List of railroad truck parts explained

A bogie or railroad truck holds the wheel sets of a rail vehicle.

Axlebox

An axlebox, also known as a journal box in North America, is the mechanical subassembly on each end of the axles under a railway wagon, coach or locomotive; it contains bearings and thus transfers the wagon, coach or locomotive weight to the wheels and rails; the bearing design is typically oil-bathed plain bearings on older rolling stock, or roller bearings on newer rolling stock.^[1]

Plain bearings are now illegal for interchange service in North America.^{[2] [3] [4]} As early as 1908 axle boxes contained a set of long cylindrical rollers allowing the axle to rotate.^{[5] [6]} It was also used on steam locomotives such as the Victorian Railways A2 class, the LMS Garratt, the LSWR 415 class, and the GCR Class 1.

Center pin

A large steel pin—or rod—which passes through the center plates on the body bolster and truck bolster.^[7] The truck turns about the pin, and stress is taken by the center plates.

Center plate

One of a pair of plates which fit one into the other and support the car body on the trucks allowing them to turn freely under the car. The one on the truck may also be called center bowl.^[8]

Truck side frame

The frame at either side of the truck.

Truck bolster

Each truck has a bolster—a transverse floating beam—between the side frames.^[9] It is the central part of every truck on which the underframe of the railcar or railroad car is pivoted through the center pivot pin.

Side bearing

There is one side bearing located on each side of the centerplate on the truck bolster. In case of a shared bogie on an articulated car, there are two on each side.

Brake rigging

The brake rigging includes the brake lever, the brake hanger, the brake pin, the brake beam and the brake shoes.

See also

• Axle track
• Ball bearings, or roller bearings, replaced journal bearings for interchange
• Glossary of North American railway terms
• Glossary of rail transport terms
• ICF Bogie
• Roller bearings, replaced journal bearings for interchange
• Rotation around a fixed axis
• Stuffing box
• Timmis system, an early form of coil spring used on railway axles.
• Train wheel
• Wheelbase
• Wheelset

Further reading

• US Army Field Manual FM 55-20, Figure 8-8, Department of the Army, Washington DC
• Car and Locomotive Cyclopedia 1970
• Book: Forney, Matthias N.. The Railroad Car Builder's Dictionary. 1879. Dover Publications.

External links

• Bogies/Trucks

Notes and References

1. Web site: Railroad Dictionary: J . CSX Corporation . CSX.com . 2012 . 15 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140729221255/http://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-csx/company-overview/railroad-dictionary/?i=J . 29 July 2014 .
2. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5245643 Car and Locomotive Cyclopedia 1969
3. Web site: AAR M-1003 Certified Truck Component Manufacturing. https://web.archive.org/web/20141112162356/http://www.columbuscastings.com/bolster_frames.html . 2014-11-12 . Columbus Castings . Columbus, Ohio. 19 November 2014.
4. Web site: General Information . Standard Car Truck Company . January 2000 . 19 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045504/http://www.sctco.com/pdf/sect_1.pdf . 4 March 2016 .
5. The Evolution of Railway Axlebox Technology. Evolution. SKF. 7 December 2010. 18 September 2014.
6. Web site: Glossary: A. Railway-Technical.com. Railway Technical Web Pages. 2014. 19 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141007220720/http://www.railway-technical.com/newglos.shtml#A. 7 October 2014. dmy-all.
7. Web site: Railroad Dictionary: C. CSX Corporation. CSX.com. 2012. 15 November 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150401203313/http://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-csx/company-overview/railroad-dictionary/?i=C. 1 April 2015. dmy-all.
8. Web site: APTA PR-CS-RP-003-98 Recommended Practice for Developing a Clearance Diagram for Passenger Equipment. APTA.com. American Public Transportation Association. 26 March 1998. 17 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150626173746/http://www.apta.com/resources/standards/Documents/APTA-PR-CS-RP-003-98.pdf. 26 June 2015. dead.
9. Web site: Railroad Dictionary: B. CSX Corporation. CSX.com. 2012. 15 November 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140729222810/http://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-csx/company-overview/railroad-dictionary/?i=B. 29 July 2014. dmy-all.