railroad

[nc9933]

if you wanted to machine a railcar wheel,real full size, where would you obtain a blank
and how would you go about it... how much would you spend on the blank
and what machine would be good for it..??

[Al_The_Man]

It depends on where in the states you are, there are not that many wheel foundry's, I happen to live close to one where I am in Canada, and a wheel set manufacturing and wheel set reconditioning plant.
The wheel sets are bored on a vertical mill and pressure fitted to suit the axle it is being pressed on to, they are pre-profiled as cast.
The profile may be re-cut in a wheel lathe for reconditioning, i.e. after profile wear or shells are burnt on the tire due to braking or axle seize etc.
The axle complete with both wheels are turned in double ended axle lathe.
Al.

[Geof]

Originally Posted by nc9933 ......and what machine would be good for it..??

A big one. I think a typical wheel is thirty inches or more in diameter and when they are assembled on an axle they are around five feet long. I worked at a place many decades ago that tried re-juvenating worn rail wheels on a regular lathe. The project was not successful.

[Al_The_Man]

The car wheel axles are removed and turned in the wheel lathe, like Geof says, BIG.
On Locomotives, due to the much more labour involved in removing for reconditioning, the locomotive is driven over a in-floor wheel lathe, the lathe rises out of the floor and the centres pin the axle, then the axle is rotated by external rollers and a set of profile cutters are brought in for the cut.
Al.

[Al_The_Man]

This is a sample of the machines I have repaired in the past.
Hegenscheidt-MFD - Wheel lathes, Wheelset Diagnosis Systems, Crankshaft machining units
Hegensheidt also bought out the US manufacturer of these machines, Simmons & Niles.
Al.