Do modern freight cars have 33" or 36" wheels? and if 36" wheels are the exception, what sorts of cars have them? (i.e. Auto carriers, etc)?
Both sizes are common, Autoracks will have small wheels to lower the car, also they are light weight. Cars rated for 286,000 lbs loaded weight will have 38" wheels. The heavier the loaded weight the larger the diameter of the wheels to increase the size of the contact patch.
I see. Can you give me examples of cars typically outfitted wiith larger wheels?
38" wheels – any 286K rated car, such as coal hoppers, coal gondolas, and covered hoppers, and the center trucks on multiple-well double-stack cars.
S. Hadid