Railroad car with chock block apparatus for securing vehicles being transported

• US 4,674,929 A
• Filed: 10/18/1985
• Issued: 06/23/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thrall Car Manufacturing Co. (Trinity Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Thrall Car Manufacturing Co. (Trinity Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Blunden, Donald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reese, Randolph A.
• Application Number:
  US06/789,135
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 410/7-12, 410/19, 410/24, 410/26, 410/30, 188/36, 105/378, 206/335
• US Class Current: 410/30
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/077 Wheel cradles, chocks, or wells
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/08 Multilevel-deck construction carrying vehicles

Abstract

A railroad car having at least one deck for supporting and transporting four-wheel vehicles such as automobiles and trucks; a pair of spaced apart first and second parallel tracks, secured to the deck longitudinally of the railroad car, having clearance for the two wheels on one side of the vehicle to roll between the tracks; a pair of movable chock blocks for each vehicle transported on the deck to secure the vehicle against longitudinal movement; each chock block including a bar with a first end and a second end; the bar first end being permanently secured to the first track so that it is not readily removable from the first track but so that the bar first end can be moved along the longitudinal axis of the track and the bar also can be rotated from about lateral to about parallel to the track; the bar first end having a latch for releasably securing the bar first end in a fixed position along the first track; and the bar second end having a device for releasably securing the bar second end in a fixed position along the second track.

Claims

1. A railroad car having at least one deck for supporting and transporting four-wheel vehicles such as automobiles and trucks;

a pair of spaced apart first and second parallel tracks, secured to the deck longitudinally of the railroad car, having clearance for the two wheels on one side of the vehicle to roll between the tracks;

a pair of movable chock block means for each vehicle transported on the deck to secure the vehicle against longitudinal movement;

each chock block means including a bar with a first end and a second end;

the bar first end having means which permanently secures the bar first end to the first track so that it is not readily removable from the first track but so that the bar first end can be moved along the longitudinal axis of the track and the bar also can be rotated from about lateral to about parallel to the track to place the second end adjoining the first track;

the bar first end having means for releasably securing the bar first end in a fixed position along the first track;

the bar second end being securable nonpermanently to the second track but having means for releasably securing the bar second end in a fixed position along the second track wherein release of the bar second end from fixed position along the second track requires displacement of the bar first end along the first track for a short distance.

2. A railroad car according to claim 1 in which:

the first track is a channel member with inwardly directed horizontal flanges at the top which terminate in spaced apart position and define a longitudinal gap;

the means which permanently secures the bar first end to the first track includes a vertical member fixedly attached to the bar and extending downwardly through the gap into the space enclosed by the channel; and

the vertical member has a horizontal plate, fixedly connected to it in the space enclosed by the channel, which can be rotated at least about 90°

about a vertical axis.

3. A railroad car according to claim 2 in which the plate is substantially circular.

4. A railroad car according to claim 2 in which the second end of the bar has means which fits in the gap of the first track only when the bar is parallel to the track and the bar rests on top of the track.

5. A railroad car according to claim 1 in which the means for releasably securing the bar first end in a fixed position along the first track includes:

a bracket connected to the bar first end;

a latch supported by the bracket;

latch engaging means on the first track; and

means to displace the latch into releasable fixed engagement with the latch engaging means on the first track.

6. A railroad car according to claim 5 in which the means to displace the latch into releasable fixed engagement with the first track includes spring means.

7. A railroad car according to claim 5 including means to retain the latch out of engagement with the first track.

8. A railroad car according to claim 1 in which;

the second track has a series of spaced-apart holes; and

the bar second end means for releasably securing the bar second end in a fixed position along the second track includes at least one pin which engages a hole in the second track.

9. A railroad car according to claim 1 in which the bar can be rotated substantially only horizontally about a vertical axis.

10. A railroad car according to claim 9 in which the bar second end has means engageable with the first track to maintain the bar in stored position resting on the first track top.

11. A railroad car according to claim 1 in which:

the first track is a channel member with inwardly directed horizontal flanges at the top which terminate in spaced apart position and define a longitudinal gap;

the means which secures the bar first end to the first track includes a vertical member fixedly attached to the bar and extending downwardly through the gap into the space enclosed by the channel;

the vertical member being rotatable about a vertical axis and having a horizontal plate, fixedly connected to it in the space enclosed by the channel, which can be rotated at least about 90°

about said vertical axis;

the means for releasably securing the bar first end in a fixed position along the first track including

a bracket connected to the bar first end;

a latch supported by the bracket;

the latch being horizontally spaced away from the vertical member axis; and

means to displace the latch into releasable fixed engagement with latch engaging means on the first track.

12. A railroad car having at least one deck for supporting and transporting four-wheel vehicles such as automobiles and trucks;

a pair of spaced apart first and second parallel tracks, secured to the deck longitudinally of the railroad car, having clearance for the two wheels on one side of the vehicle to roll between the tracks;

a pair of movable chock block means for each vehicle transported on the deck to secure the vehicle against longitudinal movement;

each chock block means including a bar with a first end and a second end;

the bar first end having means which permanently secures the bar first end to the first track so that it is not readily removable from the first track but so that the bar first end can be moved along the longitudinal axis of the track and the bar also can be rotated from about lateral to about parallel to the track;

the bar first end having means for releasably securing the bar first end in a fixed position along the first track including a bracket connected to the bar first end, a latch supported by the bracket, and means to displace the latch into releasable fixed engagement with latch engaging means on the first track;

the second track having a series of spaced-apart holes;

the bar second end having means for releasably securing the bar second end in a fixed position along the second track including at least one pin which engages a hole in the second track wherein said pin is fixedly secured to said bar second end and substantially horizontal thereto so that release of the pin at the bar second end from a hole in the second track requires displacement of the bar first end along the first track for a short distance.

13. A railroad car according to claim 12 in which:

the first track is a channel member with inwardly directed horizontal flanges at the top which terminate in spaced apart position and define a longitudinal gap;

the means which permanently secures the bar first end to the first track includes a vertical member fixedly attached to the bar and extending downwardly through the gap into the space enclosed by the channel; and

the vertical member has a horizontal plate, fixedly connected to it in the space enclosed by the channel, which can be rotated at least about 90°

about a vertical axis.

14. A railroad car according to claim 13 in which the plate is substantially circular.

15. A railroad car according to claim 13 in which the second end of the bar has means which fits in the gap of the first track only when the bar is parallel to the track and the bar rests on top of the track.

16. A railroad car according to claim 12 in which the means to displace the latch into releasable fixed engagement with the first track includes spring means.

17. A railroad car according to claim 12 including means to retain the latch out of engagement with the first track.