A brake shoe includes a backing plate configured to interface with a brake head of a vehicle. The backing plate includes a main body and a flange attached to the main body and configured to align the brake shoe on a wheel of the vehicle. The brake shoe also includes a composition friction material disposed on the backing plate, which defines a brake surface for engaging the wheel. The brake shoe may have one or more dimensional characteristics for facilitating alignment of the brake shoe with the wheel, e.g., a ratio of a shortest horizontal distance to a shortest vertical distance of the brake shoe may be at least 1.07 and no more than 1.25, or a ratio of a length of the main body of the brake shoe to a length of the flange may be at least 1.3 and not more than 1.7.

Various embodiments provided a railroad car brake beam wear guide for mounting in a brake beam guide bracket of a railroad car truck side frame and including a spacer that partially defines a slide-way for a brake beam lug of a brake beam and that limits lateral movement of the brake beam. In various embodiments, the wear guide can be employed for other uses besides for railroad cars.

A wheel includes a boss, a rim, and a web. The rim includes a tread and a flange. The web connects the boss and the rim. When the wheel is viewed in its longitudinal section, the web has a linear plate-thickness center line that is inclined such that the plate-thickness center line approaches the flange side as it extends outward in a radial direction. When the wheel is viewed in its longitudinal section, an outer end of the plate-thickness center line is positioned between the flange and a center of the tread in an axial direction of the wheel.

Various embodiments provided a railroad car brake beam wear guide for mounting in a brake beam guide bracket of a railroad car truck side frame and including a spacer that partially defines a slide-way for a brake beam lug of a brake beam and that limits lateral movement of the brake beam. In various embodiments, the wear guide can be employed for other uses besides for railroad cars.

The wheel is for a railway vehicle that travels on a rail. The wheel includes a wheel tread, a flange and a throat portion. The wheel tread is provided at an outer circumferential portion of the wheel. The wheel tread faces a head surface of the rail. The flange is provided at the outer circumferential portion of the wheel. The flange projects further outward than the wheel tread in the radial direction of the wheel. The throat portion connects the surface of the flange and the wheel tread. The throat portion has a protrusion. The protrusion projects to the rail side. The protrusion extends along the entire circumference of the throat portion.

Various embodiments provided a railroad car brake beam wear guide for mounting in a brake beam guide bracket of a railroad car truck side frame and including a spacer that partially defines a slide-way for a brake beam lug of a brake beam and that limits lateral movement of the brake beam. In various embodiments, the wear guide can be employed for other uses besides for railroad cars.

The wheel is for a railway vehicle that travels on a rail. The wheel includes a wheel tread, a flange and a throat portion. The wheel tread is provided at an outer circumferential portion of the wheel. The wheel tread faces a head surface of the rail. The flange is provided at the outer circumferential portion of the wheel. The flange projects further outward than the wheel tread in the radial direction of the wheel. The throat portion connects the surface of the flange and the wheel tread. The throat portion has a protrusion. The protrusion projects to the rail side. The protrusion extends along the entire circumference of the throat portion.

Various embodiments provided a railroad car brake beam wear guide for mounting in a brake beam guide bracket of a railroad car truck side frame and including a spacer that partially defines a slide-way for a brake beam lug of a brake beam and that limits lateral movement of the brake beam. In various embodiments, the wear guide can be employed for other uses besides for railroad cars.

A wheel includes a boss, a rim, and a web. The rim includes a tread and a flange. The web connects the boss and the rim. When the wheel is viewed in its longitudinal section, the web has a linear plate-thickness center line that is inclined such that the plate-thickness center line approaches the flange side as it extends outward in a radial direction. When the wheel is viewed in its longitudinal section, an outer end of the plate-thickness center line is positioned between the flange and a center of the tread in an axial direction of the wheel.