Last week while going to pick up my wife after work I like to go over the Wheeling and Lake Erie crossing on Summit street in Akron, hoping to catch a train. This day I did. As the engines crossed and they had a string of hoppers cars behind them. Some cars had trucks where the end of the wheels rotated in the truck. What caught my eye was there was a string of older hoppers with the older style trucks but the cap covers were missing exposing the end of the shaft to the open. Is this a common practice now. I thought the caps protected the grease once it was put in there. Or are these cars just neglected and not used for mailine servive................Thanks Paul

What you most likely saw were old friction bearing journals converted to roller bearings. To legally interchange friction bearing cars you need to be able to see the triangle spinning as it rolls by, hence the caps removed.

Garden State Steam Hobbies has it exactly correct.

You saw some older trucks with roller bearing conversions. There is no grease inside to protect. It is just like the newer roller bearings only the rotating end cap is inside a little box, where car knockers USED to put grease when there was a friction bearing in there.

Some cars had trucks where the end of the wheels rotated in the truck. What caught my eye was there was a string of older hoppers with the older style trucks but the cap covers were missing exposing the end of the shaft to the open. Is this a common practice now. I thought the caps protected the grease once it was put in there. Or are these cars just neglected and not used for mailine servive...........


suggest you find a copy of July, 2008 TRAINS magazine, has story about W&LE as a feature including the cars you mention and the reason for them.

Thanks for the information. Learn something new everyday. I didn't know they could do that with older style trucks............Paul