new tankcar

[Robbman]

With all due respect Robbman, freight car wheels are one thing I know a little bit about since I manage the largest freight car wheel plant on the continent and see about a half-million bearings a year.  Knowing your vast expertise on many subjects, I don't doubt that other bearings HAVE been painted blue at some time in the past, but the only bearings that are used today (and for some time) that are blue are New Brenco Class K, Gen 2s, and they come that way from Brenco themselves.

To the best of my knowledge there's no particular reason.  I doubt it has to be with ensuring they're applying new bearings to a new car because plenty of new cars don't get blue bearings.  I'm more inclined to believe it's just a marketing thing for them.

Learn something new everyday   Do you guys assemble the whole axle?  I only see the entire assembly before getting thrown under a truck... not the components

[Hyperion]

We do assemble the wheelset from components.  So (obviously), an axle, 2 loose wheels, and 2 bearings.   

Wheels come back on the same flat that they were sent out on and those either need a simple turning (with 2 new/recon bearings also applied) or, more often than not, they get fully demounted, axles get reworked, new loose wheels are applied, and new bearings are applied.  We'll do about 100,000 per year, most getting the full demount.

[Robbman]

You guys ship out by truck... specifically... to FCA in Roanoke?

[Hyperion]

Nope.  I'm in Lincoln, NE at BNSF's Havelock Shops which includes both our Backshop and our Wheel Plant.  We furnish wheels to BNSF only, almost entirely by rail.  If I had to guess (and this is purely a guess), FCA in Roanoke would get much of its wheels from Progress out of Louisville, KY.  Could be Greenbrier, but they'd have to travel further.

But, with traffic down and production up, I might be looking to offload some wheels outside of BNSF next year.  Got any connections at FCA?