Lubricant delivery system for lubricating rail wheel flanges

Abstract

A lubrication system for automatically applying a viscous fluid lubricant to the wheel flanges of locomotives and/or rail cars. The lubricant reduces friction and wear at the interface between the wheel flanges and the sides of rails. The viscosity of the lubricant is sufficient to ensure that the lubricant does not migrate to undesirable locations, such as onto the crown of the rails. The system delivers lubricant to both sides of the train from a containers holding sufficient lubricant to last throughout the standard maintenance cycle of a long haul locomotive. The lubrication is delivered at a flow rate controlled as a function of a rotational speed of the wheels of the locomotive. The system can also be adapted to control the rate of flow of lubricant delivered to the wheel flanges in response to other criteria. Since the lubricant is derived from soybeans, it is non-toxic and biodegradable. The lubricant containers, motor control, and pump are configured in a space saving array that can be disposed within a nose or central location within a locomotive. The lubricant applicators are mounted with fixed brackets on the trucks of locomotives having wheels rotating on tapered roller bearings, or with pivotal brackets that allow for some lateral movement on locomotives having wheels rotating on cylindrical roller bearings.