Rail roads and their tracks.

   / Rail roads and their tracks.
  • Thread Starter
#2,451  
Seems I read somewhere that the gauges in main or central Europe are mostly standardized but as you head east, they are not.
 
   / Rail roads and their tracks. #2,453  
Then you have gauge and type, like adhesion, funicular, rack-and-pinion(cog) etc.
Switzerland itself is a hodge podge of types and gauges.
Some compatible with other countries, some only local.
Many based on a small area, like the cog rails.

en.wikipedia.org

Rail transport in Switzerland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
   / Rail roads and their tracks. #2,454  
Here is another interesting fact about rail gauge. The railroads do rail spreading in the curves. That is to accommodate the tapered wheel design as the flange of the wheel contacts the outboard rail of the curve due to the tapered wheel design. This allows for differential movement of the solid axle design. If I remember correctly it is like 3MM per degree of curve. Another thing this helps with is on a 3 axle design truck, and or C type truck. The end axles, 1 and 3, on a C truck lets say have .75" lateral clearance. The middle axle, 2, on this same C truck will have like 1.5". This is necessary for curving so that truck axles do not run out of lateral clearance in a curve and try to derail the truck/ locomotive due to no lateral clearance. There are B B - B B design locomotives , B trucks are 2 axle design, that incorporate span bolsters on each end. This allows an 8 axle locomotive to curve without derailing. One locomotive builder had a 4 axle design rigid truck/ 8 axle locomotive that spent more time on the ground that on the rail. I think these locomotives were used in Brazil.
 
   / Rail roads and their tracks. #2,455  
Interesting video. I remember when this happened.

 
   / Rail roads and their tracks. #2,456  
ArlyA said:
Seems I read somewhere that the gauges in main or central Europe are mostly standardized but as you head east, they are not.
Click to expand...

As you head east, there’s never been any reason.

Edit- it’s a joke.
 
Last edited:
   / Rail roads and their tracks. #2,457  
oldtimer 66 said:
Here is another interesting fact about rail gauge. The railroads do rail spreading in the curves. That is to accommodate the tapered wheel design as the flange of the wheel contacts the outboard rail of the curve due to the tapered wheel design. This allows for differential movement of the solid axle design. If I remember correctly it is like 3MM per degree of curve. Another thing this helps with is on a 3 axle design truck, and or C type truck. The end axles, 1 and 3, on a C truck lets say have .75" lateral clearance. The middle axle, 2, on this same C truck will have like 1.5". This is necessary for curving so that truck axles do not run out of lateral clearance in a curve and try to derail the truck/ locomotive due to no lateral clearance. There are B B - B B design locomotives , B trucks are 2 axle design, that incorporate span bolsters on each end. This allows an 8 axle locomotive to curve without derailing. One locomotive builder had a 4 axle design rigid truck/ 8 axle locomotive that spent more time on the ground that on the rail. I think these locomotives were used in Brazil.
Click to expand...
Union Pacific's GE U50 locomotive had a B-B B-B truck arrangement.
1677288334865.png


The DDA-40X had 4 axle trucks.

1677288469918.png
 
   / Rail roads and their tracks.
  • Thread Starter
#2,458  
I really good video on defect detectors on CSX trains and he included there history, and how they work.
 
   / Rail roads and their tracks. #2,460  
I remember in the seventies we made numerous equalizers as shown on the U50 B trucks plus other equalizes for other equalized designed trucks. There was a C truck design for export locomotives that had the equalizer primary suspension. The equalizers held the primary suspension and the spring plank the secondary suspension on the trucks. The operations on the equalizers were burn, drill, precision burn and blend and grind. I looked up the info on the internet on the U50 and it also had span bolsters at that time. If you notice the brake rigging is clasp type with probably iron shoes although I could be wrong on that. Most of our export locomotives at that time had iron shoes and clasp brakes. Overseas the composite brake shoes were difficult for the countries to acquire.
 
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