Railroad hopper car door actuating mechanism

Abstract

An actuating system for operating the doors of a railroad hopper car. The mechanism includes an air cylinder which is coupled to a first lever that is fixed on a shaft. The shaft is coupled to a second shaft through a pair of levers. Supplying air to the cylinder causes the first lever to rotate the shaft which causes the second shaft to rotate. The doors of the hopper are coupled to the two shafts, such that when the shafts rotate, the doors open from the hopper.

1 ) A railroad hopper car of the type having a pair of doors closing each hopper, comprising: 
 a body containing at least one hopper;    a pair of door covering said hopper;    a pair of rotatable shafts each connected to one of said doors;    a pair of levers rotatably coupled together, with the other ends fixed to said shafts;    a drive lever, fixed on one end to one of said shafts;    and an air cylinder, coupled to the other end of said drive lever;    such that when said air cylinder is actuated, said drive lever rotates said shaft, causing said doors to rotate from the closed position to the open position.    
   
   
       2 ) The car of  claim 1 , wherein the doors are coupled together by a stabilizer bar.  
   
   
       3 ) The car of  claim 2 , wherein said stabilizer bar is adjustable.