Safety latch lock indicator for railcar door operation mechanism

Abstract

A safety latch lock indicator for a railcar door operation mechanism is disclosed. In one aspect, the present invention teaches a railway car having an underframe and at least one hopper for transporting lading. The underframe including a center sill which defines in part a longitudinal axis of the railway car. A respective door assembly mounted adjacent to the discharge opening formed proximate to a lower portion of the hopper to control the flow of lading from the hopper. The door assembly moves via the discharge control system between a first and second position relative to the discharge opening. An indicator may extend from a side of the railway car as the door assembly moves between the first and second positions, wherein a portion of the indicator becomes visible from at least one side of the railway car.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application entitled “Safety Latch Lock Indicator for Railcar Door Operation Mechanism,” Application Ser. No. 60 / 600,290 filed Aug. 10, 2004.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention is related in general to railcars and more particularly to a safety latch lock indicator for railcars which discharge cargo or lading from below an associated railway car underframe. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Railway hopper cars with one or more hoppers have been used for many years to transport and sometimes store dry, bulk materials. Hopper cars are frequently used to transport coal, sand, metal ores, ballast, aggregates, grain and any other type of lading which may be satisfactorily discharged through respective openings formed in one or more hoppers. Respective discharge openings are typically provided at or near the bottom of each hopper to rapidly discharge cargo. A variety of door assemblies and gate...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] For some applications the indicator may be visible to an observer viewing along the length of an associated railway car. The present invention avoids having to view a railway car from a generally perpendicular direction to determine the status of an associated door assembly. For some applications respective indicators associated with multiple railway cars may be satisfactorily observed by looking down the length of the railway cars.

[0009] In accordance with another teaching of the present invention, an indicator for a discharge control system that controls the flow of lading from a hopper in the railway car may include a latch component operably coupled to a portion of the discharge control system. The latch component may move between a first, secured position and a second, open or unsecured position based on the movement of the discharge control system between an open position and a closed position. The latch component may be mechanically linked to an indicator portion. The indicator portion may extend (appear) and retract (disappear) from at least one side of the railway car to provide a user with visible indication of the position of the discharge control system. The status of respective discharge control systems associated with multiple railway cars may be simultaneously determined by looking along the sides of adjacent railway cars. Observations made along the length of a train having multiple railway cars with such indicators may quickly or simultaneously indicate the status of each discharge control system.

[0011] Technical benefits of the present inventions include an economical indicator for determining whether the discharge system on a railway car is in a secure status. Having a highly visible indicator on the side of each railway car permits a user to readily view several railway cars simultaneously prior to loading / unloading the lading from the hoppers. In addition, the railway cars may be readily checked prior to and even during transportation for ensuring that the associated discharge system is in a secure status. Because operation of the indicator may be based on operation of the associated door assembly mechanism, any movement by the door assembly may allow a user to determine a changed condition with the associated railcar via the indicator.

[0012] Other technical benefits of the present invention include relatively easy adjustments which may be made to an indicator linkage to determine a secure position for a discharge system. Because the position of the indicator may be based on a common air cylinder or actuator, adjustments to the indicator are relatively easy. For some embodiments, the indicator may be set to indicate a secure status when the position of the mechanism has moved beyond an over center locking position.

[0014] Further technical benefits of the present invention include providing indication of the status of associated door assemblies or gates from an actuator on one or both sides of a railway car. Because the indicator may use a variety of linkages such as translating a axial displacement in to a rotational displacement, one of the indicator linkages may allow the position of the indicator to be located at one end of the railway car. The indicator may be extended from one side of the car above the minimum safe level for railway car operations and readily visible to a railcar operator.

Problems solved by technology

Because the air cylinder is typically located underneath the railcar, it is often difficult to see whether the air cylinder is moved to a fully closed and locked position.

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