Railroad coil car structure

Abstract

A transverse trough coil car has a sawtooth center sill. It has a pair of truck centers. Portions of the straight-through center sill deviate upwardly inboard of the truck centers and define saw teeth that have truncated tips. The center sill has an undulating top cover plate, or top flange. A portion of the center sill deviates slopingly to conform angularly to the inclined sides of the transverse troughs. The center sill is notched to conform to those transverse troughs. The car has stub bolsters that are surmounted by pre-fabricated trough assemblies that mate with the stub bolsters and extend to the side sills. The center sill has an array of internal web separators and gussets to discourage buckling. There are deep center sill webs that extend upwardly higher than the draft sill.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A transverse trough coil car having a sawtooth center sill. 
     
     
         2 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 1  wherein said transverse trough coil car having a pair of truck centers and a straight-through center sill; and at least a portion of said center sill deviates upwardly inboard of the truck centers. 
     
     
         3 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 1  wherein said sawtooth center sill has an undulating top cover plate. 
     
     
         4 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 1  wherein at least a portion of said center sill deviates slopingly to conform angularly to at least one sloped side of a transverse trough. 
     
     
         5 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 1  wherein said sawtooth center sill is notched to conform to at least one transverse trough of said coil car. 
     
     
         6 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 1  wherein:
 said coil car has at least first and second troughs extending thereacross; said first and second troughs each have a pair of first and second opposed slope sheets; 
 said sawtooth center sill is a straight-through center sill having a top cover plate; and at least one of: (a) said slope sheets terminate at an upward edge conforming to said top cover plate; and (b) said first slope sheet of said first trough lies in a first plane; said second slope sheet of said second trough lying in a second plane, said first and second planes being upwardly inclined toward each other to intersect at a line of intersection above said center sill; and 
 an upper edge of said first slope sheet and a corresponding upper edge of said second slope sheet being truncated lower than said line of intersection. 
 
     
     
         7 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 1  having at least first and second troughs, and a trough peak located therebetween, said first and second troughs having respective slope sheets; and said slope sheets and said trough peak lack shear web continuity. 
     
     
         8 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 1  wherein said sawtooth center sill is also a fish-belly center sill. 
     
     
         9 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 1  wherein said coil car has respective first and second draft sills; said sawtooth center sill has said first and second draft sills at opposite ends thereof; and said sawtooth center sill includes at least one tooth extending upwardly proud of said first and second draft sills. 
     
     
         10 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 9  wherein said sawtooth center sill includes first and second spaced-apart side webs that extend upwardly higher than said draft sills. 
     
     
         11 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 10  wherein there is web separator between said side webs, said web separator extending upwardly of said draft sills. 
     
     
         12 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 1  wherein said coil car has at least first and second troughs; said sawtooth center sill includes at least a first sawtooth located intermediate said first and second troughs; and said first sawtooth has a truncated tip. 
     
     
         13 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 1  wherein said coil car includes at least a first trough; said trough has first and second slope sheets, said first and second sloped sheets being mutually opposed and inclined, and defining tangent contact surfaces that, in operation, are engaged by lading coils; said first trough has a convergent bottom and a divergent top; said sawtooth center sill includes at least a first sawtooth; said center sill has a top cover plate; a first portion of said top cover plate is located beneath said first trough; and a second portion of said top cover plate is sloped and underlies said first slope sheet. 
     
     
         14 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 13  wherein said top cover plate includes a third portion connected to said second portion and extending away from said first trough at a height corresponding to an upper margin of said first slope sheet. 
     
     
         15 . The transverse trough coil car of  claim 1  wherein said sawtooth center sill has draft sills mounted to opposed ends thereof, and said sawtooth center sill has a pair of first and second half teeth mounted at opposite ends thereof. 
     
     
         16 . A transverse trough coil car having a pair of truck centers and a straight-through center sill in which at least a portion of said center sill deviates upwardly inboard of the truck centers. 
     
     
         17 . A transverse trough coil car having a straight-through center sill in which said straight-through center sill has an undulating top cover plate. 
     
     
         18 . A transverse trough coil car having a center sill in which at least a portion of the center sill deviates slopingly to conform angularly to at least one inclined side of a transverse trough of said coil car. 
     
     
         19 . A transverse coil car having a center sill that is notched to conform to at least one transverse trough of said coil car. 
     
     
         20 . A transverse trough coil car having first and second troughs extending thereacross; said first and second troughs each having a pair of first and second opposed slope sheets; there being a straight-through center sill having a top cover plate; and at least one of: (a) said slope sheets terminating at an upward edge that conforms to said top cover plate; and (b) said first slope sheet of said first trough lying in a first plane; said second slope sheet of said second trough lying in a second plane, said first and second planes being upwardly inclined toward each other to intersect at a line of intersection above said center sill; and an upper edge of said first slope sheet of said first trough and a corresponding upper edge of said second slope sheet of said second trough being truncated lower than said line of intersection.