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Try these folks.

http://www.cliftonsteel.com/railroad.html

EBL

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Why not simply use mild steel liners? RMNE had a few made locally years ago, and they have been holding up pretty well. They are cheap enough so that changing them every 4-5 years (if necessary; ours are almost 8-9 years old and still OK) is not cost-prohibitive. We had them made to the sketch in a 1937 Car Builder's Cyc, and we bolt them on using Grade 5 bolts and Stover locknuts.

Howard P.

Its been years since I've even thought about trucks (an airport on LI comes to mind), but can any of the plastics be used? EMD uses one of the engineering plastics, maybe even the famed fabeled Nylatron, in the Blombergs. A wooden coach running at SRRC's speeds isn't going to beat the liner up like a Geep or SD running at 65 will. And if it is black, no one will notice. I think we're talking about the same part, right?

Kelly,

Astralloy Steel Products in Birmingham should be able to make your pedestal liners. They can bend, and cut to your sizes. They offered the 14% manganese steel, really tough stuff, drilling and machining is a real challange.

I have there contact info at the shop, or you can try on-line.

Robert Yuill
www.historicmachineryservices.com

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I dimly recall Harold Frye having pedestal liners folded up at a local sheet-metal fabricator, from manganese steel, at a price well under what he could buy them from Power Parts in the 1980's. These were attached by bolts, Huckbolts, or welding. But you want a good welder, and I don't know what the correct procedure is to prevent the chronic fractured welds on these parts. The CN truck-maintenance instructions that were reprinted by T.R.A.In. in 1987 do not include CN Maintenance Regulation No. 3180, which would have told us what they recommended for an electrode.

I have never seen plastic liners used on an old passenger car. My guess is that the underlying truck frames are typically not flat and true enough to permit plastic parts to be used. (Although even with a steel liner you want the material under the liner to be square and the liner to fit well, or the new liners are sure to crack.)

As to welding electrode for spring steel pedestal liners, I have heard something called "missile rod" recommended (by Dan Pluta, I think), but there was no other designation of the stuff; asking for that in the welding supply house was met with blank stares. It does seem that whatever one does, some (but not all) the welds usually crack.

Howard P.

Once upon a time, TransDyne supplied some pedestal roof liners:

http://www.roadrunneragency.com/transdyne.html

In regards to the welding rod type for welding liners to boxes or truck frames, we use an equivalent to the following:

"Lime coated austenitic electrode, Arcos #E310-15 or E312-15". This information from ALCO Maintenance Instruction #16051A.

As I remember, 10 lbs of the stuff was about $150.00

So far, our cracking problems have stopped on the high manganese liners when using this type of rod, and following the MI for procedure.

I don't have a copy of the MI here, but will try to remember to bring one home to scan the pertinent page with the welding specs. for applying liners.

Kent McClure
mrym.org

Kent, thank you, thank you!!

Howard P.

On freight cars, welded-on pedestal roof liners were tried in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Almost always, the welds securing the manganese pedestal roof wear liners to the cast steel side frame pedestal roofs failed. It is for this reason that the clip-on pedestal roof wear liners gained favor in the world of heavy haul freight cars.

Per my previous comments, below are the welding instructions from ALCO for applying liners to boxes.

Welding instructions:
1. The liner should fit flat against surface to which it is to be welded and then clamped securely in place.
2. Clearance between wear plates and liners to the casting should not exceed .010 inch.
3. Use a good lime coated austenitic electrode (Arcos E310-15 - E312-15 or equivalent).
4. To eliminate cracking at starts and stops of welds proper welding techniques should be used:
a. Arc should be struck slightly forward (1/2") in the path of the area to be welded.
b. Pause at the end of the weld bead and then bring the arc back over the weld about 1/2" and break the arc at the upper leg of the fillet.

Hope this helps.

Kent