Patent ID: 8567571

Claim:
A friction rail skate comprising: a base having a front end and a rear end; a tongue having a toe front, a too rear, and a ramp, said ramp adjacent to said toe front; said base having a guide portion for supporting and frictionally steering along a rail and a gusset connection portion for cooperating with and detachably connecting said base to said tongue; said gusset connection portion on top of said pride portion; said tongue having a toe portion for receiving and engaging a railcar wheel and a tongue connection portion, said toe portion and said tongue connection portion adjacent to said toe rear for cooperating with and detachably connecting said base to said tongue; said guide portion includes a pair of guides on opposite sides of said guide portion and extending substantially directionally opposite said gusset connection portion and a top plate having a receiver; said tongue connection portion includes a wall, a receptacle, a cooling fin having a cooling fin front and a cooling fin rear, said cooling fin on top of said toe portion with said cooling fin front between said ramp and said cooling fin rear in said wall and substantially flush with said wall and said receptacle, and a hitch in said tongue connection portion for communicating with said receiver, said receptacle located between said hitch and said toe rear, said wall substantially adjacent to said receptacle and projecting upward substantially perpendicularly from said tongue connection portion; said gusset connection portion includes a gusset in said top plate for stiffening said base having a gusset slot for cooperating with said receiver and accepting said hitch, an incline having an incline top, said incline on top of said gusset for engaging and retaining a railcar wheel, and a post in said front end of said base and said gusset for communicating with said receptacle and said wall; said base detachably connected to said tongue.