Locomotive Axle Boxes

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RET
Posts: 960
Joined: Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:36 am
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Locomotive Axle Boxes

Post by RET »

Hi,

Axleboxes need to be able to float and tip. If they can't, the wheels won't stay on the track. If the axleboxes are free to move, the car, tender, locomotive or whatever will follow the track perfectly. It will bounce and weave all over, but it won't come off. For the most part, our tracks are not as good as the real thing, so more travel is necessary.

When we first got Big Boy, the tender axleboxes were tight and couldn't tip or move at all. The tender wouldn't even stay on a 4 foot long piece of straight track when it was pushed slowly along. After I took everything apart and freed the axleboxes up the way they should be, it now stays on a 60 foot piece of track in the back yard with no problem. I can shove the tender down the track as hard as I can; it bobs and weaves all over, but it always stays on.

Just what I've found out by experience.

Richard Trounce.
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Bill Shields
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Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:57 am
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Re: Locomotive Axle Boxes

Post by Bill Shields »

TOTALLY CORRECT...which is one of the reasons I have 'ears' only on the outside of the boxes...it is easier to make things 'loose' by removing material on two areas instead of 4
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
BClemens
Posts: 475
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2016 10:04 pm
Location: Gloucester, VA (Sassafras)

Re: Locomotive Axle Boxes

Post by BClemens »

Thanks again!
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LVRR2095
Posts: 1688
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:50 pm
Location: Maine, USA

Re: Locomotive Axle Boxes

Post by LVRR2095 »

RET wrote:Hi,

Axleboxes need to be able to float and tip. If they can't, the wheels won't stay on the track. If the axleboxes are free to move, the car, tender, locomotive or whatever will follow the track perfectly. It will bounce and weave all over, but it won't come off. For the most part, our tracks are not as good as the real thing, so more travel is necessary.
The late Carl Purinton when talking about his experiences on full sized steam locomotives once told me that "they run best when they are completely worn out.....but not quite!"

Keith
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