From the Kearney Files
Industrial Australian and Mining Standard November December 1922.
CAR NUMBER ONE.
Car No. 1, which has been built as a demonstration car, is 45ft. long and 8ft. wide. The weight is unusually low for a car of this size, via., 18 tons, this being brought about by the lighter car body and under carriages possible with the Kearney system. The car is mounted on four wheels of 36in. diameter, all the wheels being motor driven. Considerable attention has been paid to the elimination of air resistance and fractional losses. To this end the car is tapered at each extremity, the calculated reduction of this particular form to air resistance over an ordinary bluff - ended car, being four - fifths. Ball bearings of an improved type, taking both journal and side thrust load are fitted to all bearings both on the under wheels and on the guide wheels. These bearings not only greatly reduce journal friction, but also reduce starting effort to an absolute minimum and, what is more important for high speeds, overcome the difficulty of over heating . The guide wheels are grooved to s depth of 2in. and are cut out of the solid. Safety clips are provided on each side of a guide wheels so that it is impossible for s guide wheel to leave the rails unless the clips are first taken adrift. This ensures absolute safety from derailment. The under wheels are also grooved to a depth of 2in.
The car has seating accomodation for 44 persons and can be driven from either end.
It has been said that the Kearney cars are in unstable equilibrium compared with ordinary cars. This is not so. A Kearney car and it's track must be taken as forming a complete structure, and as such it is seen to be in stable equilibrium under all conditions. This cannot be said of an ordinary car which ceases to be stable on curves at excessive sped or when exposed to unusual side wind pressure.
It is the instability of the ordinary train which sets the limit to its speed capacity.
Industrial Australian and Mining Standard November December 1922.
CAR NUMBER ONE.
Car No. 1, which has been built as a demonstration car, is 45ft. long and 8ft. wide. The weight is unusually low for a car of this size, via., 18 tons, this being brought about by the lighter car body and under carriages possible with the Kearney system. The car is mounted on four wheels of 36in. diameter, all the wheels being motor driven. Considerable attention has been paid to the elimination of air resistance and fractional losses. To this end the car is tapered at each extremity, the calculated reduction of this particular form to air resistance over an ordinary bluff - ended car, being four - fifths. Ball bearings of an improved type, taking both journal and side thrust load are fitted to all bearings both on the under wheels and on the guide wheels. These bearings not only greatly reduce journal friction, but also reduce starting effort to an absolute minimum and, what is more important for high speeds, overcome the difficulty of over heating . The guide wheels are grooved to s depth of 2in. and are cut out of the solid. Safety clips are provided on each side of a guide wheels so that it is impossible for s guide wheel to leave the rails unless the clips are first taken adrift. This ensures absolute safety from derailment. The under wheels are also grooved to a depth of 2in.
The car has seating accomodation for 44 persons and can be driven from either end.
It has been said that the Kearney cars are in unstable equilibrium compared with ordinary cars. This is not so. A Kearney car and it's track must be taken as forming a complete structure, and as such it is seen to be in stable equilibrium under all conditions. This cannot be said of an ordinary car which ceases to be stable on curves at excessive sped or when exposed to unusual side wind pressure.
It is the instability of the ordinary train which sets the limit to its speed capacity.
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