Re: Narrow Gauge Truck Size

The 3'7" wb truck was used because at the time they were built outside-hung brake beams were pretty much standard. With outside-hung brakes you didn't need a longer wheelbase to work, so they were less expensive to build. However, the short reefers had 4'8" trucks and they were equipped with inside-hung brake beams. Why you ask? Because the reefer would drip salty water from the ice bunkers all over the brake beams on outside-hung trucks and rot them in a heartbeat. So if that's the case, why not use the inside-hung 4'8" wb truck on all of the cars? Simple...it's much easier to replace brake shoes on an outside-hung truck. Remember, this is Colorado... and it's miserable out there in the winter.

As for capacity, that is determined by the journal size and NOT the truck design. Yes, the short reefers were only rated at 20 tons (most of the rest of the fleet was rated at 25 tons) but remember, the ice capacity was NOT included in the tare weight of the reefer, which accounts for the "missing" 5 tons.