Dual face friction wedge

A railroad car truck including a pair of side frames and a bolster extending .therebetween, a friction wedge for use in damping relative movement between said bolster and one of said side frames, a pocket in facing portions of one of the bolster and side frames, said wedge including a body formed and adapted to be positioned in the pocket said body having friction surface means, formed and adapted during normal use, to be in frictional contact with a wear resistant surface on the other of said side frame and bolster, means for concentrating at least a portion of the load applied by the friction surface means to the wear resistant surface onto an area of the friction surface means furthest from the axis of side frame/bolster warp movement to thereby increase the resistance to side frame/bolster warp movement, said concentrating means including a recess in said friction surface means, intermediate the lateral sides of said wedge, which recess extends the full height of said wedge friction surface means and divides the area of contact between said friction surface means and said wear resistant surface into spaced inboard and outboard areas.

A railroad car truck damping system including a bolster having at least one bolster pocket with an interior slanted wall, a friction wedge positioned within said pocket, said wedge having spaced body portions integrally joined by an intermediate connecting portion, each of said body portions having a friction surface formed and adapted during normal use to be in frictional contact with a side frame, a space in said wedge between said body portions, and a retainer extending outwardly from said bolster pocket slanted wall into said wedge space for preventing lateral movement of said wedge relative to said bolster pocket.