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6000 Series L Cars.
Posted by:
Jeff_Weiner
()
Date: September 25, 2015 03:02PM
My impression is that I'm a bit younger than some of the other posters, so all I've known of old L cars were, for the most part, the 6000 "Spam Can" cars.
One thing I have noticed is that, early on, these cars were equipped with resilient wheels, which consisted of rubber pads compressed between the hub and the wheel rim. At least, I gathered that from photos of them as new. Growing up, and riding the L, however, I always saw that they had solid wheels, and I have wondered when the change took place.
I've been told that use of the resilient wheels caused corrugation of the rails, which is consistent with the inboard band brakes and gearing, plus the rubber sandwich being in shear, all causing the wheel rim to chatter when the band brake was applied. The stopping loads would have been larger on an L car rather than on a PCC street car, making this very noticeable. Also, some of our old 600-series trucks have made their way to the undercarriages of Kenosha's PCC streetcars, complete with those solid wheels.
Anyone have any ideas when this took place?
One thing I have noticed is that, early on, these cars were equipped with resilient wheels, which consisted of rubber pads compressed between the hub and the wheel rim. At least, I gathered that from photos of them as new. Growing up, and riding the L, however, I always saw that they had solid wheels, and I have wondered when the change took place.
I've been told that use of the resilient wheels caused corrugation of the rails, which is consistent with the inboard band brakes and gearing, plus the rubber sandwich being in shear, all causing the wheel rim to chatter when the band brake was applied. The stopping loads would have been larger on an L car rather than on a PCC street car, making this very noticeable. Also, some of our old 600-series trucks have made their way to the undercarriages of Kenosha's PCC streetcars, complete with those solid wheels.
Anyone have any ideas when this took place?
Re: 6000 Series L Cars.
Posted by:
Dunning1
()
Date: September 26, 2015 11:42PM
Week before last, I stopped in at the Des Plaines Hobby Shop, on Lee Street, just north of Oakton, and picked up a book on the PCC streetcars in Chicago. I haven't gone through the whole book yet, but I am sure if you checked this out, it would at least give you some references where you could find this out. It was put of by the Central Electric Railfans Association.
Re: 6000 Series L Cars.
Posted by:
Jeff_Weiner
()
Date: September 27, 2015 12:04AM
Dunning1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Week before last, I stopped in at the Des Plaines
> Hobby Shop, on Lee Street, just north of Oakton,
> and picked up a book on the PCC streetcars in
> Chicago. I haven't gone through the whole book
> yet, but I am sure if you checked this out, it
> would at least give you some references where you
> could find this out. It was put of by the Central
> Electric Railfans Association.
I'm a member, and have that bulletin. There's an earlier one that shows some CTA shop employees posed for working on the resilient wheels of a flat-door 6000, but it's buried under some stuff, so I can't tell you the number.
-------------------------------------------------------
> Week before last, I stopped in at the Des Plaines
> Hobby Shop, on Lee Street, just north of Oakton,
> and picked up a book on the PCC streetcars in
> Chicago. I haven't gone through the whole book
> yet, but I am sure if you checked this out, it
> would at least give you some references where you
> could find this out. It was put of by the Central
> Electric Railfans Association.
I'm a member, and have that bulletin. There's an earlier one that shows some CTA shop employees posed for working on the resilient wheels of a flat-door 6000, but it's buried under some stuff, so I can't tell you the number.
