Pete got the definitions right and Jan selected the correct "medium".
I uploaded a couple a pics of busted drawbars to the "Photos" section.
No. 1 is the typical manner of failure of the rotary drawbars on coal
equipment. The "old break" is that part of the shank that displays
discoloration and a noticeable difference in texture. In the case of
no. 1 it's right hand half of the shank.
No. 2 is also typical of rotary drawbar shank failures. The piece
missing in this picture is the "Mystery Part" mentioned in another
shot. The "mystery part" was once an integeral part of the shank and
was responsible for holding the drawbar in the car. Its failure,
over time, ultimately led to the failure of the shank under a period
of high stress. In the picture showing MP 122 the period of high
stress occured as the train was ascending the 1%+ grade just out of
Pueblo, CO.
While these are late vintage drawbars the failures are representative
of the failures of countless thousands of drawbars in years gone by.
Just ask Max Wissel.
Hey, anybody out there remember "Bullchain" ??
Karl
|