Why does 611 need new front wheels?

Now why would you think the wheels that are responsible for guiding a half-million pound machine into curves, flanges pressed up tight against the rail head, wouldn't wear out?? Not to mention becoming dished beyond the ability to true them up.

 

That article is definitely misleading. Solid wheels like that are still being made today --it definitely would not be difficult to cast new solid engine truck wheels for the J.

 

Most of the chrome on the engine has been redone

 Bumpers, or grille??

 

Correct. Wonder where they get all those big 42" and 44" wheels on the current AC traction diesel units. However, I don't think wheels are "cast" any longer. Last I remember the modern wheels are Wrought Steel.

Thanks. How are they formed? By forging?

Yes, forged.

Thanks for the answers.  

This work was to be performed on the 611 during the winter of 94'-95' but with the ending of the program it never was done. 

The only casting done on solid train wheels in the last 100+ years is the pouring of the initial billet.  Here's a clip from "How It's Made" where the visit the Standard Steel Works in Burnham, PA. 

 

 

 

Jan

 

Hotwater,

 

I know what cast steel is but I am not familiar with wrought steel.  What is that process?

 

thanks,

Ed

I thought that video, posted above, explained it very well.

I am sorry - i did not notice the video icon. It does explain it perfectly.

 

thanks.

Ed

Railroad wheels are made using both cast and wrought methods. For cast wheels google Griffin Wheel Company. They make about 1,500,000 wheels each year for both locomotives and freight cars from cast steel. It is an interesting process where they force the molten steel into the bottom of graphite molds under pressure.  When the mold is full a ceramic plug is placed in the center to keep the steel from running back out. Because of the precession of the graphite  mold, wheels go into service with the only machining being the boring of the hole for the axle.  

That was an amazing video on wheelmaking! Thanks.

That video clip was shot in a factory in Burnham, PA. I would bet that they don't work in kilograms, centimeters and meters in that factory. They work in pounds, inches and feet.

 

I really enjoy the "How It's Made" series, but this clip was different. The female narrator and the metric nonsense makes it less enjoyable. It almost seemed "dumbed down" from their usual standards.

 

It also grates on my nerves when I hear the term "train wheel" instead of "railroad wheel."

"How It's Made" is a Canadian show. I believe Canada is on the metric system. If so, the Canadian audience can probably relate to metric terms regardless of what they are using in the factory.

R&N 425 just got brand new lead truck wheels last year, so its definitely a thing that can be done.

 

Why does the sex of the person have any relevance? Why would a female voice be any less enjoyable than a male?

 

Here is the brochure for the SD80MAc it is completely metric:

http://www.progressrail.com/cd...80ACe_ENG_A4_Web.pdf

The SD70ACe and SD70M-2 were in Imperial Units, but every other locomotive brochure was in SI units.

Most people in the world have absolutely no problem with the International System of Units.

Just my opinion, but the female voice is indeed MUCH more "enjoyable". However, in this instance, she just doesn't seem to lend that "feeling of credibility" toward such a technical subject. Again, in my opinion, this was no different than those "entertainment" female side-line reporters on televised NFL Football games, i.e NO credibility!  

thank god all my railroad videos[ some 200 of them] are narrated by a male. the guy that narrates pentrex  has a voice that is pleasing to the ear.

 

i got to agree with rich on this one . could you stand female football play -by- play?uurrrhh-jim

It's not the sex of the narrator more than it is her style of speaking. The fella that has narrated this show for years was very easy to listen to. This woman...not so much. Part of the problem is what was written for her to say. The script was a bit too "simple" for me I guess.

 

I expected more from this show. If this is the direction it's headed, I don't think I'll be watching as often as before.  

 

 

EDIT: I'm sorry...I hijacked this thread. Let's get back to the subject of the OP's post.

The N&W Class J's have 36" engine truck wheels. These are a special design of hub and plate but they are available on special order. The N&W trued these wheels one time when in service and then they were replaced with new wheels. The tight, high speed suspension of the Class J's did not allow the wheels to wear any smaller. Considering the mileage the J's put in, this had new engine truck wheels in the engine every other month! The 35-1/2" wheels removed from the J's were then installed on Class K 4-8-2's and were further trued several more times.

Getting new wheels really shouldn't be that difficult.  Even ol' number 7 at the (defunct) laurel highlands rr got a new lead axle set one year.  (altough it had more to do with a substitute firemen not knowing where all to oil than actual wear from use. )

 

Made for an interesting project.  Sorry no pics from the event.  We dropped the drawbar and all the connections to the tender, dropped off the cowcatcher from the pilot, chocked the rear wheels, and jacked up the front of the little beast until she looked like she would take off like a rocket.

 

Once the new axle set came in, me and a partner spent 8 hrs lapping the bronze bushings to the new axle by hand.  Each side got hot once and after that she settled in nicely with no more problems.

 

 

The Standard Steel plant in Burnham was once a Baldwin Locomotive Works property. They have a ring mill where they can make steam locomotive tires. At least it was there, but not being used,  the last few times I was in the plant.   At one time all of Baldwin's tires came out of this plant.  As you might guess there are a lot more steps to wheel and axle making than are shown in the video. She identifies the third shaping operation as where the hole for the axle is punched, but this is also where the wheel plate gets its curved shape.  This is a very versatile plant and it has made a lot of different products over the years. At one time they were making stainless jet engines parts for GE, making both the stainless steel and then finish machining it. But I think they found the high tonnage in railroad work to provide them with stable customer base. 

The engine truck "pilots" or leads the engine into curves and switches.  So I would guess that wear and tear would cause enough damage for replacement.

Absolutely.   In service the "J's" regularly turned in 15,000 miles per month.  Now that coupled with the terrain they operated in and the strong centering device would chew up wheels and as Gary stated they require frequent replacement.   The 611's engine truck was to be worked on during the 94-95 season but with the end of the steam program that obviously didn't occur.

And it looks as if these people are going to do 611 RIGHT!

Did you have any doubts?  Remember, this isn't the Union Pacific!

.....of course the engine could have requested it on its own.....

 

Train: "Help me Sparky, Help me Sparky"

Sparky: What's wrong?

Train: "Right front wheel, right front wheel"

 

....at least that's what came out of the Hi-Fi speakers when Dad played my favorite record for me way back when.....

Jan, regardless of what the above comments say, I enjoyed the video.  Thanks for posting.  Do you have a link to the video that I could send to some grandchildren?

I too found the reference to metric units in this video annoying. Having worked in engineering for almost forty years all my design work was in imperial (inch/pounds) units. Even thou school instructors and modern text books teach to metric units, in US industry imperial units predominate. Some industries do use metric units such as automotive.  A small US manufacture designing and manufacturing to hard metric units is going to find it expensive to do so.  I have nothing against the metric (ISO) system of units. I have worked on projects where we designed to hard metric units and found it to be far superior to imperial units, it’s just that in this country has and probably will never embrace it. The video gives the misleading impression that the railroad wheel industry is designing and manufacturing to metric units.

I still think in the US railroad wheels are sized in hard inch diameters. Notice in the video where the inspector is checking the sizes of the wheel. I wonder if that instrument he is using is reading in millimeters or inches?

 

Dave Eisinger