Low noise railroad retarder brake shoe structure

A low noise railroad car retarder brake shoe structure suitable for being supported by a plurality of adjacent brake beams arranged in tandem in the retarder for braking the wheel of a railroad car passing through the retarder along a rail, said structure comprising:

• a series of alternating long brake shoes and short brake shoes affixable to the brake beams, the length of a long brake shoe being such that said shoe symmetrically straddles two adjacent brake beams while leaving a space on the brake beam in the central portion thereof, the length of a short brake shoe being such as to occupy the space on the central portion of the brake beam between two long brake shoes;
• said long brake shoe being affixable to each of the adjacent brake beams at at least two points, said long brake shoes having braking surfaces containing a plurality of slanting slots opening therein, said slots being omitted in the central portion of said long brake shoe, said short brake shoe having a braking surface containing at least one slanting slot opening therein.