Rail car

摘要

The following disclosure relates to a rail car. In one embodiment, a railcar can comprise a span bolster, outer truck assemblies, and a middle truck assembly. The outer truck assemblies can be rotatably mounted to each end of the span bolster. The middle truck assembly can be slidably mounted at a middle portion of said span bolster. In another embodiment, a railcar system can comprise a pair of railcars and a body. The rail cars can comprise a span bolster, outer truck assemblies, and a middle truck assembly. The outer truck assemblies can be rotatably mounted to each end of the span bolster. The middle truck assembly can be slidably mounted at a middle portion of said span bolster. The body can have two ends, each of the ends connected to one of the span bolsters.

主权项

1. A railcar comprising
a span bolster comprising a horizontal slot, wherein said horizontal slot comprises a width; outer truck assemblies rotatably mounted to each end of said span bolster; and a middle truck assembly slidably non-rotatably mounted at a middle portion of said span bolster, said middle truck assembly comprises a shaft, said shaft mateable with said horizontal slot, such that said shaft is non-rotatable, further wherein said width is chosen such that said shaft is horizontally displaceable from a center position in both directions by a distance equal to r(1−cos sin ^−1(x/r))), wherein said r is a minimum allowable radius for a track turn, and said x is a distance between said horizontal slot and a rotation point.