A railcar system that includes a railcar and a nested sliding gate assembly disposed within the railcar. The nested sliding gate assembly includes an upper deck, a lower deck, and a driving system. The upper deck has a plurality of holes. The lower deck is positioned below the upper deck and has a plurality of discharge ports. The driving system positions the lower deck in a first position with respect to the upper deck, where the holes of the upper deck and the discharge ports of the lower deck do not align when the lower deck is in the first position. The driving system also positions the lower deck in a second position with respect to the upper deck, where the holes of the upper deck and the discharge ports of the lower deck at least partially align when the lower deck is in the second position.

A rail car key adaptor tool made of a shank piece with width less than 1 inches is connected to another durable material piece in which one material piece is longer than the other at 90 degree on the long side. Top plate with two arms is connected to the shank piece at the edge at 90 degree. A durable triangle piece connecting the two arms next to the shank piece; and a round handle connected at both of arms of the top plate.

Methods and systems are provided for a railroad hopper car bottom discharge door having two door plates, where at least one is rotatable between open and closed positions for the bottom discharge door. A seal member is fixedly connected to a distal end of each door plate, respectively, and each seal member has a seal lip protruding from the corresponding door plate. One seal lip comprises a first obtuse angle on a lower surface of the seal lip, while the other seal lip comprises a second angle smaller than the first obtuse angle on an upper surface of the seal lip. When the bottom discharge door is closed, the two angles on the two seal lips interlock to form a seal. Methods and systems for a door-actuating assembly that utilizes a pick-up shoe and a rechargeable battery to minimize the occurrence of rail sparks inside dump sites are also provided.

Methods and systems are provided for a railroad hopper car bottom discharge door having two door plates, where at least one is rotatable between open and closed positions for the bottom discharge door. A seal member is fixedly connected to a distal end of each door plate, respectively, and each seal member has a seal lip protruding from the corresponding door plate. One seal lip comprises a first obtuse angle on a lower surface of the seal lip, while the other seal lip comprises a second angle smaller than the first obtuse angle on an upper surface of the seal lip. When the bottom discharge door is closed, the two angles on the two seal lips interlock to form a seal. Methods and systems for a door-actuating assembly that utilizes a pick-up shoe and a rechargeable battery to minimize the occurrence of rail sparks inside dump sites are also provided.

A self-unloading aggregate train including a plurality of hopper cars and an individual conveyor belt located beneath each hopper car. The head pulley at one end of each individual conveyor belt may rotate the belt in a direction from a tail pulley towards the head pulley. The head pulley of one hopper car is positioned above and adjacent of a tail pulley of the adjacent hopper car. This arrangement of hopper cars with individual conveyor belts may be used to unload material from the train. The individual conveyor belts may be adapted so that the trajectory of material transfer to an adjacent belt is near the pivot point between the adjacent hopper cars. The individual conveyor belts may have a substantially constant slope. The hopper of the hopper cars may also be configured with a substantially constant slope that matches the slope of the individual conveyor belts.

A self-unloading aggregate train including a plurality of hopper cars and an individual conveyor belt located beneath each hopper car. The head pulley at one end of each individual conveyor belt may rotate the belt in a direction from a tail pulley towards the head pulley. The head pulley of one hopper car is positioned above and adjacent of a tail pulley of the adjacent hopper car. This arrangement of hopper cars with individual conveyor belts may be used to unload material from the train. The individual conveyor belts may be adapted so that the trajectory of material transfer to an adjacent belt is near the pivot point between the adjacent hopper cars. The individual conveyor belts may have a substantially constant slope. The hopper of the hopper cars may also be configured with a substantially constant slope that matches the slope of the individual conveyor belts.

Open top gondola railcars and closure assemblies for cleanout openings of those railcars are disclosed. In some embodiments, the closure assembly includes a closure member sized to be received in a cleanout opening and to span a substantial portion of the cleanout opening to define at least one gap between a closure perimeter and a floor perimeter. The closure assembly additionally includes a sealing member fixedly attached to, or formed with, the closure member. The sealing member spans between the floor perimeter and the closure perimeter to cover the at least one gap. The closure assembly further includes a tethering member having opposed first and second end portions. The first end portion is fixedly attached to the closure member and the second end portion is attached to one of the floor or a cross bearer of the open top gondola railcar.

Open top gondola railcars and closure assemblies for cleanout openings of those railcars are disclosed. In some embodiments, the closure assembly includes a closure member sized to be received in a cleanout opening and to span a substantial portion of the cleanout opening to define at least one gap between a closure perimeter and a floor perimeter. The closure assembly additionally includes a sealing member fixedly attached to, or formed with, the closure member. The sealing member spans between the floor perimeter and the closure perimeter to cover the at least one gap. The closure assembly further includes a tethering member having opposed first and second end portions. The first end portion is fixedly attached to the closure member and the second end portion is attached to one of the floor or a cross bearer of the open top gondola railcar.

The invention relates to a material transport carriage (1) for transporting bulk material, in particular ballast. Said transport carriage comprises a frame (2) which extends in a longitudinal direction (L), expands in a transverse direction (Q) and spans a frame plane with an upper side and a lower side, in addition to at least two drive units (5) which are connected to the frame (2), and an upper conveyor unit (6) which is arranged on the upper side of the frame plane. Said material transport carriage (1) also comprises a lower conveyor unit (7) which is arranged on the underside of the frame plane (R).

An autonomous ballast consist for unloading ballast along a railway and methods for unloading ballast thereby. The consist includes a plurality of ballast cars and at least one control car. The control car includes a controller, a navigation system, and electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic generators that power the hopper cars. The controller employs the navigation system to determine the location of the consist relative to a track survey indicating locations and amounts of ballast to be unloaded. The controller instructs the hopper cars to open/close ballast doors to dump appropriate amounts of ballast in desired locations. The controller also monitors the status of the hopper cars and the accuracy of the navigation system to automatically adjust the operational state of the consist relative thereto. The unloading operation is carried out automatically, without need for operator intervention, and without risk of damage to railroad facilities.