Just a nice old photo of a Santa Fe 4-4-0, that probably was once seen by the likes of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Doc Holiday and other famous characters. An age when even workaday industrial items were supposed to have a certain grace and beauty.

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi? ... anColl.jpg

Nice photo. I would guess circa 1880-1890. It still has the short smokebox. Are those paper wheels on the pony truck?

RTK

Certainly appears that they are.

Gotta step in quick here, before this paper wheel thing gets out of hand. Not all wheels with bolts or rivets showing on their plate are paper filled wheels. The Allen Co, developer of the "paper wheel", also marketed a plate wheel having a cast iron spider between the plates, as did several other companies. The 1922 Car Builders Cyclopedia still shows the "Paige Plate Coach Wheel" manufactured by the Railway Steel Spring Co. I'm sure the Loco Cyc. would show some intended for engine trucks.

Since the entire purpose of filling the wheel with compressed paper was to deaden the wheel noise in cars having high value accommodations, I don't see any reason why they should be chosen for an engine truck.

Papaer filled wheels. That is a new one on me. Learn something every day.

John Bohon

Here some information on paper wheels:

http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi758.htm

I would not conclude that these are paper wheels just because of the bolts, since there was apparently a general category of wheels known as composite wheels, which included paper wheels as well as wheels using other materials, as Dennis pointed out. But I have noticed a number of early locomotive builders photos showing bolt heads on the sides of the pony wheels, and have wondered about their design.

RTK