RAILCAR CONSTANT CONTACT SIDE BEARING ASSEMBLY

A constant contact side bearing assembly for a railcar including a housing with wall structure and a multipiece cap. The cap is arranged in operable combination with the housing and includes a first member and a second member carried by the first member. Either the members of the mulitpiece cap or separate structure on the cap members or housing facilitate vertical reciprocatory movements of the cap members relative to the housing. A spring resiliently urges the cap members toward railcar body structure. The cap members define cooperating angled surfaces therebetween for urging wall structure on the first and second members in opposite horizontal directions and toward frictional engagement with the wall structure on the housing in response to a vertical load acting on a friction contacting surface on the cap. The friction contacting surface on the second member establishes a proper coefficient of friction with the railcar body structure. An apparatus, carried by the cap members, allows the cap members to horizontally slide relative to each other while limiting vertical separation of the cap members relative to each other during operation of the constant contact side bearing assembly.