by Mr Link » July 11, 2010, 1:48 pm
Correct. When they ship locomotives via ship, they typically remove the trucks (that's what the combined set of wheels are called). That is because the trucks have a spring suspension built into them and if the locomotive is left on the trucks, it would bounce around in the hold of the ship. Instead, they rest the locomotive's frame right on solid blocks.
In some of the other photos at this site, you will see that these locomotives were shipped from the builder (General Electric) in Erie PA to the port at Norfolk VA, on flat cars and not on their own trucks. That is because the gauge of the track they are using is wider than the standard gauge used in North America. The gauge is the distance between the two rails. So there wheels are too wide to sit on standard North American tracks.
Correct. When they ship locomotives via ship, they typically remove the trucks (that's what the combined set of wheels are called). That is because the trucks have a spring suspension built into them and if the locomotive is left on the trucks, it would bounce around in the hold of the ship. Instead, they rest the locomotive's frame right on solid blocks.
In some of the other photos at this site, you will see that these locomotives were shipped from the builder (General Electric) in Erie PA to the port at Norfolk VA, on flat cars and not on their own trucks. That is because the gauge of the track they are using is wider than the standard gauge used in North America. The gauge is the distance between the two rails. So there wheels are too wide to sit on standard North American tracks.