Eastern Railroad Discussion > Creaking and Groaning

Ok, you are sitting at a grade crossing and as the train goes you hear the familiar sound of creaking and groaning. Is that the springs in the trucks or the draft gear suspension? It seems the bigger the cars, the more prevalent the sound is. This is a sound I'vd heard since my first train watching days in the 1960s but never really thought about where the sound comes from. Other than the sound of the wheels hammering over a crossing frog, it's a familiar but pleasant sound that we have all become accustomed to.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

A little bit of everything. Rail flexing, carbody twisting ties moving and pumping, trucks swiveling and rocking, springs adjusting, knuckles rubbing, draftgear adjusting, flanges squealing, flat spots banging. Music to my ears!