wheels became more common. Some cars have the correct wheel size stenciled on the end of the car. Some models carry this stenciling, but be careful. Model manufacturers have been known to recycle lettering from car to car. A better indicator is the capacity stencil on the side. Cars of 100-ton or so capacity need 36” wheels, while 70-ton and lower capacity cars will have 33”. 246K cars now in service, including covered hoppers and container well cars, are fitted with 38” wheels. A car’s gross loaded weight
also dictates the sized of the bearings and axles used. Because automobiles aren’t very heavy for the amount of space they take up, modern auto racks can use 28” wheels. The small wheels also lower the bottom loading deck of the car. There’s a fascinating discussion of railroad wheel dynamometer testing at files.asme.org/ ASMEORg/Communities/History/ Landmarks/5486.pdf in a paper presented to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. It includes a
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Figure 2: Railroad car wheels are sized according to the weight of the freight car and can range from 28 to 38 inches for cars in general service. Photo by Graham Line. Page 17 • May 2012 MRH MRH Questions, Answers, and Tips, page 2
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