Gölsdorf axle

The Gölsdorf axle assembly is a combination of fixed frame mounted locomotive axles and side shiftable axes to allow for a rigid, one-piece frame a wear - and low-noise cornering.

The invention of the young Austrian locomotive builder Karl Gölsdorf dated from the late 19th century. 1897, the first locomotive of this principle was put into operation.

Locomotives were given with strengthened requirements on the weight of freight trains more axes. In order not to claim the track construction beyond measure, the axle loads were often limited initially to 16 tons, 18 tons and occasionally later mostly with 20 tons. A five-axis locomotive could therefore weigh 100 tons, plus the tonnage that was to bear by means of spring-loaded leading and trailing axes. The heavier a locomotive and the more surface pressure it brings to the wheels, the zugstärker it is. With an increasing number of axes but the cornering is more difficult. Early on, they began therefore with the development of multi-part frame and bogies, summarizing the sets of axes with its drive. The supply of bogies with steam, however, was a difficult task because of the required movable seal. Therefore, another direction of development was to the effect, but to achieve a certain curve- at as rigid, long frame, eg by means of laterally displaceable axes.

The Gölsdorf axle assembly avoided to create intricate designs such as the Mallet locomotive. She was practically a trick to better align with a long rigid frame ( without joints or bogies ) still single axles on the track in the corners.

The Gölsdorf -axis function is that two axes do not change from their fives lateral position in the frame, since one axle bearing on the frame its lateral position fixed ( fixed bearing ). The other axes, however, be incorporated into their storage and in their drive so that they can move around during cornering to a lateral amount freely aligned with the forces. In addition to the displaceable mounting of each axle, this requires the possibility for lateral displacements of the drive and coupling rods by means of which the vapor pressure and the vapor piston linear force is converted into the wheel rotation on the crank pin.

At the most five-, six-axle freight locomotives occasionally Gölsdorf the construction was for decades the standard in locomotive. One of the first companies that used the Gölsdorf constructions in Germany, was the privately operated Westphalian Railway, whose heavy freight between Belecke and Erwitte above the heights of the hair strand required a strong and yet moving locomotives. From about 1910 acquired five couplers machines put the WLE for their goods transports used one and had to improve the trackability of these locomotives rebuilt the chassis on the Gölsdorf principle.