A secondary suspension system for a railcar comprises a chassis, a primary spring, a levelling actuator, a first hydraulic circuit and a secondary spring. The levelling actuator is adapted to be connected to the carbody. A piston shoulder, located at the lower portion of the piston and below an opening in the chassis, reaches farther than the opening so as to be capable of catching the chassis. The secondary spring is at least partially positioned underneath the piston shoulder. The piston is operative to adopt a high position inside the body under a pressure of a hydraulic fluid injected in a lower chamber below a piston head. This makes the piston shoulder abut against the chassis, thereby compressing the primary spring between the body and the chassis without compressing the secondary suspension.

A bolster system and method of balancing a locomotive on a bolster system is provided. The bolster system is configured such that weld seams interconnect the locomotive to the bolster, and the weld seams are oriented such that when the truck or locomotive impacts another device on the rail track, the weld seams experience a shearing force along the lengths of the weld seams. In addition, prior to welding, scales such as hydraulic jacks with gauges may be used to center and balance a locomotive on a bolster. In one embodiment, four hydraulic jacks elevate the truck, bolster, and locomotive, and the locomotive is repositioned on the bolster until the hydraulic jacks have substantially similar measures.

A rail vehicle, such as a locomotive, has at least one undercarriage with one or more wheel sets and an undercarriage frame. A vehicle body, resiliently supported on the undercarriage, has a vertical pivot pin passing through the undercarriage frame for traction linking the vehicle body. A limiting stop is connected to the pivot pin for limiting the vertical motion of the vehicle body relative to the undercarriage frame. The pivot pin has a horizontal through-hole in a downwardly protruding pin segment for supporting the limiting stop. Contact protrusions of the limiting stop protrude from the through-hole on both sides of the pivot pin. In the event of maximum vertical motion, the limiting stop contacts the undercarriage frame from below by way of the contact protrusions. The entrainment of the undercarriage is thus effected with great safety when the rail vehicle is lifted.

A rail vehicle, such as a locomotive, has at least one undercarriage with one or more wheel sets and an undercarriage frame. A vehicle body, resiliently supported on the undercarriage, has a vertical pivot pin passing through the undercarriage frame for traction linking the vehicle body. A limiting stop is connected to the pivot pin for limiting the vertical motion of the vehicle body relative to the undercarriage frame. The pivot pin has a horizontal through-hole in a downwardly protruding pin segment for supporting the limiting stop. Contact protrusions of the limiting stop protrude from the through-hole on both sides of the pivot pin. In the event of maximum vertical motion, the limiting stop contacts the undercarriage frame from below by way of the contact protrusions. The entrainment of the undercarriage is thus effected with great safety when the rail vehicle is lifted.

Invention includes bogie frame and single link type traction device coupling frame and carbody and transmitting force to carbody, force acting on bogie frame. Single link type traction device includes single link member, receiving seat, and first fastening member. Link member couples center pin of carbody and bogie frame and extends in car longitudinal direction. Receiving seat is provided at fixation target object constituted by center pin or bogie frame, and link member is fixed to receiving seat. First fastening member includes bolt and nut and fixes an end portion of link member to receiving seat. Bolt is inserted into end portion of link member and receiving seat from one side in car longitudinal direction, and nut is threadedly engaged with bolt from other side in car longitudinal direction. Receiving seat includes through hole into which bolt is inserted and nut accommodating space communicating with through hole and accommodating nut.

Invention includes bogie frame and single link type traction device coupling frame and carbody and transmitting force to carbody, force acting on bogie frame. Single link type traction device includes single link member, receiving seat, and first fastening member. Link member couples center pin of carbody and bogie frame and extends in car longitudinal direction. Receiving seat is provided at fixation target object constituted by center pin or bogie frame, and link member is fixed to receiving seat. First fastening member includes bolt and nut and fixes an end portion of link member to receiving seat. Bolt is inserted into end portion of link member and receiving seat from one side in car longitudinal direction, and nut is threadedly engaged with bolt from other side in car longitudinal direction. Receiving seat includes through hole into which bolt is inserted and nut accommodating space communicating with through hole and accommodating nut.

A plate spring unit applied to a railcar bogie includes: a lower plate spring including both longitudinal direction end portions supported by the respective axle boxes from below, the lower plate spring being made of fiber-reinforced resin; an upper plate spring arranged above the lower plate spring with a gap and including a middle portion pressed from above by a pressing member provided at the cross beam, the upper plate spring being made of fiber-reinforced resin; a middle spacer sandwiched between a middle portion of the lower plate spring and the middle portion of the upper plate spring; and an end spacer sandwiched between the end portion of the lower plate spring and an end portion of the upper plate spring and allowing relative displacement between the end portion of the lower plate spring and the end portion of the upper plate spring in a longitudinal direction.

A weight shifting mechanism for a bogie frame is provided. The weight shifting mechanism may include an axle support pivotally coupled to the idler axle, a pusher link pivotally coupled to the axle support and forming a first fulcrum with the bogie frame, a support member pivotally coupled to the pusher link and the axle support, and an actuator mounted on the support member and actuatably coupled to the axle support via a live lever and a connector link. The live lever may form a second fulcrum with the support member and may be pivotally coupled to the connector link. The connector link may be pivotally coupled to the axle support. The actuator may selectively pivot the live lever about the second fulcrum to pivot the axle support about the idler axle and move the bogie frame relative to the idler axle.

A weight shifting mechanism for a bogie frame is provided. The weight shifting mechanism may include an axle support pivotally coupled to the idler axle, a pusher link pivotally coupled to the axle support and forming a first fulcrum with the bogie frame, a support member pivotally coupled to the pusher link and the axle support, and an actuator mounted on the support member and actuatably coupled to the axle support via a live lever and a connector link. The live lever may form a second fulcrum with the support member and may be pivotally coupled to the connector link. The connector link may be pivotally coupled to the axle support. The actuator may selectively pivot the live lever about the second fulcrum to pivot the axle support about the idler axle and move the bogie frame relative to the idler axle.

The railway vehicle (10) includes a plurality of cars (12, 20) articulated to one another, the plurality of cars including: a single first key car (12), having a first architecture, a plurality of second cars (20), having similar second architectures different from the first architecture.

The first key car (12) has no dining area.