02-28-2009, 11:27 AM
That is a pretty nice source. I think a little bit of the info on dates is slightly off (Vulcan trucks were in service in the teens)...but it is an excellent, concise source. It provides excellent directions.
For a really thorough discussion, especially for the fabricated truck era, obtain a copy a John H. White Jr's American Railroad Freight Car....my local library has it, as do many university libraries.
Trucks can be broken into two classes: cast and fabricated. Fabricated trucks dominated the 19th century. Cast trucks dominated the 20th century. While most modelers pretend that all wooden cars road arch bar trucks, there was actually a greater variety in fabricated trucks than cast.
Trucks fabricated out of wood and metal are great for models from the beginning until around 1880. Metal fabricated trucks were dominant from 1880 until around the 1920s. Cast trucks with friction bearings dominated throughout the super power era.
It is worth noting that the Colorado & Southern ng switched to cast trucks (Bettendorf) in 1907. Only the very first EBT steel cars were not built with cast (Vulcan) trucks...and the EBT put rolling bearings under an 1870s (or 1880s?) coach before WW2 for use with their doodlebug.
As a side note, US railroads stayed with cast iron wheels for far longer than our European counterparts. Far longer. We really developed that technology far beyond what could have been imagined when other countries began switching to steel.
For a really thorough discussion, especially for the fabricated truck era, obtain a copy a John H. White Jr's American Railroad Freight Car....my local library has it, as do many university libraries.
Trucks can be broken into two classes: cast and fabricated. Fabricated trucks dominated the 19th century. Cast trucks dominated the 20th century. While most modelers pretend that all wooden cars road arch bar trucks, there was actually a greater variety in fabricated trucks than cast.
Trucks fabricated out of wood and metal are great for models from the beginning until around 1880. Metal fabricated trucks were dominant from 1880 until around the 1920s. Cast trucks with friction bearings dominated throughout the super power era.
It is worth noting that the Colorado & Southern ng switched to cast trucks (Bettendorf) in 1907. Only the very first EBT steel cars were not built with cast (Vulcan) trucks...and the EBT put rolling bearings under an 1870s (or 1880s?) coach before WW2 for use with their doodlebug.
As a side note, US railroads stayed with cast iron wheels for far longer than our European counterparts. Far longer. We really developed that technology far beyond what could have been imagined when other countries began switching to steel.
Michael
My primary goal is a large Oahu Railway layout in On3
My secondary interests are modeling the Denver, South Park, & Pacific in On3 and NKP in HO
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My primary goal is a large Oahu Railway layout in On3
My secondary interests are modeling the Denver, South Park, & Pacific in On3 and NKP in HO
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