Balancing

Hello

As one can see at this picture of No. 6023 King Edward II the driving- and coupled wheels the gap between the spokes under the crank pin are filled with cast (you can find this on a great number of steam locomotives)


Is this a part of balancing the wheel(s) or is it just constructed that way to strenghten this part of the wheel
(from the force that arise by the connecting- and coupling rods)?

source: Wikipedia Commons

Knut

 

It's on the wrong side of the wheel to assist with balancing.

 

If you look closely, the spokes on either side of the "filled-in" space have webs cast in. My guess is that it's to stiffen the area of greatest torque, ie where the crankpin takes up the driving torque. Stanier Jubilee wheels have the same features, although I don't think the space opposite the crankpin is filled solid.

Richard.

 

Thanks a lot Richard! I had the same thoughts like you but I wasn`t 100% sure.

Knut

 

Earlier GW standard class wheels had the crankpin on a spoke. Crankpin between spokes and the web filled in was a change made under the Collett regime.