The West Coast Railway Assn. has received the donation of a ca.1929 Canadian Pacific business car. The car is currently part of a restaurant in downtown Vancouver and is in quite good condition for having been off rails since 1972. It is our plan to lift the car onto the adjacent CPR track and have it moved on its own wheels to Squamish B.C.. The car was operable when converted and has nearly new wheel sets and "Fafnir" roller bearings on 6 wheel trucks The car will not be restored for mainline service,but may see occasional use for short fundraising trips on BC Rail.
The question is: are there likely to be any problems with the roller bearings given that they have sat so long? I have read in other posts that there should be no problems,however I anticipate being asked the question and I would like some expert advice as well as any written material to back it up.
When BC Rail dismantled CPR 2816's lead truck the SKF roller bearings were found to be like new when inspected by the local SKF rep. In fact a few parts were changed out just to be on the extra safe side(seals and such) and they were pulled from stock here in Vancouver.
All this is encouraging but I really need help here. Would it be possible to find out who,if anybody,would know about Fafnir roller bearings? These were quite popular on CPR and CNR.
One last item: we are getting great cooperation from CPR,CNR,and BC Rail. Any help would be appreciated


http://www.wcra.org
gferguson@aebc.com

> The West Coast Railway Assn. has received
> the donation of a ca.1929 Canadian Pacific
> business car. The car is currently part of a
> restaurant in downtown Vancouver and is in
> quite good condition for having been off
> rails since 1972. It is our plan to lift the
> car onto the adjacent CPR track and have it
> moved on its own wheels to Squamish B.C..
> The car was operable when converted and has
> nearly new wheel sets and "Fafnir"
> roller bearings on 6 wheel trucks The car
> will not be restored for mainline
> service,but may see occasional use for short
> fundraising trips on BC Rail.
> The question is: are there likely to be any
> problems with the roller bearings given that
> they have sat so long? I have read in other
> posts that there should be no
> problems,however I anticipate being asked
> the question and I would like some expert
> advice as well as any written material to
> back it up.
> When BC Rail dismantled CPR 2816's lead
> truck the SKF roller bearings were found to
> be like new when inspected by the local SKF
> rep. In fact a few parts were changed out
> just to be on the extra safe side(seals and
> such) and they were pulled from stock here
> in Vancouver.
> All this is encouraging but I really need
> help here. Would it be possible to find out
> who,if anybody,would know about Fafnir
> roller bearings? These were quite popular on
> CPR and CNR.
> One last item: we are getting great
> cooperation from CPR,CNR,and BC Rail. Any
> help would be appreciated
------------------------------------------
Others will have to come up with the scientific evidence, but I might be able to help shed a little light on the subject.
First, it is a completely subjective subject. No kidding. If the wheels have been under water at all during the time in storage, it can make a difference.
That said, I have personally seen roller bearing equipment stored for over 40 years go back into service with the same bearings.
There is really only one way to know for sure, though. Inspect the bearings. Practical? Not really. But before moving it you might want to jack the trucks up and spin the wheels. That won't tell you the bearings are good, but it may tell you if they are really really bad. Mark D.

mnmach@lakes.com

I always wondered about that because we had CR move some equipment that had been sitting for a long time and they were not concerned. You might want to flush the old lube and refill with new if they are "that kind of bearing". The condition of what you suck out may give a good hint of whats been going on in there.


lamontdc@adelphia.net

> I always wondered about that because we had
> CR move some equipment that had been sitting
> for a long time and they were not concerned.
> You might want to flush the old lube and
> refill with new if they are "that kind
> of bearing". The condition of what you
> suck out may give a good hint of whats been
> going on in there.

The Milwaukee Road 261 sat on its roller bearings for 35 years with only occasional movement around the museum property in Green Bay.
The roller bearing manufacturer was contacted and their only recommendation was to drain out the old lube and refill, run it for a bit to get the new lube worked into the bearings and replace the lube again. I concur that you should take a good look at the lube that has been drained to check for water contamination and any other foreign substances such as grit or sand blasting sand that may have been picked up and blown past the seals on some previous repaint job. If there is no contamination, the bearings are probably good to go. We did this procedure on the 261 during its rebuild and have had absolutly no problem with any of the roller bearings in the last ten years.


edselinsky@prodigy.net

Might flush and fill the bearings with Kerosese and tow her around the yard for a mile or two - that should make any problems evident and flush out any grunge. If all is well, drain again and fill with the correct oil.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

> Might flush and fill the bearings with
> Kerosese and tow her around the yard for a
> mile or two - that should make any problems
> evident and flush out any grunge. If all is
> well, drain again and fill with the correct
> oil.

> Dave
I would do something as simple as send a sample of the oil to a lab that will tell you all you need to know. cost 15.00 dollars.

irss@eriecoast.com