Patent ID: 8622004

Claim:
A railroad hopper car, said hopper car having a hopper car body carried on railroad car trucks for rolling motion in a longitudinal direction along railroad car tracks, wherein said hopper car body comprises: a first sidewall and a second sidewall, said first and second sidewalls, said sidewalls each running in the longitudinal direction, and being mutually opposed and spaced apart cross-wise to the longitudinal direction; each of said first and second sidewalls having a top chord running therealong; at least a first hopper and a second hopper defined between said first and second sidewalls; said first hopper being longitudinally adjacent to said second hopper; each of said first and second hoppers having a respective discharge section; each respective discharge section having a closure movable between a closed position and an open position to govern discharge of lading from its respective hopper; said first hopper having a first slope sheet, said first slope sheet extending cross-wise between said first and second sidewalls; said second hopper having a second slope sheet, said second slope sheet extending cross-wise between said first and second sidewalls; said first slope sheet having a first end and a second end; said first end of said first slope sheet extending longitudinally downward toward said closure of said first hopper; said second end of said first slope sheet extending longitudinally upwardly toward said second slope sheet; said second slope sheet having a first end and a second end; said first end of said second slope sheet extending longitudinally downward toward said closure of said second hopper; said second end of said second slope sheet extending longitudinally upwardly toward said first slope sheet; a hollow tube extending cross-wise from said first sidewall to said second sidewall; a first side of said hollow tube being defined by a portion of said first slope sheet; a second side of said hollow tube being defined by a portion of said second slope sheet; and said hollow tube is linked to said top chords of said sidewalls by respective stem members, by which said tube and said stem members function as a spring mounted to discouraging lateral deflection of said top chords.