Patent ID: 7497171

Claim:
An intermodal well car having a pair of spaced-apart, longitudinally extending side beams having a well defined therebetween for accommodating intermodal shipping containers, and a plurality of container support cross-members extending between the side beams and upon which shipping containers may be carried, wherein one of said container support cross-members includes a monolithic member extending from one said side beam to the other, the monolithic member having a first end and a second end, said first end of said monolithic member having attachment fittings formed integrally thereat for connection to one of the side beams of the well car, said second end having attachment fittings formed integrally thereat for connection to the other of the side beams of the well car, said one of said container support cross-members having a hollow section at said first and second ends thereof, each of said hollow section ends having an upper region defining a seat upon which, in use, a corner of an intermodal shipping container seats, and said hollow section ends having reinforcement webs mounted therewithin directly underneath said seat to stiffen said hollow sections at said first and second ends, thereby discouraging said hollow ends from collapsing under vertical loading of said seat.