EP-4735322-A1 - RAILROAD CAR

Abstract

A railcar includes a frame configured to support a first container and a second container in an end-to-end configuration. A first truck assembly is coupled to a first end of the frame so that movement of the frame is decoupled from the first truck assembly, and a second truck assembly coupled to a second end of the frame so that movement of the frame is decoupled from the second truck assembly. Accordingly, the torsional and bending of the railcar is such that the frame can bend and twist to maintain the first and second truck assemblies in contact with a railway, in particular, when traveling along curves or grades.

Inventors

• MARKELZ, Paul
• QUAST, WILLIAM KENNETH

Assignees

• Bridge And Track Crane LLC D/B/A Rcrane

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20240627

Claims (20)

1. 1. A railcar comprising: a frame configured to support a first container and a second container; a first truck assembly coupled to a first end of the frame so that movement of the frame is decoupled from the first truck assembly; and a second truck assembly coupled to a second end of the frame so that movement of the frame is decoupled from the second truck assembly.
2. 2. The railcar of claim 1, wherein each of the first truck assembly and the second truck assembly include a load plate configured to couple to the frame, the load plate being configured to allow the frame to move between a first position, in which the frame is in contact with the load plate, and second position, in which the frame is spaced away from the load plate.
3. 3. The railcar of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a first frame coupled to the first truck assembly and a second frame coupled to the second truck assembly, and wherein the first frame is coupled to the second frame to allow the first frame to move relative to the second frame.
4. 4. The railcar of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a support pin assembly configured to support the first container and the second container relative to the frame to reduce effects of the first container and the second container on a torsional or bending rigidity of the frame.
5. 5. The railcar of claim 4, wherein the support pin assembly includes a resilient member that engages with the frame to allow the frame to move relative to the pin support assembly.
6. 6. The railcar of claim 1, wherein the frame is a truss frame including an upper chord, a lower chord, and a plurality of cross members.
7. 7. The railcar of claim 6, wherein the upper chord is cantilevered with respect to the lower chord.
8. 8. The railcar of claim 6, wherein the upper chord is configured to fixedly couple to at least one of the first container and the second container.
9. 9. The railcar of claim 6, wherein the frame is configured as a well car frame, such that the lower chord is configured to support the first container and the second container in an end- to-end configuration and the upper chord is configured to support a third container in a stacked configuration relative to at least one of the first container and the second container.
10. 10. The railcar of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a first frame section and a second frame section, each frame section being coupled to a respective truck assembly to allow for relative movement between the first frame section and the second frame section.
11. 11. The railcar of claim 10, wherein the first frame section and the second frame section are coupled at respective truss plates that allow for twisting or lateral shifting of the first frame section relative to the second frame section.
12. 12. The railcar of claim 11, wherein the truss plates are coupled with a truss pin that includes a resilient member to dampen movement between the first frame section and the second frame section.
13. 13. The railcar of claim 1 , wherein each of the first truck assembly and the second truck assembly include a coupler that is configured to couple to another railcar.
14. 14. A railcar comprising: a first truck assembly; a second truck assembly; and a frame extending between the first truck assembly and the second truck assembly, the frame including a first frame section configured to support a first container and a second frame section configured to support a second container, the first frame section and the second frame section being coupled to one another in an end-to-end configuration so that movement of the first frame section is decoupled from the second frame section.
15. 15. The railcar of claim 14, wherein the first truck assembly is coupled to the first frame section so that movement of the first frame section is decoupled from the first truck assembly, and wherein the second truck assembly is coupled to the second frame section so that movement of the first frame section is decoupled from the second truck assembly.
16. 16. The railcar of claim 14, wherein the first frame section includes a first truss plate and the second frame section includes a second truss plate, and a truss pin is inserted through the first truss plate and the second truss plate to limit relative movement between the first frame section and the second frame section parallel to a length of the frame defined along a direction between the first truck assembly and the second truck assembly, while permitting movement perpendicular to length or twisting about the direction of the length.
17. 17. The railcar of claim 16, wherein the truss pin includes a resilient member to dampen movement between the first frame section and the second frame section.
18. 18. The railcar of claim 14, wherein each of the first frame section and the second frame section are configured as a well car having a lower chord configured to support a respective one of the first container and the second container, and an upper chord configured to support a third container in a stacked configuration relative to at least one of the first container and the second container.
19. 19. A railcar comprising: a first truck assembly; a second truck assembly; and a frame extending between the first truck assembly and the second truck assembly, the frame including: a first frame section having a first end and a second end, the first end coupled to the first truck assembly so that movement of the first frame section is decoupled from the first truck assembly, the first frame section including a first lower chord configured to support a first container and a first upper chord configured to support a second container in a stacked configuration with the first container; and a second frame section having a third end and a fourth end, the third end coupled to the second truck assembly so that movement of the second frame section is decoupled from the second truck assembly, and the fourth end coupled to the second end of the first frame section so that movement of the first frame section is decoupled from the second frame section, the second frame section including a second lower chord configured to support a third container and a second upper chord configured to support a fourth container in a stacked configuration with the third container.
20. 20. The railcar of claim 19 further comprising a plurality of support pin assemblies configured to support the first container, the second container, the third container, and the fourth container relative to the frame, each of the support pin assemblies including a resilient member that engages with the frame to allow the frame to move relative to the pin support assembly reduce effects of the containers on a torsional or bending rigidity of the frame.

Description

RAILROAD CAR CROSS-REFERNCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/608,111, filed December 8, 2023, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/510,756, filed June 28, 2023, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND [0002] Intermodal containers (also called, for example, CONEX or ISO containers) are standardized shipping containers which can be used to transport goods using various modes of transportation, including ships, railroads, and trucks. The size of shipping containers is currently governed by International Standards Organization (ISO) regulations, which define the standard size as eight feet wide by eight feet six inches high. Most of the shipping containers in current use are either twenty or forty feet in length, although containers can range between eight and fifty- three feet. To minimize shipping costs, it is desirable to maximize the number of shipping containers that can be loaded onto a railcar. BRIEF SUMMARY [0003] The present disclosure provides a railcar that can support multiple shipping containers (e.g., CONEX, Intermodal, ISO containers, etc.) arranged in an end-to-end configuration on a single railcar. Correspondingly, the railcar can have a length of greater than sixty-six feet between truck centers (e.g., about ninety feet between truck centers). In some cases, the railcar can be configured as a well-style railcar to allow for additional containers to be stacked thereon. [0004] The railcar can be configured with sufficient torsional and bending rigidity to allow the trucks to remain in contact with the railroad tracks when loaded with shipping containers. Accordingly, the railcar can be configured to support the load of a plurality of containers while also allowing the railcar to articulate to accommodate for curves, grades, etc. present in the railway. In one particular example, the railcar can include a main frame that is moveably coupled to each truck (e.g., a front truck and a back truck) to allow movement of the trucks to be decoupled from the frame, such that the frame can twist and bend without inducing a corresponding movement in the trucks, or vice versa. Additionally, in some cases, the frame can include a first frame and a second frame that can be moveably coupled at a truss plate configured to allow the first frame to move relative to the second frame (e.g., to allow for twisting or lateral shifting perpendicular to the length of the railcar). [0005] In addition to the frame being decoupled from the trucks, the frame can also be configured to support the containers so that containers are decoupled from the movement of the frame. For example, the frame can include pins configured to engage with the containers at mounting points provided thereon. The pins can be movably coupled with the frame to allow the frame to move relative to the pins. [0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a railcar can include a frame configured to support a first container and a second container. The first truck assembly can be coupled to a first end of the frame so that movement of the frame is decoupled from the first truck assembly; and a second truck assembly can be coupled to a second end of the frame so that movement of the frame is decoupled from the second truck assembly. [0007] In some examples, each of the first truck assembly and the second truck assembly can include a load plate configured to couple to the frame. The load plate can be configured to allow the frame to move between a first position, in which the frame is in contact with the load plate, and second position, in which the frame is spaced away from the load plate. [0008] In some examples, frame can include a first frame coupled to the first truck assembly and a second frame coupled to the second truck assembly. The first frame can be coupled to the second frame to allow the first frame to move relative to the second frame. In some cases, the frame can include a support pin assembly configured to support the first container and the second container relative to the frame to reduce effects of the first container and the second container on a torsional or bending rigidity of the frame. The support pin assembly can include a resilient member that engages with the frame to allow the frame to move relative to the pin support assembly. [0009] In some examples, the frame can be a truss frame including an upper chord, a lower chord, and a plurality of cross members. The upper chord can be cantilevered with respect to the lower chord. The upper chord can be configured to fixedly couple to at least one of the first container and the second container. In some cases, the frame can be configured as a well car frame, such that the lower chord is configured to support the first container and the second container in an end-to-end configuration and the upper chord is configured to support a third container in a