Patent ID: 8104590

Claim:
A railcar brake head comprising: a rigid elongated member having an upper end, a lower end, and a pair of sides extending between said ends, with said member further including an elongated concave keyway defining an elongated axis and opening to said upper and lower ends of said member, with at least a portion of said keyway being defined between a rear wall of said member and spaced upper and lower lugs transversely extending between the sides of said member, with a front surface of each lug being adapted for mounting engagement with a rear face of a brake shoe, and with the spacing between said upper and lower lugs being such that a keybridge extending from the rear face of said brake shoe is received and accommodated therebetween whereby inhibiting endwise movement of said brake shoe relative to said brake head, and wherein an upper end of said upper lug is configured with a vertically elongated camming surface slanting in the insertion direction of an elongated key and toward the elongated axis of said keyway for guiding and facilitating movement of a free end of said elongated key downwardly past said upper lug whereby facilitating movement of the elongated key into proper locking relation with the keybridge of said brake shoe, and with said upper and lower lugs having an asymmetrical configuration relative to each other.