On 19th century passenger cars I've noticed that frequently there is a short length of chain between the frame of the car and the corner of the truck. The only purpose I can think of is to limit the amount that the truck can swing in case of derailment, but it seems to me that at all but the slowest speeds the chain would break rather than perform such a function. Was there another reason for the chain?
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
That is the explanation that I have heard. They used chains on tender trucks too. The chains would also keep the truck from getting too far from its center bearing location if the derailment caused the center bearing to disengage.
In a minor derailment, the chain kept the truck more or less aligned with the centerline of the car. This is why passenger train wrecks have the cars all more or less parallel to the track, while freight trains typically accordion and end up with cars crosswise to the rails.
Considering that 19th century passenger trucks were frequently of wood beam construction, the chain was probably stronger than the truck frame.
Chuck
Thank You.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.