The St Louis Waterworks #10 is in the shop for yearly maintenance at the TNMOT. The waste wool in the wheel boxes has slumped to the bottom and needs replacement. Does anyone have instructions on how to stuff them? Photos would be helpful.

Not sure if you are asking how to repack a journal box (tender wheels, pilot truck, etc.) or about packing for the driving boxes?

This thread may provide some useful information: search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&keywords=Journal+Box

If it is a wheel journal you are talking about (not a driving box), this may be useful: https://bigeprod.com/literature/rrPres/ ... al1970.pdf

Mike Ramsey

Instead of loose packing, you may wish to look into journal pads, produced custom to fit by Pacific Journal Pad, LLC. Much less maintenance and will last longer. And less risk of running a hot bearing from improper packing that can have strands get pulled up into the bearing surface.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45119

EMD MI-1204 covers packing National journal boxes applied to the EMD switcher locomotives.

PC

I would encourage you to get the journal pad also given you have to ask how to repack a journal with loose waste packing. It's much easier to install and maintain properly.

I assume we’re talking trolleys here. I’ve gone around and around on this subject looking for the best ways to do this with current material availability going so far as to contacting small specialized yarn producers to provide material in bulk. The best current solution, at least for me, has been Pacific Journal Pad. We’ve been running them in our caboose #330 as a test case and so far, I’m very happy with them. They’ve stayed in place and maintain snug contact with the journal, hence maintenance-free except for topping off oil. The hardest thing was getting one into a box that has a Spicer drive on the end of the axle. You have no room to maneuver due to the small lids and if/when it needs replaced, I’ll probably go with untreated wool yarn in that one box.

Getting the pads in is much easier if you jack the box, pull the bearing and wedge and let the jack down enough to buy a little more room to get the pad in. Don’t let the box down onto the journal.

Whatever you use, don’t forget to soak it in journal oil for a few days before install. Wear long rubber gloves cuz it’s a messy job and expect to have that sticky oil on you from head to toe.

For wool yarn packing, see https://youtu.be/ItuDcKE_dGY for part one and https://youtu.be/_jGXs2BeLYY for part two.

Since you are not an operating railroad, you can simply pull the old waste, fluff it, and reinstall... it needs to be touching the bottom of the axle journal. If the old waste is wet (with water), lay it out to dry... when repacking tuck the ends under (take the wad, roll outside edges under... ) PRR standards called for rolls of waste, maybe 2" in diamiter inserted parallel to the axle journal...

If there is sand you need new waste... I have used cotton socks successfully for rarely moved cars.

I am now in Little Rock, and if you need I can make the 6 hour drive north to give a clinic on how to repack solid journal bearings... PM me...

http://www.bera.org/cgi-bin/pnaerc.pl?detail=388

St. Louis Water Works 10 is an operational unit. They use this unit regularly in trolley operations on their short demonstration railroad.

I appreciate all of the replies, the You Tube videos Part 1 and 2 from McKinney Area Transit will be the most useful in removing the old packing, preparation of the new wool skeins and packing the boxes. We are purchasing new "M-WOOL SKEIN" from Miller Wast Mills. Current pricing is 50-250 pounds, $13.28/lb, 300 + pounds $11.62/lb.
https://www.millerwastemills.com/products/wool-fiber/
The aarLubeManual1970 shows how to make the tool we will need.
Thanks to everyone who replied,
Dan

Wow. Neat looking car from my favorite trolley manufacturer the St. Louis Car Company.

One more comment... If you go the wool waste or yarn route, get un-dyed, untreated wool. Treated wool, which is what you'll find in all wool waste and most processed yarns these days will not wick as oil as well. Use the yarn they use at McKinney if you're using wool.

Be aware that the 300 lb bale may cost more than $1. per lb in freight...

Also, traction motors sit on the axle and have waste filled reservoirs as well.

The project was completed late last year. We used our own stuffing tools and kept the wool below the line in the journal box. We also cleaned out and stuffed the journal boxes at the ends of the 4 motors and in 8 journals where the motors rested on the axles. In all we cleaned, stuffed and oiled 24 journals.
We used Chevron Journaltex HD 57 for all of the journals. The wool skeins from Miller Waste Mills were fully wetted in less than 1 hour, drained for a day and used. For the wheel journals we installed a 3" long piece of 3/8" pipe in the box and made a dip stick from a piece of stainless steel from a windshield wiper blade and drilled small hole at the 1" level. Dipsticks from all of the other journals were made from paint stirring sticks marked to keep the level below the shaft.
We will be repeating this as we restore the body and truck on our 1919 KCPS Birney 1533.
Dan

That's very odd! I've never seen a dipstick on a journal box. How is this 3 inch long piece of pipe installed?

I used my finger to make a hole in the wool, inserted the pipe until it hit the bottom of the box and pushed the wool around it.
Prior to this they were using 80 wt gear oil and over filling the boxes. This way we do not waste the Journaltex.We purchased a 55 gallon drum for $1240.25 on 5/19/22 from Huels Oil of Missouri LLC. We have used around 1/3 of the drum so far. Once a month all of the levels are checked and topped off if necessary,