US3742867A

US3742867A - Railway container cushioned supporting structure

Info

Publication number: US3742867A
Application number: US00160032A
Authority: US
Inventors: T Schmitz; T Branson
Original assignee: Pullman Inc
Current assignee: Pullman Standard Inc; Pullman Inc
Priority date: 1971-07-06
Filing date: 1971-07-06
Publication date: 1973-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 1990-07-03

Abstract

A series of container hold down brackets supported on resilient shear pads and connectable by a longitudinally extending bar which is engaged by a locking pin on the bracket when the bracket is in an on-deck supportive position. The bracket includes a slot portion which permits the bracket to move inwardly of the vehicle and to be pivoted into a stored position flush with the deck of the vehicle. A mounting stand which fixes the hold down bracket to the associated shear pad has an elongated top portion engageable with the underside of the deck to prevent tipping of the bracket upon deflection of the shear pads.

Description

United States Patent 1191 S'chmitz et al. 1 July 3, 1973 [54] RAILWAY CONTAINER CUSHIONED 3,554,134 1/19; {1; grown 105/366 D 3,401,648 9/19 utridge... 105/366 D SUPPORTING STRUCTURE 3,604,363 9/1971 Smith 105/366 D [7 1 n r Thom s R- h z, y r ln 3,618,534 11/1971 Gramse 105/366 1) 1 Theodore A. Branson, Harbert, 3,626,868 12/1971 Mowatt-Larsson 105/366 D N Mich.

Primary Examiner-Drayton E. Hoffman [73] Asslgnee. filllllmflll Incorporated, Ch1cago, Ammey mlmond 0. vogel et a].

[22] Flledz July 6, 1971 [57] ABSTRACT [21 I NM l60032 A series of container hold down brackets supported on resilient shear pads and connectable by a longitudinally [52] US. Cl. 105/366 D, 248/1 19 R extending bar which is engaged by a locking pin on the [51] Int. Cl Bj 1/22, 860p 7/08 bracket when the bracket is in an on-deck supportive [58] Field of Search /366 D; position. The bracket includes a slot portion which per- 248/1 19 R, 361 R mits-the bracket to move inwardly of the vehicle and to be pivoted into a stored position flush with the deck of [56] References Cited the vehicle. A mounting stand which fixes the hold UNITED STATES PATENTS down bracket to the associated shear pad has an elon- 3 437 055 W969 wine et al 105/366 D gated top portion engageable with the underside of the 3 354 838 11/1967 Mama-155163;:I: 105/366 D deck Prevem tipping Ofthe bracket deflectk 3,575,118 4 1971 Gramse 105 366 D Ofthe Shear P 3,621,794 11/1971 Gramse 3,417,712 12/1968 161 et 1 105/3 6 1) 10 Clam, 7 D'awmg x 22 1 '52 3 su t a PATENTEU JUL 3 I975 SHEEI 1 BF 4 INVENTORS THOMAS R. SCHMITZ giEODORE A. BRAN SON PATENT AGENT m N 6 w T 0w ||||LlM lfimwwfiiilil HHHHA Q DHHHH QQNIE/NN PATENTED JUL 3 I975 SHEEI20F4 INVENTORS THOMAS R. SCHMITZ THEODORE A. BRANSON BY 9 9 6A PATENT AGENT PATENTEDJULB 191s 3.742.867

sum u. or 4 IN VE N TORS THOMAS R. SCHMITZ THEODORE A, BRANSON BY 2m PATENT AGENT RAILWAY CONTAINER CUSHIONED SUPPORTING STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to supporting and restraining devices for use with removable units transported on the deck of a vehicle.

2. Description of the Prior Art Prior art container support brackets generally include a support fixedly attached to the deck of a railway vehicle which rigidly supports the portable container. It is desirable to mount the container support brackets on a resilient shear block which will cushion the buff and draft impact encountered during transport. However, a common problem encountered with independently mounted shearblock cushioning arises when the container is subject to a longitudinal impact wherein the support brackets closer to the point of impact must absorb and cushion the majority of forces applied to the container bracket. This requires the use of unusually large shear blocks with the associated problems of mounting and providing clearance for such cushioning. The present invention permits the use of smaller shear blocks by a novel means of interconnecting longitudinally adjacent shear blocks and providing for a selective and a predetermined amount of cushioning which can be provided by selectively engaging or disengaging container support'bracket with a longitudinally extending slotted rail member which engages the shear blocks along the sides of the railway vehicle.

SUMMARY The present invention pertains to container support brackets and in particular, to a cushioned type of container support bracket which will absorb impact forces and thereby protect the material within a supported container from damage. In operation, the container brackets, mounted adjacently to the longitudinally extending transverse edges of the railway vehicle, are supported and mounted on rubber shear blocks and include an opening for positioning of a longitudinally extending slotted rail member which extends between the container supports on either side of the vehicle. The container brackets are pivotally movable from a flushwith-deck or stored position to an on-deck operative position wherein a vertically movable pin member is engageable with the longitudinally extending bar to thereby engage the container brackets with the bar and with any other container brackets and their associated shear pads which are in a like position. An elongated top portion of the container bracket mounting stand is adjacent to the underside of the deck and engageable with the underside when the shear pads are deflected to prevent tipping of the bracket which could result in disengagement from a transported container.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved container support bracket for a vehicle which provides cushioned support for a container.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a containersupport bracket which is positionable in a flush-with-deck inoperative position and thereby provides a flat deck surface and which is movable vertically and transversely to an operative position.

It is another object of the present invention to pro vide an improved container support bracket wherein the bracket member is supported by an elastic shear block cushioning member to provide cushioned transport of a container.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a container support bracket mounted on a shear pad member and including a locking pin engageable with a longitudinally extending connecting bar having a slot which receives the pin member to thereby engage the container bracket with the connecting bar.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cushioned container bracket including a connecting bar extending between adjacent container bracket members and selectively engageable with the container brackets to thereby interconnect brackets.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved type of cushioning for a container support bracket wherein a minimum size of shear block is employed by utilizing a novel type of connecting bar to interconnect adjacent support members and thereby utilize the combined cushioning effect of all of the container support members.

It is another objectof the present invention to interconnect supporting cushioned container bracket members by a novel type of connecting bar which is placed in tension by impact forces and therefore may be a long relatively narrow and thin member.

Another object is to provide a container bracket mounting stand including portions engageable with the deck upon deflection of the associated shear pad assembly to prevent tipping of the container support BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a railway container vehicle employing the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view partially in section taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view partially in section of the container bracket of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the container bracket;

FIG. 5 is an end view partially in section of the container bracket in the upright position;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the support bracket in an intermediate position; I

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the container bracket and cushioning arrangement in the operative position showing the interconnecting bar member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is illustrated a'container carrying car 10 riding on and supported by usual truck members andincluding a coupler 14 with an associated draft sill and underframe assembly. The vehicle includes a deck portion 16 which is a substantially flat member throughout and includes spaced rub rail members 18 which generally function to guide'a tractor along the surface of'the deck. Spaced along the outer margins of the deck 16 are a plurality of T-shaped openings 20 having a longitudinally extending portion 20a and a transversely extending portion 20b. The transversely extending portion of the openings 20 include a bottom supporting plate 21 having a slot 21a. Positioned in and moving within the openings 20 ,are the container supports 22 of the present invention. As best illustrated in FIG. 3, a

the container bracket for transport on the container vehicle.

The container support assemblies 22 are mounted on and supported by a mounting stand assembly 24 as best illustrated in FIG. 7, and which includes spaced shear blocks 26 affixed to the shear block plates 27 which provide rigid members for fastening the shear blocks into position. A flange plate 28 is positioned between the adjacent shear blocks 26. The bottom shear block is fixedly secured to the bottom plate 30 of the side sill assembly of the container carrying car 10.

The side sill assembly includes a channel shaped side member 32 which forms a housing for the container support assembly. As best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, on the inside side walls of the channel shaped side member 32 there is fixedly attached a plurality of guide rail members including an upper member 34 and a lower member 35. The spaced

guide rail members

34, 35 are fitted about the flange plate 28 to provide guiding surfaces for longitudinal movement of plate 28.

The bracket mounting stand assembly 24 includes a top member 36, as best illustrated in FIG. 7, which includes an outer wall member 38 and an inner wall member 39. This top member 36 also includes a lower portion 40 having a cylindrical opening 40a and

end portions

40b,40c; a top mounting portion 42 having

end portions

42a,42b; and an intermediate plate portion 43 which includes an opening 43a. It is understood that the mounting stand assembly 24 is positioned below the longitudinally extending portion a of the T-shaped opening 20 and also the top plate 42 is wider than the opening 20a to thereby confine the elongated member 36 below the deck 16. Also, upon deflection of the shear pads 26 on impact to the car,

end portions

40b, 400 may move vertically until there is contact with the top surface of guide rail 34 at which point the end portion will slide along the top of rail 34. A transversely extending cutout or opening 44 extends through both the top plate 42 and the side inner wall 39 to allow for transverse sliding movement of the container bracket 22. Guide block portions 46 which are extensions of the top plate 42 extend into the slot 44 to abut and guide the container support bracket during transverse sliding movement. These guide blocks also function to prevent the container support from being moved pivotally while within the slot 44 as will be more fully explained later.

The pivotal portion of the container bracket support assembly 22 is generally designated by the numeral 48 and includes a corner casting receiving portion having vertically extending side wall portions 50 positioned at right angles to each other and a bottom wall portion 51 having opening 51a completing the corner receiving portion. A locking pin 52 extends through one of the side walls to engage the corner casting and lock the same securely in the corner casting of a container. The locking pin 52 may have portions engaging indexing portions 53 of the pivoted bracket 48 which allows the pin to move into and from the corner casting upon rotation of its associated handle 53a.

The pivoted bracket portion 48 includes a substantially hollow central portion 54 which includes a cylindrical member extending vertically therethrough and tion 60 is fixedly attached to the top portion 58 of the locking pin and extends through slot 62 in the pivoted bracket portion 48. The handle 60 permits manual raising and lowering of the locking pin 58.

The pivoted bracket portion 48 also includes lugs 64 extending from the bracket 48. The top elongated member 36 of the bracket mounting stand assembly 24 includes lugs 65 extending inwardly of the vehicle and aligned with lugs 64 of the bracket portion 48 as best illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7. Extending alongside the lugs 64 is a slot housing 66 including the transversely extending slot 68. A pivot pin 69 is fixedly secured in the lugs 65 and loosely positioned within the slot 68.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 7, it is noticed that a connecting bar 70 is positioned and resting on bottom plate 40 and in the opening defined by the bottom plate 40 and the intermediate plate 43. The connecting bar 70 may be a relatively long thin member having opening 71 to receive the lower portion 58a of the locking pm.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2, positioned between adjacent container supports 22 are guide plates 72 for guiding and restraining the connecting bar 70 during longitudinal movement.

THE OPERATION The operation of the cushioned hold down device will be best understood by an explanation proceeding from the stored position flush with the deck to the upright container supportive position wherein impacts are efficiently cushioned by virtue of the shear blocks associated with the container brackets.

As shown by the phantom line illustration in FIG. 5, the pivotal bracket portion 48 may be stored within the T-shaped opening 20 of. the vehicle deck 16. In this stored position the bracket is flush with the deck to permit unobstructed movement along the deck of the railway vehicle. In this position it is noticed that the pivoted bracket portion is supported by bottom plate 21 and the handle 60 projects through the slot 21a in the bottom supporting plate 21. This feature enables the pivot pin 69 to be unloaded when the bracket 48 is in the stored position, thus preventing failures from shearing of this pin 69 when vehicles pass over the deck 16. To raise the bracket portion 48 from this stored position handle 53a may be used to apply a vertical lifting force to pivot the bracket about the pin 69. When this pivotal movement is completed the bracket is then in position to slide transversely of the vehicle and of the slot 20 wherein the slot 68 on the lower portion of the pivoted bracket portion 48 will move past the fixed pivot pin 69. In this transverse movement the bracket portion 48 is guided by the guide blocks 46. An intermediate position of the bracket portion 48 as it is moving transversely of the vehicle is illustrated in FIG. 6. Transverse sliding of the bracket 48 is terminated when the outer wall 38 contacts the vertical wall portion of the channel-shaped side member 32 as best illustrated in FIG. 5. In this position the pivot pin 69 is again free and unloaded.

Upon termination of this transverse sliding movement the pivoted bracket portion 48 is in position to be locked to the mounting stand 24. The bracket portion 48 is fixedly secured to this mounting stand 24 through the locking pin which has

portions

58,58a and is lowered vertically through the opening 43a in the intermediate plate portion 43 and through the opening 40a in the bottom plate 40. It is also noticed in moving between the opening 43a and the opening 400 the pin portion 58a also moves through and is inserted in the opening 71 of the connecting bar 70. When placed in this locked position the container support 22,which is a combination of the mounting stand 24 and the pivoted bracket portion 48, is now ready to receive a container for transport.

Referring now to FIG. 3 it is noticed that the lower corner of a container 23 is illustrated in phantom lines in position on the container support 22. The container 23 generally includes a corner casting which receives the pin 52 to secure the container in the support bracket and prevent lifting off from the container support during transport. The locking pin 52 is moved into the corner casting to prevent vertical movement of the container 23 by rotation of the handle 53a and the action of the indexing portion 53 which allows the rotational movement of the handle 53a and the linear movement of the locking pin 52.

Referring still to FIG. 3 for a description of the operation of the cushioning of the container bracket upon impact to the railway vehicle, it is understood that the phantom line illustration depicts the deflection involved when the vehicle receives an impact from the right side of the illustration of FIG. 3. For example, a.

buff impact will be used impingeing on the right side of the railway vehicle and the right portion of the drawing illustrated in FIG. 3. On this buff impact the vehicle will immediately tend to move to the left under the impact force, but the container supports 22 and the associated containers 23 will tend to remain stationary by virtue of their inertia forces, thereby creating a relative movement and displacement between the container supports 22 and the associate container 23 with the railway vehicle It). With this relative movement there is an.associ ated deflection of the resilient shear blocks 26 which couple the container supports 22 to the railway vehicle Ill. This deflection of the shear blocks 26 is illustrated in FIG. 3 in the phantom lines. With this deflection the flange plate 28 also moves longitudinally of the vehicle and is guided by the

guide rail members

34,35. Movement of flange plate 28 between the spaced

guide rails

34,35 insures that the shear pads 26 are deflected-horizontally wherein a substantially pure shear load is applied as opposed to a load having an undesirable tension component which would tend 'to pull the shear pads from their mountings. To provide substantial horizontal movement of the top elongated member 36 and the bracket portion 48 the member 36 is positioned adjacent the bottom sections of cutout 20a. Upon a horizontal deflection of the shear pads 26 the entire top elongated member 36 will tend to pivot and in so doing, tip the support bracket 48. However, this pivoting of the member 36 is prevented by contactbetween the

end portion

42a or 42b depending on the direction of the shear pad deflection. Also, contact between an

end portion

40b,40c of plate 40 and the top rail 34 will confine the elongated member 36 between the underside of the deck 16 and the top surface of the guide rail 34. Thus in the illustration of FIG. 3 where the car is impacted from the right the end portion 40c will be in contact with the top portion of rail 34 and a corresponding contact will exist between end portion 42a of top plate 42 and the underside of deck 16 thereby spacing the points of contact, when resisting forces are applied to prevent tipping of the container support assembly 22, and providing a long moment arm between these contact points. Because the member 36 is elongated a long moment arm exists between the point where the member 36 tends to pivot and the point where forces are applied to resist the tendency to pivot, thereby reducing the force necessary to resist the tipping tendency. In this arrangement contact forces between the

end portions

42a, 42b and the underside of the deck 16 are low enough to prevent galling when the metal surfaces are in contact.

The relative movement between the container supports 22 and the railway vehicle 10 also produces a relative movement between the connecting bar and the railway vehicle 10 since the connecting bars 70 are coupled with the container supports 22 through the slot and pin connection produced when the lower portion 58a of the locking pin was moved into the opening 71 of the connecting bar 70. Since the connecting bar 70 also has an opening 71 associated with the container supports on the longitudinally adjacent corners of the container 23, the deflection caused by the impact will be transmitted through the connecting bar 70 to the cooperating container support on the same side of the railway vehicle. Thus it is noticed that the deflection of the container support 22 at the impacted end of container 23 tends to move the container 23 (see FIG. 3) to the right and would also tend to pull an associated container support on the same side of the railway vehicle to the right through the action of the locking pin 52 in a corner casting were it not for the interconnection by virtue of bar 70. It is undesirable to have the container support brackets at the end of the container away from the impacted end of the car pulled through the locking pin 52 since the pins 52 are generally not designed for high magnitude forces and also pulling tends to twist the container support 22. Thus by the use of the connecting bar 70 these deflections can be transferred from one container support to another by a member which is capable of handling the magnitude of forces which are presented.

It is thus noticed that when the container car is fully utilizing all the container brackets each transported container will have the cushioning benefits of at least the four supporting shear pad assemblies. It is also noticed that if a specialty item or an unusually heavy article is transported and only the four customary container supports are used to support the container, additional cushioning may be provided by simply'moving additional pivoted bracket portions 43 from the stored position to the vertical position wherein the locking pins 58 engage the connecting bars 70 thereby supplying additional cushioning.

The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention and the invention is not limited thereto, except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, as those skilled in 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:

1. A railway vehicle adapted to carry containers and having a metal underframe and a generally flat deck supported thereon and a side sill structure forming the outer margin of the deck, a series of longitudinally spaced openings in the deck adjacent the side sill structure, a plurality of cushioned container supports fixedly positioned at each opening, and the improvement comprising:

each container support including a resilient shear pad mounting means positioned in each spaced opening of the deck and having a pivotable container corner support bracket fixedly attached thereon;

an elongated top mounting guide member having a longitudinally extending hollow portion and fixedly supporting and restraining the container corner bracket and fixedly attached to said shear pad mounting means, and said top mounting guide member including a top plate;

a deck portion overlapping and adjacent the top mounting member and engageable with the top plate upon longitudinal deflection of the associated shear pad mounting means;

longitudinally positioned tension means extending through the hollow portion of the top mounting guide member and selectively connectable with container supports on the corresponding side of said railway vehicle;

said elongated top mounting member also including an access opening intersecting said longitudinally extending hollow portion at right angles thereto; and,

locking and connecting means movable through said access opening and extendable through the hollow portion of the top mounting guide member and engageable with the longitudinally positioned tension means to thereby provide for selective interconnection of the resilient shear pad mounting means.

2. The invention according to claim 1, and:

said top mounting member including a cutout portion receiving said container bracket and supporting said bracket for guided transverse movement and bracket guide block members positioned in said cutout;

said support bracket portion including a slotted guide housing positioned to abut the guide block members of the cutout portion of the top mounting member.

3. The invention according to claim 1, and:

said side sill structure including a channel shaped housing depending downwardly from the transverse outer margins of said deck;

said housing including spaced vertically extending side walls and a bottom wall;

said shear pad mounting means including restraining plate means fixedly attached thereto; and,

side wall mounted guide members cooperating with said shear pad mounted restraining plate means during deflection of the shear pads thereby guiding the pads in a substantially horizontal movement to prevent tipping of the associated container support.

4. The invention according to claim 1, and:

said longitudinally spaced deck opening including a transversely extending portion having a reinforced bottom wall;

said corner bracket pivotally movable from the upright position to a stored position within the transversely extending portion resting on the bottom wall to thereby define a generally flat continuous deck surface.

5. The invention according to claim 2, and:

said top elongated guide member having hinge pivot pins positioned within the slotted guide housing of the container support bracket to thereby provide for raising and lowering rotational movement of said container support bracket. 6. The invention according to claim 3, and: said top elongated guide member including an outwardly and horizontally extending flange portion spaced vertically downwardly from said top plate and engageable with the side wall mounted guide means and thereby cooperating with said top plate to guide the container bracket portion in longitudinal horizontal movement. 7. The invention according to claim 3, and: said restraining plate means including a plate member extending outwardly of the shear pad mounting means; said side wall mounted associated guide members including first and second guide bar members attached to an associated side wall and spaced about said plate member in guiding and restraining relationship. 8. The invention according to claim 4, and: said reinforced bottom wall including a slotted cutout to receive portions of the locking and connecting means of the associated container support bracket. 9. A railway vehicle adapted to carry containers and comprising a metallic underframe and a generally flat deck supported thereon and a side sill structure positioned along the longitudinally extending outer margins of said deck, a plurality of cushioned container supports positioned adjacent the side sill structure, and:

each container support including a resilient shear pad mounting means, a container bracket portion, and an elongated top mounting member fixedly supporting and restraining said corner bracket and fixedly attached to the resilient shear pad mounting means; vehicle mounted container support guide means cooperating with said support assembly during longitudinal deflection of said resilient shear pad mounting means to thereby provide guided horizontal longitudinal cushioned movement of the container bracket portion, and further; tension means extending between each support along the outer margin of said deck and selectively connectable with the container supports; said container supports including a vertically movable latching means engageable with said interconnecting tension means to thereby fixedly and selectively secure an associated container support with the tension means for selective variable cushioning of transported containers; said elongated top mounting member including a vertically extending opening and a longitudinally extending hollow portion and said tension means positioned within said hollow portion. 10. The invention according to claim 9, and: said elongated top mounting member including a cutout portion and having container bracket guide block members positioned therein and also having hinged lugs and hinged pins; said container bracket portion including slotted guide hinge housing to receive said hinge pins and provide for guided transverse and rotational movement of the container bracket portion.

l t i i

Claims

1. A railway vehicle adapted to carry containers and having a metal underframe and a generally flat deck supported thereon and a side sill structure forming the outer margin of the deck, a series of longitudinally spaced openings in the deck adjacent the side sill structure, a plurality of cushioned container supports fixedly positioned at each opening, and the improvement comprising: each container support including a resilient shear pad mounting means positioned in each spaced opening of the deck and having a pivotable container corner support bracket fixedly attached thereon; an elongated top mounting guide member having a longitudinally extending hollow portion and fixedly supporting and restraining the container corner bracket and fixedly attached to said shear pad mounting means, and said top mounting guide member including a top plate; a deck portion overlapping and adjacent the top mounting member and engageable with the top plate upon longitudinal deflection of the associated shear pad mounting means; longitudinally positioned tension means extending through the hollow portion of the top mounting guide member and selectively connectable with container supports on the corresponding side of said railway vehicle; said elongated top mounting member also including an access opening intersecting said longitudinally extending hollow portion at right angles thereto; and, locking and connecting means movable through said access opening and extendable through the hollow portion of the top mounting guide member and engageable with the longitudinally positioned tension means to thereby provide for selective interconnection of the resilient shear pad mounting means.

2. The invention according to claim 1, and: said top mounting member including a cutout portion receiving said container bracket and supporting said bracket for guided transverse movement and bracket guide block members positioned in said cutout; said support bracket portion including a slotted guide housing positioned to abut the guide block members of the cutout portion of the top mounting member.

3. The invention according to claim 1, and: said sidE sill structure including a channel shaped housing depending downwardly from the transverse outer margins of said deck; said housing including spaced vertically extending side walls and a bottom wall; said shear pad mounting means including restraining plate means fixedly attached thereto; and, side wall mounted guide members cooperating with said shear pad mounted restraining plate means during deflection of the shear pads thereby guiding the pads in a substantially horizontal movement to prevent tipping of the associated container support.

4. The invention according to claim 1, and: said longitudinally spaced deck opening including a transversely extending portion having a reinforced bottom wall; said corner bracket pivotally movable from the upright position to a stored position within the transversely extending portion resting on the bottom wall to thereby define a generally flat continuous deck surface.

5. The invention according to claim 2, and: said top elongated guide member having hinge pivot pins positioned within the slotted guide housing of the container support bracket to thereby provide for raising and lowering rotational movement of said container support bracket.

6. The invention according to claim 3, and: said top elongated guide member including an outwardly and horizontally extending flange portion spaced vertically downwardly from said top plate and engageable with the side wall mounted guide means and thereby cooperating with said top plate to guide the container bracket portion in longitudinal horizontal movement.

7. The invention according to claim 3, and: said restraining plate means including a plate member extending outwardly of the shear pad mounting means; said side wall mounted associated guide members including first and second guide bar members attached to an associated side wall and spaced about said plate member in guiding and restraining relationship.

8. The invention according to claim 4, and: said reinforced bottom wall including a slotted cutout to receive portions of the locking and connecting means of the associated container support bracket.

9. A railway vehicle adapted to carry containers and comprising a metallic underframe and a generally flat deck supported thereon and a side sill structure positioned along the longitudinally extending outer margins of said deck, a plurality of cushioned container supports positioned adjacent the side sill structure, and: each container support including a resilient shear pad mounting means, a container bracket portion, and an elongated top mounting member fixedly supporting and restraining said corner bracket and fixedly attached to the resilient shear pad mounting means; vehicle mounted container support guide means cooperating with said support assembly during longitudinal deflection of said resilient shear pad mounting means to thereby provide guided horizontal longitudinal cushioned movement of the container bracket portion, and further; tension means extending between each support along the outer margin of said deck and selectively connectable with the container supports; said container supports including a vertically movable latching means engageable with said interconnecting tension means to thereby fixedly and selectively secure an associated container support with the tension means for selective variable cushioning of transported containers; said elongated top mounting member including a vertically extending opening and a longitudinally extending hollow portion and said tension means positioned within said hollow portion.

10. The invention according to claim 9, and: said elongated top mounting member including a cutout portion and having container bracket guide block members positioned therein and also having hinged lugs and hinged pins; said container bracket portion including slotted guide hinge housing to receive said hinge pins and provide for guided transverse and rotational movEment of the container bracket portion.