Rail clip assembly and snap lock toe insulator for same

A rail clip assembly comprising:

• a rail clip having a base end, a toe end, a middle spring section having a recurving shape and extending between the base end and the toe end, and an insulator bore is formed in the toe end;
• a toe insulator including a pad having an inner pad surface in contact with the toe end, an outer pad surface having a rail contact face oriented diagonally relative to the toe end, and a locating projection extending upwardly from the inner pad surface through the insulator bore;
• the toe insulator further including a snap lock, separate from the pad, and structured to engage with the locating projection in a locked configuration trapping the locating projection in the insulator bore and locking the toe insulator to the rail clip;
• and
• the snap lock is deformable in opposition to an internal bias to adjust the toe insulator to an unlocked configuration permitting disengagement of the toe insulator from the rail clip.

A toe insulator for a rail clip comprising:

• a pad including an inner pad surface, an outer pad surface having a rail contact face, and a locating projection extending upwardly from the inner pad surface and including a first engagement surface;
• the pad further including a plurality of inner peripheral surfaces forming, together with the inner pad surface, an open-sided pocket for receiving a toe end of a rail clip;
• a snap lock having an insulator retention surface facing the inner pad surface at locations outboard of the locating projection, and a downwardly projecting prong including a second engagement surface;
• an axially extending lock bore is formed in the locating projection, and the downwardly extending prong is positionable in the axially extending lock bore to contact the second engagement surface to the first engagement surface;
• and
• the downwardly projecting prong is deformable in opposition to an internal bias to adjust the toe insulator from a locked configuration, where the second engagement surface is in contact with the first engagement surface for trapping the locating projection within an insulator bore in the rail clip, to an unlocked configuration where the snap lock is separable from the pad and the locating projection is removable from the insulator bore.