the wagon because the space between the bogies and under the wagon is occupied by the depressed portion of the wagon body. It has heretofore been necessary to provide a projecting coal deflector or roof extension at the ends of the top of depressed centre wagons in order to protect devices such as the aforementioned brake and safety appliance equipment from damage by the lading during loading.It should be understood in this regard that during flood loading, the wagons typically pass a loading chute or conveyor at speeds of one and one-half miles per hour and the accuracy of the control of flow from the chute or conveyor is difficult to control therefore causing the problem that the bulk material will, without some protective means, damage the brake and safety apparatus.

Providing a relatively shorter wagon is further complicated because it is necessary to consider the flexibility and dynamic tracking stability of the wagon. The ability to accommodate a certain amount of racking and weaving is highly desirable and normally is allowed for in wagon design. This takes shocks and vibrations from the bogie at one end and damps them before they are transferred to the other end. One of the advantages that results from this is that there is very little wheel lift on a wagon having this flexibility. The problem of wheel lift is particularly severe when a wagon is empty, as it is for example in unit train service on the return trip from the discharge end of the line to the loading end. Wheel lift is undesirable because it decreases the wear life of the wagon wheels and causes maintenance and down time of the wagon.When used in unit trains, an open top wagon often will have mileage in service of eight to ten times that of an average open top wagon used in interchange service.

Accordingly, it is important that wheel wear be minimized. Moreover, rocking and oscillating forces which occur in a wagon not properly designed for dynamic tracking stability can cause damage to the track surface, the wagon components, and the wagon structure itself.

Wagon derailment is another factor that must be considered as a definite threat from wheel lift.

In the past, it has been relatively standard for wagon designers to maintain a low centre of gravity by lengthening the wagon. The present invention because of the need to shorten the wagon for standard rotary dumpers while maintaining a maximum volume for lading in the wagon body has not had to sacrifice the basic ability of depressed centre wagons to provide dynamic tracking stability even without the use of special shock absorbing apparatus. This has been true in part because of the design and location of sloped end panels which extend froml between the axles of multi-axle bogies in the region of the body bolster and centre plate assembly to the top of the wagon longitudinally, upwardly and outwardly substantially to the top of the wagon and substantially outside of the outermost axle of the bogie near the end of an end stub centre sill.Preferably substantially triangular end panel support sheets are connected to and extend downwardly from substantially the top of the wagon adjacent side panels. The end panel support sheets at their lower ends transfer the downward moment of force exerted on the end panel by the weight of the lading to the portion of the end stub sill at that end which lies over or outside of the body bolster or the centre plate. This is useful in that it tends to balance the forces on the bolster and stub sill. It will be readily understood from viewing the drawings and to those skilled in the art that end stub sill unless balanced in this manner has a tendency to teeter or rock over the centre plate as a fulcrum, thus causing abnormal damage and wear during transit of the wagon, particularly during periods of high buff (compressive) forces or draft (tensile) forces.

A wagon embodying the present invention can permit a more free flow of lading during unloading on a rotary dumper because of the inaeased end panel slope. The effect of this free-flow is to minimize residue and to eliminate the requirements of a wagon shaker or thaw shed even if adverse weather conditions tending to enhance residue exist.

A further advantage of the preferred bracing by the triangular end panel support sheets is that end panel distortion from rotary dumping can be considerably reduced. This is a desirable feature which can be maintained without the expense of special corrugated ends such as have previously been required in the square or partially square end type of open topped wagons used in rotary dumping.

It is well knawn to railway wagon designers that in the United States rail joints are normally thirty-nine feet apart and that to maintain riding stability and minimize "rocking and rolling", it is desirable to lengthen a wagon to keep the centre of gravity down. A wagon embodying the present invention can be shortened enough to be accommodated in standard rotary dumpers even though it has approached the thirty-nine foot joint spacing because of the low centre of gravity and the balance provided on the end stub sills, as previously stated. This has been done without special dual springs or snubbers being needed by staying within the current Association of American Railroads centre of gravity and height requirements while still having a wagon (car) of maximum cubic volume. Dual springs or snubbing devices may, of course, be used with the wagon if desired.For example, a wagon (car) embodying the present invention can be forty feet six inches longitudinally between bogie (truck) centres while maintaining a centre of gravity of a loaded coal wagon (car) below the published eighty-four inch height limit of the American Association of Railroads for wagons (cars) without special shock absorbing snubbers and devices.

The invention will be furtner described by way of example with preference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section, partly broken away, of an open topped depressed centre railway wagon according to one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the wagon of Fig.

1 with cerain portions broken away for clarity and illustration purposes, Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the wagon of Fig. 1, Fig. 4A is an enlarged fragmentary view of the area 4A of Fig. 3, Fig. 4B is an enlarged fragmentary view of the area 4B of Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The numeral 10 generally designates an open topped so-called gondola railway wagon of depressed centre or "bathtub" design constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The wagon 10 comprises a body portion generally designated 12 mounted on bogies schematically represented by outlines of rail wheels shown in phantom at either end of the wagon. Axle locations for the rail wheels are indicated by crosses at the phantom wheel centres.

The wagon body 12 has longitudinally running side sills 14 and 16 on respective sides of the wagon. The side sills 14 and 16 are the main longitudinal members of the wagon frame and are supported at either end by means of body bolsters 18 and 20, respectively, at opposite ends of the wagon. The bolsters 18 and 20 are transverse members on the underside of the wagon body between and above the bogie axle centres through which the lading weight is transmitted. The body bolsters 18 and 20 each carry bogie centre plates 22 as shown on the left side of Fig. 1 for association with a bogie bolster. The bogie bolster has a mating bogie centre plate such that the body bolster 18, 20 and centre plate 22 assembly rests on the bogie bolster and centre plate assembly and is connected to it by means of a centre pin which is seated in opening 24.

At the ends of the wagon and extending in either direction from the body bolsters are longitudinally oriented end stub centre sills generally designated by the numerals 26 and 28. The end stub centre sills 26 and 28 each expand on either side of the body bolsters 18 and 20 respectively. A top cover plate or shear plate 30 is provided over the body bolster and centre sill at each end.

The body 12 is made up of side panels 32 and 34 respectively, which are fastened to the side sills 14 and 16, as by welding. Vertical stiffening members 38 and vertical posts 40 extend between the side sills 14 and 16 respectively, and side plates 42 and 44 respectively, which run longitudinally along the tops of the side panels 32 and 34, respectively.

Side plates 42 and 44 are connected by transverse end plates 46 at each end of the car.

A depressed centre portion tU of the body extends downwardly from the side sills 14 and 16 respectively, and longitudinally between the bogies. The depressed centre portion 50 is made up of sheets having, in crosssection, a parabolic or concave upper inner surface 52 and a convex lower outer surface 54. The term "parabolic" means a curve having the described concave-convex inner and outer surfaces in cross-section such as does a parabola. No implication that an exact geometric parabola need be defined by the surfaces 52 and 54 is intended. The bottom depressed centre portion 50 has appropriate end sheets 56 and drain openings 58 for expelling water.

Extending over the inner ends of the end stub centre sills 26 and 28 are bottom portions 60 which are horizontal bottom plates extending from end plates 56 of the depressed centre portion to an area between the axles of the bogies at which point they intersect with longitudinally outwardly and upwardly extending sloping end panels 64 and 66 respectively. The tops of the end panels 64 and 66 extend all the way to the top of the wagon where they are joined to the end plates 46 at their respective ends and in doing so extend over or outside of the axles of the outermost wheels of their respective bogies in a manner which takes full advantage of the wagon length for lading and protects brake apparatus and safety appliances.

The sloping end panels 64 and 66 are supported by support sheets 70 and 72, respectively. The support sheets 70 and 72 each have a flange for stiffening as shown at 74 in Fig. 3, and they extend from the side plates 42 and 44 at the top of the wagon to the shear plate 30. The support sheets 70 and 72 engage the sloping end panels 64 and 66 respectively, along their inner edges. Thus the support sheets 70 and 72 transfer the downward moment of force exerted on the longitudinally outwardly and upwardly sloping end panels 64 and 66 by the weight of the lading to the end stub centre sills 26 and 28, respectively, and to the body bolsters 18 and 20.

The downward forces transmitted from the sloping end panels 64 and 66 by means of the support sheets 70 and 72 act on the outer portions of end stub centre sills 26 and 28, respectively, and counteract any tendency of the end stub centre sills to pivot about the centre plates 22 of the respective body bolsters 18 and 20. This provides even loading on the centre plates 24 and reduces wear and abnormal rocking and rolling motion.

The wagon 10 is provided with direct acting bogie mounted brakes, and because of the space between the bogies being occupied by the depressed centre portion 50 of the body, the brake reservoir and top valves are mounted on the wagon end as shown in Fig. 3. The brake apparatus is shown in Fig. 3 in phantom and is generally designated by the numeral 80. Also at the end of the wagon are certain safety appliances such as a ladder, generally designated by the numeral 82, and a hand brake and its stanchion, which is generally designated by the numeral 84.Thus the brake apparatus 80 and the safety appliances g2 and 84 are substantially covered and protected by the sloping end panel 64 and the end plate 46 attached thereto, so that no overhanging roof, shell or other structure is necessary to protect them from damage during "flood" loading of the lading.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. An open top gondola railway wagon comprising a permanently substantially closed bottom, a pair of generally longitudinally outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means, a pair of generally vertically extending side panel means, said bottom, said outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means and said side panel means being fixedly connected ttsFher to form the open top wagon body, ercing means for said side panel means indodig a pair of side sill means extending substantially the length of the wagon, one on each side thereof, a pair of end stub sill means located and longitudinally oriented one at each end of the wagon, a pair of bogie assemblies located one at each end of the wagon, and a pair of body bolster and center plate assemblies located one at each end of the wagon within the length of the respective stub sill means to support the respective ends of the wagon body each on the respective one of said bogie assemblies, said bottom including a portion defined by sheet means extending between and below said stub sill means and between said bogie assemblies, and said outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means each intersecting said bottom substantially above the body bolster and center plate assembly of its respective end and extending outwardly substantially to the outer end of the stub sill means at that end and upwardly substantially to the top of the wagon.

2. A wagon as claimed in claim 1, in which said reinforcing means for said side panel means includes stiffener means operatively connected to the side sill means and extending upwardly therefrom for stiffening said side panel means.

3. A wagon as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which said bottom includes a portion defined by a generally curved sheet means concave along its upper surface in cross-section transverse to the longitudinally axis of the wagon and convex at its lower surface in crosssection transverse to the longitudinal axis of the wagon.

4. A wagon as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the bogies assemblies are multi-axle, and said outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means each intersect said bottom at its respective end substantially between axles of the bogie assembly at that end and extending outwardly substantially beyond the outermost axle of that bogie assembly.

5. A wagon as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, in which at each end thereof a pair of substantially triangular end panel means support sheets are connected to and extend downwardly from substantially the top of the wagon adjacent the side panel means to a location such that said support sheets transfer a downward moment of force exerted on the outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means by the weight of the lading at its respective end to a portion of the end stub sill means at that end which lies above or outside of the respective body bolster and center plate assembly.

6. An open top gondola railway wagon, comprising a permanently substantially dosed bottom, a pair of generally longitudinally outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means, a pair of generally vertically extending side panel means, said bottom, said outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means and said side panel means being fixedly connected

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. at their respective ends and in doing so extend over or outside of the axles of the outermost wheels of their respective bogies in a manner which takes full advantage of the wagon length for lading and protects brake apparatus and safety appliances. The sloping end panels 64 and 66 are supported by support sheets 70 and 72, respectively. The support sheets 70 and 72 each have a flange for stiffening as shown at 74 in Fig. 3, and they extend from the side plates 42 and 44 at the top of the wagon to the shear plate 30. The support sheets 70 and 72 engage the sloping end panels 64 and 66 respectively, along their inner edges. Thus the support sheets 70 and 72 transfer the downward moment of force exerted on the longitudinally outwardly and upwardly sloping end panels 64 and 66 by the weight of the lading to the end stub centre sills 26 and 28, respectively, and to the body bolsters 18 and 20. The downward forces transmitted from the sloping end panels 64 and 66 by means of the support sheets 70 and 72 act on the outer portions of end stub centre sills 26 and 28, respectively, and counteract any tendency of the end stub centre sills to pivot about the centre plates 22 of the respective body bolsters 18 and 20. This provides even loading on the centre plates 24 and reduces wear and abnormal rocking and rolling motion. The wagon 10 is provided with direct acting bogie mounted brakes, and because of the space between the bogies being occupied by the depressed centre portion 50 of the body, the brake reservoir and top valves are mounted on the wagon end as shown in Fig. 3. The brake apparatus is shown in Fig. 3 in phantom and is generally designated by the numeral 80. Also at the end of the wagon are certain safety appliances such as a ladder, generally designated by the numeral 82, and a hand brake and its stanchion, which is generally designated by the numeral 84.Thus the brake apparatus 80 and the safety appliances g2 and 84 are substantially covered and protected by the sloping end panel 64 and the end plate 46 attached thereto, so that no overhanging roof, shell or other structure is necessary to protect them from damage during "flood" loading of the lading. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. An open top gondola railway wagon comprising a permanently substantially closed bottom, a pair of generally longitudinally outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means, a pair of generally vertically extending side panel means, said bottom, said outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means and said side panel means being fixedly connected ttsFher to form the open top wagon body, ercing means for said side panel means indodig a pair of side sill means extending substantially the length of the wagon, one on each side thereof, a pair of end stub sill means located and longitudinally oriented one at each end of the wagon, a pair of bogie assemblies located one at each end of the wagon, and a pair of body bolster and center plate assemblies located one at each end of the wagon within the length of the respective stub sill means to support the respective ends of the wagon body each on the respective one of said bogie assemblies, said bottom including a portion defined by sheet means extending between and below said stub sill means and between said bogie assemblies, and said outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means each intersecting said bottom substantially above the body bolster and center plate assembly of its respective end and extending outwardly substantially to the outer end of the stub sill means at that end and upwardly substantially to the top of the wagon.

together to form the open top wagon body, reinforcing means for said side panel means including a pair of side sill means extending substantially the length of the wagon, one on each side thereof, a pair of end stub sill means located and longitudinally oriented one at each end of the wagon, a pair of multi-axle bogie assemblies located one at each end of the wagon, and a pair of body bolster and center plate assemblies located one at each end of the wagon within the length of the respective stub sill means to support the respective ends of the wagon body each on the respective one of said bogie assemblies, said bottom including a portion defined by sheet means extending between and below said stub sill means and between said bogie assemblies, and said outwardly and upwardly sloping end panel means each intersecting said bottom at its respective end substantially between axles of the bogie assembly at that end and extending outwardly substantially beyond the outermost axle of that bogie assembly and upwardly substantially to the top of the wagon.

7. A wagon as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6, in which at each end thereof a pair of substantially triangular end panel means support sheets are each connected to and extend downwardly and inwardly from substantially the top of the wagon adjacent a respective side panel means to a location substantially above a portion of the respective end stub sill means outside the centre plate means, whereby a downward moment of force exerted on an end panel means by the weight of the lading can be transferred downwardly, inwardly and substantially directly to the respective end stub sill.

8. A railway wagon constructed and arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore particularly described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.