Running gear (railway)

The drive will carry a rail vehicle in the track. It stabilizes the car on the track and transmits forces occurring between track and vehicle. The drive consists of the wheels, the wheel set bearings and suspension.

For short and light vehicles in which two or three sets of wheels for the transmission of the vehicle mass are sufficient, they are connected directly to the bearings and suspension springs to the car body. To be able to navigate tight curves even on longer vehicles, use steering axles, they adapt by a larger stock match the curved course.

For vehicles with more than three axles preferred bogies are used. In this case, two or more axes are stored in a separate, movably connected with the vehicle frame. The shortened distance rigidly connected axes, the Bogenläufigkeit longer vehicles improved. Small irregularities in the track are taken by the bogies and will only be reduced to the car body. Thus, the smoothness is improved.

There are also a number of special designs, such as Losradsätze, which are used instead of wheelsets with two rigidly connected wheels, single bearing wheels.

• Schienenfahrzeugtechnik