Patent ID: 7699008

Claim:
A truck bolster for mounting cross-wise between first and second sideframes of a rail road freight car truck, said truck bolster having: a center plate bowl; first and second ends distantly outboard from said center plate bowl; and four bolster pockets formed at each of said first and second ends of said truck bolster for accommodating damper wedges; said four bolster pockets including first and second bolster pockets oriented to face toward a first sideframe column of a sideframe, and third and fourth bolster pockets oriented to face toward an opposed, second sideframe column of a sideframe, said first bolster pocket being outboard of said second bolster pocket, and said third bolster pocket being outboard of said fourth bolster pocket; said truck bolster having a first land located between said first and second bolster pockets, and a second land located between said third and fourth bolster pockets; said first and second bolster pockets being spaced from each other a distance corresponding to spacing between corner springs of one end of a three row rail road car truck main spring group; said third and fourth bolster pockets being spaced from each other a distance corresponding to spacing between corner springs of one end of a three row rail road car truck main spring group; said first and second lands each having a width corresponding to an end spring of a central spring row of a three row rail road car truck main spring group and each of said first and second lands defining an upper spring seat for a respective end spring of a central spring row of a three row rail road car truck main spring group; and said bolster pockets having respective sloped surfaces each having a primary angle, alpha, measured in a planar cross-section of the bolster perpendicular to the length of the bolster between vertical and said sloped surface oriented to urge a damper engaged therewith toward one of the sideframe columns, and a secondary rake angle, beta, measured cross-wise to angle alpha, oriented to bias the damper engaged therewith sideways in the bolster pocket.