Section 2: Engine Truck, Trailing Truck and Tender Truck Journals

In preparation for 6213’s move, the journal box for each bearing on the tender truck was jacked up using a 20-ton jack, the steel Wedge was removed, the brass lifted up and the journal inspected, then given a light coat of WD-40. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the worksite, time constraints and the the confines of the journal box, a thourough inspection of each journal was not possible and was limited to feeling the surface of the journal with our fingers to look for excessive corrosion, nor were we able to smooth out any irregularities on the journals. Fortunatly, most of what we found was minor surface rust that was most likely scrapped off as soon as the engine was moved.

For the move itself, we improvised our own Journapaks (USPTO #3454315) by taking a 24” long rectangular mop, cutting it in half, and sticking a sponge in the middle, then of course filling the journal box with suitable oil. Also worth mentioning is that during 6213's cosmetic restoration in the 1980's, the journals lids were sealed to keep sand and dust out of the journals when the locomotive was being sandblasted. The foam used has been described to me as, "a simple household weather stripping foam. It came in a roll. It had to be cut to size and glued on - I believe I used contact cement, of all things. But it worked."

IMPORTANT – Even with all that we had done here, none of this returned the locomotive to a state where it could be safely towed for long distances. The work detailed here was only intended to load the tender on to its trailer and then unload the tender at the roundhouse, and limited movements around the Roundhouse site.

The journals would have required a more thourough inspection and polishing etc. to make them fit for a long distance move, if one had been required.

I would like to point out that whatever damage has been done to the tender journals over the years, is done, and if the locomotive should ever run again, the tender truck bearings would have to be converted to Roller Bearings anyways, and new wheels may have to be installed too, so its best not to get too worked up over their condition in terms of taking excessive measures to try and restore them, less of course the locomotive had to be moved a long distance on those bearings.

Finally the Roller Bearings still had an adequete oil level after all these years, so there wasn't much we could or had to do at this point.

Close-up of a 6" x 11" Friction Bearing Journal. A brass bearing sits on a steel journal and is lubricated from underneath by means of cotton waste or a Journapak soaked in oil. The brass in turn has a steel Wedge on top of it and the journal box rests on the Wedge.

Our lifting rig. Using a 20-ton jack we were able to lift each journal box to facilitate inspection of each journal. Also note the foam on the inside of the journal box lid, used to keep dirt out while the engine was being sandblasted in the 1980's. The tab on the end of the lid is used to open the lid with a packing iron.

With the journal box jacked up and the steel wedge removed, the brass is lifted up to inspect the top of the journal and lubricate the journal and brass.

The steel Journal Box Wedge.

As we jacked up the journal boxes, some boxes got stuck on the pedestal liners and we ended up lifting the tender truck and / or the wheel in question.

Grant Kingsland installing his improvised Journapaks.
Photo courtesy Lionel Levitt

Improvised Journapak installed in one of the tender journal boxes. It is made from a 24" mop head cut in half and stuffed with a sponge.