Patent ID: 7389732

Claim:
A mechanism for selectively operating hopper doors of a railroad car, comprising: a power source, shiftable between a first unactuated position and a second actuated position; a fulcrum, affixed to said power source, comprising a first channel and a second channel; a first drive lever, located within said first channel and rotatable between an engaged position and a disengaged position; a second drive lever, located within said second channel and rotatable between an engaged position and a disengaged position; a first linkage, located within said first channel, contactable by said first drive lever when said first lever is in said engaged position; a second linkage, located within said second channel, contactable by said second drive lever when said second lever is in said engaged position; a first actuating beam, affixed to said first linkage and coupled to at least one first hopper door opening mechanism, shiftable between a first position in which said first door opening mechanism is inactive and a second position in which said first door opening mechanism is activated; and a second actuating beam, affixed to said second linkage and coupled to at least one second hopper door opening mechanism, shiftable between a first position in which said second door opening mechanism is inactive and a second position in which said second door opening mechanism is activated; wherein when a drive lever is rotated to its engaged position and said power source is actuated, its corresponding linkage is contacted by said drive lever to shift its corresponding actuating beam to its second position, thereby activating its at least one door opening mechanism.