Free 186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook:  
Get tool plans

User Tag List

Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Knuckle couplers engaging - GIFs

  1. #1
    Supporting Member Altair's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    12,020
    Thanks
    1,365
    Thanked 30,313 Times in 9,998 Posts

    Knuckle couplers engaging - GIFs

    Knuckle couplers engaging.








    Previously:

    Janney semi-automatic railway coupler - GIF and patent
    Train rerailer - GIF
    Railroad track shifter - GIF and photos
    Putting a derailed train back on the rails - GIF and video
    Moving a train manually - video

    186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook

  2. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Altair For This Useful Post:

    johncg (Apr 13, 2021), nova_robotics (Apr 17, 2021), Rangi (Apr 13, 2021), Scotsman Hosie (Apr 21, 2021)

  3. #2
    Supporting Member sossol's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Lafayette, Indiana
    Posts
    548
    Thanks
    870
    Thanked 426 Times in 222 Posts

    sossol's Tools
    Train hardware has fascinated me since I was a kid (lifelong foamer here), but what really baked my noodle was the realization that these chunks of steel small enough that a single person could carry are strong enough to pull over a hundred 30+ ton cars and the thousands of tons of cargo each car holds for thousands of miles. It's one of those things that I understand, yet still blows my mind.


    Neil

    2,000+ Tool Plans

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to sossol For This Useful Post:

    Scotsman Hosie (Apr 21, 2021)

  5. #3
    Supporting Member mklotz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    LA, CA, USA
    Posts
    3,525
    Thanks
    362
    Thanked 6,559 Times in 2,161 Posts

    mklotz's Tools
    Quote Originally Posted by sossol View Post
    Train hardware has fascinated me since I was a kid (lifelong foamer here), but what really baked my noodle was the realization that these chunks of steel small enough that a single person could carry are strong enough to pull over a hundred 30+ ton cars and the thousands of tons of cargo each car holds for thousands of miles. It's one of those things that I understand, yet still blows my mind.


    Neil
    A similar fascination for me is watching a stationary steam locomotive begin to pull a long train of cars.

    My mind knows the locomotive is very heavy and that means that the pressure of its wheels in the line contact with the track is huge which increases the friction. However, the fact that it is so huge that the loco can get the towed cars moving without the loco wheels spinning is hard to accept.

    I know that sometimes they do slip and locos have sanders but, still, it's hard to accept that it can work.

    In a similar vein, I know that steam engines produce maximum force at zero rpm, but the fact that they can produce enough force to get a train of many, many tons moving from a dead stop is hard to accept.
    ---
    Regards, Marv

    Failure is just success in progress
    That looks about right - Mediocrates

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to mklotz For This Useful Post:

    Scotsman Hosie (Apr 21, 2021)

  7. #4
    Supporting Member sossol's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Lafayette, Indiana
    Posts
    548
    Thanks
    870
    Thanked 426 Times in 222 Posts

    sossol's Tools
    Quote Originally Posted by mklotz View Post
    A similar fascination for me is watching a stationary steam locomotive begin to pull a long train of cars.

    My mind knows the locomotive is very heavy and that means that the pressure of its wheels in the line contact with the track is huge which increases the friction. However, the fact that it is so huge that the loco can get the towed cars moving without the loco wheels spinning is hard to accept.

    I know that sometimes they do slip and locos have sanders but, still, it's hard to accept that it can work.

    In a similar vein, I know that steam engines produce maximum force at zero rpm, but the fact that they can produce enough force to get a train of many, many tons moving from a dead stop is hard to accept.
    Another mind-melter is that the contact patch of the wheels is a small fraction of an inch (I’ve seen various figures, down to all wheels combined having it the surface area of a dime).

    Neil



    2,000+ Tool Plans

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •