Container securing means for railway flat cars

Claim 1

A railway flat car comprising a deck; a plurality of container supports on the deck; a container having lower corners supported on the container supports, each of said lower corners having a generally elongate side opening therein extending in a generally vertical direction with an arcuate concave edge defining the lower portion of the elongate opening; said container support having a generally horizontal seat to support the lower corner of the container and a pair of connected walls arranged in a right angular relation to form side and end walls extending upwardly from the seat to restrain the container against horizontal movement; said support further comprising an intermediate wall extending longitudinally of the car below said horizontal seat; the side wall adjacent the elongate side opening having a slot in horizontal alignment therewith; a releasable locking lever on each container support; means mounting the locking lever upon said side wall below said slot for generally pivotal movement adjacent the side wall about a generally horizontal axis extending longitudinally of the car; the upper portion of said locking lever having a protuberance extending within the slot and adapted to extend within the elongate container opening for restraining the container against upward movement at a lifting force below a predetermined minimum lifting force; resilient means urging the upper portion of the locking lever and protuberance inwardly into the container opening; said resilient means comprising a rod pivotally connected at one end to said locking lever below said seat, said rod passing through an opening in said intermediate wall, and having a compression spring mounted thereon and held in place by said intermediate wall and fastening means at the opposite end thereof, said protuberance having a lower cam surface for contacting said arcuate concave edge defining the lower portion of the elongate container opening, said lower cam surface being inclined upwardly with respect to the horizontal and being generally arcuate and convex in cross section to fit against the adjacent concave edge of the wall defining the lower portion of the elongate container opening in a generally nested relation when the container is lifted from the support; said protuberance further having a downwardly inclined upper cam surface adapted to contact the container upon lowering of a container onto the container support for urging the protuberance outwardly against the bias of said resilient means, the protuberance being urged within the container opening by the resilient means upon seating of the container on the support; and an upward movement of the container being restrained by the lower cam surface on said protuberance until a predetermined minimum upward force is exceeded whereupon said protuberance is urged outwardly to release the container.