If you want to hold up a train, you will need a few of these. This truck had been removed from a flat car at the Danbury Railway Museum for reconditioning. It is now back on (or under) the fully restored car. [ 23. May 2003, 20:11: Message edited by: Peirce ]
Watash Remember when you had to set cars out because of hot boxes?? I have had to stop many a train because of this. That is what this picture reminds me of. Peirce. This is really a great photo of this truck. You just don't see this many packed bearings any more if at all.
Thanks Pierce, I hadn't realized it until now, but I haven't seen one of those old bolted dudes for years! How would you like to be aboard a car zipping down the track at today's speeds on that truck? Bolts coming loose, brasses squealing like a banshee, smoke pouring out the waste box! Yeah Dick I remember seeing these glow a dull red at night as a train was rolling into the yard! I remember adding waste to a bunch of them. For you younger guys who may not know what waste is; it is shredded cloth ravellings like a hand full of threads all tangled up, that was very absorbent. On this kind of truck, each end of an axle was polished smooth with a "Nail Head" on the outer end to keep the end play out of the axle. A half round Tobin bronze bearing sat on top of the axle to carry the load. There was no bottom bearing, just a pocket, or sump to hold 240 weight high pressure sulfur base bearing oil. It was almost like tar when really cold in the winter. The wadding waste would be soaked in 90 weight, like truck differential oil, to act as a wick to carry the heavier oil up to the bearing. As the bearing got hot from friction, the heavy oils would thin down, unlike the thixatropic additives in your oils of today. Out in the flat lands where the Frisco used to let her rip, the hot boxes would sometimes get hot enough to soften those little bars you see comprising the frame of the truck, and it would sag under the load. If one of these bearings happened to sieze up, it simply rolled up those bars like a clock spring, and they had to gather up the car from a wheat field after the prairie fire. My dad was a master bearing smith for Peerless Bearing and Babbit Co. and cut the oiling grooves inside many of those type bearings. How many of you know how to do that today? Its a good job, they are still needed to re-bearing ships! Do you notice the flat rail looking things on top of the truck bolster? There is another rail on the bottom of the car that will come to rest on this rail if the car tips too far over to one side. These had to be greased or the truck would "POP" when it tried to turn at a switch. Later, better and heavier service trucks were equipped with a roller that is captured in a pocket. The car frame pad rides on that roller when the car leans over on a curve or tilted track. The tonnage of the car would not allow a truck to rotate enough to go around a curve or switch, so the roller carries that weight, and provides means for the truck to turn the corner with no friction. Pretty neat design back then, and there were no computers to figure it out either! Did you notice that little bitty King Pin sticking up out of the center pivot? WOW! The web design of those wheels would never pass inspection for rail service today either. That straight web built up stresses and cracked, breaking the wheel. Remember the flange keeping the wheel on the rails, is only one inch high! ( That is .0114" in HO and .0062" in N!) How long are your flanges? OOPS! I estimate that truck is probably only rated at 25 tons, maybe 30 at most. Do you know what each 4 wheeler is rated at today? Pay attention, there will be a test later! HA! (I'm sorry my ball bearing jaws got in gear and ran away again!) [ 24 April 2001: Message edited by: watash ]
We have two trucks just like this under an ancient caboose at the Yreka Western here in northern California. We still pull that old crummy with our steam loco during the summer months. Thanks for all the info Watash .. I always enjoy reading and learning.
these days a roler bearing truck is rated for like from 70tons up to 100 ton. I heard of 125's being developed for auto racks and ore train service.
Here is the truck shown at the top of this thread back under its flat car. [ 23. May 2003, 20:13: Message edited by: Peirce ]
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gregg Mahlkov: That's an "arch bar" truck. This type of truck was forbidden in interchange service by the ICC in 1938. Cabooses generally were not interchanged. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Great call Gregg , BTW , when you say ICC do you mean Illinois Central ?
ICC is the Interstate Comerice Commision. it was disbanded in the early 90s and controled vertually all aspects of RRs and other Interstate related items.
Posted by Watash: Could it be that the wheels are much newer than the frame? I had thought the ribbed-back wheels were old, and made of cast iron. Cast iron tends to become more brittle when it gets hot. Hence the need for cooling fins or ribs. The newer steel wheels did not need the ribs for cooling. I believe the ribs also added strength. Some of these wheels look to be hollow, like in this picture. This next picture shows the two types of wheels side-by-side. Also, in the foreground you can see the size of the flange that Watash mentioned. [ 23. May 2003, 20:34: Message edited by: Peirce ]
Here is a good example of a Bettandorf truck with roller bearings. [ 23. May 2003, 20:15: Message edited by: Peirce ]
It is not very often we can get a good look at locomotive trucks. Here are the trucks that belong under the Danbury Railway Museum's RS-11. This first picture is after they were unloaded from a flat car and are back on the rails. Here is a closer look at one of the trucks as it is being lowered onto the rails. [ 23. May 2003, 20:38: Message edited by: Peirce ]
This was a very educational post! I enjoyed reading and studying the pictures. Now I am ready for the test
The Test: What are the Standards of the following axle: This includes total weight on rail, nominal capacity, limits of wear and dimensions-new. AAR (M.C.B.) Rule #86 dated Jan., 1951 Have fun!
There is a discussion on trucks started in the Inspection Pit. I am bringing this back to the top here to make it easier to make reference to the information in this thread.
Thanks Pierce, I read the thread again and still found it fascinating. Strange to see posts by a certain long-gone person, though Very interesting insights from Watash, as always
Now that I have brought this thread back to the top of the stack, I hope others will contribute pictures of various truck types. One of the goals of this forum it to serve as a resource for our modeling community. I noticed that one particular name when I also reread the postings here. I haven't seen much from him anywhere else either, except for that one board. [ 15. June 2003, 19:24: Message edited by: Peirce ]
I got 2 pictures of trucks not seen much anymore.... Tender trucks, 3 axle 6 wheeled "CommonWealth" trucks.. ENJOY!
