Pony truck
Encyclopedia
A pony truck, in railway terminology, is a leading truck with only two wheels.
Its invention is generally credited to Levi Bissell, who devised one in 1857
and patented it the following year. Hence the term Bissel bogie
(spelt with one 'l') or axle is used in continental Europe
. In the UK, the term is Bissell truck with two 'l's .
Conservative locomotive builders in Bissell's native United States
did not take to the design, and it was not implemented until the Eastern Counties Railway
in the United Kingdom
fitted one to their No. 248 in 1859. Pony trucks of similar design became very popular on British locomotives thereafter.
, the pony truck did not become instantly popular in the United States. Locomotives in the United Kingdom were generally not equalized, so it was not considered a problem there. John P. Laird was the first to attempt to equalize the pony truck with the drivers in 1857; he received a patent on the concept in 1866. Laird's design was complex and did not find favor, although he incorporated it on some locomotives he built or rebuilt, particularly on the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad
and later the Pennsylvania Railroad
.
John H. Whetstone of Cincinnati, working for Niles and Company, was the next to devise a method for equalizing; in this scheme, the truck frame was itself the equalizing beam as well. Niles went bankrupt before the patent was granted, and no locomotive was ever fitted with this design.
A more successful scheme for equalizing the pony truck to the drivers was invented by William S. Hudson, superintendent of the Rogers Locomotive Works, and patented in 1864. In this design, a large equalizing lever linked the front truck with a transverse bar connected to the front spring hangers of the driving wheels. This design was an immediate success and was used on American-built locomotives until the end of steam building.
In the United States, these trucks were known as lead trucks. A pony truck was the lead truck on a horse drawn rail car or trolley. A pony truck required a hitch to attach horses. The term applied to Steam Locomotives after 1900 was considered archaic.
Its invention is generally credited to Levi Bissell, who devised one in 1857
1857 in rail transport
-January events:* January 13 - Thaddeus Fairbanks is awarded for a railroad scale.- February events :* February 9 - The Central Pacific Railroad is incorporated in Nebraska Territory to build a railroad from the Missouri River through the Rocky Mountains to Washington Territory.* February 18 - The...
and patented it the following year. Hence the term Bissel bogie
Bissel bogie
A Bissel truck is a very simple and commonly used way of designing a carrying axle on a steam locomotive to enable it to negotiate curves more easily. The design uses a single-axled bogie, usually known as a pony truck, whose pivot is towards the centre of the locomotive...
(spelt with one 'l') or axle is used in continental Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In the UK, the term is Bissell truck with two 'l's .
Conservative locomotive builders in Bissell's native United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
did not take to the design, and it was not implemented until the Eastern Counties Railway
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
fitted one to their No. 248 in 1859. Pony trucks of similar design became very popular on British locomotives thereafter.
Equalizing
Partly because load was not equalized between the Bissell pony truck and the leading driversDriving wheel
On a steam locomotive, a driving wheel is a powered wheel which is driven by the locomotive's pistons...
, the pony truck did not become instantly popular in the United States. Locomotives in the United Kingdom were generally not equalized, so it was not considered a problem there. John P. Laird was the first to attempt to equalize the pony truck with the drivers in 1857; he received a patent on the concept in 1866. Laird's design was complex and did not find favor, although he incorporated it on some locomotives he built or rebuilt, particularly on the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad
Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad
The Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad is a defunct railroad of southern Ohio that was later absorbed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ....
and later the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
.
John H. Whetstone of Cincinnati, working for Niles and Company, was the next to devise a method for equalizing; in this scheme, the truck frame was itself the equalizing beam as well. Niles went bankrupt before the patent was granted, and no locomotive was ever fitted with this design.
A more successful scheme for equalizing the pony truck to the drivers was invented by William S. Hudson, superintendent of the Rogers Locomotive Works, and patented in 1864. In this design, a large equalizing lever linked the front truck with a transverse bar connected to the front spring hangers of the driving wheels. This design was an immediate success and was used on American-built locomotives until the end of steam building.
In the United States, these trucks were known as lead trucks. A pony truck was the lead truck on a horse drawn rail car or trolley. A pony truck required a hitch to attach horses. The term applied to Steam Locomotives after 1900 was considered archaic.
See also
- BogieBogieA bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
- South African Class 32-000South African Class 32-000Between November 1959 and November 1961 the South African Railways placed one hundred and fifteen Class 32-000 GE U18C1 diesel-electric locomotives in service in South West Africa.- Manufacturer :...
– 1Co-Co1 diesel-electric locomotive