The eliptical is the spring that sticks out to the side in the middle of the truck. The thing that looks like a large stirrup step surrounding the part of the spring that sticks out is the hanger.
That is not a ‘spring hangar’, it is a swing hanger, the same thing referenced in ISH and OSH passenger trucks.
In fact, as I recall, the actual EMD name for the truck uses the words ‘swing-hanger’, as does their name for Martin Blomberg’s A-1-A passenger truck.
This is part of the secondary suspension (the primary is via helical springs above the axleboxes). A number of full-elliptic springs side-by-side bear on the truck bolster at the top, and on the swing-hanger perch (the part that is broken out on the model truck in the picture) and this provides both the riding quality and the tolerance to lateral shock that these trucks are renowned for. The pivots for the swing hanger are carried high on the truck frame, as far outboard as possible, which greatly increases both stability and return to lateral centering.
Some later variants use different methods of providing this secondary suspension, and it’s an interesting thing to study. My advice is to post on RyPN and ask Preston Cook to answer the proper-name-for-the-truck question again (or refer to a definitive post referencing it). I suspect Dave Goding, who posts over on the Trains Magazine forum, is as good a reference source as Mr. Cook in this matter.
