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Locomotives and rolling stock
I understand the naming of steam locomotives (0-4-2) but I am really confused as to the naming of desiel engines. I see some pass by my house with trucks of 4 or 6 wheels. Other then that, can someone explain the naming of them for me?
I really learned some new facts about the couplers you use on the other side of the Atlantic. Thanks.
Dale-
Some basic info for you about locomotive trucks.
The only freight engines being built today have six axles, divided between two trucks. A three-axle truck with a traction motor on each axle is called a C, so such a locomotive is technically classified as a C-C. (I say technically because railfans and modelers, while they should be familiar with the term, rarely use it.)
A truck with two axles and motors is a B. The only B-B engines built since the late 1980s (I think) have been switchers and passenger units for Amtrak and commuter lines. The last B-B freight units were EMD’s GP60 and the B40[something] from GE. There are still LOTS of these and older four-axle engines running around out there, though, on both the class 1 and small railroads.
Two other types you should know, although you won’t see them running around any more, are the D and the A1A. As you can probably guess, the D truck has four axles and motors. There is only one engine so equipped still in service today: UP 6936, which is now designated part of their historic locomotive fleet. The A1A has three axles, but the center is an idler, present only to spread out the weight of the engine (and/or improve the ride). The most common models these were on were EMD’s E series, the last bastion of which pulled commuter trains on BN out of Chicago until they were replaced by exceptionally ugly F40PH-2Ms. Canadian National has four (I think) Es in executive service, and Union Pacific has an ABA set of them.
(Okay, to be extremely technical, the latest units built by GE for BNSF aren’t really C-Cs, they’re A1A-A1As that have a mechanism to lift the center axle off the rail to boost tractive effort in certain conditions, thus changing into B-Bs. However, unless you know exactly what to look for (I don’t), they still appear to be standard C-Cs, so don’t sweat it.)
I hope this is helpful.
David
To my understanding, Diesel’s tend to be named according to individual manufacturer’s designations rather than any particular configuration.
Just getting into modeling railroads, I have quite a few older rolling stock with plastic couplers, I’m wondering you can convert those to the newer magnetic type. If so, what’s the best route to doing that? Thanks, Jory
Jory there are ways of modifying hook horn coupler on truck or Taglo if I am correct. To coupler on car but requires some modifications like melting a 2-56 nut into body where truck snapped in or you can get round styrene stock in the diameter needed and glue it in then drill and tap it. Then glue a coupler box to the bottom of the car and install coupler as directed, kadee also makes special coupler that will go into coupler on truck to covert them, the former requires you to replace the trucks there is also a way to remove the coupler mount on the truck and reuse them mrr had an article on it I’m remembering right also check out youtube.com several modelers on there have videos about it. I used a soldiering iron to melt a 2-56 nut in to the hole and chased the threads with a tap, then installed a set of kadee sprung trucks. Removed the flange on the end of the car that represents the coupler box and glued a kadee coupler box on with superglue and installed a kadee wisker coupler coupler. Then set the coupler and trip pin height.