I got a pickup truck I have to steer but I think the term has to do with a FoxValleyModels unit. Can you help a brother out!?
It's a relatively new form of truck used on AC4400s and others that increases adhesion to the rails. From: IEEE Xplore - Sign In Oh, you wanted that in "English"? sorry, can't help you.
Going out on a limb, but did you just say that the truck turns itself so that it flows through the curve better than getting shoved and slammed through it like the old 3axles sometimes are, especially in switches?
Would the front and rear axle on the truck move? The front one having one side of the axle move slightly forward while the back axle of the truck having one side move slightly towards the center?
The front and rear axles have some movement in the trucks. The axles therefore can steer into curves. This only applies to prototype units, not the models. On the fox valley units its just the style of the truck side frames.
The Hi-Ad Truck -> http://www.cprdieselroster.com/Roster%20Archive/CP%209500/CP%209516.htm The Steerable/(Radial?) Truck -> http://www.cprdieselroster.com/Roster Archive/CP 8500B/CP 8509.htm http://www.flickr.com/photos/33066796@N08/3136144841/ And a little info -> http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7395&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
Yeah, basically that is it. There is a steering rod attached to the front left of the number one traction motor and the right rear of the number three traction motor in the truck frame. As the loco rounds a curve, the rod(connected to another steering mechanism) slightly aligns the outer traction motors to the radii of the curve.
In easy terms the locos are getting bigger and bigger and so are they're trucks and wheels. So the manufacturers decided that making trucks that steer with the track is better since they reduce friction on the rails and the wheels.
Wouldn't they increase friction (in terms of adhesion) and reduce friction (in terms of lateral, non-productive wear)?
Yes, the power of the locomotive would be used to pull the train rather than force the flanges of the wheels against the rails.
Yes. On a solid 3-axle truck in a curve, the front outside wheel, center inside wheel and the rear outside wheel will exert lateral pressure on the rails in a curve. I think my bachmann engines have that feature due to the axles sliding back and forth.
From the EMD web site (http://www.emdiesels.com/emdweb/products/radial_truck.jsp) Conventional: Patented Radial Truck
GE's radial and conventional trucks are very visibly different, and the radial appears to only be offered on AC power. I've never noticed any such radical differences on EMD trucks, so does all EMD power including DC units now have radial trucks?
Not anymore... with the SD70ACe and the SD70M-2 the standard truck is the HTSC (non-radial bolsterless)... the HTCR-4 is a cost option
