Cushioned rack assembly for railway cars

Claim 1

IN A RAILWAY CAR PROVIDED WITH AN OPEN DECK PORTION HAVING MOUNTED THEREON A CUSHION RACK ASSEMBLY INCLUDING LONGITUDINALALY EXTENDING AND LATERALLY SPACED AND INTERCONNECTED RAIL MEMBERS ATTACHED TO SAID CAR THROUGH CUSHION MEANS PROVIDING FOR CONTROLLED LONGITUDINAL RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID RACK ASSEMBLY AND THE CAR, SAID RAIL MEMBERS BEING PROVIDED WITH TOP AND BOTTOM SURFACE LATERAL FLANGE PORTIONS, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING SAID RACK ASSEMBLY BEING FORMED FROM A PLURALITY OF LIMITEDLY PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTED RACK SECTIONS PERMITTING VERTICAL OPPOSITE DIRECTIONAL RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID SECTIONS, THE INTERCONNECTION OF SAID SECTIONS BEING DEFINED BY MEANS CONFINING THE RELATIVE MOVEMENT WITHIN A PLANE NORMAL TO SAID DECK PORTION, SAID INTERCONNECTION MEANS INCLUDING A PLATE PROJECTING BEYOND AN END OF EACH RAIL MEMBER IN A PLANE NORMAL TO SAID OPEN DECK PORTION, THE PROJECTING END OF EACH PLATE OVERLYING A SIDE SURFACE PORTION OF A RAIL MEMBER OF AN ADJACENT SECTION WITHIN THE VERTICAL CONFINES OF SAID FLANGE PORTIONS, AND TRANSVERSE MEANS PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTING THE PROJECTING END OF THE PLATE OF THE ADJACENT RAIL MEMBER.