Truck Safety Chains

[Anonymous]

Can anyone comment on the application of safety chains to the trucks of tenders, engines, and cars. How widely were they used? What were their advantages and disadvantages?

[markpierce]

The chains were meant to minimize the lateral movement of the trucks so even if there was a derailment, the train wouldn't come apart and go every which way. They were sometimes on locomotive tenders

[BigBlueConrail]

I know that some saftey chains are use to help apply emergency brakes if a locomotive lost braking power.

[marknewton]

Really? Care to expand on that?

[Anonymous]

Perhaps BBConrail has in mind handbrake links or early efforts at mechanical braking? Marknewton has my meaning. Chains were affixed, usually at each corner, between truck frames and the car body, especially on tenders. In a derailment, the chains would limit slewing and hold the wheels close to and in alignment with the rails. Short wheelbase tenders, often top heavy and subject to water surging about in the tank, were prone to derailments, so became candidates for chains. Yet many tenders did not have them. That seems odd. Did chains bind too often on curves, so induce derailments? Did they delay parting of the air hose, and thus delay an emergency brake application, until the derailed wheels found a switch point to pick? Otherwise, it seems strange to me that such an economical safety device was sparingly applied. Would not the chains also hold the trucks on the cars, not have them fly off to do more harm in a bad wreck? If they worked well, why not always have them?

[ndbprr]

Safety chains were only on tenders and passenger equipment from what I have been able to determine. That inlcudes REA and other freight cars like mail and storage used in passenger service.

[tomikawaTT]

Safety chains were applied to trucks on passenger equipment to keep the wheels more or less parallel to the car center line in a derailment situation. The same applied to tender trucks, especially on higher-speed locos.

Compare photos of passenger derailments with photos of freight derailments (where the unchained trucks are free to separate from the cars.) Passenger equipment usually remains parallel to the rails, which means the cars take most of the stress parallel to the underframe. Freight cars tend to accordion, and end up with a dozen cars side by side (by top, by bottom) atop about three carlengths worth of thoroughly torn up rail/roadbed.

Some tender trucks lacked safety chains because some truck designs aren't compatable with them. There must be a place to attach the chain which is clear of brake rigging and will not allow the chain to rub on the wheel in normal operation. There must also be something solid to which the car end of the chain can be attached. True Vanderbilt tenders, with their circular-cross-section tank bottoms, are a real challenge in this department.

Chuck

[lwolohon]

As far as I can tell, truck safety chains were used to keep the trucks attached to the car when a derailment occurred. They were used on tender trucks, passenger cars & some express cars. Even my models of GN steamers with Vanderbilt tenders, brass by W&R and Challenger imports have chains on their tender trucks.

[Anonymous]

I`ve in all my perusing of railroad anything never seen any written standard as to safty chains or any guiedlines as to application.Is there anything in writing?

[gmpullman]

Nearly all passenger equipment also had a locking center pin or "king pin" which prevented the truck bolster from separating from the bolster plate. Freight cars relied on about a 3" tall center pin and the trucks were only held in place by the gravity of the car on the bolster plate.
Once the brake rigging was disconnected a freight car could be raised and the trucks would stay on the rails. This simplified truck repair on the RIP track.

[ATSF-3751]

Last year while visiting Fairplex park in Pomona, California, I spent a lot of video on thier Big Boy (which has been beautifuly restored (externaly) I was intrigued to see chains running from the front of the pilot truck to the frame. Now I know what they were.
Thanks guys!
Bob