Patent ID: 7080599

Claim:
A railroad hopper car having a first end and a second end and having transverse doors for closing the hoppers, comprising: a body; a power source; a plurality of hoppers along the underside of said body; a plurality of doors situated in a transverse direction to said body for opening and closing said hoppers, said doors rotatable between a first closed position and a second open position, with at least one of said doors rotating in an opposite direction from said other doors when moving from said first closed position to said second open position; a center sill, affixed to the underside of the hopper car, extending along the length of the car; a plurality of operating members, each rotatably coupled to said center sill, with each operating member comprising: a bifurcated first end; a bifurcated second end having a mounting shaft extending from each bifurcation, with said mounting shafts coupled for rotation to said center sill; and a central portion connecting said first end and said second end; a plurality of connecting shafts, each having a first end rotatably coupled between the bifurcation of said first end of said operating member, and a second end coupled to a door; an actuating beam, coupled between said power source and said central portion of each of said operating members; and at least one reversing linkage connected to a door, said linkage comprising: a first lever coupled to at least one of said operating members; a pivot shaft, fixed to said center sill; a second reversing lever mounted for rotation about said pivot shaft and coupled to said first lever at one end; and a third lever rotatably coupled at one end to said second reversing lever and at its other end to said actuating beam; wherein when said power source is activated, said operating members rotate such that said connecting shafts rotate said doors from said first closed position to said second open position.