Patent ID: 7357264

Claim:
A train having an energy absorbing structure between cars comprising: a plurality of cars coupled to one another to form a train having a pair of end portions and a central portion; between-cars energy absorbing structures each provided between said cars; a front portion energy absorbing structure provided at a front portion of at least one end car, wherein each of the between cars energy absorbing structures comprises a first energy absorbing assembly arranged in parallel with a second energy absorbing assembly, the second energy absorbing assembly comprising a gap between adjacent cars, the gap arranged such that the second energy absorbing assembly absorbs no loads until after the first energy absorbing assembly has compressed by a predetermined amount thereby eliminating the gap such that the second energy absorbing assembly begins to be compressively deformed; the between cars energy absorbing structures in an entire train have a substantially same average compressive load; the front portion energy absorbing structure has an average compressive load; each of the between-cars energy absorbing structures has a maximum compressive load of former-half compression and an average compressive load of latter-half compression, the average compressive load of latter-half compression is set to a value of not less than the maximum compressive load of former-half compression and a value of not more than the average compressive load of the front portion energy absorbing structure; the average compressive load is obtained by dividing an energy absorption capacity by a corresponding maximum compression amount; the average compressive load of latter-half compression is obtained by dividing an amount of an energy absorbed by the between-cars energy absorbing structure varies from a half compression amount that is half as large as a maximum compression amount to the maximum compression amount by a corresponding compression amount which is the half compression amount; and the maximum compressive load of former-half compression is a maximum compressive load generated while the compression amount of the between-cars energy absorbing structure varies from zero to the half compression amount of the maximum compression amount.