Boltless adjustable rail brace assembly with internal vertical restraint

A rail brace assembly adapted for use with a switch brace plate having a seat for receiving a stock rail, the stock rail extending along a longitudinal axis, 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 first inclined segment extending from the wedge-contacting wall;
• a first generally vertical segment projecting upwardly from the first inclined segment;
• a second inclined segment extending from the first generally vertical segment;
• a second generally vertical segment projecting upwardly from the second inclined segment, and
• 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;
• and
• 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;
• a laterally extending rib projecting downwardly from the underside of the upper wall, the rib having horizontally extending wings projecting from its lower end;
• a stop connected to the brace plate, the stop being spaced laterally from the rail, the brace plate being disposed between the stop and the rail;
• a wedge disposed between the stop and the rail brace, the wedge, when being 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 portion,
• the stop includes a wedge-contacting wall that faces the wedge 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 portion of the wedge being convex and the other of the wedge-contacting wall of the rail brace or the rail brace-contacting portion of the wedge being concave, the convex and concave portions 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 portion 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 portion 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;
• and
• a block connected to the brace plate, the block having:
• an upper wall disposed beneath the upper wall of the rail brace;
• a laterally extending slot that opens through the upper wall, the slot being of a size and shape to receive the rib;
• and
• a horizontally extending channel into which the slot opens, the channel being of a size and shape to receive the wings.