How They Make Train Wheels

HMF

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[video=youtube_share;JJazTdYdfdg]http://youtu.be/JJazTdYdfdg[/video]
 
One of the early shops I worked in while still in school had the job of wheel maintenance for a local foundry (Tyler Pipe) where they have many local rail units transporting iron all around the place. I have turned/reclaimed a few of those wheels. It takes patience when your speed is limited to 1-3 RPM, but it's not a bad gig. Sometimes we repaired the bore as well, by metalizing, bushing/sleeving, or welding and re-boring. Lots of big hot chips.
 
Thanks for the video, very cool. Nice to see they are still made here, scary to think of something like that coming from China.
 
Another heavy in that industry is Trinity Industries. They build everything but the track. On I-20 I see a great many truckloads of raw wheel forgings as well as finished wheels. Seems like also in Corsicana there is also a depot or shop with hundreds stacked around the plant. Lots of this industry still onshore.
 
great video! Thanks.

(I make all my 1:13.7 train wheels on a lathe now) but I have cast wheels using tin and RTV for mold

Here's a photo of the tin process and one of a lathe-turned set already mounted

DAV_0862.jpg xDSCN0256.jpg
 
Wow! I have never seen that process for making the axles! The manipulator working with the press was very cool




Bernie
 
Wow! I have never seen that process for making the axles! The manipulator working with the press was very cool


Bernie

That's hot rotary forging. Lots of the larger oilfield tools start life that way. Sometimes it's cheaper to forge it down if there is a large difference in the largest and smallest diameters of a part. Better than bucketloads of time and chips. I used to buy forged pieces for the larger driveshafts used in downhole mud motors. Only thing against them is lead time, and if you happen to make a boo-boo, it's hard to get just one more.
 
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