Patent ID: 9598092
Date: 2017-03-21
CPC Classifications: B61G

Claim:
1. A railcar energy absorption/coupling system comprising: an axially elongated draft sill defining a pocket between front stops and rear stops on said draft sill; a coupler having a head portion and shank portion, with the head portion of said coupler axially extending beyond an end of said draft sill; a cushioning assembly for absorbing and returning energy, with said cushioning assembly being positioned in said pocket of said draft sill between said front and rear stops; a yoke consisting of a back wall, a top wall joined to and axially extending from said back wall toward an open forward end, and a bottom wall joined to and axially extending from said back wall toward the open forward end, with the back wall of said yoke being disposed to contact a rear end of cushioning assembly, and with top and bottom walls of said yoke being operably coupled to the shank portion of said coupler toward the forward end of said yoke; a coupler follower positioned between a free end of the shank portion of said coupler and a forward end of the cushioning assembly; with the top and bottom walls of said yoke each having two forward facing stop members located thereon and which extend in opposed lateral directions from each other, with the two forward facing stop members on the top wall of said yoke being arranged generally coplanar with the two forward facing stop members on the bottom wall of said yoke; and wherein said energy absorption/coupling system has a neutral position, a full buff position disposed a first predetermined distance from the neutral position, and full draft position disposed a second predetermined distance from the neutral position, with the rear end of said cushioning assembly being positioned against the rear stops on said draft sill when said energy absorption/coupling system is in the full buff position and with the stop members on said yoke being operably engaged with said forward stops on said sill when the energy absorption/coupling system is in the full draft position.