US3557708A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Articulated railway tank cars
Assignee: ACF Industries Inc
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Filing: 1968-09-12
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Granted: 1971-01-26
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Expires: 1988-09-12
Abstract
Abstract An articulated structure for adjacent ends of two railway car bodies including a pair of four-wheeled trucks connected by a span sill structure supported for relative pivotal movement on center plates of the pair of trucks. The sill structure has a pair of center plates thereon and support the two railway car bodies for relative pivotal movement thereon. The railway car bodies are particularly adapted as railway tank car bodies having their adjacent ends of a reduced diameter with stub center sill structures secured to the reduced diameter end portions and permit the connection of two tank car bodies each having a capacity of twenty-five thousand (25,000) gallons or more thereby providing a total capacity in the two articulated cars of over fifty thousand (50,000) gallons.
Inventors
- 👤 Ronald P Bolte
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 09:34
CPC Classifications
B; B61; B61D; B61D5/00; B61D3/00; B61D3/10; B61D3/14; B61D5/06; B61F; B61F3/00; B61F3/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
234 words
An articulated railway tank car structure comprising, a pair of tank car shells closely positioned in end-to-end relation to each other and having inner end portions of a substantially lesser diameter than the remote outer end portions thereof, each reduced inner end portion having a fixed stub center sill structure and an integral body bolster secured thereto, a pair of four-wheel trucks each having a bolster including a center plate thereon, a connecting sill structure extending between said pair of trucks and having a pair of center plates on the underside thereof coacting with the center plates of said trucks to support the connecting sill structure for pivotal movement thereon, a pair of center plates on the upper surface of said connecting sill structure in vertical alignment with the center plates on the underside thereof, a center plate on the body bolster of each railway tank car shell coacting with the center plate on the upper surface of the connecting sill structure to support the tank car shells for pivotal movement thereon, and a bolster structure on the connecting sill structure adjacent each pair of vertically aligned center plates thereon extending outwardly transversely of the shells, each bolster structure on the connecting sill structure having upper and lower cover plates with side bearings thereon, said body bolsters and said truck bolsters having side bearings coacting with the side bearings on said connecting sill structure.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
234 words
An articulated railway tank car structure comprising, a pair of tank car shells closely positioned in end-to-end relation to each other and having inner end portions of a substantially lesser diameter than the remote outer end portions thereof, each reduced inner end portion having a fixed stub center sill structure and an integral body bolster secured thereto, a pair of four-wheel trucks each having a bolster including a center plate thereon, a connecting sill structure extending between said pair of trucks and having a pair of center plates on the underside thereof coacting with the center plates of said trucks to support the connecting sill structure for pivotal movement thereon, a pair of center plates on the upper surface of said connecting sill structure in vertical alignment with the center plates on the underside thereof, a center plate on the body bolster of each railway tank car shell coacting with the center plate on the upper surface of the connecting sill structure to support the tank car shells for pivotal movement thereon, and a bolster structure on the connecting sill structure adjacent each pair of vertically aligned center plates thereon extending outwardly transversely of the shells, each bolster structure on the connecting sill structure having upper and lower cover plates with side bearings thereon, said body bolsters and said truck bolsters having side bearings coacting with the side bearings on said connecting sill structure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
172 words
An articulated railway tank car structure comprising, a pair of tank car shells closely positioned in end-to-end relation to each other and having inner end portions of a substantially lesser diameter than the remote outer end portions thereof, each reduced inner end portion having a fixed stub center sill structure and an integral body bolster secured thereto, a pair of trucks each having a bolster including a center plate thereon, a connecting sill structure extending between said pair of trucks and having a pair of center plates on the underside thereof coacting with the center plates of said trucks to support the connecting sill structure for pivotal movement thereon, a pair of center plates on the upper surface of said connecting sill structure in vertical alignment with the center plates on the underside thereof, and a center plate on the body bolster of each railway tank car shell coacting with the center plate on the upper surface of the connecting sill structure to support the tank car shells for pivotal movement thereon.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
172 words
An articulated railway tank car structure comprising, a pair of tank car shells closely positioned in end-to-end relation to each other and having inner end portions of a substantially lesser diameter than the remote outer end portions thereof, each reduced inner end portion having a fixed stub center sill structure and an integral body bolster secured thereto, a pair of trucks each having a bolster including a center plate thereon, a connecting sill structure extending between said pair of trucks and having a pair of center plates on the underside thereof coacting with the center plates of said trucks to support the connecting sill structure for pivotal movement thereon, a pair of center plates on the upper surface of said connecting sill structure in vertical alignment with the center plates on the underside thereof, and a center plate on the body bolster of each railway tank car shell coacting with the center plate on the upper surface of the connecting sill structure to support the tank car shells for pivotal movement thereon.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
An articulated railway tank car structure as set forth in claim 2 wherein the outer end portion of each tank shell has a fixed stub center sill structure thereon axially aligned with the connecting sill structure.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-01-25 | 1974-07-27 | 1975-01-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-01-25 | 1978-07-27 | 1979-01-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-01-25 | 1982-07-27 | 1983-01-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |