The GE U50 was an eight-axle, 5,000 hp (3,700 kW) diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Rail . They were twin-engined locomotives, combining two 2,500 hp (1,900 kW) diesel engines .
41-540: The U50 rode on four two-axle trucks , grouped in pairs linked by span bolsters , giving a wheel arrangement of B+B-B+B . The trucks and bolsters were re-used from scrapped UP turbine locomotives built by GE during the 1950s. Owing to the wheel arrangement, the U50 was sometimes inaccurately referred to as the U50D , a back-formation from the U50C name given to the six-axle units. The name
82-476: A head-end power generator on the locomotive via bus cables, or by an axle-powered generator which continuously charges batteries whenever the train is in motion. Modern cars usually have either air conditioning or windows that can be opened (sometimes, for safety, not so far that one can hang out), or sometimes both. Various types of onboard train toilet facilities may also be provided. Other types of passenger car exist, especially for long journeys, such as
123-479: A semi-trailer , whether permanently attached to the frame (as on a single trailer) or making up the dolly that can be hitched and unhitched as needed when hitching up a second or third semi-trailer (as when pulling doubles or triples ). Some tanks and other tracked vehicles have bogies as external suspension components (see armoured fighting vehicle suspension ). This type of bogie usually has two or more road wheels and some type of sprung suspension to smooth
164-528: A swivel , as traditionally on a railway carriage or locomotive, additionally jointed and sprung (as in the landing gear of an airliner ), or held in place by other means (centreless bogies). Although bogie is the preferred spelling and first-listed variant in various dictionaries, bogey and bogy are also used. A bogie in the UK, or a railroad truck , wheel truck , or simply truck in North America,
205-425: A train car , train wagon , train carriage or train truck , is a vehicle used for the carrying of cargo or passengers on a rail transport network (a railroad/railway). Such cars, when coupled together and hauled by one or more locomotives , form a train . Alternatively, some passenger cars are self-propelled in which case they may be either single railcars or make up multiple units . The term " car "
246-604: A component of the vast majority of mainline locomotive designs. The first use of bogie coaches in Britain was in 1872 by the Festiniog Railway.The first standard gauge British railway to build coaches with bogies, instead of rigidly mounted axles, was the Midland Railway in 1874. Bogies serve a number of purposes: Usually, two bogies are fitted to each carriage , wagon or locomotive , one at each end. Another configuration
287-472: A frame, attached under a vehicle by a pivot. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transport. A bogie may remain normally attached (as on many railroad cars and semi-trailers ) or be quickly detachable (as for a dolly in a road train or in railway bogie exchange ). It may include suspension components within it (as most rail and trucking bogies do), or be solid and in turn be suspended (as are most bogies of tracked vehicles). It may be mounted on
328-496: A glass-enclosed upper level extending above the normal roof to provide passengers with a better view. Sleeping cars outfitted with (generally) small bedrooms allow passengers to sleep through their night-time trips, while couchette cars provide more basic sleeping accommodation. Long-distance trains often require baggage cars for the passengers' luggage. In European practice it used to be common for day coaches to be formed of compartments seating 6 or 8 passengers, with access from
369-554: A higher net-to-tare ratio of 4.9 than traditional steel based wagons, which have 3.65. Non-revenue cars are those that do not derive income for the railroad. They include: Military armoured trains use several types of specialized cars: During the Cold War , the Soviet Union fielded a number of trains that served as mobile missile silos . These trains carried the missile and everything necessary to launch, and were kept moving around
410-439: A retrograde step, as it leads to more wear of both track and wheels and also significantly reduces the speed at which a tram can round a curve. In the past, many different types of bogie (truck) have been used under tramcars (e.g. Brill , Peckham, maximum traction). A maximum traction truck has one driving axle with large wheels and one nondriving axle with smaller wheels. The bogie pivot is located off-centre, so more than half
451-549: A side corridor. In the UK, Corridor coaches fell into disfavor in the 1960s and 1970s partially because open coaches are considered more secure by women traveling alone. Another distinction is between single- and double deck train cars. An example of a double decker is the Amtrak superliner . A "trainset" (or "set") is a semi-permanently arranged formation of cars, rather than one created "ad hoc" out of whatever cars are available. These are only broken up and reshuffled 'on shed' (in
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#1733084486338492-430: A small rail car with axles at either end. The same effect that causes the bogies to rub against the rails at longer radius causes each of the pairs of wheels to rub on the rails and cause the screeching. Articulated bogies add a second pivot point between the two axles ( wheelsets ) to allow them to rotate to the correct angle even in these cases. In trucking , a bogie is the subassembly of axles and wheels that supports
533-608: A train together in the event of a derailment or other accident. Many multiple unit trains consist of cars which are semi-permanently coupled into sets: these sets may be joined together to form larger trains, but generally passengers can only move around between cars within a set. This "closed" arrangement keeps parties of travellers and their luggage together, and hence allows the separate sets to be easily split to go separate ways. Some multiple-unit trainsets are designed so that corridor connections can be easily opened between coupled sets; this generally requires driving cabs either set to
574-442: A wide variety of types, adapted to carry a host of goods. Originally there were very few types of cars; the flat car or wagon, and the boxcar (US/Canada), covered wagon (UIC) or van (UK), were among the first. Freight cars or goods wagons are generally categorized as follows: The first two main-line all aluminum passenger cars were exhibited at the 1933-35 Chicago World's Fair by Pullman Company . Aluminum freight cars have
615-413: Is a specialized type of bogie that is inserted under the wheels of a rail wagon/car, usually to convert for another track gauge . Transporter wagons carry the same concept to the level of a flatcar specialized to take other cars as its load. In archbar or diamond frame bogies, the side frames are fabricated rather than cast . Tram bogies are much simpler in design because of their axle load, and
656-465: Is a structure underneath a railway vehicle (wagon, coach or locomotive) to which axles (hence, wheels) are attached through bearings . In Indian English , bogie may also refer to an entire railway carriage . In South Africa , the term bogie is often alternatively used to refer to a freight or goods wagon (shortened from bogie wagon ). A locomotive with a bogie was built by engineer William Chapman in 1812. It hauled itself along by chains and
697-436: Is any one of a number of bogie designs that allow railway equipment to safely turn sharp corners, while reducing or eliminating the "screeching" normally associated with metal wheels rounding a bend in the rails. There are a number of such designs, and the term is also applied to train sets that incorporate articulation in the vehicle, as opposed to the bogies themselves. If one considers a single bogie "up close", it resembles
738-469: Is commonly used by itself in American English when a rail context is implicit. Indian English sometimes uses " bogie " in the same manner, though the term has other meanings in other variants of English. In American English, "railcar" is a generic term for a railway vehicle; in other countries " railcar " refers specifically to a self-propelled, powered, railway vehicle. Although some cars exist for
779-559: Is incorrect and was never used by the manufacturer or the railroad. None of the U50s rode on D trucks in any case. It is also sometimes referred to as the U50B , but this is incorrect as well. The U50 was built in response to the Union Pacific Railroad 's requirement, issued in the early 1960s, for a 15,000 hp (11,200 kW) 3-unit locomotive intended to replace the turbines. The design
820-411: Is often used in articulated vehicles , which places the bogies (often Jacobs bogies ) under the connection between the carriages or wagons. Most bogies have two axles, but some cars designed for heavy loads have more axles per bogie. Heavy-duty cars may have more than two bogies using span bolsters to equalize the load and connect the bogies to the cars. Usually, the train floor is at a level above
861-426: The dining car , parlor car , disco car, and in rare cases theater and movie theater car. In some cases another type of car is temporarily converted to one of these for an event. Observation cars were built for the rear of many famous trains to allow the passengers to view the scenery. These proved popular, leading to the development of dome cars multiple units of which could be placed mid-train, and featured
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#1733084486338902-536: The bogies, but the floor of the car may be lower between bogies, such as for a bilevel rail car to increase interior space while staying within height restrictions , or in easy-access, stepless-entry, low-floor trains. Key components of a bogie include: The connections of the bogie with the rail vehicle allow a certain degree of rotational movement around a vertical axis pivot (bolster), with side bearers preventing excessive movement. More modern, bolsterless bogie designs omit these features, instead taking advantage of
943-457: The hood beneath the front windows. The Union Pacific was more satisfied with their three, and ordered 20 more. A batch of 12 were delivered between July and September 1964, while a final eight were built May through August 1965. They were numbered #31-53. UP #52 was delivered with a Cummins PT fuel system and rated at 5,600 horsepower. The #52 had a standard fuel system installed in October 1966 and
984-591: The individual axles to align with curves in addition to the bogie frame as a whole pivoting. For non-radial bogies, the more axles in the assembly, the more difficulty it has negotiating curves, due to wheel flange to rail friction. For radial bogies, the wheel sets actively steer through curves, thus reducing wear at the wheel's flange-to-rail interface and improving adhesion. In the US, radial steering has been implemented in EMD and GE locomotives. The EMD version, designated HTCR,
1025-530: The maintenance depot). Trains are then built of one or more of these 'sets' coupled together as needed for the capacity of that train. Often, but not always, passenger cars in a train are linked together with enclosed, flexible gangway connections through which passengers and crewmen can walk. Some designs incorporate semi-permanent connections between cars and may have a full-width connection, effectively making them one long, articulated 'car'. In North America, passenger cars also employ tightlock couplings to keep
1066-447: The principle of radial steering. The Cleminson system involved three axles, each mounted on a frame that had a central pivot; the central axle could slide transversely. The three axles were connected by linkages that kept them parallel on the straight and moved the end ones radially on a curve, so that all three axles were continually at right angles to the rails. The configuration, invented by British engineer John James Davidge Cleminson,
1107-434: The railroad's own use – for track maintenance purposes, for example – most carry a revenue-earning load of passengers or freight, and may be classified accordingly as passenger cars or coaches on the one hand or freight cars (or wagons ) on the other. Passenger cars, or coaches , vary in their internal fittings: In standard-gauge railway cars, seating is usually configured into ranges from three to five seats across
1148-728: The railway network to make them difficult to find and destroy in a first-strike attack . A similar rail-borne system was proposed in the United States of America for the LGM-30 Minuteman in the 1960s, and the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison in the 1980s, but neither were deployed. The Strategic Air Command 's 1st Combat Evaluation RBS "Express" deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base with Radar Bomb Scoring units mounted on military railroad cars with supporting equipment, to score simulated thermonuclear bombing of cities in
1189-465: The ride across rough terrain. Bogie suspensions keep much of their components on the outside of the vehicle, saving internal space. Although vulnerable to antitank fire, they can often be repaired or replaced in the field. Railway carriage A railroad car , railcar ( American and Canadian English ), railway wagon , railway carriage , railway truck , railwagon , railcarriage or railtruck ( British English and UIC ), also called
1230-567: The roster until the late 1970s, but were often sidelined. While the UP's units were nicknamed "U-Boats", the SP's units gained the nickname "Baby Hueys" from the cartoon character of the same name . Original numbers were #8500-8502; they were later renumbered #9550-9552 and renumbered again to #9950-9952. Southern Pacific's three units differed from the Union Pacific U50s by having a cab door and headlights in
1271-514: The running wheels, as well. The unusually large flanges on the steel wheels guide the bogie through standard railroad switches , and in addition keep the train from derailing in case the tires deflate . To overcome breaks of gauge some bogies are being fitted with variable gauge axles (VGA) so that they can operate on two different gauges. These include the SUW 2000 system from ZNTK Poznań . Radial-steering trucks, also known as radial bogies, allow
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1312-709: The side or (as in the Dutch Koploper or the Japanese 285 series ) above the passenger compartment. These cabs or driving trailers are also useful for quickly reversing the train. It has been common in some systems to differentiate between first- and second-class carriages, with a premium being paid for first-class tickets, and fines imposed for non-compliance. Facilities and appurtenances applying to first-class carriages may include More recently, mains power outlets and Wi-fi facilities have been offered. Freight cars (US/Canada), goods wagons (UIC), or trucks (UK) exist in
1353-541: The sideways movement of the suspension to permit rotational movement. Modern diesel and electric locomotives are mounted on bogies. Those commonly used in North America include Type A , Blomberg , HT-C and Flexicoil trucks. On a steam locomotive , the leading and trailing wheels may be mounted on bogies like Bissel trucks (also known as pony trucks ). Articulated locomotives (e.g. Fairlie , Garratt or Mallet locomotives) have power bogies similar to those on diesel and electric locomotives. A rollbock
1394-471: The tighter curves found on tramways mean tram bogies almost never have more than two axles. Furthermore, some tramways have steeper gradients and vertical as well as horizontal curves, which means tram bogies often need to pivot on the horizontal axis, as well. Some articulated trams have bogies located under articulations, a setup referred to as a Jacobs bogie . Often, low-floor trams are fitted with nonpivoting bogies; many tramway enthusiasts see this as
1435-419: The weight rests on the driving axle. The retractable stadium roof on Toronto's Rogers Centre used modified off-the-shelf train bogies on a circular rail. The system was chosen for its proven reliability. Rubber-tyred metro trains use a specialised version of railway bogies. Special flanged steel wheels are behind the rubber-tired running wheels, with additional horizontal guide wheels in front of and behind
1476-424: The width of the car, with an aisle in between (resulting in arrangements of 2+1, 2+2 or 3+2 seats) or at the side. Tables may be provided between seats facing one another. Alternatively, seats facing in the same direction may have access to a fold-down ledge on the back of the seat in front. Passenger cars can take the electricity supply for heating and lighting equipment from either of two main sources: directly from
1517-649: Was effectively two U25B locomotives on a single frame; each diesel engine and generator powered only the two trucks at the same end. Three were delivered to the UP in October 1963, and three to the Southern Pacific Railroad in May and June 1964. Other locomotives built to this requirement were the EMD DD35A and the ALCO Century 855 . The Southern Pacific kept the three but did not order any more. They were kept on
1558-741: Was first granted a patent in the UK in 1883. The system was widely used on British narrow-gauge rolling stock, such as on the Isle of Man and Manx Northern Railways . The Holdfast Bay Railway Company in South Australia , which later became the Glenelg Railway Company, purchased Cleminson-configured carriages in 1880 from the American Gilbert & Bush Company for its 1600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) broad-gauge line. An articulated bogie
1599-853: Was made standard equipment for the SD70 series , first sold in 1993. The HTCR in operation had mixed results and relatively high purchase and maintenance costs. EMD subsequently introduced the HTSC truck, essentially the HTCR stripped of radial components. GE introduced their version in 1995 as a buyer option for the AC4400CW and later Evolution Series locomotives. However, it also met with limited acceptance because of its relatively high purchase and maintenance costs, and customers have generally chosen GE Hi-Ad standard trucks for newer and rebuilt locomotives. A 19th century configuration of self-steering axles on rolling stock established
1640-541: Was not successful, but Chapman built a more successful locomotive with two gear-driven bogies in 1814. The bogie was first used in America for wagons on the Quincy Granite Railroad in 1829. The first successful locomotive with a bogie to guide the locomotive into curves while also supporting the smokebox was built by John B. Jervis in 1831. The concept took decades before it was widely accepted but eventually became
1681-680: Was rerated to 5,000 horsepower. Twenty of the Union Pacific U50s were withdrawn from service in 1973 and 1974 and traded-in to GE for U30Cs. The last three Union Pacific units remained on the roster until April 1977. The Southern Pacific's three survived in service until 1977. All of the Union Pacific "U-Boats" & Southern Pacific "Baby Hueys" were sold for scrap by 1977. Bogie A bogie ( / ˈ b oʊ ɡ i / BOH -ghee ) (or truck in North American English) comprises two or more wheelsets (two wheels on an axle ), in