| Posted by Mike on July 2, 2012 | |
There are no flanges on it. This would leave me to believe that it came off a steam locomotive, to which this axle was one of the middle drivers.
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| Posted by thewiz on July 2, 2012 | |
Couldn't have been a driver as it has an end-bearing axle. The upper wheel looks as though the flange has been broken or ground off, as does the lower wheel if one looks carefully.
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If you look closely, there is evidence of the wheel once having flanges. The lower wheel still has a few spots where they can be seen. On the backside of the upper wheel, you can see where the flanges broke off, possibly causing the derailment that lead to this wheel to end up here.
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Looks like an old cast iron rib back freight car wheel. The flanges probably broke off as they were hitting the rocks on their way down.
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The wheel looks solid so a locomotive wheel is out of the equation. One way to figure it out would be to measure the diameter of the wheel, 33" or so would evidence to it belonging to a car. Now as to why it doesn't have flanges, maybe it was a company gon full of used wheel sets for scrap. We may never know the truth. RSH
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I think that you will find this is a wheel off an old steam tractor. There does not appear to be any side rod connectors on this wheel that would be on wheels from a rail road steam engine. The tractor wheels would have outside connectors on the axle for chain link steering. This axle has the extended shaft for just such an arrangement.
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Wow what a find regardless of it's origins! Although, if perhaps one of the comments above is right, you should re-submit this over at tractorpictures.com!
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| Posted by Tim H on July 2, 2012 | |
It looks like the flange has been broken off (and it was pointed out in a earlier comment) Being bent and missing the bearing boxes maybe a car load of damaged wheels dumped.
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| Posted by Andrew on July 2, 2012 | |
If some one could work out the 'back to back' measurement, it may then be possible to say that it could not be from a railway vehicle.
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Note the other splined axle to the rear, back in the hole. A great historic pic for RP. I wonder also if it didn't have something to do with an old log skidder, as the area where the pic was taken was heavily logged by steam equipment back in the early 1900-1930 era.
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How about the axle off of a steam locomotive tender? I recall both seeing photos of and actual wheel sets having tires similiar to the tires on locomotive drivers. The tires could have been knocked off in whatever happened. Over and above that, some early diesels also had tires mounted on their wheels.
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The wheel has no taper to it at all. I have no idea what it is but I do not think it is from a piece of rail equipment at all.
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I can tell you this wheel did come of of a train and is in no way was a locomotive drivier or tender wheel. This is a cast wheel and that is identified by the ribs on the back. I dont know how it happened but looking at the top wheel somehow the flanges were not ground or cut but broken off with great force which would mean a derailment of some sort. At the steam railroading institute in Owosso, Michigan we have the only two cars in the US allowed to run with Cast wheels and they are the exact same thing as this. Nice photo!
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Perhaps researching the history of this location may help find any historical info on a derailment that appeared to accur here? What railway originally used this line? N&W perhaps?
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I have been trying to respond with a little of trouble. Anyways, lets try this. So the abandoned ROW is about 75 feet above(steep) this location. As others have mentioned this was a heavily used railway starting in 1884, I believe its demise came around 1983 when the Western Maryland let it go. Anyways, on this very steep decent between the ROW and where the wheel sits are lots of railroad ties as well. There are even ties further down in the river itself. I def. dont think this is from a tractor. Its location, are history and other "artifacts" steer more toward a train. On my next trip, I will get measures, maybe the water level will be down as well...either that or Ill just have to get wet to see if I can see anything else.
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By the way ray - all mystery aside, this is a beautiful shot.
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| Posted by Dana M. on September 13, 2020 | |
I just happened upon this photo now and I did a little research/Google investigation and found this information. This is from the West Virginia Tourist information page and just a brief description about this trail which if you read the information above is on the Blackwater Falls Rail Trail. So it is a former railroad right-of-way converted to a hiking/biking trail as Ray pointed out. Here is the small brief description of this trail: The West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway (WVC&P) chugged along the former rails hauling coal and timber between Cumberland, Maryland and Elkins, West Virginia. Extra locomotives were kept on hand to push trains up part of the grade. That gives you an idea of the ascent! When the railroad became inactive in 1983 plans for the trail began. So, from that information, I am going with the popular opinion that this is, in fact, a wheel axle from an old railroad car that was probably made from cast iron and the flanges, indeed, were shattered and broken off from impact with the rocks while bouncing down off and over the rocky terrain during their trip and travel that placed it here. Even with deeper searching, I couldn't find any information about any derailments happening on this former rail line.
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