Improved wheel design will reduce train derailments

Editor: Re: another long train off the tracks in B.C. It is time for a change in the engineering of trains. Since 1803 when the first train was put on the tracks, there has been a great flaw in the design.

The straight axle that connects the right wheel to the left is fine if the train is just going in a straight line, but not when the train wants to do a turn around a curve — especially in B.C., where there may be several consecutive curves, one following the other, but in different directions.

On a curve with connected straight axles for left and right wheels, one wheel will be forced either to slip or not, depending on the curve.

One wheel will have to travel at a different speed than the opposite wheel due to the curve.

The difference may not be much, but the stress/strain on the wheels will be very high due to the weight carried by a coal car. There are eight wheels on one car and four of them will have to slip along on the rail as the curve is taken by the train.

Now, consider a coal train with 160-200 loaded cars. The extra horsepower required to force all these wheels to slip while under this weight, is quite considerable.

All this stress and strain is magnified during a long train doing several curves, especially following the contours along a river, for example.

When you stand near a train coming around a curve, you may actually hear the screaming of the wheels in protest at being dragged about the curve while carrying the heavy weight.

When a long set of curves are attempted, the extra stress and strain will tend to attempt to pull the cars off the track in the directions to the inside of the curve.

Extra locomotives are usually placed half ways along the 160-200 cars to attempt to prevent cars from leaving the tracks.

This wheel slip is also expensive due to the extra wear on the wheels and tracks, plus a lot more horsepower is required to overcome this friction.

Gustav Krupp, the 1860 German steel magnate, was a manufacturer of steel wheels for much of the world in his time and little has changed since. The straight axle set is cheap to make, but costly to operate on curves, and the accidents will continue until we can make ourselves see the light to make independent wheels for each side of the cars and the locomotives, too.

If cars and truck did not have a differential in the rear axle, you would have trouble parking or keeping the tires on.

Trains don’t need differentials, just independent wheels. Who will be first to design a new set of wheels for the trains before we have another accident?

Imagine if the train carrying 160 cars of crude oil went off the tracks into our river.

I predict many more similar accidents if we don’t change — the curves will still be there waiting. Jorgen Hansen, Kelowna