need help -- 2 sets oif rail road wheels on axels found --possible CW link****

[ivan salis]

well folks got a goodun --- the local historical gruop I belong to (mostly old rail road buffs) so a item donated to them --seems a local fellow doing some dozer work came upon two sets of rail road wheels stiill on the axels buried like gaint mushrooms --not too far from the old rail bed area that was in use during the civil war -- there was a union raid on the town of callahan , florida and they burnt two flat cars with rail road "iron" on them --- I thinking that they buried the wheels to keep them from be salvaged or reused by the confederates in anyway ---but these could be post civil war -- so got to id them --the "names" on the wheels are ----Southern Wheel Company Savannah, Ga ----Decatur Car Wheel Company Decatur any info on when these companies were in biz would be useful ---Ivan

 

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[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: need help -- 2 sets oif rail road wheels on axels found --possible CW link**

Check on page 76 of this newspaper article from 1926

http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/frisco/magazines/fem_1927_02/fem_1927_02_76.pdf

and....................

http://books.google.com/books?id=BT...g=crRiJNU-VUYibqWcP2MowlM7lB8&hl=en#PPA206,M1

under Alabama #3

B

 

[ivan salis]

thanks ---humm the plot thickens ---seems according to some records online from Harvard U --- I found that the southern wheel company * of georgia bought out the decatur car wheel company of decatur alabama* on feb 1st of 1913 so the decatur wheels must be pre 1913 *--- humm the second source listed above shows the decatur car wheel company was in biz in 1888 no doubt---- so civil war wheels seem possible ----humm seems that an article in the "southern watchman" from Athens, Ga--dated march 12th of 1862 (civil war) that a Mr H A Cook of the "southern wheel company" showed via a simple contrivance a way to triple the speed of the spindle for turning their wheels thus doubling the daily output ---and that he planned to keep the market fully supplied with these wheels --(bingo the "southern wheel company" was in bussiness during the war--supplying the rebels with train wheels ***)

 

[chipveres]

Dear Ivan:

Please note that the wheels Mr. H A Cook refered to were spinning wheels of the sort used to make thread. So the rebels would have had plenty of thread but not necessarily any railroad wheels.

Chip V.

 

[alpha78]

You might also check the gage of the axels and compare that to the tracks. They may be larger or smaller then whats in use today.

 

[ivan salis]

chip what source do use use as the basis for the H A Cook thread ideal?

spindale can be for thread yes but a foundry (iron works) can make several differant items can and commonly did made both large (RR wheels) and also small items (spinnng wheels) --- a rail road wheel was turned or it surface smoothed after casting to smooth out the surface upon which wheel that came into contact with the track---- as a "quality item"--the smoothness ofsurface and roundness of the wheel that came into contact with the rail was vital to it staying on the track.

 

[chipveres]

www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/looms.htm

Is where I found out about Southern Wheel making spinning wheels.

Chip V.

 

[ivan salis]

ah yes chip ---- yes they also made spinning wheels for making textiles too as well as RR Wheels * see the wording * at the foundry?* in the article. --more than one article was make at the "foundry" just because a was made doesn't mean b wasn't