Although passenger and freight railcars have different purposes (transporting people versus transporting goods), they tend to share a lot of the same railcar parts.
Sourcing and maintaining those parts is essential to any successful railcar operation.
Let’s take a look at the various railcar parts.
Railcar Parts: Mover Parts
The mover parts of a railcar ensure that everything’s running smoothly as passengers or freight goes along the tracks. A brief list of railcar mover parts includes the following:
Couplers
Couplers connect the railway vehicles.
Rather than one standard kind of coupler, many different types of designs and materials are in use. These range from mechanical couplers such as the buffer and chain or link and pin to semi-automatic couplers such as the Janney coupler.
Axles & Wheels
The rail axle and wheels work together to form a wheelset that keeps the railcar moving along the track. The wheels are typically made of steel and heat-treated to add extra strength.
Most modern freight railcars have three or four wheelsets to support heavy freight loads.
Cylinders
The cylinders help generate power for railcars. Made from steel, these are essential components for the diesel engine railcars that carry most of the world’s freight.
Railcar Parts: Friction Wear Parts
Friction wear parts play a vital role in applying pressure to certain railcar parts to control speed. Some of the most common friction wear parts include:
Brake Shoes and Brake Pads
By pressing against the wheel tread, brake shoes and pads can slow or stop a wheel. Each railroad car has its own brakes to control its wheels. When working together, they bring the entire railcar to a stop.
Typically, pads and shoes are made from cast iron and composite materials.
Center Plates
Center plates are a kind of steel or forged steel plate that supports the car body on its trucks. Through this support, the center plates allow the trucks to turn.
Railcar Parts: Rubber Parts
Rubber parts have a variety of different functions for railcars. Let’s take a look at two common ones.
Motor Mounts
Most railcars carry heavy loads that cause quite a lot of vibrations. Motor mounts help manage the effects of those vibrations by creating stability support.
Rubber Seals & Gaskets
Rubber seals are primarily used to prevent unwanted leaking from windows, doors, ceilings, engines, and more.
These work together with gaskets to prevent fuel, oil, and grease leakages. For example, nitrile gaskets help secure manway (or utility hole) nozzles on railroad tank cars.
Railcar Parts With Kor-Pak
After correctly identifying the parts of a railcar, you can better hone in on the particular railcar parts that need adjustment or repair. You’ll want to find a railcar parts supplier with experience and expertise to ensure a quality job.
Kor-Pak has provided rubber parts, friction wear parts, and other railcar parts to satisfy clients for many years. Contact us today to see how we can help.