What’s that bright green piece under coupler shank?
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=351875
"Extra 127 South" said:
Remarks: BRC GP38-2 No. 581 and crew switching at Clearing Yard in Bedford Park, IL on August 14, 2008.
Not sure.
But I’ve noticed green showing up on newer locomotives near the front hoses. Have no idea what the green means, but it is there on most new locos if you look.
I suspect it is a piece on engineered plastic to act as a slippery wear plate. i havent seen one close up either, but would prevent the bottom of the coupler from wearing out.
Just about all “new” locomotive and railcar parts are painted that color, it’s some kind of primer, I think. I doubt it’s zinc chromate anymore, but it might be. Then the parts are supposed to be painted to match. The part specifically looks like a wear plate:
http://www.mcconway.com/rail_prod/loc/loc_coupl2.htm
I guarentee it’s made out of steel.
Thanks! Robert
Yes, the first green item is a wear-plate. As the couplers move back and forth, the drawbar would grind against the coupler pocket. Rather than have to changeout the entire pocket when it got too bad, they simply grind off the tack welds and swap out the plates… at least with the steel ones. As for it not being plastic, this component doesn’t carry any more weight than the unloaded coupler assembly. I have seen orange ones that DO in fact appear to be a teflon-like plastic, so I could see the green ones being a different material or perhaps a different wear characteristic version.
The green bars near teh MU hoses on teh BNSF unit are simply tags identifying the A/R, Act. & MR hoses. I’ve noticed that several engine also have similar tags attached near the cutout cock that controls each hose/pipe.
Another location where I have seen plastics showing up… the alignment bowls in truck bolsters. I’ve personally placed a plastic disk into these bowls before lowering a car back down on the bolster. It was some sort of oil/graphite impregnated plastic which doubled as a replaceable wearplate.