Articulated spine cars have been widely used in North America for carrying containers and trailers. However, such cars have generally been considered unsuitable for use in Europe and in certain other regions where railways have lower weight and height limits, and where additional difficulties may be presented by bottom clearances, side clearances, and track configurations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a lightweight, low- level articulated railway car suitable for carrying trailers and containers on railways in Europe. In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, the connectors which join adjacent units of the articulated car also support the side bearing arms. To this end, there is provided a connector member comprising a central longitudinal member disposed at a relatively low level and a pair of stub arms extending outward from the central longitudinal member to support the side bearing arms. The stub arms may be sloped upward to avoid interference with the wheels or other components of the shared truck.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, container supports may also be supported by the connector member. To this end, the side bearing arms may also function as container support arms, with

container supports disposed at or near their distal ends.

In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, a low level wheel support structure is provided for supporting the wheels of a trailer. The wheel support structure may comprise a pair of wheel trays, one located on each side of a central spine, supported by a plurality of transverse beams. Each of the transverse beams extends only partially across the bottom of the wheel tray, to enable the tray to be supported at a low level while maintaining desired clearances around the bottom side areas of the railway car. To provide support for the wheel tray beyond the ends of the beams, beam extensions of relatively small vertical dimension may extend beyond the ends of the beams. To provide added strength and rigidity, channel segments may extend longitudinally between beam extensions. The wheel tray may have an outer portion disposed beyond the ends of the beam extensions, such that the wheel tray is partially self-supporting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 is a plan view illustrating a connector assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2a is an end view of the connector casting illustrated on the left in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 2b is an end view of the connector casting illustrated on the right in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial transverse sectional elevational view of the connector of FIG. 1, illus¬ trating a portion of the truck associated therewith; FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of an articulated car incorporating the connector of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 5 is plan view of an interior unit of the articulated car of FIG. ;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of the unit of FIG. 5; FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 7-7 in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention is preferably embodied in an articulated railway car which comprises a plurality of car units joined to one another by connectors. FIG. 4 illustrates an articulated railway car 10 comprising four units 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d joined by connectors 14. Each unit generally comprises a longitudinal spine 16 as its main load-bearing member, and is adapted for carrying either containers 18 or trailers 20 (FIGS. 5 and 6) .

Connectors As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each connector 14 generally comprises a first connector member 22 mounted on one of the units; a second connector member 24 mounted on the other of the units; and a connecting pin 26 joining the connector members 22 and 24. As shown in FIG.3, an end portion of the first connector member 22 is supported on a bowl 28 mounted on a shared truck 30, with the bottom surface 32 of the first connector member 22 and the corresponding upper surface 34 of the truck- mounted bowl having spherical and complementary configurations to permit the first connector member 22 to pivot relative to the truck-mounted bowl 28 about a longitudinal horizontal axis, a transverse horizontal axis, and a vertical axis. It should be noted that the term "spherical" is used herein to refer to a surface which is configured as a portion of the sphere, not a complete sphere.

In the illustrated embodiment, the second connector member 24 comprises a base portion 36 and an

end portion 38 which connects to the end portion 40 of the first member 22 and which has an opening 42 therein to receive the connecting pin 26.

The first member 22 also includes a base portion 46 which may be welded or otherwise secured to an adjacent end of the spine 16 of one of the car units. Each of the connector members 22 and 24 is preferably an integral, one-piece casting, i.e., a unitary member, rather than a combination of parts bolted or welded together.

It should be appreciated that in other embodi¬ ments of the invention, the connector members may be configured somewhat differently from the connector members illustrated herein. Numerous different connector members have been used or proposed for joining units of an articulated railway car. In other embodiments of the invention, non-spherical geometry may be employed on the bottom of the first connector member, with a flat center plate employed instead of the illustrated bowl to support the first connector member.

See, e.g., U.S. Patent Nos. 3,399,631, 4,258,628, and 4,962,861.

As shown in FIG. 3, the truck-mounted bowl 28 is preferably mounted on the top wall 48 of the bolster 50 of the shared truck, with the central portion of the bowl 28 protruding downward through a circular opening in the top wall of the bolster 50. At opposite ends of the bolster, means 52 are provided for attachment to side frames and/or appropriate suspension components. The bolster 50 generally comprises top and bottom walls 48 and 54, forward and rear sidewalls 56, and one or more interior walls 58 extending between the top and bottom walls 48 and 54 to increase the strength and rigidity of the structure. The second connector member 24 may pivot relative to the first connector member 22 about any axis, and the first connector member 22 may pivot

relative to the truck-mounted bowl 28 about any axis. The center of rotation 60 for each of the above- referenced pivoting motions is at substantially the same point, centered relative to the vertical axis of the connecting pin. This enables the respective pivoting motions to take place without substantial transverse displacement of the components relative to one another.

In the illustrated embodiment, the connector members not only connect the units of the articulated car to one another, but also support side bearing arms. To this end, each of the connector castings 22 and 24 in the illustrated embodiment has a pair of stub arms thereon for supporting side bearing arms. The first connector casting 22 has integral stub arms 64 thereon to support a pair of side bearing arms 62. Each of the side bearing arms 62 has a side bearing support 88 extending longitudinally forward therefrom, with an upper side bearing 66 on its lower surface which engages the upper surface of a truck- mounted lower side bearing 68 located therebeneath. Each of the stub arms 64 extends outward and rearward, at an angle of about 75o to the longitudinal axis of the connector. The stub arms 64 slope upward from the longitudinally extending central portion 70 of the casting to provide clearance and avoid interference with components of the shared truck. Each of the stub arms 64 preferably is curved so that it extends generally horizontally at its distal end 72. Each of the side bearing arms 62 comprises a substantially straight first portion 74 which is welded to and substantially aligned with an associated stub arm, and a substantially straight second portion 76 which is welded to and extends at an angle to the first portion. In the illustrated embodiment, the second portion 76 extends at an angle of about 120 degrees to the first portion 74. The rearward angle of the stub

ar s 64 avoids interference between the side bearing arms 62 and 82 on the respective connector members.

In the illustrated embodiment, each of the side bearing arms 62 has a container support 94 near its distal end. The container supports 94 are located substantially even with the pivot point 60 of the connection between the two units, such that a transverse vertical plane extending through the pivot point 60 also would extend through each of the container supports 94. On each unit, one end of the container may be engaged by the connector-mounted container supports 94, while the opposite end of the container is engaged by a second pair of container supports 98 which may be disposed on L-shaped arms 100 extending outward on opposite sides of the spine 16.

The second connector member 24 similarly includes stub arms 78 which support side bearing arms 82. The stub arms on the second connector member extend outward from a longitudinal central portion 80 of the connector casting 24, and extend forward at an angle of about 10 degrees to a transverse plane. The stub arms 78 preferably slope upward from the central portion 80 to provide clearance and avoid interference with the wheels and/or other components of the shared truck. As best seen in Fig. 1, each of the side bearing arms 82 is generally L-shaped, comprising a first portion 84 which is generally aligned with its associated stub arm 78; and a second portion 86 which extends forward therefrom, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connector casting. An upper side bearing 90 is disposed on the lower surface of the second portion.

It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the configuration may vary. For example the side bearing arms might be curved rather than being fabricated from generally straight portions joined at an angle to each other.

The connector castings and associated arms as described above enable side bearings and container supports to be adequately supported-with arms of relatively short length, as compared with alternative arrangements in which side bearing arms and/or container support arms might be supported by the spine or other structural components, and connected thereto at a location farther from the pivot point. Furthermore, the connector castings as described above provide a strong and rigid structure which transmits draft and buff loads at a relatively low level. The provision of the stub arms as integral components of the casting is believed to provide significant advantages as compared with welding side bearing arms directly to the longitudinal portion of the casting, in that the latter arrangement would be more difficult to fabricate, and might be susceptible to fatigue at certain of the welded joints. The connector castings as described above provide a solution to various problems created in attempting to support containers or trailers in a limited amount of available space in a lightweight articulated railway car. The illustrated unit is believed to be suitable for carrying trailers and containers in Europe, where overhead clearances and other clearances are generally more restrictive than in the United States.

Wheel Supports As noted above, each unit includes a spine 16 which extends longitudinally of the center of the unit and functions as the main load-bearing member of the unit. A wheel support structure 102 for supporting the wheels of a trailer is mounted on the spine 16 at a depression 104 in the spine which provides clearance for the trailer axles. A trailer to be carried on the unit is shown in phantom at 20 in FIGS. 5 and 6. To contribute to the capability of the illustrated car to carry trailers and containers at a low level, so as to provide adequate clearance for

tunnels, overhead wires, or other obstructions extending over the railroad tracks, the entire spine 16 is disposed at a low elevation. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 the spine extends between the wheels of the shared truck 30 at each end of the unit, with a lower portion 106 of the spine extending at an elevation below the tops of the wheels as it passes between them.

The illustrated wheel support structure 102 comprises a pair of wheel supports disposed on opposite sides of the spine 16. Each of the wheel supports comprises a wheel tray 108 and a plurality of transverse beams 110 extending outward from the spine to the wheel tray to support the wheel tray.

Each wheel tray comprises a substantially horizontal bottom 112 and an outer side wall 114. The bottom 112 of the wheel tray comprises an inner portion 116, an outer portion 118, and an intermediate portion 120. The outer side wall 114 slopes upward and outward from the outer portion 118 of the bottom 132, and engages the tires to urge them inward.

The center line of the trailer wheels is indicated by the broken lines 146 in FIG. 7. Required clearances around the bottom and sides of the car unit are indicated by the profile illustrated as a broken line 144 in FIG. 7. Required clearances for truck wheels are indicated by the stepped profile indicated at 142.

Each of the transverse beams 110 extends beneath only the inner portion 116 of the bottom of the wheel tray 108 to provide increased clearance beneath the outer portion of the wheel tray. To provide additional support for the wheel tray beyond the ends of the beams, beam extensions 122 of relatively small vertical dimension extend beyond the ends of the beams in the illustrated embodiment. Each of the beam extensions 122 has a vertical dimension less than that of the portion 124 of the beam that extends beneath the

wheel tray for increased clearance. To provide added strength and rigidity, channel segments 126 may extend longitudinally between the beam extensions 122 and are welded thereto. In the illustrated embodiment, the beam extensions 122 extend beneath the intermediate portion 120 of the wheel tray and are of solid cross-section. The bottom 112 of the wheel tray is partially self- supporting in that the beam extensions 122 terminate inward of the outer portion 118 of the bottom of the wheel tray.

To provide for low level support of the trailer, each of the wheel trays 108 is disposed well below the top surface 128 of the spine 16. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the wheel trays 108 is also disposed below the upper surface 130 of the depressed portion 104 of the spine as well. Furthermore, the bottom 112 of each wheel tray is disposed below the upper surfaces 132 of the transverse beams. Each of the transverse beams 110 is, in the illustrated embodiment, of a generally rectangular, hollow cross section, comprising a top wall 134, a bottom wall 136, and substantially parallel, substantially vertical side walls 138. The bottom wall extends outward beyond the top wall, and each of the side walls is cut away so that a lower portion 140 of each side wall extends beneath its associated wheel tray 108.

The illustrated wheel supports thus provide a strong, rigid, low level support for the trailer wheels, while also providing adequate clearances at the bottom and sides of the car to comply with clearances on European railways.

From the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the invention provides a novel and improved railway car. The invention is not limited to the embodiments

described above, nor to any particular embodiments, but rather is defined by the claims as set forth below.