The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1903-08-18

The local car shops of the Wheeling
& Lake Erie railroad are busy place
at all times of the year but easily the
busiest department of the entire estab-
lishment is the one where the new
car wheels are cut down and fitted to-
the axles and the worn wheels are re-
mated and recut for further use.
This department is In charge CS
j. e. Deckman who has been in the EN-
ploy Of the company for number of
years. Mr.. Deckman's personal duties
consist of experimenting the removal
of old carwheels from the axles, recut-
ting the bores and worn tires, rematirt
the old wheels and operating the ma
chine which cuts out the core Of tho
new wheels to the size required to prop
erly fit the axles.
THE LIFE OF A WHEEL.
There are always large number
of new and old wheels at the shops
awaiting attention. At present there
are two carloads of new wheels at the
shops which are being turned ork Z.
the rate OF about pairs per day. There
are 200 wheels in the lot which are in
tended for use with the last shipment
of 200 steel freight cars received by the
Wheeling and Lake Erie recently.
These cars have a capacity of S0,0op
and 100000 lbs, and require an extra
large wheel, in fact the largest wheel
made, weighing $50 lbs. The average
wheel for the 10000 capacity car weighs
$50 lbs. Some wheels last for Is or 20
years. others for only few months
but the average life Of carwheer is
from to years If given the proper
attention and repaired when repairI
are lirst lAeco-nitatcd.
THE LOCAL SHOPS.
Few railroads have the department
for the mating and careful repair Of
these wheels as most of their work OF
this Kind Is done in contract shops
and often by incompetent men and
boys. The Wheeling and Lake Erie
has paid particular attention to this
work and the result is easily to be seen
in the few wheels which are sent back
for refitting The road has two shops,
one at Ironville and the other in this
city. The one at Ironville supplies the
Toledo division with wheels and tho
local shop looks after the Cleveland
division. The two alternate on the
division between Columbia and Wheel
ing. The local shop is the better Of the
two as nothing has been sent back for
second repairs. h.
The responsibility for loose wheels
can be fixed at once as close watch
and record is kept on them at the shops
The number Of the wheel, and the date
Of fitting is kept for future reference.
MECHANICAL OPERATIONS.
| When a new wheel is brought iIto
the shop from foundry where 1t was cast
1t is not the wheel which is seen in
use on the railroads Instead of beinx
bored out smooth In the opening for tho
axle, the rough projections from the
casting are still In evidence This
wheel. 1t is surrounded by n shell
which unites near the rim to form thg
tire. The wheel is plnced on. a ma.
chine which is used for cutting orr
this core and forming the bore for the
axle Special boring tools are required,
for this purpose which are made Of
hard steel. These tools are never al.
lowed near water whether they are hot
or cold as drop on them would cause
them to crack In pieces. ~
Two cuts are generally required to
reduce the core to the right size. In
these cuts from 3-8 to whole inch ol
stock is removed and the operation re-
quires about 40 minutes Of which 20
are for the first cut.
POWERFUL MACHINERY.
One tool Is generally all that Is rel
/ quired for making a cut although IN
case OF an extra hard wheel two are