Patent ID: 7275487

Claim:
A constant contact side bearing assembly adapted to be arranged in combination with a railcar bolster having an upper surface and a walled receptacle fixed to and upstanding from the upper surface of said bolster, said side bearing assembly comprising: a spring; a body member having two longitudinally spaced upstanding ends arranged on opposite longitudinal sides of a recess wherein said spring is accommodated, with said body member being configured to fit within the walled receptacle on the upper surface of said railcar bolster such that an open-top opening is defined between an exterior of the body member and an interior of said walled receptacle; an apparatus insertable from the open-top of and into the opening between said walled receptacle on said bolster and said body member to secure said body member against horizontal and vertical movements relative to said walled receptacle; and a friction member having a generally flat railcar engaging surface portion and structure depending from said generally flat railcar engaging surface portion, and with said friction member overlying one end of and for transmitting loads to said spring, and wherein the depending structure of said friction member includes longitudinally spaced generally vertical depending ends, with the longitudinal spacing between said generally vertical ends on said friction member being generally equal to the longitudinal spacing between generally vertical inner surfaces on the upstanding ends of said body member such that, when the body member and friction member are operably assembled, the generally vertical ends of said friction member slidably engage with and slidably move along the generally vertical inner surfaces defined by the upstanding ends of the body member so as to allow the flat railcar engaging surface of the friction member to vertically move while the unstanding ends of the body member and depending structure on the friction member operably cooperate to inhibit substantial longitudinal shifting movements of the friction member relative to said body member during operation of said side bearing assembly.