We have completed the cleaning and greasing of the tender axles on the 905 sitting in Duncan, Oklahoma.

We tried to move to the trailing truck axle. I say tried. The journal box door is not big enough to remove the brass so we had to take off the plate that holds the journal box door.

On the tender, it was fairly simple, jack up the journal boxes and pull the wedge and bushing.

I can't tell if the journal box is moves separately of if it is attached to the massive metal framework that is attached at one pivot point. That framework appears to be coupled to the body of the loco thru a spring.

We used a 20T jack to jack up the tender journal boxes with a 1 1/4 inch thick steel baseplate. When we put the same equipment on the trailing truck box, it became apparent that we might be outmatched. We probably had a 1 inch bow in the base plate and never moved the journal box more than a half inch if that much.

Also, there is no jacking point on the trailing truck journal boxes, which makes me think this might not be a good idea.

Although, someone has tried before because the bottom of the trailing truck journal box is bowed up.

Any ideas?

Thanks, Mike Stuckert, President, Save the 905 Inc., www.RockIsland905.com

I don't know what kind of trailing truck this engine has, but whatever kind it is, it is connected by the spring rigging to the rear driver axle. As you jack the trailing axle up, you are jacking the equalizer down, and must block the equalizers so that they can't move. Once you jack the weight off the journal box, a tiny jack will raise the box so you can clean the journal.

If you do not block the opposite side, you will find that the wheel is rising off the rail along with the box.

Aarne Frobom