Just thought I'd pass this along.....

There is a pair of Arch Bar Trucks on ebay.... They are a little pricey to me, but still how often do you see them....

Stuart


http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Standard-gauge-arch-bar-trucks-for-railroad-rail-car_W0QQitemZ290422636087QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439e89be37

That is the first time I've ever seen arch bar trucks for sale. I have been told by a few knowledgeable folks that these are worth 10-15K a pair. So this is an excellent price. Shame they are on a site that few railroads look to when it comes to acquiring equipment.

Later!
Mr. Ed

Those seem like rather well engineered, and perhaps relatively modern arch bar trucks. I wonder what kind of rolling stock they were used for. To me, they look like they might have been used under something like a crane.

Question: What are those apparently single holes in each wheel for?

I donno, they look like pretty standard archbar trucks to me, complete with Simplex bolsters. The photos show they have 5 X 9 journals, indicative of ARA "C" axles, rated for 31,000 pounds capacity each, which would be appropriate for a car with nominal 40 ton capacity. They do, however, look kinda squat, and since they came from the D&IR, I wonder if they were originally on a wooden ore jenny. Many of the ore cars were built with shorter than standard wheelbase trucks, 5'-0" being common, rather than the more standard 5'-6". Anyone interested should be able to get the seller to measure the wheelbase.

As for the holes in the wheels, good question. I know it was rather common in street railway work to use pierced wheels to quiet the ringing sound they'd make on sharp curves, but those were typically four holes, and drilled, while the one in the photo looks torch cut. Shouldn't make any difference for interchange / FRA compliance, as I believe rim stamped wheels are no longer allowed anyway.

I believe the holes in the street railway wheels are to facilitate removing the gear side wheel without having to pull the bull gear. I have seen lead weights bolted into these holes, which would be for noise reduction. The holes in the wheels on these arch bar trucks could be for a lathe dog.