RETRACTABLE CONTAINER STOP AND GUIDE ASSEMBLY FOR RAILROAD FREIGHT CARS

摘要

There is provided an improvement for a railroad freight car for transporting containers. The car is of the type having spaced apart side structures, opposed end structures and a floor structure, all of which together define a well for receiving a plurality of containers. The well has a longitudinal direction substantially aligned with the direction of travel of the car and a transverse direction substantially normal thereto. The floor structure of the car has a container support within the well which provides a container support surface. The improvement comprises a container stop provided with the container support, the container stop having an extended position and a retracted position. The container stop is biased to the extended position by a biasing component. The extended position is defined by the container stop extending upwardly from the container support surface to present two stop surfaces within the well. The stop surfaces arrest the longitudinal translation of two of the containers when same are respectively located longitudinally on each side of the container stop and are respectively seated on the container support surface. The retracted position is defined by the container stop being retracted with respect to the container support surface when a container is placed onto the container stop, such that the stop surfaces are not presented within the well. The improvement also comprises a container guide associated with the container stop. The container guide is provided in one of the side structures, and includes a deflector which extends within the well in the transverse direction. The deflector longitudinally guides a container within the well as the container is being placed therein. The deflector is dimensioned and positioned with respect to the container stop so as to prevent both of two containers from seating onto the container stop together when each of the two containers is placed in succession within the well of the car.