An improvement in cast metal bolsters for railway trucks is disclosed. The bolster has a top wall, a bottom wall and sidewalls. All of the walls have interior and exterior surfaces. Two transverse ribs extend between the top wall and bottom wall and two spaced longitudinal ribs extend from the top wall to the bottom wall. The bolster has a top portion, a bottom portion, a central vertical longitudinal plane between the sidewalls and a perpendicular vertical transverse plane. The transverse ribs have opposite faces in the top portion and in the bottom portion. A vertical plane extends between the opposite faces of the transverse ribs in the top portion and in the bottom portion. The opposite faces of the transverse ribs in the top portion do not diverge from a vertical plane in the same direction and opposite faces in the bottom portion that do not diverge from a vertical plane in the same direction. The transverse ribs may have a vertical plane of symmetry. The bolster is made from improved cores, including a one-piece center core that has surfaces for defining the interior surfaces of the top wall, bottom wall and side walls. The bolster may have several ribs all of this configuration. By having ribs as described, the one-piece center core can be made and pulled from the core box without damage. Other improvements to bolsters, sideframes, and to cores and methods for making bolsters and sideframes are also disclosed.