Boltless adjustable rail brace assembly with external vertical restraint

A rail brace assembly adapted for use with a switch brace plate that supports a stock rail, the stock rail extending along a longitudinal axis and having a neutral axis located a predetermined distance above the brace plate, the assembly comprising:

• a rail brace disposed adjacent the rail, the rail brace lying atop the brace plate, the rail brace having:
• first and second side walls, the side walls being generally parallel with each other, each side wall having a first segment in contact with the brace plate, a second segment in contact with a lower portion of the rail, and a third segment in contact with an upper portion of the rail;
• an upper wall extending between the first and second side walls, the upper wall including:
• a generally horizontal segment extending from the wedge-contacting wall;
• a first inclined segment projecting upwardly from the generally horizontal segment;
• a second inclined segment extending from the first inclined segment;
• a third inclined segment projecting upwardly from the second inclined segment;
• the intersections between each of the adjacent segments being smoothly contoured;
• an inclined wall in contact with the upper portion of the rail, the inclined wall extending between the side walls and forming an extension of the upper wall;
• a wedge-contacting wall opposite the inclined wall, the wedge-contacting wall extending between the side walls and forming an extension of the upper wall;
• and
• an opening in the upper wall, the opening being in the form of a generally rectangular window that opens through the generally horizontal segment and the first inclined segment;
• a stop connected to the brace plate, the stop being spaced laterally from the rail, the rail brace being disposed between the stop and the rail;
• a wedge disposed between the stop and the rail brace, the wedge, when moved longitudinally of the rail, causing the rail brace and the stop to be moved away from or toward each other, the wedge having a rail brace-contacting wall,
• the stop includes a wedge-contacting wall that faces the wedge and the wedge includes a stop-contacting wall, and a longitudinally extending groove is formed in a selected one of the wedge-contacting wall or the stop-contacting wall;
• a longitudinally extending tongue projects from the other of the wedge-contacting wall or the stop-contacting wall, the tongue being of a size and shape to fit snugly within the groove while permitting the wedge-contacting wall and the stop-contacting wall to engage each other in substantial surface-to-surface contact;
• a selected one of the wedge-contacting wall of the rail brace or the rail brace-contacting wall of the wedge being convex and the other of the wedge-contacting wall of the rail brace or the rail brace-contacting wall of the wedge being concave, the convex and concave walls being configured so that they are in substantial surface-to-surface contact with each other;
• the wedge-contacting wall of the stop is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the rail;
• the stop-contacting wall of the wedge is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the rail;
• the rail brace-contacting wall of the wedge is smoothly tapered at a pre-determined angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the rail so that the wedge has a larger end and a smaller end;
• the wedge-contacting wall of the rail brace is smoothly tapered at the pre-determined angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the rail;
• a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings in the tongue, the openings being located toward the smaller end of the wedge if the tongue projects from the wedge and at the larger end of the wedge if the tongue projects from the stop;
• a shear member adapted to be disposed in a selected one of the openings when the wedge is tightly compressed between the stop and the rail brace, the shear member preventing the wedge from being moved relative to the stop;
• a clip housing having first and second ends, the first end being generally L-shaped and connected to the brace plate and the second end extending through the opening in the upper wall, the second end having a longitudinally extending bore;
• and
• a resilient clip having:
• first and second legs that are generally parallel with each other, the first leg being extending through the bore and the second leg being in contact with the upper wall at a vertical location above the neutral axis of the rail;
• a laterally extending segment that extends from one end of the first leg,
• a longitudinally extending segment that extend segment that extends from the laterally extending segment and is in contact with the generally horizontal segment of the upper wall;
• a curved segment that extends from the longitudinally extending segment and is connected to the second leg;
• and
• the second leg is in contact with the second inclined segment of the upper wall.