Deck means for a railroad car

Claim 1

The combination with a railroad car of the type having an open floor structure of flanged beam members of deck means, said deck means comprising: (a) a plurality of plank members positioned upon the flanged beam members with the longitudinal sides of each plank member being spaced away from the longitudinal sides of each adjacent plank member, each of said plank members having a longitudinal groove portion provided in each longitudinal side thereof; and (b) a plurality of fastening members attached to the flanged beam members, each of said plurality of fastening members including a platelike body portion having a slot therein corresponding substantially with a flange of one of the flanged beam members for allowing said fastening member to grippingly engage one of the flanged beam members, said slot having a substantially horizontal upper edge and having a downwardly sloping lower edge, said downwardly sloping lower edge having first and second portions, said first portion of said downwardly sloping lower edge having a greater slope than said second portion, each of said plurality of fastening members including first and second tongue portions fixedly attached to and extending outwardly from opposite sides of said body portion thereof into said longitudinal groove portions of said plurality of plank members and grippingly engaging two adjacent ones of said plurality of plank members thereby attaching said two adjacent ones of said plurality of plank members to the beam member which said fastening member grippingly engages, each of said plurality of fastening members including means for allowing said platelike body portion of said fastening members to be fixedly attached to one of said plurality of plank members.