On April 7, work commenced on the
inspection of the right-side
bearing of 4449's #2 driver at the Portland & Western Railroad
locomotive shop in Albany, Oregon. A few years ago is when the bearing
started getting a little warm, the locomotive was able to continue
running safely at track speed, and the crew kept a very close eye on
it.
Many theories and ideas as to what the cause was, the only thing that
could be done was to take it out and see for ourselves. This required
the removal of the axle, and taking apart the bearing for a peek
inside.
The axle was, quoting Doyle: "Smooth as a baby's bottom." The brass on
the friction bearing was also looking good, only the babbitt (silver
lining at edge of brass) needed replacement.
Since it's common to mark
such components with the date they were serviced, the stamp on this
axle indicated this babbitt was poured during March, 1955 in the SP
shops of Los Angeles. Pretty good lifetime considering the running it
did during it's last years at SP, sitting in a park for 15+ years, the
national tour of the American Freedom Train, and the numerous of
excursions/miles since.
The preliminary inspection shows no issues with the brass or axle, just
a babbitt replacement.
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Gallery
1 - April 7, 2007
100 photos Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
At the Albany shops, the crew
removes the rods, and drops the #2 driver
in order to take out the defective bearing for inspection.
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Gallery
2 - April 14, 2007
80 photos Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3
At the Albany shops with a repaired babbitt bearing, it is reinstalled,
and the #2 driver put back underneath the locomotive.
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