Boyd Have any of the locomotive companies made an articulated diesel? Like a DD40x but bendy. Would it make maintainance any easier?
Have any of the locomotive companies made an articulated diesel? Like a DD40x but bendy. Would it make maintainance any easier?
GE made the U50 for UP. It had B+B-B+B wheel arrangement. The span bolster trucks apparently came from earlier gas turbine engines.
EMD's TR-model locomotves were, as far as I know, all drawbar-connected "cow-and-calf" locomotives. It made more sense to replace the drawbars with ordinary couplers, but I know that one of CGW's TR2s had drawbars as recently as 1971, when I worked with it (others had been separated). But there was rarely a need to produce a diesel in a long-enough carbody that had to be kept straight, as was necessary for a steam locomotive's firebox/boiler/smokebox assembly.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
To me - drawbar connected and articulated are totally different animals. Articulated is two carbodies sharing a common truck at their coupling - the original Zephyrs were articulated.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
More parts, espicially moving or "bendy" parts, mean more maintenance and repairs.
"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
GM's early road diesel, the FT, was often built in A-B sets connected with drawbars.
erikem The Baldwin centipedes were articulated, but most diesels used individually pivoting trucks.
The Baldwin centipedes were articulated, but most diesels used individually pivoting trucks.
I think that is what we see on almost every train these days... two Dismals connected together, but they don't bother with a drawbar between them, just use normal couplers, makes maintenance so much easier to be able to replace the half in need of maintenance and keep the other half in service.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
While not actually articulated, The New Zealand Railways 1000 HP DJ class, built by Hitachi (I think) had three two axle trucks with the centre one free to move laterally in curves.
A couple of these are preserved on the Taieri Gorge Railway, and the running through curves feels a bit odd with all the trucks moving a little.
The Trains tour in October will be going there.
Of course, with a truck where the fuel tank should be, you have to find somewhere else for the fuel.
M636C
Modeling the "Fargo Area Rapid Transit" in O scale 3 rail.
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