Patent ID: 7080598

Claim:
A railcar having an underframe, a pair of sidewall assemblies and at least one hopper formed between the sidewall assemblies, the hopper car comprising: the underframe having a center sill and a pair of side sills; the center sill disposed between the pair of side sills and extending along a generally longitudinal axis of the railcar; the center sill having a cross-section defined by an upper portion and a lower portion; the hopper having at least one discharge opening extending generally longitudinally adjacent to the center sill; a respective discharge door operably disposed adjacent to each longitudinal discharge opening to control flow of lading from each hopper; each discharge door extending longitudinally along the center sill and rotatably hinged longitudinally from an upper portion of the center sill for movement between a first, closed position and a second, open position relative to the respective discharge opening; a door operating mechanism operable coupled to a portion of each discharge door; and the door operating mechanism operable to move longitudinally along the longitudinal axis of the railcar to cause each discharge door to move between the respective first position and the respective second position.