Rail brake element

A rail brake element, for use in rail brake buffer blocks, comprising a pair of clamping plates extending about a rail head from each side and supported against its top surface, which clamping plates are clamped against the rail head by a clamping device including a clamping bolt and a spring assembly, and include at its portion below the rail head a brake lining portion of rigid friction material for engagement with the rail head, characterized in that the brake lining layer (38,40) engages the rail head (14, 16, 22) by means of a raised portion (44) of wear material having a static friction coefficient smaller than that of the brake lining layer (38,40), the brake lining layer, the wear material constructed and arranged to engage the rail head for a single engagement (38, 40) contacting the rail head only after the raised portion of wear material has been worn away by frictional engagement with the rail head.