Re: About Those Half flanges on #346

chris ahrens Wrote:
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> Also, do you have any figures on the back to backs
> of the flanged Vs the blind tires? Was the actual
> back-to-back shop practice to set the blind tires
> the same as the flanged tires? Stuff I did not
> cover those many years ago.

On the #346, the back to back was/is near the FRA maximum of 32-7/8" on all axles except the #2 where it is 32-11/16". With flanges on all axles, that makes for a very rigid locomotive, since the traditional practice is to set the front and rear tires nearer to the minimum of 32-1/2" to allow more flexibility on curves. That is not practical on #346 due to the proximity of the firebox and suspension parts to the backs of the tires.

Baldwin Standard Practice calls for blind tires to have their back to back set narrower than the flanged tires by 1/4". Practically, blind tires should be centered over the rail head when on straight track. So if the rail head is 2-1/4" wide, the rails would be 38-1/4" center to center. With 6" wide blind tires, the back to back in that case would be 32-1/4".