Spelling corrections: First -- the drivers. In the late '30s, General Steel Castings developed a method of cast driver centers which substituted a spoke with a hollow center, saving much rotating weight in the driver. The spoke's cross section was in the shape of a box. They marketed the driver as the BoxPok -- " Box Spoke" -- with only one "x" and with a "k". Any driver set could have been replaced at any time, one axle at a time. Then -- Wendel Wilkie ran against FDR for President in 1940, so the campaign train woud have been in the summer or early fall of that year. I was alive for both. Randy Brown - -------------------------------------------------------------- In a message dated 5/7/2005 11:00:01 AM Mountain Standard Time, root_@_net.bluemoon.net writes: From: Bud Laws budlaws_@_hypercon.net Subject: US Erie Steam #2921 First, I'd like to thank Bud Laws for posting these, and for Henry for bringing it to our attention. The information date on the back of scan 10 Erie #2921 raises a question--is 1939 too early--because my understanding was that Erie didn't start with BoxPox drivers (or drifter valves) on these K5s until the re-builds of 1940-41 (Erie Power, Stauffer 1970). Listed in the same paragraph, the air pumps were moved to the front, but this photo does not show pilot-mounted air pumps. Just to add to the confusion, Erie # 2929 is similarly configured (as 2921) on page 309 of Stauffer, (Boxpox, no pilot air pumps) and refers to the Wendell Wilke campaign Special--whenever that was. Might some list member might be able to answer if Boxpox drivers were added to the K5s before the 1940 rebuilds as the description on the back of 2921 suggests? Or is there a wrong date somewhere? Howard Haines The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List Sponsored by the ELH&TS http://www.elhts.org ------------------------------
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