Hi, was wondering if someone could tell me what the term "boxpox" means as it relates to engine drive wheels? Thanks in advance!

Heres a link to HO scale boxpox drivers.

Boxpox style drivers
mrwowak@yahoo.com

> Hi, was wondering if someone could tell me
> what the term "boxpox" means as it
> relates to engine drive wheels? Thanks in
> advance!
I believe the most correct spelling is Boxpok, and once upon a time I think it was a trademark.
I also believe the correct pronounciation is "box-spoke". Other similar ideas were the Scullin disc and the Baldwin disc drivers. What the aim of all of these designs were to make the wheel stronger yet lighter, so less counterweight would be needed for the cross counterbalancing, which had just about gone to the physical limit on the traditional spoked wheel. Also, the traditional wheel with spokes would crack with age, due to perhaps imperfect cooling when it was originally cast, or the stresses of having the tires shrunk on. The various disc drivers achieve their strength in the inner and outer plates,, not in spokes, and are mostly cored out and hollow inside.

This must be a fairly good idea, becaue the late model Chinese steamers, which were built for the most part with 1920's design, and were even built into the late 60's with archbar tender trucks, went with Boxpok drivers at the end. About the only other modern idea on them are the Russian floating valve spools for drifting.

Steve

SZuidervee@aol.com

Reading T-1 4-8-4's were built at Reading Shops with alot of componants purchased from Baldwin.
The 70-inch drivers have raised lettering:
BOX POK BY BALDWIN.
Check it out for yourself nexttime you're in Baltimore or Scranton. (Sorry, the '02 is locked in the barn at Port Clinton.)

> Check it out for yourself nexttime you're in
> Baltimore or Scranton. (Sorry, the '02 is
> locked in the barn at Port Clinton.)

Steve,
does that mean the barn has doors now? Good news if so.

Don't forget the '00 in Canada.

Rob

Ahead of the Torch
trains@robertjohndavis.com

I knew that Baldwin offerend disc drivers at some point, but weren;t true boxpok drivers made by General Steel Castings out of Granite City IL? (The folks that brought us the cast engine bed.) I seem to recall the drivers on SPs GS class locos stamped with a stylized G in a sourt of heraldic shiled device. (This from recent photos of 4449, and looking at 4460.) Anyone know any definitive answers on that?

Sincerely,
David Ackerman

david_ackerman@yahoo.com

GSC, from what I understand, was a division of Baldwin.

Smokebox

"orhf dot org"

Speaking of which. Why does 1522 have "Boxpox" drivers as her main(?) drivers?

Jeff Lisowski
West Chester, Pa

Good music!
unfunkyufo76@hotmail.com

> Speaking of which. Why does 1522 have
> "Boxpox" drivers as her main(?)
> drivers?

> Jeff Lisowski
> West Chester, Pa

1. GSC was jointly owned by Baldwin and Alco.

2. Most rebuilt older locomotives got Boxpok main drivers because they needed the better balancing, and also because rebuilt or upgraded locos usually exerted more piston foce, which required larger crankpins. Spoked drivers didn't have enough room for the bosses required to hold the larger diameter crankpins necessary, and even if they did, balancing them would have been very hard and broken wheels would have been a problem.

Thus many roads that upgraded their power put them on full sets of Boxpoks if they coudl afford to, or used Boxpok mains if that was all they could afford.

> Speaking of which. Why does 1522 have
> "Boxpox" drivers as her main(?)
> drivers?

> Jeff Lisowski
> West Chester, Pa

The Frisco 1522 does not have "Boxpox" main drivers. They are Scullin Steel Disk Drivers.

Jim Butler


Jim1522@aol.com

> GSC, from what I understand, was a division
> of Baldwin.

> Smokebox

GSC was associated with St. Louis Car Co somehow, and when St Louis went under, so did GSC. Sort of, actually, because GSC is still around as a licesnse holding, design company. The G hearald appears on Atk's SuperlinerII trucks and on the new Cal Trans cars.

GSC also made one-piece cast depressed center flatcars, many of which are still in service.

In the 1940s, EMD didn't want to pay the prices of GSC frames, so they developed the welded, built-up frame construction you now see, which drove the casting business under. During WWII, these welding practises were applied to tanks, which resulted in a greater degree of safety because with a riveted tank, if a shell hits the rivets, the interior heads fly off and ricochet around, killing those inside.

> GSC was associated with St. Louis Car Co
> somehow, and when St Louis went under, so
> did GSC. Sort of, actually, because GSC is
> still around as a licesnse holding, design
> company.

And last I knew, St. Louis Car Company was still around as well, owned by Kyle Railways. I don't know what happened to it after Kyle was merged a few years ago.

Kyle used the St. Louis Car Co. entity to hold its Cumbres & Toltec operations.

JAC

Thanks Jim, that cleared that up. Very interesting.

Jeff Lisowski
West Chester, Pa

Good music!
unfunkyufo76@hotmail.com