US3768420A

US3768420A - Dampened railway car truck

Info

Publication number: US3768420A
Application number: US00159362A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Shafer; R Peckinpaugh
Original assignee: THATCHER M
Current assignee: THATCHER M; THATCHER M US
Priority date: 1971-07-02
Filing date: 1971-07-02
Publication date: 1973-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 1990-10-30

Abstract

A railway car truck in which the bolster supporting springs are so arranged in conjunction with their seats on the respective side frame and on the bolster, that the bolster is urged laterally against an associated confronting column of each of the side frames, to provide for frictional control of the oscillations of the bolster supporting springs. The result is a railway car truck that requires fewer parts, thus being more economically desirable, but still possessing an effective arrangement for frictionally damping the oscillation of the truck springs, and without materially effecting the wear life of the springs.

Description

United States Patent 1 Sliafer, deceased et al.

[ Oct. 30, 1973 [73] Assignees: Jack Shafer; James K. Shafer;

James R. Shafer; Marilyn S. Thatcher, Vienna, W. Va. part interest to each [22] Filed: July 2, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 159,362

[52] US. Cl. 105/197 D, 105/197 R, 105/206,

105/207, 267/4 [51] Int. Cl. B611 5/26, B61f 5/12, B611 5/50 [58] Field of Search 105/197 R, 197 D, 105/197 DB, 207, 224 R, 206; 267/3, 4

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,125,275 8/1938 Goodwin 105/197 DB 2,492,337 12/1949 Travilla, Jr 105/197 D X 775,271 11/1904 Graham 267/4 1,735,830 11/1929 Lewis 105/197 R 1,757,937 5/1930 McCullough... 105/197 R 2,102,907 12/1937 Mylius 105/224 R 2,159,138 5/1939 Duryea 105/207 2,889,784 6/1959 Shafer 105/197 D Primary ExaminerR0bert G. Sheridan Assistant Examiner-Howard Bettran .Att0rneyGeorge S. Baldwin et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A railway car truck in which the bolster supporting springs are so arranged in conjunction with their seats on the respective side frame and on the bolster, that the bolster is urged laterally against an associated confronting column of each of the side frames, to provide for frictional control of the oscillations of the bolster supporting springs. The result is a railway car truck that requires fewer parts, thus being more economically desirable, but still possessing an effective arrangement for frictionally damping the oscillation of the truck springs, and without materially effecting the wear life of the springs.

15 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures TOWARD CENTER OF CAR PAIENIEBIM an m SHEEI 10F 2 TOWARD CENTER OF CAR FIG3 38 TOWARD 2O CENTER OF cm I8 20 32' F|G mvsmom JAMES A. SHAFER, DECEASED, BY RALPH PECKINPAUGH, EXECUTOR Y I 9 ATTOR EYS FIG.4

PAIENIEII m 30 m3.

SHEET 2 BF 2 TOWARD CE NTER m w /Y- Z *7 I I JIH/ w H .III. W,

R. m E v W.

JAMES A.'$HAFER, DECEASED, BY BY RALPH'L. PECKINPAUGH, EXECUTOR W, @000,

4W ATTORNEYS DAMPENED RAILWAY CAR TRUCK This invention relates in general to railway car trucks, and more particularly to a car truck wherein the bolster supporting springs are so arranged in conjunction with the spring seats on the side frame-and on the bolster so as to urge the bolster laterally into frictional engagement with the confronting column of the side frame for frictionally snubbing or damping the oscillations of the bolster supporting springs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In US. Pat. 2,125,275 issued Aug. 2, 1938 to E. G. Goodwin entitled Tilted Spring Snubber, there is disclosed a railway car truck in which the bolster supporting springs engage knife edges 12a extending transverse of the side frame and lengthwise of the bolster, and are tilted so as to urge the bolster against the confronting column of the side frame for frictional snubbing of the oscillations of the bolster supporting springs. Such an arrangement, however, causes comparatively severe stressing of the bolster supporting springs during the oscillations thereof, and results in a shortened service life for such bolster supporting springs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a railway car truck wherein the bolster supporting springs and associated spring seats on the side frame and bolster are tilted and so arranged so as to cause the bolster to be urged laterally into frictional engagement with a confronting column of each side frame of the car truck, and in a manner wherein minimum distortion of the bolster supporting springs occurs. In one embodiment, the underside of the bolster and the confronting upwardly facing portion of the side frame are provided with spring seats which are angled or tilted with respect to the horizontal and which are of adequate size to engage and support the full transverse engaging area of the associated springs. The column of the side frame confronting a side of the bolster may be likewise tilted with respect to the vertical in approximately the same direction, and degree as the springs, with the column engaging surface of the bolster being complementarily disposed for surface to surface snubbing or damping engagement with the angled confronting column, during vertical oscillation movements of the bolster supporting springs. In another embodiment, the spring seats on the side frame and on the bolster engaging in complementary recesses in the springs along the lengthwise axis of the respective spring, are rounded embossments. The confronting bolster engaged column of the respective side frame is likewise preferably tilted with respect to the vertical the same amount as the springs. However, in such arrangement, the columns of the side frame and the confronting friction surfaces of the bolster may be maintained substantially vertical so that as the bolster supporting springs urge the bolster laterally into engagement with the confronting column, the load force of the bolster is applied to the bolster supporting springs along the axial centers thereof, and frictional damping between the bolster and the engaged side frame columns occurs along a generally vertical plane during oscillating movements of the bolster supporting springs. The latter discussed arrangement results in some lateral distortion of the bolster springs.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a novel railway car truck.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel railway car truck wherein the spring seats for the coil springs of the bolster supporting unit are tilted with respect to the horizontal and in the same general direction so as to urge the bolster laterally against a confronting column of a respective side frame for frictional snubbing of the oscillating movements of the bolster during oscillating movement of the bolster supporting unit, and in any manner whereby lateral distortion of the coil springs is substantially eliminated or is materially reduced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a railway car truck wherein the coil springs of the bolster supporting unit are tilted a predetermined amount with respect to the vertical and wherein the column partially defining the bolster opening in the side frame is likewise tilted substantially the same amount, with the tilted springs urging the bolster into snubbing engagement with the confronting column, to snub the oscillations of the springs and bolster.

Another object of the invention is to provide a railway car truck wherein the coil springs of the bolster supporting unit are tilted with respect to the vertical and in a direction toward a column of the side frame of the car truck, for urging the bolster into frictional snubbing relationship with respect to the column during oscillating movement of the bolster supporting unit, and wherein projections are formed on the tension member of the side frame and on the underside of the bolster and are so disposed so as to be offset from one another and adapted for seating engagement with recess means associated with the springs and disposed generally axially thereof, for maintaining the springs in said tilted condition and for minimizing distortion of the springs during compression of the springs by the force of the bolster load.

Another object of the invention is to provide a railway car truck which will operate effectively to frictionally snub the oscillations of the bolster supporting unit of the car truck by urging the bolster into frictional coaction with a confronting column of the side frame, and wherein the car truck comprises fewer parts and is thus more economically competitive as compared to most prior art car trucks of such general type.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a reduced size generally diagrammatic plan view of a car truck embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a side frame and associated bolster of the car truck with both the coil springs of the bolster supporting unit and the friction column of the side frame being tilted with respect to the vertical, in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a generally diagrammatic fragmentary plan view of the tension member of the side frame of P162, illustrating the obliquely disposed or tilted spring seats thereon, and is taken generally along the plane of line 33 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows, the springs having been eliminated;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of one end of the bolster of the car truck of FIG. 1, taken generally along the plane of line 44 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows, and illustrating the tilted seats formed on the underside of the bolster, for maintaining and supporting the bolster springs in tilted condition;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, elevational view generally similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating a modified arrangement of tilted springs for urging the bolster laterally against the confronting friction column of the side frame, and wherein the side frame column in this embodiment is generally vertically extending for frictional snubbing along a substantially vertical plane rather that being diagonal as in the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a view generally similar to FIG. 3 showing the embossment seats on the tension member of the side frame for coaction with the recess means on the respective coil spring of the bolster supporting unit;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4 but showing the spring embossments on the underside of the bolster;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged top plan view of one of the spring cap members of FIG. 5 showing the aforementioned recess means therein;

FIG. 9 is a generally diagrammatic, reduced size, side elevational view of a further modification utilizing spring seats on the side frame and on the bolster of the general type of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2,

but with the side frame embodying the generally vertical columns of the FIG. 5 embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now again to the drawings, there is shown a car truck 10 comprising the spaced side frame members 12, 12a, a car body supporting bolster member 14, a bolster supporting coil spring group 16 associated with each side frame, and track engaging wheel and axle assemblies 18 mounted on the side frames 12 at axle journal boxes 20.

Each side frame 12, 12a comprises the usual tension member 20, compression member 22, and spaced

columns

24 and 26, connecting the tension and compression members and forming a bolster receiving opening 30 therewith. The lower ends of the

columns

24, 26 are spaced apart a greater amount than the upper portions thereof to form a widened lower portion 30a(FIG. 2) of bolster receiving opening. Bolster 14 extends into opening 30 in each of the side frames 12, 12a, and rests on a respective spring group 16 which is supported on spring seat portion 31 of the tension member 20. Adjacent their outer ends, tension and compression members 20, 22 merge to form in combination with the

columns

24, 26 spaced window openings 32 in the respective side frame.

Bolster 14 is provided adjacent both columns of the respective side frame with inner and outer guide lugs 33, which are adapted to overlap the portions of the

columns

24 and 26 that are disposed above the widened lower portion 30a of opening 30, with the lugs being of such a vertical dimension as to pass through the lower widened portion of opening 30, to permit the bolster to be inserted into and withdrawn from the frame during assembly of the truck and disassembly of the truck.

The bolster supporting spring group 16 comprises a plurality (seven in the embodiment illustrated) of coil springs 34, each of which may have an inner coil spring 34a (FIG. 2) associated therewith, for resiliently supporting the bolster of the car truck on the respective side frame.

Spring seat portion 31 of tension member 20 of the side frame comprises a plurality of raised embossments 36 defining a seat for the respective

spring coil assembly

34, 34a. Each spring seat embossment 36 comprises a top surface 36a which is oriented obliquely and sloped approximately 10 with respect to the horizontal in a direction toward the inner column 24 of the side frame. A central hub 38 may be associated with each spring seat embossment 36, which hub is adapted to enter in relatively close fitting relation the open end of the associated central spring 34a of each coil spring assembly and locate the respective coil spring assembly with respect to its associatd spring seat embossment. The bolster 14 is likewise provided with spring seat embossments 40 on the underside thereof (FIG. 4) which embossments are adapted to be aligned obliquely with a respective of the spring seat embossments 36 on the side frame, for providing an upper spring seat for the upper end of the respective coil spring assembly. Each spring seat embossment 40 on the bolster may likewise be provided with a hub 400 which coacts with the upper end of the associated inner coil spring of the respective coil spring assembly, for retaining and positioning the coil spring assembly with respect to the respective spring seat embossment. Each of the hubs 40a is adapted to be received in the confronting end of the inner spring of the respective spring assembly. The undersurface 42 (FIGS. 2 and 4) of each bolster spring seat embossment is likewise sloped downwardly with respect to the horizontal and preferably at an angle of approximately 10, and in the general direction of the inner column 24 of the side frame. It will be seen, therefore, that when the coil spring assemblies 34, 34a of the respective bolster support unit 16 are placed between the spring seats on the side frame and the spring seats on the bolster, that the spring assemblies are tilted at an angle of approximately 10 with respect to the vertical and in a direction longitudinally of the side frame toward the general location of the inner column 24 of the side frame.

In this connection, the right-hand portion (with reference to FIG. 2) of the bolster on its underside is thickened or sloped downwardly, as at 45, and preferably at an angle of approximately 10 with respect to the horizontal, with such sloped portion forming the spring seat for the right-handmost (with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3) of the coil spring assemblies, and therefore such portion is not provided with an embossment but the underside of the bolster itself forms the sloped spring seat for the upper end of the right-handmost coil spring assembly. A hub 40a (FIG. 4) may be provided on such sloped portion of the bolster, for coaction with the upper end of the respective coil spring assembly, for Iocating and positioning the upper end of the coil spring assembly with respect to'the bolster. As can be best seen from FIG. 4, the downwardly sloped portion 45 of the bolster intersects with the horizontal portion along a juncture line, as at 48, the latter being disposed in a plane which passes through the axes of a pair of the bolster embossment spring seats located in the outer most and the innermost of the groups of seats on the bolster.

The

columns

24, 26 of each of the side frames are likewise tilted with respect to the vertical, and with the inner face portions 50 of such columns being disposed at an angle of preferably approximately 10 with respect to the vertical. The inner face of inner column 24 has secured thereto a hardened wear plate 56, which may be attached as by means of welds or fasteners. The confronting face of bolster 14 may likewise be provided with wear plate 58, thereon, which is adapted for surface to surface frictional engagement with wear plate 56. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the inner face of the other or outer column 26 is spaced from the confronting face of the bolster, and ordinarily no engagement occurs between such faces, and therefore no wear plates are provided thereon.

With the coil spring assemblies of the bolster support unit on each side frame being tilted as aforedescribed, the wear plate 58 on bolster 14 is urged into frictional engagement with the wear plate 56 on the column 24 of the respective side frame, and therefore snubbing or damping of the oscillations of the bolster support units is effectively accomplished.

Since the seats on each side frame and on the bolster for the coil spring assemblies are sloped complementarily and since the side frame column 24 is likewise tilted the same amount with respect to the vertical, lateral distortion of the spring assemblies during downward movement of the bolster and associated loading of the coil spring assemblies is prevented, thereby providing a long service life for the bolster supporting spring units 16. At the bolster supporting units oscillate in service, the frictional engagement between the wear plates on the bolster and wear plates on the inner columns 24 on the side frames effectively damps the spring movement, providing a smooth riding car truck.

It is preferable that the bolster on each car truck of the railway car be urged in a direction toward the center of the car, as indicated by the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2, since the brake rigging on a car truck generally urges the bolster toward the center of the car when the brakes are applied, so as to maintain the frictional snubbing during braking operations.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 through 8, there is illustrated another embodiment of car truck wherein the columns 24', 26' of the side frames are generally vertical rather than being obliquely disposed as in the preferred embodiment. The bolster spring support unit 16 is tilted toward column 24 in a generally similar manner as aforedescribed in connection with the preferred embodiment. However, the spring seat embossments 36', 40 on respectively the side frame tension member and on bolster 14 in this embodiment do not encompass an area that is sufficient to completely engage the confronting end of the associated coil spring assembly, with such embossments being much smaller and being rounded at their distal ends and coacting in a complementary recess 60 (FIGS. 5 and 8) formed in a spring cap 62 associated with each end of each coil spring assembly 34'. I

Caps 62 are flanged as shown and are preferably assembled in snug fitting relation with the respective coil spring assembly. The tilt of the coil spring assemblies of the bolster support unit 16 causes the bolster to be urged longitudinally of the side frame and into frictional engagement with the friction plate 56 secured to the column 24. The bolster may be provided on its confronting face with a wear plate 58' attached thereto.

The force of the bolster is applied via embossments 40' to the respective underlying cap members 62 at the axis of the respective spring, and then the force is applied axially of the coil spring assembly to the embossment 36 on the side frame, coacting with the lower spring cap of the respective spring assembly. Since the bolster support unit 16 urges the bolster laterally into frictional engagement with the column 24', the oscillations of the springs of the bolster supporting unit 16 are effectively snubbed. Due to the fact that the force of the bolster is applied to or in the immediate vicinity of the axial center of the respective coil spring assembly of the bolster supporting unit, lateral distortion of the springs is minimized and a long service life therefor is insured. The axis of each spring assembly is preferably tilted approximately 10 with respect to the vertical, and as shown by the angle x in FIG. 5. It will be seen therefore that the embossments 40' on the bolster are offset longitudinally of the side frame with respect to the coacting embossment 36 on the side frame, to provide the aforementioned tilt of the spring assemblies. It will be noted that the spring seat embossments 36', 40' are not perfectly vertical extending, but instead project along the major axis of the respective coil spring assembly, and thus are tilted the same amount with respect to the vertical as are the axes of the spring assemblies 34'.

It will be understood that the FIGS. 5 through 8 embodiment could be provided with sloped or tilted columns on the side frame similar to the first described embodiment, to thereby substantially eliminate any distortion of the springs during oscillations thereof.

FIG. 9 discloses another embodiment wherein the spring seats 36" on the side frame and the spring seats 40" on the bolster 14" are of the general type of the FIG. 2 embodiment, or in other words comprise sloped embossments which are of adequate size to engage and support substantially the full transverse engaging area of the supporting springs, while the side frame column 24" which is adapted for snubbing engagement with the bolster, is generally vertical, similar to that of FIG.

5. In order to eliminate the necessity of having right and left hand side frames for each car truck, as may be necessary with a car truck of the first described embodiment (e.g., FIG. 2), and as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, with a car truck side frame of the vertical column type of FIGS. 5 and 9, the spring seat portion 31' having the side frame spring seats thereon can be made separable from the remainder of the side frame and subsequently attached thereto (as at 66 FIG. 6) and as by welds. Thus the separable spring seat portion can be reversed for one side frame as compared to the other side frame for a car truck, making it possible to use the same frame pattern for both left and right hand side frames. Such a removable spring seat portion having sloped spring seats could be utilized to convert existing car trucks, which generally conventionally embody vertical columns, to the tilted supporting spring arrangement of the present invention, utiliz ing of course a bolster of the presented type.

From the foregoing description and accompanying drawings it will be seen that the invention provides a novel railway car truck in which the bolster is urged against a confronting column of the side frame to provide for frictional control of the oscillations of the bolster supporting springs, and in a manner wherein substantially no distortion of the bolster supporting springs occurs or wherein any such distortion is minimized upon compression of the springs, for providing for a longer service life to the bolster supporting units. Moreover, the number of parts of the car truck is maintained at a minimum to make a more economically desirable car truck, and one that possesses a frictional snubbing arrangement, for effectively snubbing the oscillations of the bolster unit of the car truck.

The terms ans expressions which have been used are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of any of the features shown or described, or portions thereof, and it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway car truck, a side frame including spaced columns, a bolster, spring means supporting said bolster on the side frame, means on the bolster adapted for guiding the latter as it moves in response to expansion and contraction of said spring means, said spring means being tilted with respect to the vertical, at least one of said columns on said side frame being tilted in the same general direction with respect to the vertical as said spring means, said spring means urging the bolster against said one column for accomplishing frictional snubbing of the bolster movement.

2. A car truck in accordance with claim 1 wherein said spring means is tilted at an angle of approximately with respect to the vertical, and the bolster engaging surface of said one column is tilted a like amount.

3. A car truck in accordance with claim 1 wherein the side of said bolster which is disposed in confronting relation to said one column of said side frame is obliquely arranged complementary to the tilt of said one column.

4. A car truck in accordance with claim 1 including wear plate means on said one column adapted for coaction with confronting wear plate means on said bolster, for frictionally snubbing said bolster movement.

5. A car truck in accordance with claim 4 wherein said wear plate means on said one column is of a greater vertical dimension than said wear plate meanson said bolster.

6. A car truck in accordance with claim 4 wherein the other of said columns on said side frame is tilted substantially the same amount and in the same direction as said one column, said other column being adapted to be spaced from the confronting side of said bolster during oscillating movement of said bolster.

7. A car truck in accordance with claim 1 including spring seats on said side frame and on said bolster, said spring seats being inclined at a predetermined angle to provide for said tilted positioning of said spring means.

8. A car truck in accordance with claim 7 wherein said bolster comprises a substantially horizontal section on the underside thereof and an obliquely disposed section forming a junction boundary therewith, certain of said spring seats on said bolster being disposed on said horizontal section and oriented obliquely with respect thereto, other of said spring seats being disposed so as to extend between said horizontal section and said obliquely disposed section, and another of said spring seats being provided by said obliquely disposed section.

9. A car truck in accordance with claim 7 wherein said spring means comprises a plurality of spaced coil spring assemblies, each of said assemblies comprising an outer relatively heavy spring and an inner lighter spring disposed in axial alignment with the outer spring, said inner spring being adapted to generally center said outer spring with respect to the respective spring seat, and means on said bolster and said side frame coacting with the respective spring seat for releasably coupling said spring means to said bolster and to said side frame.

10. A car truck in accordance with claim 7 in combination with a railway car, said spring means and said one column being tilted longitudinally of said side frame toward the direction of the center of said car.

11. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising tension and compression members merging adjacent the ends of the frame, said frame having a bolster receiving opening, and spaced columns extending between said members and defining said opening, a bolster extending into said opening, a plurality of coil spring means supporting said bolster on said tension member, means on said bolster for guiding the latter with respect to said columns as said bolster moves in response to expansion and contraction of said spring means, said spring means being tilted with respect to the vertical in the general direction of one of said columns, spring seat means on said tension member and on said bolster operative to maintain said spring means in said tilted position whereby said bolster is urged longitudinally of said side frame against said one column for accomplishing frictional snubbing of the bolster movement, said spring seat means comprising spaced projections adapted to engage a respective confronting surface of said spring means substantially only at the major axis of the respective spring means and wherein each of said spring means includes end cap members each of which comprises said respective confronting surface, said cap members each having a centralized recess therein formed complement-ary to the respective of said projections, and receiving the latter therein in bearing relation.

12. A car truck in accordance with claim 11 wherein said projections on said tension member are offset longitudinally of said side frame in a direction away from said one column, and with respect to said projections on said bolster.

13. A car truck in accordance with claim 11 wherein each of said cap members includes depending side flange means receiving the respective spring means in close fitting relation.

14. A car truck in accordance with claim 11 wherein said spring seat means are separately formed from said side frame, and means attaching said spring seat means to said side frame.

15. In a railway car truck a side frame comprising tension and compression members merging adjacent the ends of the frame, said frame having a bolster receiving opening, and spaced columns extending between said members and defining said opening, a bolster extending into said opening, a plurality of coil spring means supporting said bolster on said tension member, means on said bolster for guiding the latter with respect to said columns as said bolster moves in response to expansion and contraction of said spring means, said spring means being tilted with respect to the vertical in the general direction of one of said columns, plural spring seat means on said tension member and plural spring seat means on said bolster operative to maintain said spring means in said tilted position, whereby said bolster is urged longitudinally of said side frame against said one column and in a direction toward the center of an associated railway car for accomplishing frictional snubbing of the bolster movement, each said spring seat means including a generally planar spring abutment surface adapted to engage the contaching said spring seat means to said side frame, said spring seat means on said tension member being reversible for one side frame as compared to the other side frame of said car truck for maintaining urging of both ends of the bolster longitudinally in the same general direction and thus eliminating the necessity of having right and left hand side frames for the car truck.

Claims

2. A car truck in accordance with claim 1 wherein said spring means is tilted at an angle of approximately 10* with respect to the vertical, and the bolster engaging surface of said one column is tilted a like amount.

5. A car truck in accordance with claim 4 wherein said wear plate means on said one column is of a greater vertical dimension than said wear plate means on said bolster.

11. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising tension and compression members merging adjacent the ends of the frame, said frame having a bolster receiving opening, and spaced columns extending between said members and defining said opening, a bolster extending into said opening, a plurality of coil spring means supporting said bolster on said tension member, means on said bolster for guiding the latter with respect to said columns as said bolster moves in response to expansion and contraction of said spring means, said spring means being tilted with respect to the vertical in the general direction of one of said columns, spring seat means on said tension member and on said bolster operative to maintain said spring means in said tilted position whereby said bolster is urged longitudinally of said side frame against said one column for accomplishing frictional snubbing of the bolster movement, said spring seat means comprising spaced projections adapted to engage a respective confronting surface of said spring means substantially only at the major axis of the respective spring means and wherein each of said spring means includes end cap members each of which comprises said respective confronting surface, said cap members each having a centralized recess therein formed complementary to the respective of said projections, and receiving the latter therein in bearing relation.

15. In a railway car truck a side frame comprising tension and compression members merging adjacent the ends of the frame, said frame having a bolster receiving opening, and spaced columns extending between said members and defining said opening, a bolster extending into said opening, a plurality of coil spring means supporting said bolster on said tension member, means on said bolster for guiding the latter with respect to said columns as said bolster moves in response to expansion and contraction of said spring means, said spring means being tilted with respect to the vertical in the general direction of one of said columns, plural spring seat means on said tension member and plural spring seat means on said bolster operative to maintain said spring means in said tilted position, whereby said bolster is urged longitudinally of said side frame against said one column and in a direction toward the center of an associated railway car for accomplishing frictional snubbing of the bolster movement, each said spring seat means including a generally planar spring abutment surface adapted to engage the confronting surface of the respective spring means across substantially the full extent thereof, each said abutment surface of said spring seat means being tilted a like amount with respect to the horizontal so as to maintain said spring means in said tilted position with respect to the vertical, and in the general direction of said one column, said spring seat means on said side frame being separately formed from said side frame, and means attaching said spring seat means to said side frame, said spring seat means on said tension member being reversible for one side frame as compared to the other side frame of said car truck for maintaining urging of both ends of the bolster longitudinally in the same general direction and thus eliminating the necessity of having right and left hand side frames for the car truck.