I think I've finally got my e-mail program set up so that my messages will not get 'scrubbed' for their HTML crimes... We'll see with this one.
>Hi Group, >All full-size locomotives and freight cars most definitely have tapered wheels! The taper is 1 in 20, as set by the American Association of Railroads and strictly enforced by >the Federal Railroad Administration. Flat worn wheels cause severe truck hunting / shimmy, and are a red violation, meaning that the piece of equipment cannot be >operated except to the nearest repair point (at reduced speed!) until the defect is corrected. The FRA makes regular surprise inspections of railroad yards and trains, and >will "bad order" all defective equipment. There is a simple hand held tread gage that looks like a protractor for the purpose of measuring tread taper. >I'm a Locomotive Engineer for BNSF in Los Angeles, and at our Diesel Facility there is a wheel lathe whose sole purpose is to remove flat spots and restore taper to >wheelsets and traction motors. They turn hundreds of wheels per week. >Here is the specification for a prototype freight car wheel from Griffin Wheel's web site. Griffin is one of the largest wheel makers in the US, producing nearly ALL wheels >for TTX and BNSF: http://www.griffinwheel.com/onewear.asp >Here is the specification for a modern American diesel-electric locomotive powered wheelset, again from Griffin's site: http://www.griffinwheel.com/diesel.asp >Hope this clears things up... >Regards, >Jon >> The reason real railroads have eliminated the coned tread of locomotives is >> traction. The contact{ are} AREA is greater when the wheel is contacting >> the rail across the whole tread, where as the cone wheel has a very tiny >> contact area, which gives you a MUCH better chance to slip! >> > Amtrak and every Class 1 road in the US are buying > locomotives with cylindrical treads, and they run the Acela trains at 150 > miles per hour. > -- Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either. Leave me the hell alone. _______________________________________________ SSLiveSteam mailing list Send messages: [email protected] Cancel subscription: http://postfix.45mm.com/mailman/listinfo/sslivesteam Rules: http://www.45mm.com/sslivesteam_guide.html
