Patent ID: 6860685

Claim:
A door edge protection system mountable in conventional autorack railcars for transporting automobiles having side doors, each said railcar having side walls with holes therethrough, said system including: a resilient foamed cushioning material covering a portion of at least one of said railcar side walls at the level of the doors of the automobiles being transported, so that when the door of one of the automobiles is opened the material will be positioned between the door and the railcar side wall covered by said material for cushioning and protecting the automobile door edge against impact with the railcar side wall; and penetrating fasteners formed and arranged for securely fastening said cushioning material to the inner surface of the side walls, each of said fasteners having a leg extending through said cushioning material and adapted to fit into at least one of the holes in the railcar side wall, and having a locking formation on said fastener leg for engaging the exterior of the side wall and locking said fastener in place after said fastener leg has passed through the hole in the side wall; said resilient foamed cushioning material being formed from a first, substantially flat piece of foam material, and a second, substantially cylindrical piece of foam material; said substantially flat piece being at least partially rolled over and bonded to the second substantially cylindrical piece to form a cushioning element; said cushioning element being constructed and arranged such that a mounting portion is also formed in said substantially flat piece, distal from said substantially cylindrical piece, the mounting portion adapted to receive said fasteners and be captured between each said fastener and the side wall.