Looking for 5X10 journal box axle and lid seals. Amstead Rail said they don't support legacy products made by suppliers they've absorbed over the years. Is there a source for these consumable maintenance parts available to heritage/industrial operators that still use plain bearing journal boxes?

Don’t know of any manufacturers.

The axle seals are actually not much more than dust guards. You can make your own out of thin, oil resistant rubber sheet like neoprene or similar and a non-metallic backing. They don’t stop oil leakage, they only try to keep the grit out. At the speeds we run at, bad axle seals aren’t a problem.

I’m considering using soft, self adhesive, oil resistant foam tape on the underside of the box lids if water becomes a problem in the journal boxes. We have a some Hennessy lid seals but the rubber isn’t thick enough or soft/flexible enough to really do any good. They’re kind of a “why bother” sort of decoration.

I’m sure that others may have different solutions.

I have the 1970 AAR Lubrication Manual posted on my site. The appendix at the end has pictures of both of these seals: https://bigeprod.com/literature/rrPres/aarLubeManual1970.pdf

Some of the rear seals were made of plywood.

I purchased some new old stock rear seals for an Alco S2 blunt truck from a company and they came in the original wrapping from Alco and were plywood.

I have also seen the same thing in freight car trucks that I have scrapped in the past. The slot in the top of the back, had a tapered piece made of plywood as well and sealed with something like a tar product.

Many of the rear seal are damaged or destroyed when people pick the truck assembly up wrong. If the trucks are picked up by the truck frames, then the axles/wheel sets will go down and crush the seals. The journal brass can also fall out of place.

The truck assemblies should be picked up by the axles, this keeps the pressure up against the journal brass and the wedge, just like it is sitting on the rails.