Abstract: A friction wedge for a railroad car truck including a body and a wear member. The body includes a front face having a pocket adapted to removably receive the wear member. The pocket includes a bottom wall and a peripheral side wall extending outwardly from the bottom wall. The wear member includes a wear pad having a first wall and a connector member such as an adhesive layer attached to the first wall. The connector member removably attaches the first wall of the wear pad to the body. The peripheral side wall of the pocket extends around a side wall of the wear pad and prevents lateral sliding movement of the pad member with respect to the bottom wall of the pocket. The wear pad includes a second wall that is adapted to slidably engage the side frame of a railroad car truck to provide dampened movement of the bolster of the truck. The wear pad may be easily removed from the pocket when worn and replaced with a new wear pad while the body may be reused.

Abstract: An improved railroad trackwork spring wing frog assembly having a selectively releasable hold-open subassembly for the spring wing rail is provided with a combined compressible shock absorber and compression spring that are functionally connected to the assembly spring wing rail and to the assembly base plate, and that function to generate an opposing force in connection with opening movement of the spring wing rail and an augmented force in connection with closing movement of the spring wing rail.

Abstract: A railroad trackwork frog assembly is provided with a base plate, a spring wing rail supported by and movable laterally relative to the base plate, and a hold-down subassembly attached to the spring wing rail and to the base plate, the hold-down subassembly comprising, in combination with a horn housing, a horn element having a cross-section area moment of inertia about a transverse horizontal axis intersecting the cross-section area center of gravity that is smaller than the cross-section area moment of inertia about a transverse vertical axis intersecting the cross-section area center of gravity.

Abstract: A pedestal rocker seat arrangement adapted for use in connection with the side frame of a railway truck and with a roller bearing adapter member. The pedestal rocker seat includes an elastomeric pad adapted to be placed within the pedestal roof cavity of the pedestal of a side frame. The pad includes a base member adapted to engage the pedestal and a generally pyramidal-shaped projection extending downwardly from the base member. The pedestal rocker seat also includes a rocker member having a top side including a generally pyramidal-shaped cavity adapted to matingly receive the pyramidal-shaped projection of the elastomeric pad. The rocker member also includes a convex generally cylindrical-shaped curved rocker surface that is adapted to contact the roller bearing adapter member. The pedestal rocker seat provides resistance to hunting and passive axle steering for improved curving.

Abstract: A coupler pivot pin and retention clip assembly for a railroad car coupler adapted to pivotally connect a knuckle of the railroad car coupler to a body of the railroad car coupler. The pivot pin assembly includes a pivot pin having an elongate shank having a head at one end and a groove formed in the shank at a second end. A circular retention clip member is adapted to be selectively retained within the groove and to the shank to prevent removal of the pivot pin from the coupler. The retention clip member includes a generally circular band having a respective tab extending generally radially outwardly from each end of the band. The band is resiliently flexible from a relaxed position, wherein the band is adapted to be retained in the groove, to an expanded position, wherein the band has an enlarged diameter allowing the band to be removed from the groove and the pivot pin so that the pivot pin may be removed from the coupler, by manually pressing the first and second tabs together.

Abstract: A drill bit casting comprising a casting material, an insert having a base, a tip and a side wall surface, and a sleeve including a bottom wall, a peripheral side wall and a chamber formed within the side wall. The base of the insert is located within the chamber of the sleeve such that the peripheral side wall of the sleeve extends around and engages the side wall of the insert and such that the tip of the insert protrudes from the chamber beyond the side wall of the sleeve. The casting material is cast around and contacts the exterior surface of the sleeve. The sleeve insulates the insert from direct contact with the casting material such that the insert remains below its sinter temperature during the casting process.

Abstract: A method of making a heat treated steel casting comprising the steps of taking an "as-cast" steel casting comprising not more than 0.2% carbon, a total alloy content of less than about 4%, a carbon equivalent, as herein defined, lying in the range 0.45-0.7 and cooling the casting after performing the casting operation and then performing a heat treatment operation by re-heating the casting to a temperature above the AC.sub.3 temperature to homogenize the casting, then cooling the casting to an inter-critical temperature lying between the AC.sub.3 and AC.sub.1 temperature and then quenching to room temperature.

Abstract: A roll control mechanism for use with a swing motion railway car truck. The control mechanism comprises a transom stop adapted to be attached to the transom of the truck. The transom stop includes a convex cylindrical surface having a tip that is adapted to engage a bolster stop attached to the bolster of the truck to limit lateral movement of the side frames of the truck. The convex cylindrical surface of the transom stop provides a low point of contact between the tip of the transom stop and the bolster stop thereby reducing the magnitude of the overturning movement created by such contact.

Abstract: .[.A method and apparatus for enclosing, controlling and suppressing the detonation of explosives in an explosion chamber is disclosed. The device comprises an elongate double-walled steel explosion chamber anchored to a concrete foundation, and having a double-walled access door for charging new workpieces, and a double-walled vent door for discharging the products of the explosion. The double walls of the chamber, access door and vent door are filled with granular shock damping material such as silica sand, and the floor of the chamber is covered with granular shock-damping bed such as pea gravel. Along the outside of the chamber are steel manifolds from which a linear array of vent pipes penetrates the double walls of the chamber, with each pipe terminating in a hardened steel orifice through which the explosion combustion products pass. Within the chamber, plastic polymer film bags containing water are suspended from steel wires over the explosive material, and at each end of the chamber..]. .Iadd.