Those designs would certainly make brake shoe inspections a lot easier. On most freight trucks today, the brake shoes are almost completely obscured by the truck frames.
Interesting!
I wonder if the sheer expense of re-equipping compounded with the Great Depression caused the PRR to shelve the idea? It seems like it had real promise.
Or may be it was just ahead of it's time?
The Pennsy knew a little something approximately 90 years ago. They created an experimental bogie which was ahead of its time (here's a link to view it). You'll notice it has an inside frame instead of the curent outside frame which is currently the standard. Tapered roller bearings were just coming onto the scene, and this bogie had them albeit axle equipped. However industry wide adoption had not taken place.
Fast forward to 2021.. Tapered roller bearings are the norm and anything else is uncivilized. 90 years ago Pennsy knew lighter bogies were a benefit. Looking at the truck above you'll notice the decreased bolster size. Which tends to be one of the heavier components in a bogie. Back in 2019 a small startup named Advanced Truck Systems created a newer concept of the inframe bogie. The difference is the ATS bogie is a 2-piece bogie, versus today's and Pennsy's experimental 3-piece.
A 2-piece bogie holds many advantages over the current design. Better curvability, tracking, lighter weight for greater net capacity, and cheaper construction.
I guess the old saying holds true in all facets of life. There's nothing new under the sun.
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