Patent ID: 7108467

Claim:
A center beam rail road car having a longitudinal centerline, the railroad car being supported by rail car trucks at either end thereof, said rail road car comprising: a deck for supporting lading, and a center beam assembly extending upwardly therefrom, said center beam assembly running lengthwise along said railroad car between bulkheads mounted at either end of said rail road car; said center beam assembly including an array of posts extending upwardly of said deck, said posts having distal ends located away from said deck; said center beam assembly including a longitudinally extending structural member mounted to said distal ends of said posts; said center beam assembly having a polymeric member mounted laterally outboard of said longitudinally extending structural member, said polymeric member having a longitudinally extending face against which loads placed laterally outboard thereof can bear; and said longitudinally extending structural member including a wall extending laterally inboard away from said longitudinally extending face of said polymeric member.