Hopper vehicle

Claim 2

A hopper vehicle having a pair of bottom hoppers extending lengthwise of the vehicle on opposite sides of the vertical central plane of the vehicle, which comprises: a supporting structure including support means extending from about one end of the vehicle to about the other end of the vehicle and located at the bottom portion of the vehicle for mounting on wheeled assemblies of the vehicle; a body structure including: end walls; side walls; an inverted generally V-shaped panel mounted on said support means and extending lengthwise of the vehicle and providing a part of said hoppers; and a door assembly hingedly mounted at its upper margin on each of said side walls to swing outwardly and constructed to provide one side of one of said two hoppers of the vehicle; a door-operating mechanism for each of said door assemblies and located intermediate the length of the door assembly, each of said door-operating mechanisms including: a lever pivotally mounted at its bottom end on the bottom margin of said door assembly and having an inwardly directed extension that is constructed to function as a latching lug, said lever being movable between a first position abutting the inside of said door assembly when the door is unlocked and a second position spaced from the inside of said door assembly when the door is closed with said extension in its latching position to lock the closed door assembly; power means mounted on said support means and operatively connected to said lever to provide a force in one direction for movement of said lever from said second position to said first position and to provide a force in the opposite direction on said lever for return movement of said door assembly to its closed position and subsequent movement of said lever from said first position to said second position; and means operatively connected to said lever to provide against said levEr, when in its first position, a sufficient force to prevent movement of said lever from said first position when said power means provides a force in said opposite direction greater than the force of gravity acting on door assembly for movement of said door assembly to its closed position; and locking means mounted on said supporting structure in alignment with each of said levers to be engaged by said latching lugs provided by said extensions of said levers after said door assemblies are closed and said levers have been moved to their second positions, said locking means and said latching lugs being constructed so that when each of said levers is in its said first position and the door assembly on which it is mounted is being moved to said closed position said latching lug clears said locking means with which it is engaged when said lever is moved to its second position after the door is closed.

Claim 3

The hopper vehicle of claim 1 wherein: each door assembly has an opening in alignment with a top portion of said lever of said door-operating mechanism for that door assembly; and each of said levers has at its top portion an angular extension that is outwardly directed toward that opening in said door assembly so that said extension and thereby said lever can be grasped from outside said door assembly, when it is closed and locked, for the purpose of moving said lever from said second position to unlock said door assembly by disengaging said latching lug of said lever from said locking means.

Claim 4

The hopper vehicle of claim 2 wherein said angular extension of said lever extends through said opening in said door assembly when said lever is in its said second position.

Claim 5

The hopper vehicle of claim 1 and further including shield means mounted on said supporting structure and extending between the two sides of the vehicle to cover said door-operating mechanisms and having a roof above said door-operating mechanisms and having spaced side walls on opposite sides of said door-operating mechanisms and extending downwardly from said roof to said two hoppers.

Claim 6

The hopper vehicle of claim 4 wherein said side walls of said shield means have their edges adjacent but closely spaced from said door assemblies when closed and further including: L-shaped brace members mounted on the opposed marginal surfaces of said side walls of said shield means at both sides of said vehicle to function as edge stiffeners for said side walls and having their distal edges conforming in shape to the corresponding edge of said side walls of said shield means so that said distal edges of said L-shaped brace members are adjacent but closely spaced from said door assemblies when closed; and a pair of longitudinally spaced reinforcing members mounted on the inside surface of each of said door assemblies so that they extend into the U-shaped channels, formed by the marginal portions of said side walls of said shield means and said L-shaped brace members, to provide a tortuous path between the interior of the vehicle and the zone defined by said shield means when said door assemblies are closed thereby minimizing ingress of material into said zone, said reinforcing members also inhibiting distortion of said door assemblies in the area which they are closely spaced from said shield means when said door assemblies are closed.

Claim 7

The hopper vehicle of claim 1 wherein each of said door assemblies includes: a door panel; a horizontal upper chord mounted on said door panel; and a horizontal chord mounted on the bottom margin of said door panel to inhibit, in cooperation with said upper chord, torsional deflection of said door assembly and to provide a rigid bottom edge sealing surface for said door assembly, and wherein: said lever is pivotally mounted on said bottom chord.

Claim 8

The hopper vehicle of claim 1 wherein each of said door assemblies is constructed to provide by its upper portion at least an intermediate part of a lower part of thaT side of said vehicle so that it is the lowest portion of said door assembly that provides said one side of one of said two hoppers of said vehicle.

Claim 9

The hopper vehicle of claim 7 wherein: said end walls include sloping end sheets that extend downwardly toward each other to an intermediate zone; each of said side walls has a side panel extending from the end walls of said body structure including said sloping end sheets and has an intermediate bottom cut-out portion at said intermediate zone; said inverted V-shaped panel extends from one of said sloping end sheets; and each of said door assemblies being mounted at said intermediate zone to close the side of said body structure at the cut-out portion of said panel and to form said one side of said hopper within said intermediate zone.

Claim 10

The hopper vehicle of claim 8 and further including: torsion linkage rotatably mounted on the bottom margin of each of said door assemblies, each of said torsion linkages including bars extending toward the ends of said door assembly at its bottom margin and said lever being fixedly mounted on said torsion linkage intermediate its length; latching arms fixedly mounted on the ends of said bars adjacent the ends of said door assembly; and a pair of locking means mounted on said supporting structure adjacent the ends of the bottom margin of each door assembly and in alignment with said latching arms mounted on said rods of said torsion linkage, whereby said latching arms engage said pair of locking means when said door assembly is closed and said lever is in said second position with its latching extension engaging said locking means in alignment with said lever and whereby said latching arms are positioned to clear said pair of locking means when said lever is maintained at said first position during the closing of said door assembly so that said latching arms can be moved thereafter into locking position with said lever for a three-point locking of said door assembly.

Claim 11

The hopper vehicle of claim 1 wherein said means operatively connected to said lever to provide a sufficient force against said lever to maintain it in said first position during movement of said door assembly to its closed position comprises spring means mounted on said door assembly and connected to said lever.

Claim 12

The hopper vehicle of claim 1 wherein each of said power means includes a power cylinder and a piston rod, one of these being pivotally mounted on said support means about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and the other of these being operatively connected to said lever.

Claim 13

The hopper vehicle of claim 11 wherein each of said means operatively connected to said lever to provide a sufficient force against said lever to maintain it in said first position during movement of said door assembly to its closed position comprises: a second lever pivotally connected at one end to the top portion of said first lever to constitute, with said first lever, a toggle assembly; means pivotally mounting the other end of said second lever of each toggle assembly on the top portion of said door assembly and constructed to permit movement of said second lever along its longitudinal axis; and spring bias means to provide said sufficient force on said first lever through said second lever to maintain said first lever in said first position during movement of said door assembly to its closed position by said power cylinder through said first lever, said toggle assembly being in one overcenter condition when said first lever is at its first position and being at a second overcenter condition when said first lever is at its said second position, said overcenter conditions being on the opposite sides of the plane passing through the three pivotal axes of said toggle assembly when they are in alignment.

Claim 14

The hopper vehicle of claim 12 wherein: said means pivotally mounting said other end of said second lever while permitTing movement of said second lever along its axis comprises: a pair of space plates that extend inwardly from said door assembly and that have aligned slots extending from their edges in an upwardly inclined manner toward said door assembly; and a spring retainer block having a central opening and having trunions at its ends mounted in said slots; said second lever has a clevis construction at its said one end for pivotally connecting said second lever to said first lever and said second lever is constructed generally for the rest of its length in the form of a cylindrical rod extending through said central opening of said spring retainer block; and said spring bias means on said second lever is mounted on said cylindrical rod portion of said second lever between and abutting said spring retainer block and said clevis construction of said second lever.

Claim 15

The hopper vehicle of claim 13 and further including; a pair of locking means mounted on said supporting structure adjacent the ends of the bottom margin of each door assembly; a connecting stub tube mounted on the bottom margin of each door assembly for rotatable movement about a horizontal axis, said first lever being fixedly mounted on said stub tube for pivotal mounting of said first lever on the bottom margin of said door assembly; a pair of torsion bars fixedly mounted on the ends of each of said connecting stub tubes for rotation with it and extending toward the ends of said door assembly, said other end of each said torsion bar having fixedly mounted on it an arm constructed at its free end to constitute a latching lug, said arms being located at the transverse plane of said pair of locking means, adjacent the ends of the bottom margin of said door assembly, to provide a locking of said door assembly adjacent the ends with the locking of the door assembly by locking of said latching lug extension of said first lever with said locking means mounted on said supporting structure in alignment with said first lever.

Claim 16

The hopper vehicle of claim 1 and further including: shield means mounted on said supporting structure and extending between the two sides of the vehicle to cover said door-operating mechanisms and having a roof above said door-operating mechanisms and having spaced side walls on opposite sides of said door-operating mechanisms and extending downwardly from said roof to said two hoppers, said shield means having the edges of its side walls adjacent but closely spaced from said door assemblies when closed and said shield means further having L-shaped brace members mounted on the opposed marginal surface of said side walls of said shield means at both sides of said vehicle to function as edge stiffeners for said side walls and having their distal edges conforming in shape to the corresponding edge of said side walls of said shield means so that said distal edges of said L-shaped brace members are adjacent but closely spaced from said door assemblies when closed; and a pair of longitudinally spaced reinforcing members mounted on the inside surface of each of said door assemblies so that they extend into the U-shaped channels, formed by the marginal portions of said side walls of said shield means and said L-shaped brace members, to provide a tortuous path between the interior of the vehicle and the zone defined by said shield means when said door assemblies are closed thereby minimizing ingress of material into said zone, said reinforcing members also inhibiting distortion of said door assemblies in the area in which they are closely spaced from said shield means when said door assemblies are closed, and wherein: each of said door assemblies includes: a door panel; a horizontal upper chord mounted on said door panel; and a horizontal chord mounted on the bottom margin of said door panel to inhibit, in cooperation with said upper chord, torsional deflection of said door assembly and to provide a rigid bottom edge sealing surfAce for said door assembly, and said lever being pivotally mounted on said bottom chord; each of said door assemblies is constructed to provide by its upper portion at least an intermediate part of a lower part of that side of said vehicle so that it is the lowest portion of said door assembly that provides said one side of one of said two hoppers of said vehicle; said end walls include sloping end sheets that extend downwardly toward each other to an intermediate zone; each of said side walls has a side panel extending from the end walls of said body structure including said sloping end sheets and has an intermediate bottom cut-out portion at said intermediate zone; said inverted V-shaped panel extends from one of said sloping end sheets; and each of said door assemblies being mounted at said intermediate zone to close the side of said body structure at the cut-out portion of said panel and to form said one side of said hopper within said intermediate zone.

Claim 17

The hopper vehicle of claim 15 and further including: torsion linkage rotatably mounted on said bottom chord of each of said door assemblies, each of said torsion linkages including bars extending toward the ends of said door assembly at its bottom margin and said lever being fixedly mounted on said torsion linkage intermediate its length; latching arms fixedly mounted on the ends of said bars adjacent the ends of each of said door assembly; and a pair of locking means mounted on said supporting structure adjacent the ends of the bottom margin of each door assembly and in alignment with said latching arms mounted on said rods of said torsion linkage, whereby said latching arms engage said pair of locking means when said door assembly is closed and said lever is in said second position with its latching extension engaging said locking means in alignment with said lever and whereby said latching arms are positioned to clear said pair of locking means when said lever is maintained at said first position during the closing of said door assembly so that said latching arms can be moved thereafter into locking position with said lever for a three-point locking of said door assembly.

Claim 18

The hopper vehicle of claim 16 wherein: each of said power means includes a power cylinder pivotally mounted on one end of said support means about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and a piston rod directed to that door assembly operated by said power means and operatively connected to said lever; each of said means operatively connected to said lever to provide a sufficient force against said lever to maintain it in said first position during movement of said door assembly to its closed position comprises: a second lever pivotally connected at one end to the top portion of said first lever to constitute, with said first lever, a toggle assembly; means pivotally mounting the other end of said second lever of each toggle assembly on the top portion of said door assembly and constructed to permit movement of said second lever along its longitudinal axis; and spring bias means to provide said sufficient force on said first lever through said second lever to maintain said first lever in said first position during movement of said door assembly to its closed position by said power cylinder through said first lever, said toggle assembly being in one overcenter condition when said first lever is at its first position and being at a second overcenter condition when said first lever is at its said second position, said overcenter conditions being on the opposite sides of the plane passing through the three pivotal axes of said toggle assembly when they are in alignment.

Claim 19

The hopper vehicle of claim 17 wherein: said means pivotally mounting said other end of said second lever while permitting movement of said second lever along its axis comprises: a pair of space plates that extend inwardly from said door assembly and that have alIgned slots extending from their edges in an upwardly inclined manner toward said door assembly; and a spring retainer block having a central opening and having trunions at its ends mounted in said slots; said second lever has a clevis construction at its said one end for pivotally connecting said second lever to said first lever and said second lever is constructed generally for the rest of its length in the form of a cylindrical rod extending through said central opening of said spring retainer block; and said spring bias means on said second lever is mounted on said cylindrical rod portion of said second lever between and abutting said spring retainer block and said clevis construction of said second lever.

Claim 20

The hopper vehicle of claim 15 and further including: a pair of locking means mounted on said supporting structure adjacent the ends of the bottom margin of each door assembly; a connecting stub tube mounted on the bottom margin of each door assembly for rotatable movement about a horizontal axis, said first lever being fixedly mounted on said stub tube for pivotal mounting of said first lever on the bottom margin of said door assembly; a pair of torsion bars fixedly mounted on the ends of each of said connecting stub tubes for rotation with it and extending toward the ends of said door assembly, said other end of each said torsion bar having fixedly mounted on it an arm constructed at its free end to constitute a latching lug, said arms being located at the transverse plane of said pair of locking means, adjacent the ends of the bottom margin of said door assembly, to provide a locking of said door assembly adjacent the ends with the locking of the door assembly by locking of said latching lug extension of said first lever with said locking means mounted on supporting structure in alignment with said lever.

Claim 21

The hopper vehicle of claim 15 wherein said inverted V-shaped panel extending from said one sloping end sheet terminates and is connected to the nearer of said side walls of said shield means and said hopper vehicle further includes a second inverted V-shaped panel extending from the other of said sloping end sheets and terminating and connected to the other of said side walls.

Claim 22

The hopper vehicle of claim 20 and further including a pair of slope sheets mounted on said supporting structure between said side walls of said shield means, said pair of slope sheets being located on opposite sides of said support means and each extending to a position that is closely adjacent said door assembly, and each of said locking means in alignment with said levers being mounted on one of said pair of slope sheets.

Claim 23

The hopper vehicle of claim 15 as a freight hopper car wherein: said supporting structure includes: bolster assemblies adjacent the ends of the car to mount the car on truck assemblies; a center sill extending from about one end of the car to about the other end of the car and mounted adjacent its ends on said bolster assemblies; and a pair of lower stub side sills at each end of the car and mounted on said bolster assemblies; said end walls include sloping end sheets; said side walls include a panel for each side having its top portion extending from one end of the car to the other end and having an intermediate bottom cut-out portion; said body structure of said car further includes: a top chord for each side of the car extending the full length of the car body, said sloping end sheets extending from transverse planes passing through the ends of said top chords downwardly to the bottom of said intermediate bottom cut-out portion of said panel; an upper intermediate side sill for each side of the car and connected to said side panel at its margin above the intermediate cut-out portion and having its end portions extending beyond said cut-out portion of said side panel so that each of the end portions of said upper intermediate side sill overlies a portion of one of said lower stub side sills, said upper intermediate side sills being located at a horizontal plane spaced about the horizontal plane passing through said lower stub side sills; a pair of lower shear-resistant panels on each side of said car connected at their top margins to an end of said upper intermediate side sill and at their lower margins to one of said lower stub side sills; and a pair of upper shear-resistant panels on each side of said car connected at their top margins to said top chords and at their bottom margins to said end portions of said upper intermediate side sill; and said pair of door assemblies being hingedly mounted on said upper intermediate side sills at said intermediate bottom cut-out portion of said side panel.

Claim 24

The hopper vehicle of claim 1 and further including: torsion linkage rotatably mounted on the bottom margin of each of said door assemblies, each of said torsion linkages including bars extending toward the ends of said door assembly at its bottom margin and said lever being fixedly mounted on said torsion linkage intermediate its length; latching arms fixedly mounted on the ends of said bars adjacent the ends of said door assembly; and a pair of locking means mounted on said supporting structure adjacent the ends of the bottom margin of each door assembly and in alignment with said latching arms mounted on said rods of said torsion linkage, whereby said latching arms engage said pair of locking means when said door assembly is closed and said lever is in said second position with its latching extension engaging said locking means in alignment with said lever and whereby said latching arms are positioned to clear said pair of locking means when said lever is maintained at said first position during the closing of said door assembly so that said latching arms can be moved thereafter into locking position with said lever for a three-point locking of said door assembly.

Claim 25

The hopper vehicle of claim 1 and further including: a pair of locking means mounted on said supporting structure adjacent the ends of the bottom margin of each door assembly; a connecting stub tube mounted on the bottom margin of each door assembly for rotatable movement about a horizontal axis, said first lever being fixedly mounted on said stub tube for pivotal mounting of said first lever on the bottom margin of said door assembly; a pair of torsion bars fixedly mounted on the ends of each of said connecting stub tubes for rotation with it and extending toward the ends of said door assembly, said other end of each said torsion bar having fixedly mounted on it an arm constructed at its free end to constitute a latching lug, said arms being located at the transverse plane of said pair of locking means, adjacent the ends of the bottom margin of said door assembly, to provide a locking of said door assembly adjacent the ends with the locking of the door assembly by locking of said latching lug extension of said first lever with said locking means mounted on supporting structure in alignment with said lever.

Claim 26

A freight hopper car having a pair of bottom hoppers extending lengthwise of the car on opposite sides of the vertical central plane of the car, which comprises: a supporting structure including: bolster assemblies adjacent the ends of the car to mount the car on truck assemblies; a center sill extending from about one end of the car to about the other end of the car and mounted adjacent its ends on said bolster assemblies; and a pair of lower stub side sills at each end of the car and mounted on said bolster assemblies; and a body structure of said car including: a top chord for each side of the car extending the full length of the car body; sloping end sheets extending from transverse planes passing through the ends of said top chords downwardly toward an intermediate portion of said car; a panel for each side having its top portion extending from one end of the car to the other end and having an intermediate bottom cut-out portion; an upper intermediate side sill for each side of the car and connected to said side panel at its margin above the intermediate cut-out portion and having its end portions extending beyond said cut-out portion of said side panel so that each of the end portions of said upper intermediate side sill overlies a portion of one of said lower stub side sills, said upper intermediate side sills being located at a horizontal plane spaced about the horizontal plane passing through said lower stub side sills; a pair of lower shear-resistant panels on each side of said car connected at their top margins to an end of said upper intermediate side sill and at their lower margins to one of said lower stub side sills; a pair of upper shear-resistant panels on each side of said car connected at their top margins to said top chords and at their bottom margins to said end portions of said upper intermediate side sill; an inverted generally V-shaped panel mounted on said center sill and extending lengthwise of the car and providing a part of said hoppers; and a pair of door assemblies hingedly mounted on said upper intermediate side sills at said intermediate bottom cut-out portion of said side panels and each constructed to provide by its upper portion a lower part of that side of the car at that cut-out portion and to provide by its lower portion the balance of one of said two hoppers of the car.

Claim 27

A freight hopper car having a pair of bottom hoppers extending lengthwise of the car on opposite sides of the vertical central plane of the car, which comprises: a supporting structure including: bolster assemblies adjacent the ends of the car to mount the car on truck assemblies; a center sill extending from about one end of the car to about the other end of the car and mounted adjacent its ends on said bolster assemblies; and a pair of lower stub side sills at each end of the car and mounted on said bolster assemblies; and a body structure of said car including: a top chord for each side of the car extending the full length of the car body; sloping end sheets extending from transverse planes passing through the ends of said top chords downwardly toward an intermediate portion of said car; a panel for each side having its top portion extending from one end of the car to the other end and having an intermediate bottom cut-out portion; an upper intermediate side sill for each side of the car and connected to said side panel at its margin above the intermediate cut-out portion and having its end portions extending beyond said cut-out portion of said side panel so that each of the end portions of said upper intermediate side sill overlies a portion of one of said lower stub side sills, said upper intermediate side sills being located at a horizontal plane spaced about the horizontal plane passing through said lower stub side sills; a pair of lower shear-resistant panels on each side of said car connected at their top margins to an end of said upper intermediate side sill and at their lower margins to one of said lower stub side sills; a pair of upper shear-resistant panels on each side of said car connected at their top margins to said top chords and at their bottom margins to said end portions of said upper intermediate side sill; an inverted generally V-shaped panel mounted on said center sill and extending lengthwise of the car and providing a part of said hoppers; and a pair of door assemblies hingedly mounted on said upper intermediate side sills at said intermediate bottom cut-out portion of said side panels and each constructed to provide by its upper portion a lower part of that side of the car at that cut-out portion and to provide by its lower portion the balance of one of said two hoppers of the car.

Claim 28

The freight hopper car of claim 25 wherein: said inverted V-shaped panel extends from one of said sloping end sheets; said pair of doors extend the length of said intermediate bottom cut-out portions of said side panels so that said door assemblies provide one side of two hoppers that extend the length of the car from said one sloping end sheet, and further including: door-operating mechanism for each of said door assemblies and located intermediate the length of the door assembly, each of said door-operating mechanisms including: a lever pivotally mounted at its bottom end on the bottom margin of said door assembly and having an inwardly directed extension that is constructed to function as a latching lug, said lever being movable between a first position abutting the inside of said door assembly when the door is unlocked and a second position spaced from the inside of said door assembly when the door is closed with said extension in its latching position to lock the closed door assembly; power means mounted on said support means and operatively connected to said lever to provide a force in one direction for movement of said lever from said second position to said first position and to provide a force in the opposite direction on said lever for return movement of said door assembly to its closed position and subsequent movement of said lever from said first position to said second position; and means operatively connected to said lever to provide against said lever, when in its first position, a sufficient force to prevent movement of said lever from said first position when said power means provides a force in said opposite direction greater than the force of gravity acting on door assembly for movement of said door assembly to its closed position; locking means mounted on said supporting structure in alignment with each of said levers to be engaged by said latching lugs provided by said extensions of said levers after said door assemblies are closed and said levers have been moved to their second positions; shield means mounted on said supporting structure and extending between the two sides of the vehicle to cover said door-operating mechanisms and having a roof above said door-operating mechanisms and having spaced side walls on opposite sides of said door-operating mechanisms and extending downwardly from said roof to said two hoppers, one of said side walls being connected to the inner end of said inverted V-shaped panel; and a second inVerted V-shaped panel mounted on said center sill and extending lengthwise of the car from the other of said sloping end sheets and connected to the other side wall of said shield means, said locking means and said latching lugs being constructed so that when each of said levers is in its said first position and the door assembly on which it is mounted is being moved to said closed position said latching lug clears said locking means with which it is engaged when said lever is moved to its second position after the door is closed.

Claim 29

The freight hopper car of claim 26 wherein each of said door assemblies includes: a door panel; a horizontal upper chord mounted on said door panel; and a horizontal chord mounted on the bottom margin of said door panel to inhibit, in cooperation with said upper chord, torsional deflection of said door assembly and to provide a rigid bottom edge sealing surface for said door assembly, and wherein said lever is pivotally mounted on said bottom chord.

Claim 30

The freight hopper car of claim 27 and further including for each side of said car: a pair of locking lugs mounted on said supporting structure adjacent the ends of the bottom margin of each door assembly; a connecting stub tube supported by and within said bottom chord of said door assembly for rotatable movement about a horizontal axis, said first lever being fixedly mounted on said stub tube for pivotal mounting of said first lever on the bottom margin of said door assembly; a pair of torsion bars fixedly mounted on the ends of each of said connecting stub tubes for rotation with it and extending through and rotatably supported by said bottom chord toward the ends of said door assembly, said other end of each said torsion bar having fixedly mounted on it an arm constructed at its free end to constitute a latching lug, said arms being located at the transverse plane of said pair of locking means, adjacent the ends of the bottom margin of said door assembly, to provide a locking of said door assembly adjacent the ends with the locking of the door assembly by locking of said latching lug extension of said first lever with said locking means mounted on said supporting structure in alignment with said first lever.

Claim 31

The freight hopper car of claim 28 wherein: each of said power means includes a power cylinder and a piston rod, one of these being pivotally mounted on said support means about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and the other of these being operatively connected to said lever; and each of said means operatively connected to said lever to provide a sufficient force against said lever to maintain it in said first position during movement of said door assembly to its closed position comprises: a second lever pivotally connected at one end to the top portion of said first lever to constitute, with said first lever, a toggle assembly; means pivotally mounting the other end of said second lever of each toggle assembly on the top portion of said door assembly and constructed to permit movement of said second lever along its longitudinal axis; and spring bias means to provide said sufficient force on said first lever through said second lever to maintain said first lever in said first position during movement of said door assembly to its closed position by said power cylinder through said first lever, said toggle assembly being in one overcenter condition when said first lever is at its first position and being at a second overcenter condition when said first lever is at its said second position, said overcenter conditions being on the opposite sides of the plane passing through the three pivotal axes of said toggle assembly when they are in alignment.

Claim 32

The freight hopper car of claim 29 wherein: said means pivotally mounting said other end of said second lever while permitting movement of said second lever along its axis comprises: a pair of space plates that extend inwardly from said door assembly and that have aligned slots extending from their edges in an upwardly inclined manner toward said door assembly; and a spring retainer block having a central opening and having trunions at its ends mounted in said slots; said second lever has a clevis construction at its said one end for pivotally connecting said second lever to said first lever and said second lever is constructed generally for the rest of its length in the form of a cylindrical rod extending through said central opening of said spring retainer block; and said spring bias means on said second lever is mounted on said cylindrical rod portion of said second lever between and abutting said spring retainer block and said clevis construction of said second lever.

Claim 33

The freight hopper car of claim 30 wherein: each door assembly has an opening in alignment with a top portion of said lever of said door-operating mechanism for that door assembly; and each of said levers has its top portion an angular extension that is directed toward that opening in said door assembly so that said extension and thereby said lever can be grasped from outside said door assembly, when it is closed and locked, for the purpose of moving said lever from said second position to unlock said door assembly by disengaging said latching lug of said lever from said locking means.

Claim 34

The freight hopper car of claim 31 wherein said angular extension of said lever extends through said opening in said door assembly when said lever is in its said second position.