Tender Chains

[Anonymous]

My Spectrum Ten Wheeler came with chains that need to be attached to the tender trucks. What is the purpose of these chains? The only thing I can think of is that they help keep the trucks aligned to prevent against derailments, and if that is the case why don't freight cars have them too? Thanks for the help everyone.

Dave

[Anonymous]

They are more or less for that reason, so the trucks don't come off in accidents.

Bob Boudreau

[dinwitty]

freight trucks are more common and replaceable. The engine you may have to run to the loko builder for another set.

[tomikawaTT]

You assumed, correctly, that truck chains are meant to keep the truck approximately parallel to the rails in case of a derailment. They are also found on passenger equipment.

Due to the difference in design, attaching chains to a freight truck without fouling the wheels is impractical. Also, in a serious derailment, keeping the trucks connected to the bottom of a rolled-over freight car would cause more problems than it would cure, especially if the only connections were a set of chains. (Having to handle a multi-ton trapeze suspended by chains could cause the derailment clearing crew to invent a whole new vocabulary!)

Chuck