Just wondering if any AAR type B's have ever been fitted to F units?

If not AAR type B's then how about hi-ad trucks from either EMD or GE? Or flexicoil trucks?

Robert

I don't believe any were built with anything other than the standard Blomburg truck.

The closest to an EMD F-unit (four axles) would be the B12, an export model:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cate ... F_6001.jpg

http://vfco.brazilia.jor.br/diesel/ALL/ ... atto1b.jpg

The closest thing to an F-unit in the US on something other than Blomberg trucks would be the unusual 5-axle FL9, a type that was unique to the New Haven, and which also would be among the last "covered wagons" from EMD. It rode on one four wheel and one six wheel version of the Flexcoil:

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/446263/

The early versions used a Blomburg on the leading end, but this was changed to the Flexcoil due to clearance problems in third rail territory:

http://www.puregraffiti.com/graffiti-ga ... eet_--.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_FL9

If you go way back, you also have the TA, a Rock Island model which ran on something that looked like an AAR type B:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMC_TA

http://www.railarchive.net/vintagediese ... 601_gt.jpg

http://www.railwayclassics.com/images/C ... p02LTX.jpg

Why? The F units were contemporaries of ALCO and Baldwin power fitted with the Type B trucks. The second generation EMD power fitted with those trucks were universally the result of roads trying to save money, and get their money's worth out of the trucks under the ALCO FA's going to trade-in.

F units were no longer being built by the time the various Hi-ad and Flexicoil trucks came along.

No such thing as an 'AAR Type B' truck. Erroneous railfan nomenclature. The correct designation is GSC swing bolster, double equalized truck.

In railroad mechanical circles, this truck was viewed as inferior to the Blomberg 'B' truck. Most of the GSC trucks that were re-used were applied to 60's era Alco or GE units. One exception that comes to mind was the re-use of these trucks on a SOO GP-30 order.

Also recall that some RI FA-1's received Blombergs' from retired FT's, so that the GSC trucks could be applied to new U25B's.

Dave

Off the top of my head...and I could be wrong

1) Alaska Railroad had GP-7's with AAR
2) SOO Line had GP-30's
3) Ann Arbor had GP-35's
4) DT&I Maybe ?
5) NKP had some GP-35's. Did one end up on Pan Am maybe.

SixAxleAlco

NC&StL had GP-7's with AAR switcher trucks, delivered that way. Likely a cost or weight saving move.

The Soo GP-30's (and one GP-35, IIRC) had trucks (and motors) from traded in FA-1's. The C&NW had some also, same reason.

The GM&O had GP30s and GP35s with the GSC swing bolster, double equalized trucks.
Southern also had a large number of GP35s with these trucks, many of which ended up with the (new) Wheeling & Lake Erie in the 1980s.

The Milwaukee Road also had GP-30's with AAR type B trucks (or GSC double equalized), likely from traded in power. Not sure if these units were involved in a weird three way trade that had Alco RS units riding on Blunt switcher trucks from scrapped switchers--while the RS trucks were to be fitted to something else--the GP 30s?

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

Why, Because I have seen many Alco FA units on these GSC trucks and thought maybe somehow a F unit might have received a set of GSC trucks.

There is a 2 axle Flexicoil on a FL9 in Canada. I also saw a TO post about a BN F unit on the GSC or AAR B trucks. The loco being at a scrapper and most likely gave up its EMD trucks for some rebuild or reuse order.

Robert

Here is a TVRM locomotive...I think it was a former Army unit...I may be wrong.

My understanding is that it was a cost-savings measure when they traded in old ALCOs they used the old trucks. It may not make any sense with today's economics but it sure did back in the day.

http://www.pbase.com/image/133776505

T7

Dave, Might be a term by us "railfans." But, the ARR type A and B terminology goes back a heck of along ways. http://www.american-rails.com/aar-type-b.html

Canadian FL9 on 2 axle flexicoil truck http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/RESTRICTED/2016/June2016/images/shortlines/orfordexpress2.jpg

Robert

Is there any evidence that AAR made any such designation? It's one thing to come up with a designation; designations being useful things; we all know what you are talking about when you use it. But another thing to "blame" it on an entity that had nothing to do with it.

Those are not road trucks, and there is no reason to think they are ALCO, since EMD used the same truck under their switchers at that time. This page" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_GP7 says U.S. Army 1821 - 1840 were built with AAR Type A switcher trucks. It makes sense, if you wanted a 1500 HP switcher that wasn't expected to have to do road freight speeds.

Here is some discussion on the history of the terms: http://utahrails.net/loconotes/loconotes-trucks.php

It appears the GSC non swing-motion switcher truck was adopted as AAR recommended practice, and ALCO used the "AAR truck" designation internally to differentiate them from the Blunt truck.

The "AAR Type B" designation for the GSC swing-motion truck traces to the authors of the Diesel Spotter's Guide.

And there is also inconsistency within EMD in their Maintenance Instruction and Parts Book descriptions of the four wheel truck designed by Blomberg. In some MI's and the Parts Books it is called "the swing hanger truck" and in other MI's is is called the "GP type" truck, the latter a rather poor choice of nomenclature since it predates the EMD GP locomotives and was used on other series of locomotive products.

PC