Patent ID: 11958509
Assignee: JAC OPERATIONS, INC.
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 7:
8. A method of retrofitting a hopper railcar comprising the steps of:
providing a hopper railcar having a plurality of hoppers for carrying laden material, wherein each hopper has a lower discharge chute formed by converging side sheets and end sheets defining a hopper opening, and a pivoted door for each hopper opening for selectively opening and closing the hopper opening, the pivoted door having a pivot axis perpendicular to a longitudinal length of the railcar and the pivoted door having an interior facing surface upon which laden flows with the pivoted door in an open position and an exterior facing surface opposite the interior facing surface; and
coupling lateral deflectors on lateral sides of each of the pivoted doors with each of the deflectors having a side face extending above the interior facing surface of the pivoted door to which the lateral deflectors are coupled, wherein each lateral deflector includes a mounting base parallel to the pivoted door to which the lateral deflector is coupled and wherein the mounting base extends along the exterior facing surface of the pivoted door to which the lateral deflector is coupled with the mounting base having a radius end curving around the lateral side of the pivoted door and wherein the side face of each lateral deflector extends from the radius end of the mounting base and at a position above the mounting base is angled laterally away from the mounting base and from the interior facing surface of the pivoted door to which the lateral deflector is coupled, and wherein with each pivoted door in the closed position a side face of each of the deflectors coupled to the pivoted door is adjacent an outer surface of one of the converging side sheets and not extending through the hopper opening.