was brought to my attention that caboose trucks always had leaf springs because they provdied a better ride,and because cabooses were lighter than the typical freight car .......true?
I'm not sure about weight being part of the reason, but yes, caboose trucks generally always had leaf springs.
Maybe I should clarify my statement a caboose would be lighter than a normally loaded freight car.
Maybe I should clarify my statement a caboose would be lighter than a normally loaded freight car.coiled springs being used for cars bearing heavier loads.
gn.2-6-8-0was brought to my attention that caboose trucks always had leaf springs because they provdied a better ride ...
I had read recently that caboose trucks are designed to provide a more comfortable ride for its occupants. They don't necessarily have to be leaf springs.
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
I would think the important factor here is that a "loaded" caboose only weighs a few hundred pounds more than an empty one. Unless, of course, you have an extremely obese crew.
Charlie
Yes, cabeese ran on leaf springs (mostly, there is an exception to every rule, but mostly) The friction between the leaves of the spring damped out the bouncing, like an automotive shock absorber does. The undamped coil springs on regular freight trucks would bounce quite a bit after each jolt.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Which means i'll have to check at least all my Athearn an my few MDC/Roundhouse way cars trucks as I'm sure they used the same trucks in their cabooses as their freight cars lol
gn.2-6-8-0coiled springs being used for cars bearing heavier loads
Didn't the drivers of most of the big steamers ride on leaf springs? That's about as heavy as a load gets.
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carl425 Didn't the drivers of most of the big steamers ride on leaf springs? That's about as heavy as a load gets.
Coil springs have a more linear rate capacity and no natural dampening. Since no one is supposed to be riding in an empty freight car, it matters not how smooth they ride empty, the springs are sized for the full load which, when loaded makes them ride smooth.
A caboose is like an empty freight car, and its variable load is a very small percentage of the car weight, so leaf springs provide both a smoother ride and better damping of shocks.
The leaf springs on a steam loco are like those on a large highway truck, they have a highly progressive spring rate. The further they travel, the more resistance they provide, at a rate that increases quickly - this is hard to do with a coil spring.
Additionaly the suspension of a steam loco links all the wheels together, or often into two groups, to evenly distribute the weight. The springs of each axle are linked together and to the frame in such a way as to transfer weight evenly to every axle on uneven track. The progressive nature of leaf springs is better for this.
It is worth note that many diesel loco trucks used leaf springs or a combination of leaf and coil springs, as did some passenger trucks.
Many tenders also had leaf spring trucks - the progressive rate here allowed the tender ride at nearly the same height, and with similar smoothness, when full or nearly empty - coal is heavy, and water even more so.
Leaf spings are more complex to make and maintain - one of the reasons they have been disapearing from the automotive/highway truck world in favor of other technologies.
Sheldon
G.N. "Arty,"
Yes, cabeese usually ran on "swing-motion" trucks, which usually used leaf springs, since swing-motion trucks provided a much smoother ride, but that was merely the outward sign---for cabeese, anyway. I think the leaf springs in tender trucks might just have been for the progressive springing to adapt for changes in weight. Swing motion trucks had an inner system with hangers that allowed slight sideways motion that really smoothed the ride, which is why they were sometimes used on refrigerator cars. Passenger trucks---and some tender trucks---also had equalizing systems (and possibly the same sort of inner hanagers for lateral motion. Passenger cars also had rubbing plates in contact with protrusions on the trucks, which needed greasing such as done on semi tractor-trailer fifth wheel bearings. And yes, frieght trucks had similar bearing surfaces, but you have to remember their tracks were better than ours. (Imagine the messes we'd have if our trucks were similarly equipped!)
Deano
On my chosen subject, the Northern Pacific, generally caboose trucks where Andrews Trucks with Leaf Springs. I have modified standard Andrews trucks with coil springs, by simply gluing a small rectangular piece of plastic into the location of the coils springs, to simulate the leaf spring sticking out from the truck's side. The glue used to secure this small plastic rectangle generally obscures the molded in coil springs and I think this has worked out o.k. and has saved the cost of buying new leaf spring trucks. If your a stickler for scale appearnce, disregard this suggestion and buy your new leaf spring equipped caboose trucks.
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
NP, rather a decent idea. Never thought of such a small detail modification. From any normal viewing distance, the chance would not be known.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org