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| home : industries : rail : overview : page three |
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| Rail Bearings | Rail Bearing Service | History of Rail Bearings | History of Rail Bearing Service | |||
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| The
History of Timken Rail Bearings During the early 1930's, the competitive advantages of tapered roller bearings had been proven on automotive passenger cars; however, locomotives remained a challenge for Timken. To demonstrate that tapered roller bearings could be successfully used on locomotive axles, Timken commissioned the "Four Aces" -- the first steam locomotive equipped with Timken tapered roller bearings. Using three women to pull the locomotive with a rope, the Four Aces was an outstanding success and achieved all the objectives. During the two years of intensive testing on 13 different rails and 23 years of heavy service on the Northern Pacific Railway, this engine never failed. It saved fuel and ran at high speeds more smoothly than conventional steam locomotives. This reduced engine and track maintenance that was due to the heavy pounding caused by driver wheels equipped with standard non-tapered bearings. In 1954, the Timken AP™ bearing was developed. This self-contained, preassembled and prelubricated bearing reduced maintenance costs and was easily adapted to all types of rail cars. It revolutionized the rail industry by becoming an industry standard. Since that time, Timken has developed numerous innovations and improvements to the AP bearing. In 1994, the Timken AP-2™ bearing was produced. This bearing, which has fewer components, carries heavier loads and reduces fretting wear. Timken has supplied bearings to the rail industry for over 65 years and will continue to be the technology leader in the rail bearing business. | |||
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