TO ABOLISH THE HOT BOX
AN ANNOYING DETENTION for an hour or so by a “hot box” on a car is not calculated to make friends A for the railroad on which it may occur. Sufferers will welcome the promise of a Detroit inventor, Leo K. Stafford, that a new form of roller bearing devised by him will prove so efficient that it will cut down friction some ninety per cent. and incidentally abolish the hot box entirely. A writer in The Pere Marquette Magazine (Detroit) notes that while interest primarily attaches to its service in the railroad field, the new bearing will commend itself to all means of transportation where a heavy load enters or where a big carrying capacity is necessary. Two points in favor of this invention, which are strest by those who have seen the bearings in service, are that they will not crush or break. We read:
“The Stafford bearing was applied to a car on one of the leading railroads of America on October 15, 1920, and the car was put into service on their rails. Part of the time it had a load of 122,600 pounds, and was subjected to the most severe tests conceivable. After being in use for eleven months, the bearings were taken apart and thoroughly cleaned, and the inspection which followed revealed them to be in as good condition as when they were first applied. They required no expense for repairs or lubrication during the entire period.
“The bearing itself is not complicated. It is simple in its manufacture and assembling, and can be applied to any standard railroad truck, without necessitating any changes to be made on the trucks.
“It is claimed that the use of these bearings will not only reduce the friction, but will make it easier to start trains, and to maintain speed when once started; that lighter power may be utilized, together with such other incidental reductions in costs as a lower wear and tear of rails and right-of-way. Incidentally, the argument is advanced for it that greater tonnage may be handled during the winter months, when it is customary to cut down. There being no waste, or practically none, with respect to lubrication, a formidable saving is anticipated in this item also.
“The car which has been equipped with the Stafford bearings has invariably attracted wide attention among railroad workers, and success has been predicted for the company from many quarters, among people who know.”
Source: The Literary Digest for February 18, 1922