Railroad Well Car Structure

Abstract

A well car for carrying shipping containers has a pair of end structures supported by railcar trucks, a pair of first and second spaced apart side beams extending between the end structures and a well defined therebetween. Container support cross-members are mounted between the side sills in a position to support an end of a shipping container load carried within the well. An array of elongate members is provided to divide the opening into smaller spaces and to prevent excessively large openings from being left. The elongate members can have different forms, whether rigid hollow structural sections, rods, or cables. The arrays of elongate members are oriented at oblique angles along the railcar body.

1 . A railroad well car body unit comprising:
 a pair of first and second side beams, said side beams extending lengthwise between first and second railcar end sections mounted to railcar trucks for rolling motion in a longitudinal direction along railroad car tracks;   said railroad well car having a well defined between said side beams and said first and second railcar end sections;   first and second container support cross-beams extending cross-wise between said first and second side beams;   an intermediate container support cross-beam located between and spaced from said first and second container support cross-beams;   said first and second container support cross-beams having container indexing fittings upon which to locate shipping containers;   an array of struts extending between, and mounted to, said first and second side beams; said array of struts including at least a first strut and a second strut;   said first strut having a first end mounted to said first side beam and a second end mounted to said second side beam; and   said first strut being angled obliquely relative to said longitudinal direction.   
     
     
         2 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 1  wherein said second strut has a first end mounted to said first side beam and a second end mounted to said second side beam and said second strut is angled obliquely relative to said longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         3 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 2  wherein said first and second struts are angled relative to said longitudinal direction at angles of equal magnitude and opposite hand. 
     
     
         4 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 1  wherein said first and second struts are adjacent to each other. 
     
     
         5 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 1  wherein:
 said first and second container support cross-beams each have a respective uppermost surface upon which to seat a shipping container; 
 said first strut has an uppermost extremity; and 
 said uppermost extremity of said first strut lies at a lower height than do said respective uppermost surfaces of said first and second cross-beams. 
 
     
     
         6 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 1  wherein said railroad well car is free of cross-ties. 
     
     
         7 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 1  wherein said first and second container support cross-beams are mounted to said first and second side beams at moment connections. 
     
     
         8 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 1  wherein said first container support cross-beam has a vertical through-thickness; said first strut has a vertical through-thickness; and said vertical through-thickness of said first strut is less than said vertical through-thickness of said first container support cross-beam. 
     
     
         9 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 1  wherein said well car body unit has an open bottom and said array of struts is spaced along said body unit and limits opening passages through said open bottom to under 30 sq. ft. 
     
     
         10 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 1  wherein said well car body unit has an open bottom and said array of struts limit opening passages through said open bottom to obstruct any object having dimensions greater than 2 ft×8 ft. 
     
     
         11 . A railroad well car body unit comprising:
 a pair of first and second side beams, said side beams extending lengthwise between first and second railcar end sections mounted to railcar trucks for rolling motion in a longitudinal direction along railroad tracks;   said railroad well car having a well defined between said side beams and said first and second railcar end sections;   said first side beam having a first side sill;   said second side beam having a second side sill;   first and second container support cross-beams extending cross-wise between said first and second side sills;   an intermediate container support cross-beam located between and spaced from said first and second container support cross-beams;   said intermediate container support cross-beam extending cross-wise between said first and second side sills;   said first and second container support cross-beams having container indexing fittings upon which to locate shipping containers;   said car body being free of cross-ties between said first container support cross-beam and said intermediate container support cross-beam;   said car body being free of cross-ties between said second container support cross-beam and said intermediate container support cross-beam;   an array of struts extending between, and mounted to, said first and second side beams at locations between said first and second container support cross-beams; said array of struts including at least a first strut and a second strut;   said first strut and said second strut being free of attachment to said first and second container support cross-members;   said first strut and said second strut being free of attachment to said intermediate container support cross-member;   said first strut having a first end mated to said first side sill of said first side beam;   said first strut having a second end mated to said side sill of said second side beam;   said second strut having a first end mated to said first side sill of said first side beam;   said second strut having a second end mated to said side sill of said second side beam; and   said first strut being angled obliquely relative to said longitudinal direction.   
     
     
         12 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 11  wherein said second strut is angled obliquely relative to said longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         13 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 12  wherein said first and second struts are angled relative to said longitudinal direction at angles of equal magnitude and opposite hand. 
     
     
         14 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 11  wherein said first and second struts are next adjacent to each other between said first container support beam and said intermediate container support beam. 
     
     
         15 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 11  wherein:
 said first and second container support cross-beams each have a respective uppermost surface upon which to seat a shipping container; 
 said first strut has an uppermost extremity; and 
 said uppermost extremity of said first strut lies at a lower height than do said respective uppermost surfaces of said first and second cross-beams. 
 
     
     
         16 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 11  wherein said first and second container support cross-beams are mounted to said first and second side beams at moment connections. 
     
     
         17 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 11  wherein said first container support cross-beam has a vertical through-thickness; said first strut has a vertical through-thickness; and said vertical through-thickness of said first strut is less than said vertical through-thickness of said first container support cross-beam. 
     
     
         18 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 11  wherein said well car body unit has an open bottom and said array of struts is spaced along said body unit and limits opening passages through said open bottom to under 30 sq. ft. 
     
     
         19 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 11  wherein said well car body unit has an open bottom and said array of struts limit opening passages through said open bottom to obstruct any object having dimensions greater than 2 ft×8 ft. 
     
     
         20 . A railroad well car body unit comprising:
 a pair of first and second side beams, said side beams extending lengthwise between first and second railcar end sections mounted to railcars trucks for rolling motion in a longitudinal direction along railroad car tracks;   said railroad well car body unit having a well defined between said side beams and said end sections;   first and second container support cross-beams extending cross-wise between and mounted at moment connections to said first and second side beams;   an intermediate container support cross-beam located between and spaced from said first and second container support cross-beams;   said first and second container support cross-beams having container indexing fittings upon which to locate shipping containers;   bracing of said well of said railroad well car body unit mounted along said well car body unit between said side beams, said bracing including an array of elongate members, said elongate members including obliquely extending tension rods;   said tension rods being solid rods having pin-jointed ends.   
     
     
         21 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 20  wherein said tension rods are oriented obliquely relative to the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         22 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 20  wherein said tension members are mounted in a criss-crossing arrangement. 
     
     
         23 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 20  wherein:
 said first and second container support cross-beams each have a respective uppermost surface upon which to seat a shipping container; 
 said first tension member has an uppermost extremity; and 
 said uppermost extremity of said first tension member lies at a lower height than said respective uppermost surfaces of said first and second container support cross-beams. 
 
     
     
         24 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 20  wherein said tension members are rods, and said rods are pre-tensioned. 
     
     
         25 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 24  wherein said tension members are mounted in a criss-crossing arrangement. 
     
     
         26 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 20  wherein said railroad well car is free of cross-ties. 
     
     
         27 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 20  wherein said first and second container support cross-beams are mounted to said first and second side beams at moment connections. 
     
     
         28 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 20  wherein said first container support cross-beam has a vertical through-thickness; said bracing has a vertical through-thickness; and said vertical through-thickness of said bracing is less than said vertical through-thickness of said first container support cross-beam. 
     
     
         29 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 20  wherein said well car body unit has an open bottom and said bracing is spaced along said body unit and limits opening passages through said open bottom to under 30 sq. ft. 
     
     
         30 . The railroad well car body unit of  claim 20  wherein said well car body unit has an open bottom and said bracing limit opening passages through said open bottom to obstruct any object having dimensions greater than 2½ ft×7 ft.