Here is an illustrated 32-page brochure on draft gear from Miner
Enterprises, Inc., formerly known as W. H. Miner, Inc. This company
has supplied the railroad industry with components since the late
1800s. There is a lot of history in the brochure.

Here is the link:

Short link version: http://tinyurl.com/34pr6j

Long link version:
http://www.minerent.com/pdf/The%20Amazing%20Story%20Of%20The%20Miner%
20Tandem%20Spring%20Draft%20Rigging.pdf

Bob Chaparro
Mission Viejo/Hemet, CA

--- In STMFC@..., "Bob Chaparro" <thecitrusbelt@...> wrote:

Here is an illustrated 32-page brochure on draft gear from Miner
Enterprises, Inc., formerly known as W. H. Miner, Inc. This company
has supplied the railroad industry with components since the late
1800s. There is a lot of history in the brochure.

Here is the link:

Short link version: http://tinyurl.com/34pr6j

Long link version:
<http://www.minerent.com/pdf/The%20Amazing%20Story%20Of%20The%20Miner%
20Tandem%20Spring%20Draft%20Rigging.pdf>

Bob,

VERY interesting material. Thanks for posting it. I suspect, however,
that it is much too technical for the average model railroader who
just wants to slap someone's coupler in the box provided and git 'er
runnin'.

The main points that should be taken from all the patent drawings,
however, are as follows:

1) There is no "draft gear box" per se on the prototype. The draft
gear simply fits between lugs attached to the inner faces of the
center sills. Therefore a truly scaled model of the prototype needs to
be narrow enough to fit between the center sills, not some big hunkin'
box mounted on the end of the floor.
2) Prototype couplers have very limited swing. As long as link and pin
couplers were in use, the draft gear didn't swing at all; all the
swing came from slack in the link. After knuckle couplers were
adopted, a very small amount of swing was provided by reshaping the
draft lugs to a gentle arc. Most prototype freight car couplers have
no pivot pin at all.

Dennis