Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron61
Wes & Bill,
I have a question. The railroad runs about 3/4ths of a mile from my house and every once in a while I will hear a train go by with a wheel bearing screaming so loud that you can hear it all the way up into the canyons. Now I know from my uncle that used to work on the railroad that they can seize and cause problems. But the nearest rail yards that I am aware of are in Roseville, several miles South of here and I am not sure if there is one this side of Portland or not. So what happens if one of those bearings does seize while out in the canyons?
Ron  |
What you are probably hearing is a flange dragging. The trucks on the railcars are connected pivot-wise to the spine frame by a bolster pin. It is similar to a fifth wheel on a truck/trailer and the term may even be derived from such, 4 wheel bearings and a fifth bearing bolster. A lot of our language came from early rail terms.
Often the pin is not well lubed causing the truck wheels to resist steering. This causes the wheel flange to drag on the side of the rail during any small curvature. Normally the wheel faces are slightly tapered to cause them to seek center on the pair of rails. The flange is only to prevent derailment when the self-centering fails. In extreme cases, the flange climbs the rail and a derailment does result.
Old cars are harder to pull because of worn, dry pins and worn wheel taper. An engineer familiar with his territory knows this because a greater throttle notch (for the weight) than normal is required. It is always a concern whether some sticking brakes are dragging or flanges drag around curves. Curves are the key, since the drag is worse. Sticking brakes also pull hard in a straight line.
If a wheel bearing is actually squealing, check your trusty American Flag to observe wind direction. All the worst stuff in the world goes by rail. If you see a cloud, you will know which way to go. That's do what we do. Run. Sure, we are supposed to be ready to furnish the Hazmat Response Team info on what-is-where on the train, but we may be faced with carrying our light coffee thermos as opposed to the heavy paperwork.
Experienced teams know we will be on an upwind hill about 2 or more miles away. That is if they can find us. Our new portable radios no longer reach 2 miles, not even a train-length. Maybe on a hill away from metal. Then we could tell them where the paperwork is. Or was ...in case of locomotive fire. All this is pre-planned by government agencies as well as they do for hurricanes.
Your house is three quarter mile away? Have you considered investing in some handy bed-side gas masks and rubber suits? Me either. I live less than a half mile away.
Wes
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