Railway locomotive truck

Abstract

A six-wheel railway motor truck for swivelly supporting a locomotive body is connected to the same for the effective transmission thereto of draft and braking forces at a level at or near that of the rail whereby the vertical moment arm through which traction forces might act to tip the truck frame and thereby cause load transference from axle to axle is minimized, with corresponding minimization of such load transference. The truck comprises a rigid frame resiliently supported on the three axles, a body support bolster supported on the sides of the truck frame by upright springs and held against swivelling movements or longitudinal movements with respect to the truck frame while being free for limited vertical and transverse movements with respect to the truck frame. Transversely and longitudinally spaced sliding bearings on the bolster slidably engage opposing bearings on the locomotive underframe for holding the bolster against tipping longitudinally or transversely with respect to the underframe and cooperating vertical axis pivot-forming bearings on the underframe and bolster transmit longitudinal forces from the bolster to the underframe and permit swivel of the entire truck with respect to the underframe. For transmitting longitudinal forces from the truck frame to the bolster and hence to the supported longitudinal body substantially at rail level, the truck frame is connected to the bolster at each side by a pair of longitudinally upwardly and outwardly inclined links arranged so that their axial projections intersect at track level.