Asymmetric hopper cars

Abstract

Methods of increasing total volume capacity of a railroad hopper car having a car body with two or more hoppers are shown and disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes severing the car body of the railroad hopper car along a vertical plane to form a first portion and a second portion of the railroad hopper car. The method additionally includes separating the first portion from the second portion to define a space therebetween. The method further includes installing, in the space, various components to define one or more additional separate hoppers of the car body.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of increasing total volume capacity of a railroad hopper car having a car body with two or more hoppers, comprising:
 (a) severing the car body of the railroad hopper car along a vertical plane to form a first portion and a second portion of the railroad hopper car;   (b) separating the first portion from the second portion to define a space therebetween; and   (c) installing, in the space, various components to define one or more additional separate hoppers of the car body.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein severing the car body includes severing along the vertical plane such that transverse sheets of the first portion of the car body are severed but none of end slope sheets and intermediate slope sheets of the first and second portions of the car body is severed. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 removing the severed transverse sheets from the first and second portions;   installing new transverse slope sheets in the first and second portions, a portion of the new transverse slope sheets extending into the space; and   installing, in the space, new intermediate slope sheets and a bulkhead.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 removing a substantial portion of the intermediate slope sheet and a pair of opposed transverse sheets from at least one of the first portion or second portion; and   attaching a new intermediate slope sheet and a new pair of opposed transverse sheets to form a new hopper outlet that is larger than the hopper outlet formed, in part, by the removed substantial portion of the intermediate slope sheet and the pair of opposed transverse sheets.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein attaching a new intermediate slope sheet and a new pair of opposed transverse sheets includes attaching the new intermediate slope sheet to an unremoved portion of the intermediate slope sheet, the new intermediate slope sheet having an angle of inclination different from an angle of inclination of the unremoved portion of the intermediate slope sheet. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein each of the new pair of opposed transverse sheets is shorter in length than each of the removed pair of opposed transverse sheets. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein installing new transverse slope sheets includes installing new transverse slope sheets such that new hopper outlets formed, in part, by the new transverse slope sheets are the same size as the size of a hopper outlet of the second portion. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein installing new transverse slope sheets includes installing new transverse slope sheets such that new hopper outlets formed, in part, by the new transverse slope sheets have a size different from the size of the previous hopper outlet formed, in part, by the removed transverse slope sheets. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein installing new transverse slope sheets includes installing new transverse slope sheets such that new hopper outlets formed, in part, by the new transverse slope sheets are the same size as the size of a hopper outlet of the second portion. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 removing opposed transverse sheets from at least one of the first portion or the second portion; and   installing new opposed transverse sheets in the at least one of the first portion or the second portion, a portion of the new opposed transverse sheets extending into the space.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 removing at least a substantial portion of one or more intermediate slope sheets from at least one of the first portion or the second portion; and   attaching one or more new intermediate slope sheets to an unremoved portion of the one or more intermediate slope sheets in the at least one of the first portion or the second portion.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein attaching one or more new intermediate slope sheets includes attaching one or more new intermediate slope sheets to the unremoved portion of the one or more intermediate slope sheets such that new hopper outlets formed, in part, by the new intermediate slope sheets and the unremoved portion of the one or more intermediate slope sheets have a size different from the size of the previous hopper outlet formed, in part, by the removed substantial portion of the one or more intermediate slope sheets.