[Myrddin]

Interesting that a wheel bearing failure was the cause.

Having a wheel bearing burnoff is not unusual. The "old school" way to detect it in motion is with heat activated "stink bombs" inserted in the bearing adaptor. That relies on have a human downwind to detect the odor, inform the locomotive, stop the train and walk end to end to locate the "stinker". In the monitoring system I built for FRA, the stink bomb holes hosted an electronic thermal sensor. There are sensors on the inboard and outboard bearing adaptors at each wheel. When my cars were parked, I could tell which side of the car was getting sunlight. The monitor would reported a hot bearing to the locomotive long before a human could have smelled a stink bomb. C'est la vie!

I still have some of the hardware in my basement from the canceled project. Here is the bearing thermal sensor.

[meatloaf]

When did you build that system?

[cymbeline]

“There are sensors on the inboard and outboard bearing adaptors at each wheel.”

Interesting post. A sensor on each wheel adds up to a lot of sensors on a train! I saw on the news tonight that there are sensors in the track that can pick up an overheated bearing as the train goes them. Guess trains are loaded up with electronics like everything else.

[see the “everything” above? Immediately after I typed that word, this very smart text box inserted the “else”. Annoying.]

I vaguely remember when sleeve bearings were replaced with tapered roller bearings. Is that what put Timken on the map? I remember guys walking alongside a stopped train looking for hotboxes and oiling the bearings.