Steam & Excursion > Hodges and Cole Photo Essay

A recent thread “Three Legged Milking Stools” at https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,5118720,5119722#msg-5119722 included discussion of the differences between Baldwins Hodges design trailing truck and Alcos Cole trailing truck.
 
Yesterday at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, MN I found Baldwin 2-8-2 Duluth & Northern Minnesota No. 14 and Alco 4-6-2 No. Soo Line  2719 sitting side by side on adjacent tracks in the storage yard.  The 14 has a Hodges truck and the 2719 has a Cole, so I grabbed a bunch of snapshots for a photo essay comparing these two designs.

First, the left side of Baldwin Hodges truck showing the leaf spring clamped with the journal box housing and the swing links to the equalizer to the 4th driver and to frame tailpiece.
Second, detail of the swing link to the equalizer. 
Third, detail of the link to the frame tailpiece.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/20 12:56 by LarryDoyle.

---

---

---

Left Side of Alco Cole truck with spring resting on sliding pad on top of floating hinged bar resting on top of journal box.  Both the spring and the journal are free to slide without transfering motion to the floating bar.  Note there is no direct connection between the journal box and the spring.

Second picture shows the spring resting on the floating lever, resting on the support pad atop the journal box,

Third, detail of spring, sliding pad and oil cup and floating lever.

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/20 12:59 by LarryDoyle.

---

---

---

Sliding pad between journal box and the floating lever

Centering device attached to underside of frame tailpiece on all Alco Cole trucks.

Detail of hinge for floating plate.

-Larry Doyle

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/20 09:21 by LarryDoyle.

---

---

---

Nicely done!  Sliding pads need oil.

Many thanks for posting these photos of Hodges and Cole trailing trucks.  They answer questions!