What are railroad brasses?

Mon Aug 6 16:32:54 EDT 2018

Of course, the journal brasses had babbitt linings.  There was not supposed to be any brass/journal contact; actually, a film of oil kept the babbitt from contacting the journal.  Under normal conditions, that is . . .

Ed King

From: NW Mailing List 
Sent: Monday, August 06, 2018 2:31 PM
To: NW Mailing List 
Subject: RE: What are railroad brasses?

This one really got me by surprise. My first thought for a definition for railroad brass was those members of the railroad company with the word president in their job title. 

We knew the brass in charge were not the brass in the shell casings during my Navy days. 

Hard to believe a block of brass will support a loaded railcar. You would think the alloy would be too soft.

Howard Leedy 

From: NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org> On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Monday, August 06, 2018 1:33 PM
To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: Re: What are railroad brasses?

Railroad brasses refer to bearing blocks that go on top of the axle in the journal box. They are sized specifically for the amount of weight they will carry. Things like cabooses will be smaller than a heavy freight car, as a cabooses weighs a lot less, and will not be loaded with heavy freight.

http://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=75434

Best

Ken Miller

  On Aug 6, 2018, at 1:08 PM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

  I came across the following newspaper report and wondered what "railroad brasses" are, as mentioned in the article. What are "railroad brasses?"

  The Times Dispatch (Richmond, VA)        Fri, 25 Dec 1903, p. 7

  GREAT  QUANTITY  RAILROAD BRASSES

  Found by the Police in the Ruins of the Junk Shop Fire.

                  Mike Kelly, the junk dealer, was arrested yesterday morning by Detective Hall and Policeman Folkes, on the charge of having stolen railroad brasses in his possession. He was carried to the First Station, where he was later bailed for his appearance in the Police Court this morning, in the sum of $1,000, by Judge Witt.

                  Kelly's junk shop, on Twentieth Street, was destroyed by fire Wednesday night. Yesterday morning Captain Shinberger received information that lot of railroad brasses were in the ruins. He went to headquarters and reported the matter at once, and Detective Hall and Policeman Folkes went to the scene of the fire to investigate.

                  What they found startled them. There beneath burned lumber and debris of all kinds, incidental to a junk shop fire, they found hundreds of pounds of railroad brasses—some marked Chesapeake and Ohio, some Seaboard Air Line, some Norfolk and Western some Southern, and various other. Many of the brasses were broken into small pieces, but scores of them were still in the original state.

                  They were gathered up and carried by wagons to the first Station, and Mr. Kelly was arrested.

                  In explanation of the presence of the brasses Mr. Kelly said they had been there for years, and that he had not taken any in for a long time.

                  The penalty in such cases is imprisonment in the penitentiary and a heavy fine. The case will be called this morning, but it will probably be continued.

                  Mr. Kelly is one of the most widely known junk dealers in the city. He has been in business at the same stand for more than a quarter of a century.

  Peter R. R. Getz

  Rockwall, Texas

  ________________________________________
  NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
  To change your subscription go to
  http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list
  Browse the NW-Mailing-List archives at
  http://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________________________________
NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
To change your subscription go to
http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list
Browse the NW-Mailing-List archives at
http://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20180806/36905b00/attachment-0001.html>