Good Morning [:D]
I have been banned from my basement layout [sigh] and A nice young Doctor want’s to sell me a new hip, so I’m reduced to mental rail roading, and harassing you guys.
When did railroads switch from the axle oil rag box to roller bearings?
I seem to remember seeing a box car that had the oil box cut off and roller bearing inserted into the old truck?
Any thoughts on the two questions?
Have fun.
Lee
You’ll probably get a faster and more accurate response to your quesitons by posting them on the TRAINS magazine forum instead of here.
Lee,
The ‘hip replacement’ is better than ‘knee replacement’ - You will feel so much better a month after the surgery. I have had both knees done over the past 6 years - A big difference. The key is to do the rehab!
Now, on to important stuff like trains. Roller bearing were required on new cars in 1963, and existing cars after 1972 with with 6 1/2" by 11"journals. By 1974 all cars with axle loading exceeding 55,000 lbs were required to have roller bearings. I remember seeing those conversion ‘kits’ about the same time. Roller bearings were first applied to passenger cars in the 20’s. Some freight cars got them by the 30’s, but it was the 50’s when they generally started to be applied to new freight cars.
Jim
To my knowledge the first US railroad to use roller bearings on rolling stock (passenger cars in this case) was the ATSF. The first railroad car to have roller bearings that i know of was a special demonstration boxcar commissioned by the Timkin Roller Bearing Company (later The Timkin Company) in 1943. It was first seen at the 1948 Chicago Rail Fair. The car’s trucks lacked the then common axle journal boxes, with the bearings mounted on the ends of the axles outside the wheels. As far as a mass changeover to roller bearings on all freight cars I’m guessing that began to occur in the 1960’s with plain bearing (journal bearing) trucks being converted to roller bearings. Effective Jan 1 1992 no railroad car (especially tank cars) carrying hazardous cargo could be equipped with ‘converted’ roller bearing trucks.
I know how you feel being banned from your layout due to physical problems. I can’t get to my layout because I can’t get into my home. Kinda hard to climb steps with one leg you know. My trailer was built in 1950 so it’s in no way ADA compliant! Until I get a prosthesis to replace the lower part of my right leg I’m stuck at my fathers place in a power chair. I have some locos and cars to work on but it’s a far cry from a layout.
Good luck on your hip rebuild.
I do remember seeing cars with roller bearings inside the original journal boxes. Evidently, there was some sort of conversion where the original side frames were used over with the box lids removed.
I went to work on the railroad in the early 60’s and by then rag “waste” had been outlawed for repacking journals. The lubricator pads were in use by then. We had a department that cleaned and reconditioned the old pads for reuse.
Charlie
Actually a lot of modelers is quite savvy about railroad history and general information after all we are emulating the prototype and have a need to know such things.
Thanks Guys for the encourgment.
After a week of my foot not touching the floor there is no pain but the Doc. is afraid the stress factures would shatter if I try to walk on it.
Jim, thanks
Jeff, I can understand your problem. Mine is nothing in comparison.
I knew there would be some “Old hands” that could give me the word. I had an Uncle that started fireing on the MoPac back during WW2 but he is long gone now.
WHERE DID SPELLCHECK GO? [:(!] I’m lost with out it.
Have a good day.
Lee
Spell check seems to be amongst the missing.
Sorry to hear of your trials and tribulations, and I second the motion for physical therapy. May be difficult and seem like a waste of time, but it is very effective and will ge you in “apple pie order” again sooner than later. Slow and steady wil bring you back to “better than new”.
I am trying to think of and researched, the time that the PRR {and/or other RRs} started replacing the rag journal lubrications. I am wracking my brain{the pea is still hurting now} as once, while on a history tour of Steamtown Historical Nat’l Park, we paused by a freight car and the docent gave a little history, showing us the rag journal box. He pointed out that the RRs were none to deterred from dropping the rags, as the poor people of the Great Depression had a habit of stealing the rags {loaded with flamable elements of course} and stealing off with them to start fires/keep them going to keep warm. The rags, gone missing, meant that fires were bound to break out form friction if the rags were missing and it was a tedious job to inspect all jouranls for rags before a train took off. I’ll be darned if he didn’t tell us exactly when they stopped, but the pea is still sore and smarting now.
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