Patent ID: 8291592

Claim:
A method of lengthening a container well for intermodal cargo containers in a car body of a railroad freight car, comprising: (a) while supporting a center portion of a car body, separating each one of a pair of opposite end portions of the car body from the center portion by: (i) cutting each of a pair of opposite side sills, in each of said opposite end portions of the container well, at a respective location between a body bolster of the respective one of the end portions of the car body and a respective container support assembly that is a nearest one of a plurality of container support assemblies located in the container wells; and (ii) removing a respective member of a container well bottom structure extending generally horizontally through each of said opposite end portions of the container well between the respective nearest one of said plurality of container support assemblies and the body bolster of the respective one of the pair of opposite end portions; (b) moving each of said pair of opposite end portions of the car body away from the center portion; (c) fastening a respective side sill extension structure into each of the pair of side sills, between the central portion of the car body and each of said pair of opposite end portions, thereby forming a pair of extended opposite side sills each including an extension at each of said pair of opposite ends of said center portion; and (d) installing a respective replacement member in the container well bottom, extending the container well bottom structure to compensate for the side sill extension structure at each one of said pair of opposite end portions of the car body.