Abstract:
A open top railcar comprises a pair of spaced trucks, a railcar body supported on the trucks, the body comprising a pair of side structures on opposed sides of the railcar and a pair of end structures on opposed ends of the railcar, and a top chord extending the length of the side structures and the width of the end structures, wherein the top chord includes an inwardly sloped top surface configured to discharge lading toward the interior of the railcar through gravity. The railcar may further include corner cap, or end cap members, with each corner cap, or end cap including inwardly sloped top surface configured to discharge lading toward the interior of the railcar through gravity. The railcar may be a hopper railcar having a plurality of discharge chutes forming pockets for the body which open to the interior with a plurality of door operated through a pneumatic door operating system and further including a manual door operating override for each door. The railcar may include a nonmetallic touch pad housing secured to the side structures and including a plurality of touch plates mounted in the housing configured for operating selective doors.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is a continuation in part of patent application Ser. No. 13/692,090 filed Dec. 3, 2012 entitled “Open Top Hopper Railcar with Lading Shedding Top Chord and Corner Cap and Integrated Door Operating Controls with Manual Override”, which published Jun. 27, 2013 as U.S. Publication Number 2013/0160670 and issued Jun. 6, 2017 as U.S. Pat. No. 9,669,845, which publication and patent are incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0002]    Patent application Ser. No. 13/692,090 is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 12/715,077 filed Mar. 1, 2010 entitled “Open Top Hopper Railcar with Lading Shedding Top Chord and Corner Cap and Integrated Door Operating Controls with Manual Override”, which published Jul. 28, 2011 as U.S. Publication Number 2011/0179969 and issued Jan. 1, 2013 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,342,105, which publication and patent are incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0003]    Patent application Ser. No. 12/715,077 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/297,888 filed Jan. 25, 2010 entitled “Open Top Hopper Railcar with Lading Shedding Top Chord and Corner Cap and Door Operating Controls with Manual Override.” 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
       [0004]    The present invention relates to a railroad hopper cars, and more particularly to the top chord corner cap and door structures for an open top hopper railcar. 
       2. Background Information 
       [0005]    A hopper railcar, or hopper car, is a railcar used to transport loose bulk commodities such as grain, coal, minerals, fertilizers, cement, etc. The hopper car interior is typically divided into pockets or hoppers with doors on the bottom of each pocket to empty cargo by the force of gravity, making for quick and effective unloading. The discharge doors do not prevent the use of a rotary unloader that pivots the entire car, but the discharge doors on the bottom do not require the use of such a rotary unloader. 
         [0006]    Further the hopper railcars may be closed hopper railcars or open top railcars that are easy for top loading. Even with “open top” hopper railcars, removable covers can be used for transport and other specialized tops could be used with a hopper railcar depending upon the intended cargo. 
         [0007]    Closed railway hopper cars with pneumatic systems for unloading are often used for the transportation of powdered and granular products. For cars with positive pressure pneumatic systems, air may be supplied from an external source to pressurize the interior of the car body and simultaneously fluidize the dry, bulk product carried within the car to enable it to be conveyed in a fluidized state through product transfer conduits from the car to a collection facility. Air pressure within the hopper car during unloading is typically maintained at approximately fifteen pounds per square inch gauge pressure. 
         [0008]    The present invention is primarily related to open top hopper cars, but certain aspects of the invention may be used in other car types, such as in an open top gondola car. The following is a brief discussion to establish the state of the art in open top hopper railcar and door operating systems, with the following patents grouped largely into time blocks related to time of issuance. 
         [0009]    U.S. Patents 144,966; 147,341, 162,189; 217,289; 347,523; 349,134, 369,102; 500,846; 528,279; and 568,775 which issued between 1873-1889 disclose early proposed hopper railcar designs, which is helpful to illustrate the basic hopper concepts and to better demonstrate hopper car evolution. 
         [0010]    U.S. Patent 658,783, issued shortly after the turn of the last century, discloses early hopper car construction with the body formed of metal sheets coupled together. In a similar time frame, U.S. Patent 699,820 discloses a general hopper car and specifically a door operating mechanism for a hopper car, also called a “dumping car” therein. U.S. Patent 743,501 discloses a hopper car and specifically an ore carrying car design. U.S. Patent 763,186 discloses a general hopper car and specifically a door operating mechanism for a hopper car, also called a “dumping car” therein. U.S. Patent 797,341 discloses a reinforced central hopper type hopper car. U.S. Patent 881,884 discloses a general hopper car and specifically a door operating mechanism for a hopper car, also called a “dumping car” therein. U.S. Patent 891,325 discloses a general hopper car and specifically a hopper lining for an ore car. U.S. Patent 914,242 discloses a general hopper car also called a “dump car” therein. U.S. Patent 937,419 discloses a general hopper car also called a “dump car” therein. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 1,182,642 discloses a general hopper car also called a “dump car” therein. U.S. Pat. No. 1,300,959 discloses a general hopper car also called a “hopper dump car” therein, which shows multiple hoppers and distinct transverse doors for the individual hoppers, that is most common today. U.S. Pat. No. 1,418,907 discloses a general hopper car and specifically a door operating mechanism for a hopper car, also called a “dump car” therein. U.S. Pat. No. 1,444,730 discloses a general hopper car and specifically a door operating mechanism for a hopper car, also called a “hopper bottom” therein. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 2,079,862 discloses a general hopper car and specifically a particular center-sill design for use therein. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,080,829 discloses a ballast hopper car and specifically a ballast distributing hopper car. U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,623 discloses a general hopper car and specifically a door locking structure for a hopper railcar. U.S. Pat. No. 3,187,684 discloses a general hopper car and specifically a door opening system for a hopper railcar. U.S. Pat. No. 3,242,878 discloses a “shallow” hopper car design. U.S. Pat. No. 3,256,836 discloses a general hopper car and specifically a door opening system for a hopper railcar. U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,501 discloses a general hopper car and specifically a sliding door opening system for a hopper railcar. U.S. Pat. No. 3,509,827 discloses an aluminum body hopper car. U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,932 discloses a hopper car and specifically a door opening system for a hopper railcar. 
         [0014]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,742 discloses a hopper car, also called a “vehicle hopper” therein, having longitudinally spaced hopper end slope sheets and hopper cross ridge slope sheets formed prior to assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,898 discloses a hopper car including an elongated, load bearing body having walls formed of a specified fiber reinforced plastic resin composite of glass reinforcing filaments and a structural “organo-polymeric” resin. U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,096 discloses a hopper car including seals to prevent seepage of a fine granular commodity between the hopper doors and the adjacent hopper sheets of a railroad hopper car of the type having opposed pairs of hopper doors swingable between a closed position and a downwardly depending open position. The seals comprise elongated strips of flexible material with their upper longitudinal edge portions mounted along the inside lower edges of the inner and outer hopper sheets and being of a width such that their free lower longitudinal edge portions extend downwardly beyond the lower edges of the hopper sheets. The free edge portions of the seals being bent inwardly by and lying in sealing engagement against the hopper doors when the hopper doors are in their closed position. Similar strips of flexible material may be so located as to form a seal between the upper portion of each hopper door and its adjacent slope sheet. U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,757 discloses a hopper railcar apparatus for actuating and locking each pair of hopper doors of a railroad hopper car of the type having a plurality of hopper doors arranged in opposed pairs and extending transversely of the hopper car center sill. 
         [0015]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,871 discloses an articulated hopper railcar with a designated “short distance” between truck centers. The railcar features two bodies supported by a center truck and two end trucks, wherein the center truck takes somewhat more loading than the other two end trucks. U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,127 discloses a top chord structure for a hopper car. U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,511 discloses an aluminum body hopper railcar with having a center sill hood which uses aluminum collar castings. 
         [0016]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,793 discloses a top chord structure for a gondola car that is relevant here for the discussion of the top chord. U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,531 discloses actuating system for operating the doors of a railroad hopper car. A plurality of levers for each hopper operate to rotate the doors of the hopper between an open and a closed position and also provides an over center latch to positively close each door. U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,165 discloses a railroad hopper ballast discharge door assembly includes pliant side panels along a discharge gate opening. The pliant side panels are strong enough to retain the ballast within the hopper when the door is closed, yet are flexible enough to yield when ballast flowing out of the hopper becomes wedged between the side panel and the door as the door closes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,603 discloses a top chord structure for a gondola car that is relevant here for the discussion of the top chord. 
         [0017]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,252 discloses a general hopper railcar. The assignees prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,200 discloses a lightweight hopper-type rail car designed to minimize aerodynamic drag and including a cross ridge arrangement to increase the fabrication efficiency of the car. 
         [0018]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,397 discloses side sheet construction for a hopper railcar, also called a bulk container car, side sheet assembly for a rail car having a pair of horizontally extending upper and lower side sheets form with a plurality of longitudinally extending strengthening ribs. The upper and lower side sheets are affixed to each other at a horizontal seam to either form flat connection or a rib at the horizontal seam. U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,031 discloses a top chord and side wall structure for a hopper car. U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,658 discloses a manual discharge door operating system for a hopper railcar which is provided with an over-center closed position to hold the door in the closed position. 
         [0019]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,522 discloses an open top hopper car with a top chord designed to improve loading characteristics. U.S. Pat. No. 6,955,127 discloses actuating system for manually operating the doors of a railroad hopper car. 
         [0020]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,080,599 discloses an actuating system for operating transverse doors of a railroad hopper car which close in an over center position. The mechanism includes an operating member which is coupled to a door or doors of the car by a shaft and a linkage which couples a power source to the operating member, where the operating member rotates to move the door away from the hopper. The mechanism can operate doors which open in opposed direction with a single power source. The mechanism can be used in new car construction, and can be retrofitted onto existing hopper cars. 
         [0021]    U.S. Patent Publication 2006/0254456 discloses a general hopper railcar and a transverse door operating system with an over-center door locking or closed position. U.S. Patent Publications 2007/0101895 and 2007/0101896 disclose general hopper railcar structures. 
         [0022]    U. S. Patent Publication 2008/0066642 discloses a general hopper railcar with seal member or seal member assembly that is mounted to one or both of the closure members. When open, the seal member or seal member assembly lies substantially flush with, or shy of, the slope of the surface of the closure member. When closed, the seal member may be self-energizing, in the sense that as lading is added the seal may tend to seal more tightly. The seal assembly may include a cantilevered spring that presents a land to the opposed closure member, and a fulcrum, over, or across, which the spring is cantilevered, such that pushing down on one end of the spring may tend to cause the other end to flex upward. The fulcrum may also be cantilevered outward from the slope sheet of the closure member to which the seal assembly is attached. The discharge section may be robustly reinforced to discourage deformation. 
         [0023]    U.S. Patent Publication 2009/0007813 discloses a general hopper railcar with opposed double doors for discharging cargo from a hopper car. 
         [0024]    The prior art has provided a variety of open top hopper railroad cars. The above listed patents and published patent applications are representative of the state of the art of hopper railcars and these patents and published applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. There remains a need for simple top chord structures that assist in loading and unloading the lading. Further there is a need to provide for simple efficient door operation. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0025]    It is an object of the present invention to provide an open top hopper railcar with lading shedding top chord and corner cap and door operating controls with manual override. 
         [0026]    One embodiment of the present invention provides a railroad open top hopper car comprises a pair of spaced trucks; and a railcar body supported on the trucks, the body comprising a pair of side structures on opposed sides of the railcar and a pair of end structures on opposed ends of the railcar, and a top chord extending the length of the side structures and the width of the end structures, wherein the top chord includes an inwardly sloped top surface configured to discharge lading toward the interior of the railcar through gravity. 
         [0027]    According to one aspect of the invention the railcar further includes corner cap members, with each corner cap including inwardly sloped top surface configured to discharge lading toward the interior of the railcar through gravity. 
         [0028]    According to one aspect of the invention the railcar is a hopper railcar having a plurality of discharge chutes forming pockets for the body which open to the interior with a plurality of door operated through a pneumatic door operating system and further including a manual door operating override for each door. Further the invention may include rotary shafts extending to each side walls with each rotary shaft including a mechanical coupling at a distal end thereof configured to receive a manual rotation member therein. According to one aspect of the invention the railcar is a hopper railcar having a plurality of discharge chutes forming pockets for the body which open to the interior with a plurality of door operated through an automated door operating system and a nonmetallic touch pad housing secured to the side structures and including a plurality of touch plates mounted in the housing configured for operating selective doors. Further the invention may include a touch-plate associated with each door for operating each door individually and a further touch-plate configured to operate all of the doors simultaneously. 
         [0029]    In one non-limiting aspect of the invention the top chord that includes an inwardly sloped top surface configured to discharge lading toward the interior of the railcar through gravity, is formed as a closed extruded section. Further, the top chord may include a inside stake attaching web, a lower surface having a width equal to at least a width of the side structure, a vertical outer surface extending from the lower surface to the top surface, and an inner surface extending from the top surface to the inside stake attaching web. Additionally the inner surface of the top chord may include an offset whereby the top surface has a greater horizontal width than the horizontal width of the lower surface. 
         [0030]    In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention the corner cap, or end cap members that have inwardly sloped top surface configured to discharge lading toward the interior of the railcar through gravity further include a vertical extending lip at a distal end of the top surface of the end cap. 
         [0031]    These and other advantages of the present invention will be clarified in the brief description of the preferred embodiment taken together with the drawings in which like reference numerals represent like elements throughout. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0032]      FIG. 1A  is a side elevation view of a pair of an open top hopper railcar in accordance with one aspect of the present invention; 
           [0033]      FIG. 1B  is an end elevation view of the railcar of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0034]      FIG. 2A  is a section elevation view of a side wall structure of a conventional hopper railcar including a corner cap, or end cap member according to the prior art; 
           [0035]      FIG. 2B  is a section elevation view of a side wall structure of a conventional hopper railcar according to the prior art; 
           [0036]      FIG. 3A  is an enlarged section elevation view of the prior art corner cap, or end cap member of  FIG. 2A ; 
           [0037]      FIG. 3B  is an enlarged section elevation view of the prior art top chord member of  FIG. 2B ; 
           [0038]      FIG. 4A  is a section elevation view of a side wall structure of an open top hopper railcar including a corner cap, or end cap member according to one aspect of the present invention; 
           [0039]      FIG. 4B  is a section elevation view of a side wall structure of an open top hopper railcar including a corner cap, or end cap member according to one aspect of the present invention; 
           [0040]      FIG. 5A  is an enlarged section elevation view of the corner cap, or end cap member of  FIG. 4A ; 
           [0041]      FIG. 5B  is an enlarged section elevation view of the top chord member of  FIG. 4B ; 
           [0042]      FIG. 6A  is a schematic perspective view of a manual override for door operating mechanism of an open top hopper railcar according to one aspect of the present invention; 
           [0043]      FIG. 6B  is a plan view of the manual override system of  FIG. 6A ; 
           [0044]      FIG. 6C  is a schematic side view showing an air cylinder of a door operating mechanism in a closed hopper door configuration; 
           [0045]      FIG. 6D  is a schematic side view showing closed hopper door configuration for the door operating system of  FIG. 6C ; 
           [0046]      FIG. 6E  is a schematic side view showing the air cylinder in an open hopper door configuration for the door operating system of  FIG. 6C ; 
           [0047]      FIG. 6F  is a schematic side view showing closed hopper door configuration for the door operating system of  FIG. 6C ; 
           [0048]      FIG. 6G  is a schematic side view showing closed hopper door configuration with adjacent hoppers doors opened for the door operating system of  FIG. 6C ; 
           [0049]      FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of an integrated door operating control for the door system for the open top hopper railcar according to one aspect of the present invention; 
           [0050]      FIG. 7B  is an exploded perspective rear view of the integrated door operating control of  FIG. 7A . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0051]    The present invention provides an open top hopper railcar  6  with lading shedding top chord  13  and corner cap, or end cap  17  and door operating controls with manual override as will be described hereinafter. It will be apparent that various features of the present invention, such as the lading shedding top chord  13  and corner ca corner caps, or end caps  17  can easily be implemented in other car types, such as gondola cars. 
         [0052]    Each railcar  6  includes a number of conventional features that need not be described herein in detail as they are well known in the art, including an under-frame structure, including a center sill, formed on a pair of spaced trucks and couplers for connecting adjacent cars. These conventional elements can be formed in a variety of known methods. For example the Assignee&#39;s proprietary one-piece cold formed center sill provides numerous advantages for forming the center sill structure of the car, but other known center sill designs can be utilized. 
         [0053]    Additionally a typical hopper car body of the railcar  6  includes two spaced side wall structures  7  and two spaced end wall structures  8  forming the open box shape for the car within which the lading  9  is carried for transport and delivery. Each side wall  7  conventionally includes a lower side sill  10  and an upper top chord  13  with side stakes  12  extending there between. Side plates  11  complete the side wall structure. Analogously, the end walls  8  includes a lower end sill  10  and an upper top end chord  13  with stakes  12  extending there between, and plates  11  complete the end wall structure. Corner caps, or end caps  17  connect the top chords  13  of the side wall and the end wall  8 . These structures are convention, other than the lading shedding corner cap, or end cap  17  and the lading shedding top chord  13  of the present invention as described hereinafter. 
         [0054]    The lading shedding corner cap, or end cap  17  and the lading shedding top chord  13  of the present invention may be best illustrated with a review of the prior art structures shown in  FIGS. 2-3 . As is illustrated in these figures the top surface  14  of the prior art corner caps, or end caps  17  and the top surface  14  of the prior art corner caps  13  is formed horizontally. This structure will accommodate lading  9  during loading as illustrated. The lading  9  is then manually removed with mechanical sweeping type devices or pneumatic blasting cleaners or hydraulic blasting cleaners. The hydraulic blasting cleaners will add a further detriment of adding water to the lading. Consequently this horizontal structure requires additional equipment and/or manual attention and still results in lading being lost to the ground, either during cleaning and/or travel. 
         [0055]    The railcar  6  of the present invention include a lading shedding side corner cap  17  and lading shedding top chord  13 , each of which includes a top surface  16  angled toward the interior of the railcar  6 . The top chord  13  and corner cap  17  is lading shedding as each profile has a top surface  16  angled toward the interior of the hopper car  6  so that lading will be directed by gravity toward the interior of the hopper as can be seen in  FIGS. 4-5 , eliminating spills of lading  9  onto the ground  15 . Additionally the attachment web of the top chord  13  will be spaced from the outside edge of the top chord  13  by the approximate depth of the side stakes  12  as shown in  FIG. 4B . The top chord  13  may be a closed section aluminum extrusion as shown. Open section shapes are also possible but the closed section offers some structural advantages. 
         [0056]    The lading shedding top chord  13  and corner cap  17  structure of the side and end structures  7  and  8  of the railcar  6  as shown and described is well suited for applications in other open top car types, most notably for gondola type cars. Gondola type cars typically do not have bottom discharge chutes, but rather include additional lading storage space in tubs on either side of the center sill, with the tub shapes being what has generated the gondola name. 
         [0057]    The side structure of the railcar  6  of the present invention could be used in other side wall designs, such as in an inside stake car. An inside stake configuration for the railcar  6  would simply require changing the location of the attaching webs for the top chord  13  and bottom side sill  10 , and reversing the orientation of the side stakes  12  and position of sheets  11 . The inside stake position may alter some cross bracing locations as well. 
         [0058]    The car bottom forms a plurality of discharge chutes which open to the interior with a plurality of doors  102  as is generally well known in the art. Each door  102  or pair of doors  102  is operated by a pneumatic door operating mechanism.  FIGS. 6C-G  illustrate an independent automatic door operating system according to one aspect of the invention in which the railroad hopper car doors can be automatically opened and closed either simultaneously or independently separate depending on users choice. 
         [0059]    As further background, in conventional railroad operations various sizes and configurations bottom dump hopper cars are used to move commodities from one location to another. When the bottom dump hopper cars arrive at their destination for unloading they are moved over an unloading pit. While over the pit, the bottom dump hopper car  6  or similar car, will have the doors  102  opened for the commodity to be unloaded from the bottom of the car  6  falling into the pit below. This scenario is ideal were the unloading pit is of length equal or greater than that of the railroad hopper car  6 . The problem exists when the unloading pit is of length that is shorter than the railroad hopper car  6 . This present invention provides a railroad hopper car  6  that can open all hopper doors  102  simultaneously to accommodate a large unloading pit or open hopper doors independently separate for a small unloading pit. This invention provides this two-way door operation via a single acting electrical-mechanical driver discussed in  FIGS. 6C-G , thus providing more efficient economical means of railroad hopper car operation as well as facility operation. 
         [0060]    The bottom dump hopper door type railroad car  6  has automatic hopper doors  102  opened by an electro-mechanical system powered by one or more air cylinders  45 . The invention could alternatively use various alternative power sources such as hydraulic or electrical in forms of cylinders, motors and servos, but pneumatic source as shown is preferred. The  FIGS. 6C-G  show a main air cylinder  45  as a power source opening a single hopper door  102  configuration. A main air cylinder  45  is connected to a main operating lever or linkage  41  which transmits force to the main operating beam  105  assembly through the main operating links  106 . This operating beam assembly  105  encompasses two piece link fulcrums  107  and  108  that can be engaged or disengaged via a mechanical latching system  109 . These two piece link fulcrums  107  and  108  are connected to the lever links  110  to transfer force to the trilever  111 . The trilever  111  transfers force to the operating levers  112  and the operating levers  112  apply force to the door spreader fulcrums  113  connected to the door spreader  114 . This force applied to the door spreader  114  opens and closes the associated hopper doors  102 . 
         [0061]    The two piece link fulcrums  107  and  108  for each door  102  are engaged and disengaged by a mechanical latching system  109 , which can be operated by air, hydraulic or electrical power, however here an independent air cylinder  115  is used as a power source. The two piece link fulcrum  107  and  108  consists of one fixed fulcrum  107  that is fixed or welded to the operating beam assembly  105  and the other free fulcrum  108  is free to slide independently on the operating beam assembly  105 . Wear and friction from the sliding motion between the free fulcrum  108  and the operating beam assembly  105  is minimized by a non-metallic wear liner  116 . The two piece link fulcrum  107  and  108  is engaged by a latch  117  attached to the free fulcrum  108  that rotates down engaging a hook on the fixed fulcrum  107 . The independent air cylinder  115  is connected to the free fulcrum  108  and connected to the latch  117  to provide the mechanical engagement and disengagement. 
         [0062]      FIGS. 6C  and D schematically show the door operating mechanism in a closed hopper door configuration while  FIGS. 6E  and F schematically show the door operating mechanism in an open hopper door configuration and  FIG. 6G  is a schematic view showing closed hopper door configuration with adjacent hoppers doors opened for the door operating system. The system allows a railroad hopper car of various sizes and configurations to operate all hopper doors, of both single door and double door configurations, simultaneously. Further it allows a railroad hopper car  6  of various sizes and configurations to operate hopper doors  102 , of both single door and double door configurations, independently separate from each other. The system allows a railroad hopper car  6  of various sizes and configurations, with single and double hopper door  102  configurations to operate simultaneously or independent through a single acting electrical-mechanical driver; and allows existing railroad hopper cars  6  of various sizes and configurations, with single and or double door  102  configurations to be converted from a fully automatic to an independent automatic, thus providing the automatic operation and the independent operation. 
         [0063]    The present invention is also directed to an emergency manual override and a universal control pad for the operation and control of such door operating system. Presently pneumatic doors have no safe way to open the bottom doors if the pneumatic system fails, generally when the air cylinder loses its charge. The current solution for this issue is to bring a portable pressurizing source to re-pressurize the system and open the doors. Where re-pressurization (either of the air tank or the respective lines, bypassing the air tank) is unavailable or impractical, the alternative solution is to disconnect the door linkages and then force the doors open. This alternative solution is a dangerous approach as the linkages are not always easily accessible and places workers under the car in dangerous and awkward positions. 
         [0064]    The present invention provides a mounted manual override as shown in  FIG. 6A-6B . The door operating system includes one or two cylinders  45  moving a main door linkage  41  as generally shown and discussed in detail above. The specifics of the door linkages  41  and the air cylinders  45  can take many other forms than that shown in  FIGS. 6C-G , as known in the art. The emergency override of the present invention utilizes extension rotary shafts  42  extending to both sides  43  of the car  6 . The rotary shafts  42  include a coupling  44  for receiving a specialized socket or alternative adapter bar for manually rotating the shafts  42 . 
         [0065]    In operation, in a system not having sufficient pressure to operate a worker can use a wrench or adapter bar on the coupling  44  and rotate the shafts  42  in a first direction to open the doors  102  and in a second direction to close the doors  102 . The manual operation of hopper doors  102  is, in of itself, known, such that the manual operation will be familiar to workman and not require additional specialized instruction. The present manual override for a pneumatic system is generally not known in the art and represents one of the present door operating mechanism improvements. 
         [0066]    The final aspect of the present invention is an integrated universal control or touch plate for door operation control. For hopper cars  6  that use an electrical current to operate one or more of the hopper doors  102  a “touch plate” is mounted on the sidewall  7  to activate the doors  102  collectively or individually (associated with the mechanism described in  FIGS. 6C-G  above). Currently the touch plate of such a hopper car is multiple plates or washers mounted on the side wall  7  with fasteners going through and insulated from the car body. On the inside of the car body where the fastener comes through there are typically exposed wires in such prior art systems that are connected to the insulated fasteners. The wires run to a remote control valve or junction box to operate the doors. The bolt and wires are often exposed and pose hazards in operation, and the prior art systems are labor intensive to implement. 
         [0067]    The present invention provides an integrated control shown in  FIGS. 7A  and B. The control of the present invention is applicable for all door operation systems using electrical connections to operate the doors. The present control includes a main housing  51  made of a non metallic material, i.e. an insulating material, and will hold the individual touch plates  52 . The touch plates  52  may be provides with markings indicative of the associated operation of the specific doors for the car  7 . The number and designation of the specific touch plates  52  can change reflective of the desired operation for the specific car. For example, the touch plates  52  as shown are for operating each of three doors  102  individually (as either door A of the A touch plate  52 , door B of the B touch plate  52  and door C of the C touch plate  52 ) or all doors  102  simultaneously (the ALL touch plate  52 ), and this requires a door operating system that can individually operate the specific doors  102  as disclosed above. Other door combinations are possible, but the applicants believe that the ALL doors  102  or individual doors  102  (or door pairs  102 ) is the most likely to be useful in most applications. 
         [0068]    The housing  51  includes an integral juncture box  53  for the respective door actuators (or for all the actuators for the ALL touch plate  52 ). The housing is mounted on the side wall  7  and insulated the touch plates  52  form the railcar body. The juncture box  53  includes a rear cover  55  with integral gasket to prevent debris and water intrusion. Knockout portions  56  are provided for adding electrical connectors as needed, allowing wires to run from the box  53  to the appropriate door operating valves. 
         [0069]    The touch plates  52  are made of conductive material and include a conductive stud  57  secured with fasters  58 . The lead wires are attached to the stud  57  within the housing  51  within the box  53 . The universal door control of the invention is easier to install and safer than prior art systems and is easily modified to operate with a wide variety of door designs. 
         [0070]    Although the present invention has been described with particularity herein, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment disclosed. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The scope of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereto.