Model Train Journal

Okay. I take it back.

Got sucked in, over there. I think I have to evacuate.

I "roughed out" an SP R-90-1 tender while we were jousting - maybe I should share . . .

bob turner wrote:Thank you - for the link and for all the work that goes into that magazine.
Glenn can probably answer a question I have had for a while - does the lead truck on the ancient 4-4-0s have any side play, or does it just rotate on its kingpin?

From Glenn:

Bob

From what I have read the idea of the lead truck on a 4-4-0 was to provide a three point suspension like a three leg stool. Go back to my article and look at the drawing. On the C&NW lead trucks they had a center bearing like a freight car only larger in diameter. The male and female parts are on the drawing towards the left side of the drawing. Some years ago I was building a 3" - 1' model of this locomotive and my friends were doing a CB&Q locomotive. When we looked into it we noticed the CB&Q used a female casting on the truck that was a cone and the male part on the locomotive was a point with a blunt round end. This was a true three point suspension as the lead truck only made contact at the center. In both arrangements the truck could only turn on a single axis. These trucks are also not connected to the rest of the locomotive suspension like a two wheel truck or more modern four wheel lead trucks.


Hope this helps. Let me know. Talk to you soon.

Glenn

Kind of what I suspected. Do you think that the later closer-coupled 4-4-0s had lateral motion on the lead truck? Thanks.

bob turner wrote:Kind of what I suspected. Do you think that the later closer-coupled 4-4-0s had lateral motion on the lead truck? Thanks.

Bob

I'm not sure when the swing motion came into being on lead trucks. At some point the lead truck was part of the active suspension on the drivers and the swing motion may have come around the same time.

Glenn