US3677191A

US3677191A - Railroad hopper car with plow

Info

Publication number: US3677191A
Application number: US884536A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ernest J Nagy
Original assignee: Pullman Inc
Current assignee: Pullman Standard Inc; Pullman Inc
Priority date: 1969-12-12
Filing date: 1969-12-12
Publication date: 1972-07-18
Anticipated expiration: 1989-07-18

Abstract

This invention relates to an ore plow which displaces the discharged lading from the surface of railway tracks to prevent a buildup of the lading which could result in a derailment. The ore plow is pivotally suspended beneath the car and operates in conjunction with the door operating levers, being lowered into position to clear the tracks when the hopper doors are opened and returning to an inoperative or raised position upon closing the hopper doors. The plow has a lower edge to clear ore off the rails and has plow deflecting members to divert ore away from the rails, or in alternate form plow deflecting member to divert the ore in between the rails.

Description

United States Patent [451 July 18, 1972 1541 RAILROAD HOPPER CAR WITH PLOW [72] Inventor: Ernest J. Nagy, Mumter, Ind.

[73] Assignee: Pullman Incorporated, Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: Dec. 12, 1969 [21] App1.No.: 884,536

[52] U.S. 37/36, 37/104, 105/287 [51] Int. Cl ..B6lrl 7/00 [58] neldolSeereh ..17l/16; 37/19,29, 30, 35, 37/36, 104; 104/1, 2, 3, 279; 105/287, 248

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,989,930 6/1961 Flowers ..104/l X 1,019,811 3/1912 Lister ....37/30 676,385 6/1901 Hagg ..37/36 2,108,134 2/1938 McNulty ..37/36 Pn'mary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Jerold M. Forsberg Attorney-Hilmond O. Vogel and Wayne Morris Russell [57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to an ore plow which displaces the discharged lading from the surface of railway tracks to prevent a buildup of the lading which could result in a derailment. The ore plow is pivotally suspended beneath the car and operates in conjunction with the door operating levers, being lowered into position to clear the tracks when the hopper doors are opened and returning to an inoperative or raised position upon closing the hopper doors. The plow has a lower edge to clear ore off the rails and has plow deflecting members to divert ore away from the rails, or in alternate form plow deflecting member to divert the ore in between the rails.

Patented July 18, 1972 3,677,191

3 Sheets-Sheet l I N VENTU'? ERNEST J. NAGY BY A 2P ATT'Y.

Patented July 18, 1972 3,677,191

3 Sheets-Sheet :1

INVENTOR ERNEST J. NAGY BYU% Wm/M ATT Y.

Patented July 18, 1972 3,677,191

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATT'Y.

IN VE NTUR ERNEST J NAGY RAILROAD HOPPER CAR WI'III PLOW SUMMARY The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved ore plow arrangement in clearing railway tracks during and after discharge of a railway hopper car. The plow is pivotally connected beneath the railway car on an axis transverse to the longitudinal center line of the car and is lowered and raised upon opening and closing of the hopper car discharge doors. Upon opening of the discharge doors the plow is lowered to the surface of the tracks and movement of the railway car will allow the plow to displace discharge material from the tracks ahead of the railway car wheels. The plow is raised and lowered by the the movement of a lever which moves in conjunction with the door opening levers.

A purpose of the invention is to provide a plow which will remove discharged material from very close to the surface of the tracks while at the same time override immovable obstructions such as misaligned adjacent sections of track.

A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a plow which would be in position to remove discharged lading from the surface of the tracks or rails only at such time that the lading would be present, namely, when the hopper car doors are open.

Still another object is to provide an ore plow in one form with deflecting members to divert the ore away from the rails and in an alternate form with deflecting members to divert the ore between the rails.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a railway hopper car employing the present invention in a position between the hopper discharge doors and the car wheels;

FIG. 2 is a partial transverse sectional view taken showing the ore plow with diverging deflecting members in operative lowered position;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view showing the ore plow with diverging deflecting members in its operative or lowered position;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the ore plow in its inoperative or raised position;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the plow with diverging deflecting members and taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a partial top plan view of an alternate form of the plow with converging deflecting members to enable the plow to deflect lading to the inside of the tracks;

FIG. 7 is a transverse front elevational view taken along lines 7- 7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is an end elevational view taken along lines B--8 of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION With reference now to the drawings and in particular with reference to FIG. I there is shown a railway hopper car 10 utilizing the ore plows 30 at each end thereof. The hopper car I0 has sides I] and hopper ends 12 and partition Ila which together with the hopper doors l6 define hoppers 15. The hopper doors 16 are pivoted on an axis which is parallel with the longitudinal center line of the hopper car. The hoppers are supported by side sills I3 and center sills 14. The center sill 14 is attached to the trucks l8 which contain the car wheels which ride on the rails I9. The hopper car 10 is couplable at both ends by means of the couplers 2]. The hopper car doors l6 are opened and closed by the power cylinders 24 which operate on the doors 16 by the door operating mechanism 17. These door operating mechanisms provide a connection between both hopper doors l6 and allow for sequential opening of the doors. The door mechanisms 17 are illustrated in detail in the co-pending patent application to Herman A. Aquino, Ser. No. 777,430, filed Nov. 20, I968 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,608 issued Aug. 3, I971 and herein incorporated by reference. The hopper doors 16 include an inner master door connected by drive links to outer slave door, the master door having an overlapping edge sealing the lower edge of the slave door and supporting the slave door through the door arms connecting the master door with the longitudinal drive means or the operating levers 25, the door arms between the master door and the operating levers 25 having an over center locked position with respect to the levers 25 in the hopper door closed position. The end power cylinders 24 operate the drive links 23 of the door operating mechanisms l7 to operate the door operating levers 25 to open and close the doors. The outer end door operating levers 25, as illustrated. at locations 240, in FIG. I, are not only connected to and used in opening and closing the hopper car doors 16, but also connected with the plow 30 by means of the lever connecting linkage 54. As viewed in FIG. 1, the levers 25 which are in the middle of the car and are therefore intermediate levers, do not have a direct connection by the link eye 58 of the link 57 and the link 56 and the link eye 55 with the plow, although these intermediate levers 25 do connect with the outer end levers 25 which are at locations 240 and 24a as shown in said FIG. I.

The plow 30 is pivotally suspended beneath the car by means of the plow support 31 and the plow pivot bracket 33. Referring to FIG. 2, it is shown that the plow support 3l is fixedly attached to the under side 32 of center sill 14. The plow support 31 comprises two spaced

upper pivot lugs

36,36 fixedly attached to the under side of the plow support bottom plate 4]. On the upper side of the bottom plate 4] are affixed two longitudinally spaced transverse members 42 and having vertical members 43 attached in a vertical and perpendicular manner to their outer ends. The vertical support members 44 as best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 communicate with the under side 32 of the center sill l4 and the bottom plate 41 in a perpendicular arrangement to the vertical members 43 and in a transverse line with the transverse members 42. All plow support members of plow support 3] are fixedly attached to each other by weldments to form a rigid structure.

Beneath and connected to the plow support 3] are the plow pivot brackets 33. The brackets 33 connect with the lower pivot lugs 39 of the plow 30 and the upper pivot lugs 36 of the plow support 31 by means of

pivot pins

40 and 37 respectively. Each bracket 33 includes plates 45 spaced on each side of the upper lug 36 and having an upper opening 46 in each plate 45 adjacent a corresponding opening in the lugs 36 for insertion of the upper pivot pins 37 to form the upper pivot 34. The upper pivot pins 37 are fixedly attached to the plates 45 by means of weldments, as is the projection 48.

Opposite the upper pivot pin apertures 46 of plates 45 in a substantially vertical direction are the lower openings 47 of the end plates 45 (see FIG. 3). These openings 47 are adjacent corresponding openings 39a in the lower pivot lugs 39. The lower pivot pin 40 is inserted through the lower openings 47 in the plates 45 and the pin 40 extends into the openings 39a of the lower pivot lugs 39. The lower pivot pins 40 are fixedly attached by means of weldments in the apertures 47 of plates 45.

Referring to FIG. 5 it is thus shown that the lower pivot lugs 39 are fixedly attached to the plow 30 on the back SI of its plow blade 49. The plow blade 49 includes a transverse intermediate portion 49a for moving lading piled between the tracks, and outer rearwardly divergingly angled deflecting parts 49b for moving and displacing lading such as ore or coal from the surface of the track rails. A bottom member 50 of the plow 30 is attached in a perpendicular manner to the plow blade 49 and includes a pair of laterally spaced lips or wipers 52 as best illustrated in FIG. 4. Each lip or rail cleaner 52 is angled upward to a terminal end from the plow bottom enabling the plow to override obstructions on the track. When the plow is in the lowered and operative position as illustrated in FIG. 3, the back of the plow blade 51 will be in contact with the angled corner 53 of plates 45. Also, when the plow is in its operative position the abutment or projection 48 of the pivot bracket 33 will be in contact with the underside stopping surface of the plow support bottom plate 41.

The plow 30 is connected with the first or outer end door operating levers 25 by means of the lever connecting linkage 54 as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. A loop 55 is fixedly attached to the transverse portion 490 of the plow blade 49. Through this loop 55 is attached a chain link 56 which has a connecting rod 57 attached to it. This connecting rod 57 communicates with a loop 58 attached to the first door operating lever 25. Also attached to the first outer end lever 25 as well as to the intermediate door operating levers 25 is a connecting linkage means 25a for connection with the hopper doors 16. Each first or outer end lever 25 has a lever pivot means 26 including a lever pivot pin 27, lever pivot brackets 28 affixed to the center sill 14 with the lever pivot pin 27 communicating between openings in the pivot bracket 28 and openings 27a in the lever 25. The door operating levers extend through longitudinally spaced openings 29 in the center sill 14.

With reference to FIGS. 6-8 the plow of the previous embodiment has been altered to provide for a converging plow blade arrangement as distinguished from the diverging plow blade arrangement of the first embodiment. The same reference characters will be applied to the modified form where the same structure exists in both embodiments and different characters are provided to illustrate the difference in the two embodiments. An end structure 62 has been welded at each end of each plow 30 to make a plow structure 303. Each end structure 62 on each end of the plow comprises a top plate 60, an end cap or plate 61, an intermediate transverse shed plate 63, a diagonal shed plate 64, a back plate 65 and a bottom plate 66. The transverse shed plate 63 and the diagonal shed plate 64 are both sloped downwardly and forwardly attendant to diverting ore on the rails inwardly between the tracks.

THE OPERATION Referring to FIG. I, the power cylinders 24 are energized to operate the drive links 23 and the door operating levers 25 which move longitudinally towards each other and towards the center of the car. Such movement of the drive links 23 results in a rotation of the door operating levers 25; this rotation produces an opening and closing of the hopper doors 16. Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4. upon opening of the hopper car doors the first door operating lever 25 (at extreme right in FIG. 1) which is connected with the plow 30 will rotate about its pivot pin 27 in a counter-clockwise direction and in so doing lower the plow 30 to the surface of the car rails 19. In this lowering operation the plow pivot bracket 33 pivots about the plow support 31 by way of the upper pivot means 34, thus lowering the plow 30 to the surface of the car rails 19. The pivot bracket 33 will cease rotation when the bracket pivot projection 48 comes in contact with the bottom plate or stop 41 of the plow support 3]. When the pivot bracket has ceased rotation the plow 30 will pivot about the lower pivot means 35 until the plow blade lips or wipers 52 contact the rails 19. The position of the plow on termination of rotation of the pivot bracket 33 is depicted by the dotted lines outlining the plow in FIG. 3.

When the plow has been lowered into its operative position as illustrated in FIG. 3 movement of the hopper car to which the plow is attached will cause the angled deflecting members 4% of the plow 30 to clear discharged lading from the surface of the rails 19 and the transverse portion 490 to clear lading from the area between the rails. The plow blade lips 52 enable the plow 30 to pivot about the lower pivot 35 when an immovable obstruction such as misaligned adjacent sections of railway track are encountered. Should the plow pivot further, as where there is a gap between two rail portions, the back part 51 of the plow will engage the front bevelled surface 53 of plates or arms 45 to limit further swinging of the plow. Since two plows 30 are employed per hopper car the plows will clear the tracks ahead of the wheels 20 trailing behind the plow regardless of the direction the car is traveling when the hoppers are discharged. The plow trails the discharging hoppers in the direction of travel of the car.

Upon closing of the hopper doors 16 the power cylinders 24 move their respective drive links 23 away from the center of the car and towards the power cylinders 24. As illustrated in FIG. 3 this movement of the drive link 23 will produce a clockwise rotation of the door operating levers 25 resulting in a movement of the right end door operating lever 25 (see FIG. I) which raises the plow 40 from the surface of the tracks 19. This raised or inoperative position is illustrated in FIG. 4. Referring again to FIG. 3 it is noticed that when the right end door operating lever 25 begins rotation in a clockwise direction upon closing of the hopper doors 16, the plow 30 when being raised from the surface of the rails 19 will pivot initially about the bracket 33 via lower pivot means 35 until the back 5! of the plow blade 49 comes in contact with the front surface 530 of the plates 45 of the pivot bracket 33. When this contact occurs the plow 30 and the plow pivot bracket 33 will move as a unit and rotate about the upper pivot 34 until rotation of the first door operating lever 22b is completed. Thus portions 53 and 53a of plates 45 determine the amount of rotation of the

plow

30 or 30a with respect to the bracket 33.

The trailing plow 30 with the diverging or deflecting blade portions 4% (in direction of plow travel) directs the ore or lading being discharged from the hopper outwardly of the railroad tracks or rails whereas the trailing plow 300 with converging deflecting blade portions (in direction of plow travel) of the modification directs the ore or lading being discharged from the hopper inwardly between the rails.

The foregoing description and drawings are given merely to explain and illustrate the invention and the invention is not to be limited thereto, except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, since those skilled the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A railroad hopper car comprising:

truck means,

hopper means having discharge door means,

door operating mechanism for opening and closing said hopper door means,

plow means for wiping railroad tracks and being disposed rearwardly of the hopper means and inwardly of the truck means in the direction of car travel,

power means operatively connectible with said door operating mechanism,

said door operating mechanism having linking means connecting with said door means and said plow means for operation of the door means and the plow means whereby when the door means are open the plow means is in the lowered wiping position and when the door means are closed the plow means is in the elevated out-of-use position,

plow support structure depending from said car and pivotally carrying said plow means therebelow,

plow carrying bracket means pivotally depending from the plow support structure for allowing the plow means to be moved from a down inuse position to a raised out-of-use position,

said plow means pivotally depending from said plow bracket means for movement between the in use position and the out-of-use position.

said plow means and said bracket means being provided with first stop means for engagement of the plow means with said bracket means during elevation of the plow means in one direction to limit relative rotation of the plow means with respect to the bracket means and said bracket means and said support structure being provided with second stop means limiting upward pivoting of said bracket means in the lowered position of the plow means, said plow means pivoting toward said hopper means in going to the raised position of the plow means and said plow means pivoting away from said hopper means in going to the lowered position of said plow means.

2. The invention according to claim 1, and

said plow means being provided with generally upright transverse laterally opposed inclined plow blade portions adapted for engagement with lading dispelled from the hopper means and extendable over the railroad tracks for clearing of lading therefrom.

3. The invention according to claim 2, and

each of said blade portions being provided with a lading deflecting part diverging away from said hopper means and in a direction opposite the direction of travel of the car.

4. The invention according to claim 2, and

each of said blade portions being provided with a lading deflecting part converging toward said hopper means and in the direction of travel of the car.

5. The invention according to claim 1, and

said plow means having wiper means adapted for engagement with the railroad tracks.

6. The invention according to claim 1, and

center sill means mounted on said car,

said linking means being pivotally mounted on said center sill and said plow support structure being fixedly attached to the under side of said center sill.

7. The invention according to claim 1, and

said linking means having door opening arms pivotally connected thereto and with the doors and having a connection means pivotally connecting with said plow means.

8. The invention according to claim 5, and

said wiper means in the direction of travel having a forwardly extending portion extending therefrom to override an obstruction on the railroad track and thereby pivoting the plow means.

9. The invention according to claim 1, and

said plow means and said bracket means being provided with third stop means engaging said bracket means to limit rotation of the plow means with respect to the bracket means in the other direction in the lowered position of the plow means,

said first stop means providing a first inclination of the plow means with respect to the bracket means and said third stop means providing a second different inclination of the plow means with respect to the bracket means, whereby in the lowered position of the plow means the wiper means is positioned for effective wiping of the rail means and in the elevated position of the plow means the moment length of the bracket means is effective to reduce the power stroke of the power means because of the pivoting of the bracket means with respect to said support structure.

10. The invention according to claim I, and

third stop means being provided for said bracket means and plow means engaging said bracket means to limit rotation of the plow means with respect to the bracket means in the other direction in the lowered position of the plow means.

ll. The invention according to claim 1, and

the movement of said power means being in a direction opposite to the movement of said pivotal plow means and said pivotal bracket means.

12. A railroad hopper car comprising:

hopper means having discharge door means,

door operating mechanism for opening and closing said hopper door means,

plow means for wiping railroad tracks and being disposed rearwardly of the hopper means in the direction of car travel,

motive power means operatively connecting with said door operating mechanism,

said door operating mechanism having linking means connecting with said door means and said plow means for concurrent operation of the door means and the plow means whereby when the door means are open the plow means is in the lowered wiping position and when the door means are closed the plow means is in the elevated out-of-use position,

plow support structure depending from said car,

center sill means mounted on said car,

said linking means being pivotally mounted on said center sill and said plow support structure being fixedly attached to the under side of said center sill,

plow carrying bracket means pivotally depending from said plow support structure,

said plow means pivotally depending from said plow bracket means,

said linking means having door opening arms pivotally connected thereto and having a connection means pivotally connecting with said plow means,

said plow means having wiper means adapted for engagement with the rail road tracks,

said plow means and said bracket means being provided with first stop means for engagement of the plow means with said bracket means during elevation of the plow means in one direction to limit relative rotation of the plow means with respect to the bracket means and said plow means and said bracket means being provided with second stop means engaging said bracket means to limit rotation of the plow means with respect to the bracket means in the other direction in the lowered position of the plow means,

said first stop means providing a first inclination of the plow means with respect to the bracket means and said second stop means providing a second different inclination of the plow means with respect to the bracket means, whereby in the lowered position of the plow means the wiper means is positioned for effective wiping of tracks and in the elevated position of the plow means the moment length of the bracket means is effective to reduce the power stroke of the power means because of the pivoting of the bracket means with respect to said support structure,

and third stop means being provided for said bracket means and said support structure limiting pivot of said bracket means in said lowered position of the plow means, said plow means pivoting toward said hopper means in the raised position of the plow means and said plow means pivoting away from said hopper means in the lowered position of said plow means.

13. In a railroad hopper car comprising:

hopper means having pivotally interconnected overlapping master and slave discharge doors,

said master door having drive linkage being drivingly connected with the slave door for opening and closing same in accordance with opening and closing of the master door,

door operating mechanism for opening and closing said hopper doors including longitudinally extending drive means,

plow means for wiping rails disposed rearwardly of the hopper means in the direction of car travel,

power means operatively connecting with said door operating mechanism,

said door operating mechanism having linking means connecting with said drive means and with said doors and said plow means for operation of the door means and the plow means whereby when the doors are open the plow means is in the lowered wiping position and when the door means are closed the plow means is in the elevated out-of-use position,

plow support structure depending from said car,

said plow means pivotally depending from said plow bracket means,

said master door having an edge portion overlapping said slave door,

said linking means having door opening arms connecting with said edge portion and holding said edge portion in locked supporting relation with the slave door when the doors are closed and having means connecting with said plow means,

said plow means having wiper means adapted for engagement with railroad track,

plow carrying bracket means pivotally depending from the plow support structure for allowing the plow means to be moved from a down in-use position to a raised out-of-use position,

said plow means pivotally depending from said plow bracket means for movement between the in-use position and the out-of-use position,

14. The invention according to claim 13, and

said linking means being in an over center locking position with said drive means with the door means in the closed position.

15. The invention according to claim l3, and

said drive means providing over center locking with the doors in the closed position.

Claims

1. A railroad hopper car comprising: truck means, hopper means having discharge door means, door operating mechanism for opening and closing said hopper door means, plow means for wiping railroad tracks and being disposed rearwardly of the hopper means and inwardly of the trucK means in the direction of car travel, power means operatively connectible with said door operating mechanism, said door operating mechanism having linking means connecting with said door means and said plow means for operation of the door means and the plow means whereby when the door means are open the plow means is in the lowered wiping position and when the door means are closed the plow means is in the elevated out-of-use position, plow support structure depending from said car and pivotally carrying said plow means therebelow, plow carrying bracket means pivotally depending from the plow support structure for allowing the plow means to be moved from a down in-use position to a raised out-of-use position, said plow means pivotally depending from said plow bracket means for movement between the in-use position and the out-of-use position, said plow means and said bracket means being provided with first stop means for engagement of the plow means with said bracket means during elevation of the plow means in one direction to limit relative rotation of the plow means with respect to the bracket means and said bracket means and said support structure being provided with second stop means limiting upward pivoting of said bracket means in the lowered position of the plow means, said plow means pivoting toward said hopper means in going to the raised position of the plow means and said plow means pivoting away from said hopper means in going to the lowered position of said plow means.

2. The invention according to claim 1, and said plow means being provided with generally upright transverse laterally opposed inclined plow blade portions adapted for engagement with lading dispelled from the hopper means and extendable over the railroad tracks for clearing of lading therefrom.

3. The invention according to claim 2, and each of said blade portions being provided with a lading deflecting part diverging away from said hopper means and in a direction opposite the direction of travel of the car.

4. The invention according to claim 2, and each of said blade portions being provided with a lading deflecting part converging toward said hopper means and in the direction of travel of the car.

5. The invention according to claim 1, and said plow means having wiper means adapted for engagement with the railroad tracks.

6. The invention according to claim 1, and center sill means mounted on said car, said linking means being pivotally mounted on said center sill and said plow support structure being fixedly attached to the under side of said center sill.

7. The invention according to claim 1, and said linking means having door opening arms pivotally connected thereto and with the doors and having a connection means pivotally connecting with said plow means.

8. The invention according to claim 5, and said wiper means in the direction of travel having a forwardly extending portion extending therefrom to override an obstruction on the railroad track and thereby pivoting the plow means.

9. The invention according to claim 1, and said plow means and said bracket means being provided with third stop means engaging said bracket means to limit rotation of the plow means with respect to the bracket means in the other direction in the lowered position of the plow means, said first stop means providing a first inclination of the plow means with respect to the bracket means and said third stop means providing a second different inclination of the plow means with respect to the bracket means, whereby in the lowered position of the plow means the wiper means is positioned for effective wiping of the rail means and in the elevated position of the plow means the moment length of the bracket means is effective to reduce the power stroke of the power means because of the pivoting of the bracket means with respect to said support structure.

10. The invention according to claim 1, and third stop means being pRovided for said bracket means and plow means engaging said bracket means to limit rotation of the plow means with respect to the bracket means in the other direction in the lowered position of the plow means.

11. The invention according to claim 1, and the movement of said power means being in a direction opposite to the movement of said pivotal plow means and said pivotal bracket means.

12. A railroad hopper car comprising: hopper means having discharge door means, door operating mechanism for opening and closing said hopper door means, plow means for wiping railroad tracks and being disposed rearwardly of the hopper means in the direction of car travel, motive power means operatively connecting with said door operating mechanism, said door operating mechanism having linking means connecting with said door means and said plow means for concurrent operation of the door means and the plow means whereby when the door means are open the plow means is in the lowered wiping position and when the door means are closed the plow means is in the elevated out-of-use position, plow support structure depending from said car, center sill means mounted on said car, said linking means being pivotally mounted on said center sill and said plow support structure being fixedly attached to the under side of said center sill, plow carrying bracket means pivotally depending from said plow support structure, said plow means pivotally depending from said plow bracket means, said linking means having door opening arms pivotally connected thereto and having a connection means pivotally connecting with said plow means, said plow means having wiper means adapted for engagement with the rail road tracks, said plow means and said bracket means being provided with first stop means for engagement of the plow means with said bracket means during elevation of the plow means in one direction to limit relative rotation of the plow means with respect to the bracket means and said plow means and said bracket means being provided with second stop means engaging said bracket means to limit rotation of the plow means with respect to the bracket means in the other direction in the lowered position of the plow means, said first stop means providing a first inclination of the plow means with respect to the bracket means and said second stop means providing a second different inclination of the plow means with respect to the bracket means, whereby in the lowered position of the plow means the wiper means is positioned for effective wiping of tracks and in the elevated position of the plow means the moment length of the bracket means is effective to reduce the power stroke of the power means because of the pivoting of the bracket means with respect to said support structure, and third stop means being provided for said bracket means and said support structure limiting pivot of said bracket means in said lowered position of the plow means, said plow means pivoting toward said hopper means in the raised position of the plow means and said plow means pivoting away from said hopper means in the lowered position of said plow means.

13. In a railroad hopper car comprising: hopper means having pivotally interconnected overlapping master and slave discharge doors, said master door having drive linkage being drivingly connected with the slave door for opening and closing same in accordance with opening and closing of the master door, door operating mechanism for opening and closing said hopper doors including longitudinally extending drive means, plow means for wiping rails disposed rearwardly of the hopper means in the direction of car travel, power means operatively connecting with said door operating mechanism, said door operating mechanism having linking means connecting with said drive means and with said doors and said plow means for operation of the door means and the plow means whereby when the doors are open thE plow means is in the lowered wiping position and when the door means are closed the plow means is in the elevated out-of-use position, plow support structure depending from said car, plow carrying bracket means pivotally depending from said plow support structure, said plow means pivotally depending from said plow bracket means, said master door having an edge portion overlapping said slave door, said linking means having door opening arms connecting with said edge portion and holding said edge portion in locked supporting relation with the slave door when the doors are closed and having means connecting with said plow means, said plow means having wiper means adapted for engagement with railroad track, plow carrying bracket means pivotally depending from the plow support structure for allowing the plow means to be moved from a down in-use position to a raised out-of-use position, said plow means pivotally depending from said plow bracket means for movement between the in-use position and the out-of-use position, said plow means and said bracket means being provided with first stop means for engagement of the plow means with said bracket means during elevation of the plow means in one direction to limit relative rotation of the plow means with respect to the bracket means and said bracket means and said support structure being provided with second stop means limiting upward pivoting of said bracket means in the lowered position of the plow means, said plow means pivoting toward said hopper means in going to the raised position of the plow means and said plow means pivoting away from said hopper means in going to the lowered position of said plow means.

14. The invention according to claim 13, and said linking means being in an over center locking position with said drive means with the door means in the closed position.

15. The invention according to claim 13, and said drive means providing over center locking with the doors in the closed position.