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Re: Concord Naval Depot Boxcars Heading to Scrap
Author: OldPoleBurner
Date: 04-11-2011 - 15:15
I don't know that Timken invented the term "friction bearing", though they may have used it often enough. Back in the day; when I was a navy snipe, we often referred to the "friction bearings" in the engine room machinery, especially the steam turbines; and that was certainly before Timken's roller bearing campaign in the railroad trade press became the big new deal.
Timken's ad campaign most certainly would never have been heard of, on an old 1942 warship, or by the old salts I worked with. But often enough, when someone used the term "friction bearings", some old chief would get annoyed and correct us: They were "Babbitt Bearings" and we better not forget it! Babbitt being the particular brass alloy the bearings were made of.
One difference though, between railroad journal bearings (another common term) and the navy engine room bearings, was the manner of lubrication. Instead of oil soaked waste wicking the oil up in between the bearing surfaces; the Navy babbitt bearings were pressure lubed via several small holes in the babbitt. The pressurized lubrication worked very well at keeping a relatively thick film of oil between the metal surfaces. But other than that, they were about the same.
And speaking of the bearings on those boxcars, I had long presumed that they had sat there for so long without moving or being serviced or anything; that most of those old bearing would have been seized up by now, making the cars unmovable at all, without just skidding the wheels. Didn't know how the H they would remove them. Too bad it had to be by truck. (Such an ugly word - "truck")
OPB
Timken's ad campaign most certainly would never have been heard of, on an old 1942 warship, or by the old salts I worked with. But often enough, when someone used the term "friction bearings", some old chief would get annoyed and correct us: They were "Babbitt Bearings" and we better not forget it! Babbitt being the particular brass alloy the bearings were made of.
One difference though, between railroad journal bearings (another common term) and the navy engine room bearings, was the manner of lubrication. Instead of oil soaked waste wicking the oil up in between the bearing surfaces; the Navy babbitt bearings were pressure lubed via several small holes in the babbitt. The pressurized lubrication worked very well at keeping a relatively thick film of oil between the metal surfaces. But other than that, they were about the same.
And speaking of the bearings on those boxcars, I had long presumed that they had sat there for so long without moving or being serviced or anything; that most of those old bearing would have been seized up by now, making the cars unmovable at all, without just skidding the wheels. Didn't know how the H they would remove them. Too bad it had to be by truck. (Such an ugly word - "truck")
OPB
