611 Rods

[NW Mailing List]

The NWHS Archves has N&W drawings (not traced from Timken drawings) of the 
forging dies used to forge the "eyes" at either end of the rods for roller 
bearing equipped Class A and Class J locomotives.

Example:

D43068 4/28/49 Stamping Die for Forming Small Eye (20 1/4" Dia. Fin.) Front, 
Intermediate and Back Rods, Loco Class A (with Roller Bearing Crank Pins),J

Gordon Hamilton

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2015 1:23 PM
Subject: Re: 611 Rods


> Don't think so, Ron.  The Alloy came from Timken; the forging and 
> machining was done in Roanoke.  Maybe Louis Newton has some more 
> information.
>
> Ed King
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: NW Mailing List
> Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2015 10:41 AM
> To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
> Subject: RE: 611 Rods
>
> "These new rods were fabricated from a lightweight alloy by Timken, not
> Roanoke Shops. The new rods were installed on numbers 600, 605, 610 and 
> 611.
>
> So despite the N&W film showing rods being fabricated in Roanoke, the rods
> on 611 today were made by Timken"
>
>
> Ron,
>
> What documentation exist to verify that Timken manufactured these
> replacement rods for the Class J's, not Roanoke?  Which rods (main and 
> side)
> had to remanufactured? All eight of them?
>
> Thanks, John Garner  Newport, VA
>
> -----Original Message----- From: NW Mailing List
> Sent: Sunday, May 03, 2015 11:10 PM
> To: NW Mailing List
> Subject: 611 Rods
>
> I'd like to clear up some questions regarding the side rods on the 611.
>
> Some people have claimed that the rods for the 611 were fabricated in the
> shops in Roanoke, referring to an N&W film that shows rods being forged 
> and
> machined in Roanoke Shops.
> Others stated that the rods for 611 were made by Timken, not the N&W's
> Roanoke Shops.
>
> So here's the story:
> The rods for the Class J were originally fabricated in Roanoke Shops as
> shown in the company film. Look closely and you will see that the
> intermediate rod between the number 2 and 3 drivers was actually 2 rods
> installed side-by-side. This caused the rods to be set out from the 
> drivers
> and the need for long crank pins.
>
> According to Bud Jeffries' book "Giants of Steam", in 1952 a failure of 
> the
> crank pin on the number 4 driver led to a redesign of the rods. The new
> lightweight rods only required one rod between the drivers, allowing the
> rods to be located closer to the wheels and shortening the crank-pins. 
> This
> reduced the stresses seen by the crank pins and solved the problem.
>
> These new rods were fabricated from a lightweight alloy by Timken, not
> Roanoke Shops. The new rods were installed on numbers 600, 605, 610 and 
> 611.
>
> So despite the N&W film showing rods being fabricated in Roanoke, the rods
> on 611 today were made by Timken.
>
> Ron Davis
>
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>
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