Patent ID: 7258243

Claim:
A draft gear assembly for cushioning buff and draft shocks in a railway car having a coupler member, said draft gear assembly disposed within a center sill of such railway car intermediate a pair of front stops and a pair of rear stops, said draft gear assembly having front and back ends and comprising: (a) a yoke having a back wall and a top and a bottom walls extending from said back wall toward said front end; (b) a coupler follower disposed intermediate said back wall of said yoke and said front end of said draft gear assembly, said coupler follower including a pair of stop contact surfaces for contact with such center sill front stops and a coupler bearing surface disposed intermediate said stop contact surfaces; (c) a front compressible resilient member disposed intermediate said coupler follower and said back wall of said yoke and having at least one front elastomer pad; (d) a rear compressible resilient member disposed intermediate said back wall of said yoke and said back end of said draft gear assembly and having at least one rear elastomer pad; (e) a rear follower positioned rearward of said rear compressible resilient member; (f) a first overtravel protection means disposed intermediate said yoke and said rear follower and intermediate an exterior surface of said rear compressible resilient member and at least one side surface portion of such center sill for limiting compression of said rear compressible resilient member to a first predetermined distance being equal to a predetermined full buff travel distance; and (g) a second overtravel protection means disposed external of said front compressible resilient member for limiting compression thereof to a second predetermined distance being equal to a predetermined full draft travel distance.