Floor assemblies for insulated railway boxcars

Abstract

Floor assemblies for insulated railway boxcars are shown and disclosed. In some embodiments, the floor assemblies include a plurality of planar floor plates. Additionally, the floor assemblies include a plurality of L-shaped structural members. Each structural member includes a planar stem portion having opposed first and second transverse end portions, and a planar arm portion having opposed third and fourth transverse end portions. The third end portion is formed with the first end portion and the fourth end portion supporting a floor plate of the plurality of planar floor plates. The arm portion is perpendicular to the stem portion. The stem portion includes a plurality of spaced openings. The second end portion of a L-shaped structural member is attached to, or formed with, a first end portion of a stem portion of an adjacent L-shaped structural member.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 570,114 filed on Mar. 26, 2024 and entitled “Floor Assemblies for Insulated Railway Boxcars.” The complete disclosure of the above application is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The present invention relates to floor assemblies for railway cars, and in particular to floor assemblies for insulated railway boxcars.

[0003] Floor assemblies for insulated railway boxcars generally are costly to manufacture and repair, have limited usable lifespans and weight capacities (such as the amount of forklift load that the floor assemblies can withstand), and have a higher profile that decreases the overall internal volume of the insulated railway box cars. What is desired, therefore, are floor assemblies for insulated railway boxcars that are cheaper to manufacture, have increased longevity, have a decreased need for maintenance repairs, are able to withstand increased loads, and / or that increase the overall internal volume allowable for goods.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0004] As an answer to at least some of the needs explained above, floor assemblies are disclosed hereinbelow and defined in the claims that form a part of the disclosure.

[0005] In one embodiment of the floor assemblies disclosed herein, the floor assemblies include floor channels that can be filled with insulation from the top down via apertures in the floor plates. Additionally, the longitudinal stringers of the railway boxcar may include end cap L-angles for insulation. Moreover, an air gap between the floor sheet and the longitudinal stringers provides for added insulation. Furthermore, lower profile I-beams and / or lower insulation sheets are used over the wheels to provide for better insulation.

[0006] The foregoing and other objectives and features of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an example of an insulated railway boxcar.

[0008] FIGS. 2-3 are partial views of the insulated railway boxcar of FIG. 1 showing an example of a floor assembly of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the floor assembly of FIGS. 2-3.

[0010] FIG. 5 is a partial exploded view of the floor assembly of FIG. 4.

[0011] FIG. 6 is an isometric view of an example of a floor plate and a floor plate support of the floor assembly of FIG. 4.

[0012] FIG. 7 is a reverse isometric view of the floor plate and floor plate support of FIG. 6.

[0013] FIG. 8 is a partial view of the floor plate and floor plate support of FIG. 6.

[0014] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the insulated railway boxcar of FIG. 1 showing the floor assembly of FIGS. 2-3 taken along lines 9-9 in FIG. 3.

[0015] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the insulated railway boxcar of FIG. 1 showing the floor assembly of FIGS. 2-3 taken along lines 10-10 in FIG. 3.

[0016] FIG. 11 is an isometric view of an example of a floor anchor of the floor assembly of FIGS. 2-3.

[0017] FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the floor anchor of FIG. 11.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Referring to FIGS. 1-2, an insulated rail car 20 is shown having a cargo-carrying enclosure 22 supported by an undercarriage 24 and a plurality of wheeled trucks 26 with wheels 27 that facilitate the movement of the insulated rail car along a rail track. The undercarriage includes a center sill (not shown) extending longitudinally along the length of the rail car, opposed end sills and opposed side sills (not shown), body bolsters (not shown), cross bearers (see 92 in FIGS. 9-10), and cross ties (not shown) that together provide the necessary underlying structural support for cargo carrying enclosure 22. The cargo carrying enclosure has an outer enclosure 30 defining an outwardly facing exterior surface 31 exposed to an ambient environment and an inner enclosure 32 defining an inwardly directed interior surface 33 against which cargo can bear and which is exposed to an interior environment. The insulated rail car may include one or more additional components as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 9,174,656 and / or U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 0065152. The complete disclosures of the above patent and patent application publication are incorporated by reference for all purposes.

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 3-8, inner enclosure 32 includes a floor assembly 34, interior side walls 36, interior end walls 38, and a lower roof member (not shown). Floor assembly 34 includes floor plates 42, floor support 44, longitudinal stringers 46, end caps 48, floor sheet 50, floor anchors 52, insulation sheets 54, and insulation 55. Floor plates 42 are planar panels having one or more spaced apertures 56. The apertures may be used to inject insulation 55 (e.g., polyurethane foam) into the floor assembly, such as from the top of the floor plates. In some examples, the floor assembly may include one or more floor plates without apertures 56. The floor plates may be made of any suitable materials, such as metal (e.g., steel) or composite materials.

[0020] Floor support 44 includes a plurality of structural members 58 attached together to provide support for floor plates 42. In the example shown in FIGS. 3-8, structural members 58 are L-shaped having a planar stem portion 60 and a planar arm portion 62 that is formed with (or attached to) and perpendicular to the planar stem portion. The stem portion includes opposed transverse end portions 64, 66 and the arm portion includes opposed transverse end portions 68, 70. End portion 64 of stem portion 60 is formed with (or attached to) end portion 68 of arm portion 62. Stem portion 60 includes one or more spaced notches or openings 72 that can receive insulation 55 injected through apertures 56 of floor plates 42. End portion 70 of arm portion 62 contacts and supports floor plates 42. In some examples, one or more stem portions 60 of the plurality of structural members may be without notches or openings 72.

[0021] Structural members 58 are supported by longitudinal stringers 46 such that the structural members are disposed between floor plates 42 and the longitudinal stringers. In the example shown in FIGS. 3-8, the longitudinal stringers are in the form of I-beams. Each of the longitudinal stringers includes opposed longitudinal end portions 73, 74. The longitudinal stringers may have different heights. For example, longitudinal stringers 46 that are shorter relative to the other longitudinal stringers may be used to provide sufficient allowance for wheels 27.

[0022] End caps 48 provide additional insulation and include first and second end caps 76. The first end cap is attached or welded to longitudinal end portion 73 of the longitudinal stringers, while the second end cap is attached or welded to longitudinal end portion 74 of the longitudinal stringers. Each of the first and second end caps includes a proximal end cap member 80 and at least one distal end cap member 82 attached or welded to the proximal end cap member. In the example shown in FIGS. 3-8, the proximal and distal end cap members are L-shaped. Additionally, each of the first and second end caps includes a single proximal end cap member that spans, for example, all longitudinal end portions of the longitudinal stringers on one side (or that are adjacent to one of two end walls 38) and two spaced distal end cap members 82. Each of the distal end cap members is less than half the length of the proximal end cap member such that a gap 84 is defined between the distal end cap members. The distal end cap members may be adjusted prior to being attached to or welded to the proximal end cap member based on the height of the longitudinal end portions of the longitudinal stringers. In other examples, the proximal end cap may span less than all the longitudinal end portions of the longitudinal stringers on one side, there may be two or more proximal end caps, and / or there may be a single distal end cap that spans all the longitudinal end portions on one side (or that are adjacent to one of two end walls 38).

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 9-10, floor sheet 50 are positioned below longitudinal stringers 46. Specifically, end portions 86 of the floor sheet are attached to bottom surfaces 88 of upper flanges 90 of cross bearers 92 of underframe 94. Each of cross bearers 92 includes parallel upper and lower flanges 90, 96 and a web 98 that connects the upper and lower flanges and that is perpendicular to the upper and lower flanges. Upper flange 90 includes bottom surface 88 that is adjacent to web 98 and an upper surface 100 that is spaced from the web relative to the bottom surface. With the floor sheet attached to bottom surface 88, the floor sheet and the longitudinal stringers define a thermal break space 102 for insulation therebetween. In the example shown in FIGS. 9-10, spacer bars 103 also are disposed between the floor sheet and the longitudinal stringers to maintain and / or support the thermal break space. Additionally, insulation sheets 54 may be attached to floor sheet 50 over wheels 27.

[0024] Referring to FIGS. 11-12, floor anchors 52 secure the floor assembly to opposed side assemblies 104. As best shown in FIG. 4, side assemblies 104 include side walls 36 and side flange 105 attached to the side walls. In the example shown in FIGS. 11-12, floor anchors 52 include an anchor base 104, a base flange 106, a sheet 108, a cover 110, and a closure piece 112. Anchor base 104 is elongate and hollow and includes an interior compartment 114. Floor plates 42 includes openings or cutouts 116 on its opposed longitudinal ends 118, 120 to receive a portion of the anchor base. Additionally, structural members 58 below openings 116 are shorter than (or relative to) adjacent structural members 58 that are not below those openings to define gaps 117 for the anchor base that correspond with openings 116 of floor plates 42.

[0025] The anchor base is attached or welded to base flange 106, which is attached or welded to side flange 106 of side assembly 104. Sheet 108 is received in the interior compartment and cover 110 sits on a lip 116 of the anchor base and covers the interior compartment. The cover includes apertures 118 to facilitate installation and removal. Closure piece 112 attaches the particular floor panel to upper flange 120 of the anchor base (e.g., via welding). In the example shown, closure piece 112 is generally C-shaped to surround the upper flange along its three sides. Thus, the floor assemblies are secured to the underframe, the floor anchors are secured to the side assemblies, and the underframe is secured to the side assemblies.

[0026] The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0018]Referring to FIGS. 1-2, an insulated rail car 20 is shown having a cargo-carrying enclosure 22 supported by an undercarriage 24 and a plurality of wheeled trucks 26 with wheels 27 that facilitate the movement of the insulated rail car along a rail track. The undercarriage includes a center sill (not shown) extending longitudinally along the length of the rail car, opposed end sills and opposed side sills (not shown), body bolsters (not shown), cross bearers (see 92 in FIGS. 9-10), and cross ties (not shown) that together provide the necessary underlying structural support for cargo carrying enclosure 22. The cargo carrying enclosure has an outer enclosure 30 defining an outwardly facing exterior surface 31 exposed to an ambient environment and an inner enclosure 32 defining an inwardly directed interior surface 33 against which cargo can bear and which is exposed to an interior environment. The insulated rail car may include one or more additional components as shown in U.S. P...

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 570,114 filed on Mar. 26, 2024 and entitled “Floor Assemblies for Insulated Railway Boxcars.” The complete disclosure of the above application is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The present invention relates to floor assemblies for railway cars, and in particular to floor assemblies for insulated railway boxcars.

[0003] Floor assemblies for insulated railway boxcars generally are costly to manufacture and repair, have limited usable lifespans and weight capacities (such as the amount of forklift load that the floor assemblies can withstand), and have a higher profile that decreases the overall internal volume of the insulated railway box cars. What is desired, therefore, are floor assemblies for insulated railway boxcars that are cheaper to manufacture, have increased longevity, have a decreased need for maintenance repairs, are able to withstand increased loads, and / or that increase the overall internal volume allowable for goods.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0004] As an answer to at least some of the needs explained above, floor assemblies are disclosed hereinbelow and defined in the claims that form a part of the disclosure.

[0005] In one embodiment of the floor assemblies disclosed herein, the floor assemblies include floor channels that can be filled with insulation from the top down via apertures in the floor plates. Additionally, the longitudinal stringers of the railway boxcar may include end cap L-angles for insulation. Moreover, an air gap between the floor sheet and the longitudinal stringers provides for added insulation. Furthermore, lower profile I-beams and / or lower insulation sheets are used over the wheels to provide for better insulation.

[0006] The foregoing and other objectives and features of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an example of an insulated railway boxcar.

[0008] FIGS. 2-3 are partial views of the insulated railway boxcar of FIG. 1 showing an example of a floor assembly of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the floor assembly of FIGS. 2-3.

[0010] FIG. 5 is a partial exploded view of the floor assembly of FIG. 4.

[0011] FIG. 6 is an isometric view of an example of a floor plate and a floor plate support of the floor assembly of FIG. 4.

[0012] FIG. 7 is a reverse isometric view of the floor plate and floor plate support of FIG. 6.

[0013] FIG. 8 is a partial view of the floor plate and floor plate support of FIG. 6.

[0014] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the insulated railway boxcar of FIG. 1 showing the floor assembly of FIGS. 2-3 taken along lines 9-9 in FIG. 3.

[0015] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the insulated railway boxcar of FIG. 1 showing the floor assembly of FIGS. 2-3 taken along lines 10-10 in FIG. 3.

[0016] FIG. 11 is an isometric view of an example of a floor anchor of the floor assembly of FIGS. 2-3.

[0017] FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the floor anchor of FIG. 11.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Referring to FIGS. 1-2, an insulated rail car 20 is shown having a cargo-carrying enclosure 22 supported by an undercarriage 24 and a plurality of wheeled trucks 26 with wheels 27 that facilitate the movement of the insulated rail car along a rail track. The undercarriage includes a center sill (not shown) extending longitudinally along the length of the rail car, opposed end sills and opposed side sills (not shown), body bolsters (not shown), cross bearers (see 92 in FIGS. 9-10), and cross ties (not shown) that together provide the necessary underlying structural support for cargo carrying enclosure 22. The cargo carrying enclosure has an outer enclosure 30 defining an outwardly facing exterior surface 31 exposed to an ambient environment and an inner enclosure 32 defining an inwardly directed interior surface 33 against which cargo can bear and which is exposed to an interior environment. The insulated rail car may include one or more additional components as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 9,174,656 and / or U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 0065152. The complete disclosures of the above patent and patent application publication are incorporated by reference for all purposes.

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 3-8, inner enclosure 32 includes a floor assembly 34, interior side walls 36, interior end walls 38, and a lower roof member (not shown). Floor assembly 34 includes floor plates 42, floor support 44, longitudinal stringers 46, end caps 48, floor sheet 50, floor anchors 52, insulation sheets 54, and insulation 55. Floor plates 42 are planar panels having one or more spaced apertures 56. The apertures may be used to inject insulation 55 (e.g., polyurethane foam) into the floor assembly, such as from the top of the floor plates. In some examples, the floor assembly may include one or more floor plates without apertures 56. The floor plates may be made of any suitable materials, such as metal (e.g., steel) or composite materials.

[0020] Floor support 44 includes a plurality of structural members 58 attached together to provide support for floor plates 42. In the example shown in FIGS. 3-8, structural members 58 are L-shaped having a planar stem portion 60 and a planar arm portion 62 that is formed with (or attached to) and perpendicular to the planar stem portion. The stem portion includes opposed transverse end portions 64, 66 and the arm portion includes opposed transverse end portions 68, 70. End portion 64 of stem portion 60 is formed with (or attached to) end portion 68 of arm portion 62. Stem portion 60 includes one or more spaced notches or openings 72 that can receive insulation 55 injected through apertures 56 of floor plates 42. End portion 70 of arm portion 62 contacts and supports floor plates 42. In some examples, one or more stem portions 60 of the plurality of structural members may be without notches or openings 72.

[0021] Structural members 58 are supported by longitudinal stringers 46 such that the structural members are disposed between floor plates 42 and the longitudinal stringers. In the example shown in FIGS. 3-8, the longitudinal stringers are in the form of I-beams. Each of the longitudinal stringers includes opposed longitudinal end portions 73, 74. The longitudinal stringers may have different heights. For example, longitudinal stringers 46 that are shorter relative to the other longitudinal stringers may be used to provide sufficient allowance for wheels 27.

[0022] End caps 48 provide additional insulation and include first and second end caps 76. The first end cap is attached or welded to longitudinal end portion 73 of the longitudinal stringers, while the second end cap is attached or welded to longitudinal end portion 74 of the longitudinal stringers. Each of the first and second end caps includes a proximal end cap member 80 and at least one distal end cap member 82 attached or welded to the proximal end cap member. In the example shown in FIGS. 3-8, the proximal and distal end cap members are L-shaped. Additionally, each of the first and second end caps includes a single proximal end cap member that spans, for example, all longitudinal end portions of the longitudinal stringers on one side (or that are adjacent to one of two end walls 38) and two spaced distal end cap members 82. Each of the distal end cap members is less than half the length of the proximal end cap member such that a gap 84 is defined between the distal end cap members. The distal end cap members may be adjusted prior to being attached to or welded to the proximal end cap member based on the height of the longitudinal end portions of the longitudinal stringers. In other examples, the proximal end cap may span less than all the longitudinal end portions of the longitudinal stringers on one side, there may be two or more proximal end caps, and / or there may be a single distal end cap that spans all the longitudinal end portions on one side (or that are adjacent to one of two end walls 38).

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 9-10, floor sheet 50 are positioned below longitudinal stringers 46. Specifically, end portions 86 of the floor sheet are attached to bottom surfaces 88 of upper flanges 90 of cross bearers 92 of underframe 94. Each of cross bearers 92 includes parallel upper and lower flanges 90, 96 and a web 98 that connects the upper and lower flanges and that is perpendicular to the upper and lower flanges. Upper flange 90 includes bottom surface 88 that is adjacent to web 98 and an upper surface 100 that is spaced from the web relative to the bottom surface. With the floor sheet attached to bottom surface 88, the floor sheet and the longitudinal stringers define a thermal break space 102 for insulation therebetween. In the example shown in FIGS. 9-10, spacer bars 103 also are disposed between the floor sheet and the longitudinal stringers to maintain and / or support the thermal break space. Additionally, insulation sheets 54 may be attached to floor sheet 50 over wheels 27.

[0024] Referring to FIGS. 11-12, floor anchors 52 secure the floor assembly to opposed side assemblies 104. As best shown in FIG. 4, side assemblies 104 include side walls 36 and side flange 105 attached to the side walls. In the example shown in FIGS. 11-12, floor anchors 52 include an anchor base 104, a base flange 106, a sheet 108, a cover 110, and a closure piece 112. Anchor base 104 is elongate and hollow and includes an interior compartment 114. Floor plates 42 includes openings or cutouts 116 on its opposed longitudinal ends 118, 120 to receive a portion of the anchor base. Additionally, structural members 58 below openings 116 are shorter than (or relative to) adjacent structural members 58 that are not below those openings to define gaps 117 for the anchor base that correspond with openings 116 of floor plates 42.

[0025] The anchor base is attached or welded to base flange 106, which is attached or welded to side flange 106 of side assembly 104. Sheet 108 is received in the interior compartment and cover 110 sits on a lip 116 of the anchor base and covers the interior compartment. The cover includes apertures 118 to facilitate installation and removal. Closure piece 112 attaches the particular floor panel to upper flange 120 of the anchor base (e.g., via welding). In the example shown, closure piece 112 is generally C-shaped to surround the upper flange along its three sides. Thus, the floor assemblies are secured to the underframe, the floor anchors are secured to the side assemblies, and the underframe is secured to the side assemblies.

[0026] The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0018]Referring to FIGS. 1-2, an insulated rail car 20 is shown having a cargo-carrying enclosure 22 supported by an undercarriage 24 and a plurality of wheeled trucks 26 with wheels 27 that facilitate the movement of the insulated rail car along a rail track. The undercarriage includes a center sill (not shown) extending longitudinally along the length of the rail car, opposed end sills and opposed side sills (not shown), body bolsters (not shown), cross bearers (see 92 in FIGS. 9-10), and cross ties (not shown) that together provide the necessary underlying structural support for cargo carrying enclosure 22. The cargo carrying enclosure has an outer enclosure 30 defining an outwardly facing exterior surface 31 exposed to an ambient environment and an inner enclosure 32 defining an inwardly directed interior surface 33 against which cargo can bear and which is exposed to an interior environment. The insulated rail car may include one or more additional components as shown in U.S. P...

Claims

1. A floor assembly for an insulated railway boxcar, the floor assembly comprising:a plurality of planar floor plates; anda plurality of L-shaped structural members, each structural member includes a planar stem portion having opposed first and second transverse end portions, and a planar arm portion having opposed third and fourth transverse end portions, the third end portion being formed with the first end portion and the fourth end portion supporting a floor plate of the plurality of planar floor plates, the arm portion being perpendicular to the stem portion, the stem portion having a plurality of spaced openings, the second end portion of a L-shaped structural member being attached to, or formed with, a first end portion of a stem portion of an adjacent L-shaped structural member.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the floor plates includes a plurality of spaced apertures.

3. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of longitudinal stringers, wherein the plurality of L-shaped structural members is supported on the plurality of longitudinal stringers such that the plurality of L-shaped structural members is disposed between the plurality of floor plates and the plurality of longitudinal stringers.

4. The assembly of claim 3, further comprising a floor sheet positioned such that the plurality of longitudinal stringers is disposed between the floor sheet and the plurality of L-shaped structural members.

5. The assembly of claim 4, where the insulated railway boxcar includes an undercarriage having a plurality of spaced cross bearers, each of the cross bearers having parallel upper and lower flanges and a web that connects the upper and lower flanges and that is perpendicular to the upper and lower flanges, wherein the floor sheet is attached to the upper flange of one or more cross bearers of the plurality of cross bearers.

6. The assembly of claim 5, where the upper flange of each of the cross bearers includes a bottom surface that is adjacent to the web and an upper surface that is spaced from the web relative to the bottom surface, wherein the floor sheet is attached to the bottom surface of one or more cross bearers of the plurality of cross bearers, and wherein the floor sheet and the plurality of longitudinal stringers defines a thermal break space therebetween.

7. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of floor anchor assemblies attached to opposed side assemblies of the insulated railway boxcar.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of floor anchor assemblies includes an elongate anchor base, where each floor plate of the plurality of floor plates includes opposed first and second longitudinal ends, wherein each floor plate of the plurality of floor plates includes an opening in each of the first and second longitudinal ends, the opening being sized to receive a portion of the elongate anchor base.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein one or more L-shaped structural members of the plurality of L-shaped structural members are shorter than adjacent L-shaped structural members of the plurality of L-shaped structural members to define gaps that correspond with the openings of the plurality of floor plates to allow the plurality of L-shaped structural members to receive the portion of the elongate anchor base.

10. The assembly of claim 8, wherein each floor plate of the plurality of floor plates are attached to elongate anchor bases of the plurality of floor anchor assemblies.

11. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising insulation disposed adjacent to the plurality of structural members.

12. An insulated railway boxcar, comprising:an undercarriage having a plurality of wheeled trucks; anda cargo-carrying enclosure having the floor assembly of claim 1.

13. A floor assembly for an insulated railway boxcar, the floor assembly comprising:a plurality of planar floor plates;a plurality of structural members supporting the plurality of floor plates;a plurality of longitudinal stringers, wherein the plurality of structural members is supported on the plurality of longitudinal stringers such that the plurality of structural members is disposed between the plurality of floor plates and the plurality of longitudinal stringers; anda floor sheet positioned such that the plurality of longitudinal stringers is disposed between the floor sheet and the plurality of L-shaped structural members.

14. The assembly of claim 13, where the insulated railway boxcar includes an undercarriage having a plurality of spaced cross bearers, each of the cross bearers having parallel upper and lower flanges and a web that connects the upper and lower flanges and that is perpendicular to the upper and lower flanges, wherein the upper flange of each of the cross bearers includes a bottom surface that is adjacent to the web and an upper surface that is spaced from the web relative to the bottom surface, wherein the floor sheet is attached to the bottom surface of one or more cross bearers of the plurality of cross bearers, and wherein the floor sheet and the plurality of longitudinal stringers defines a thermal break space therebetween.

15. The assembly of claim 13, wherein one or more of the plurality of structural members is L-shaped.

16. The assembly of claim 13, wherein one or more floor plates includes one or more apertures.

17. The assembly of claim 13, further comprising a plurality of floor anchor assemblies attached to opposed side assemblies of the insulated boxcar.

18. The assembly of claim 13, further comprising insulation disposed between the plurality of floor plates and the plurality of floor sheets.

19. An insulated railway boxcar, comprising:an undercarriage having a plurality of wheeled trucks; anda cargo-carrying enclosure having the floor assembly of claim 13.

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