Center Supported Bond Joint

A rail joint assembly, comprising:

• two abutting railroad rails;
• a rail joint bar attached to the abutting railroad rails, the rail joint bar including a body having a front surface and a back surface and defining a head section, a web section depending from the head section and a base section depending from the web section;
• the web section having a plurality of holes defined in the body, wherein the holes are adapted to receive fasteners for securing a rail joint bar to two abutting railroad rails;
• an adhesive sandwiched between the back surface of the body of the rail joint bar and the two abutting railroad rails;
• and
• a center support sleeve sandwiched between a center portion of the back surface of the body of the rail joint bar and the two abutting railroad rails, wherein the support sleeve is adapted to spread the impact loads of rail cars away from the center portion of the rail joint bar.

A method for securing two abutting railroad rails, comprising the steps of

• joining two railroad rails end to end;
• positioning an electrically-insulating spacer between the ends of the two railroad rails positioned end to end;
• placing an adhesive on a surface of a rail joint bar;
• positioning a center support sleeve on a center portion of the surface of the rail joint bar;
• and
• attaching the rail joint bar having the adhesive and the support sleeve to the railroad rails via a fastener, wherein the sleeve is sandwiched between the railroad rails and the rail joint bar.