Patent ID: 7559284

Claim:
A railroad gondola car comprising: a gondola car body carried by railroad car trucks for rolling motion along railroad tracks; said gondola car body having a longitudinal centerline; said gondola car body having a floor and a wall structure standing upwardly of said floor, said floor and said wall structure defining a lading receptacle; said gondola car body including a pair of lengthwise running side beams, said side beams defining portions of said wall structure; said side beams each having an upper margin, and a shear web member; one of said side beams having at least one upstanding side post; said floor including at least one floor panel; said gondola car body including at least one cross-wise extending floor supporting cross member; said cross member and said side post being linked by a structural knee; said gondola car body including members defining a top flange, a bottom flange and a web of said cross member; said gondola car body having structure defining a first flange of said side post, a second flange of said side post, and a shear web linking said flanges of said side post, one of said first and second flanges being spaced outboard of the other; said knee having a shear member connected to receive a moment couple from said side post, and said shear member also being connected to transmit that moment couple to said flanges of said cross member.