...Railway artillery - Personal Page of GENE SLOVER

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plate 236. At the center of this circle is a large pin, fastened to the
car, from which swiveled tension rods extend back to the trail of
the carriage. The gun carriage wheels bear against the circle of
angles and prevent sidewise movement, while the rods prevent
lengthwise movement, but the carriage is free to roll on its own
wheels about the pivot. The two large wheels of the carriage are
about 6 feet in diameter with 19.5 inoh face, of whioh the center 7.75
inches is raised 2 inches higher than the remainder. These wheels
are made, both rim and spokes, of structural material, generally of
channel section.
323. The rear end of the trail of the carriage body rests on the car
floor and against a circular rail fastened thereto, plate 368. On the
outside of this rail there is a series of pins, forming a rack, into which
a star wheel fastened to the trail meshes. This star wheel is operated
through a worm, horizontal shaft, and bevel gear, from a handwheel
located near the trunnions on the right-hand flask of the trail. The
weight of the trail during traversing is carried upon two spring-supported
rollers, which give under the shock of fire and allow the trail
to rest directly on the car floor. Twenty-six degrees total traverse
is allowed and the gun is moved 0.167 degree per turn of handwheel.
324. GUN CARRIAGE.-The gun carriage is very much like that
provided for the British and American 6-inch mobile guns and, as
noted before, iq qllite similar to the German carriages mounting 15centimeter
guns. It comprises a cradle of naval design, plate 366,
and a built-up structural steel body, plates 366 and 368. The cradle
is carried on the body by means of two cast-steel trunnion bearings
without any friction-reducing devices. The cradle is identical in
design with those used on German ships and in their coast defense.
There is a possibility that this is one of the guns removed from their
second navy late in 1917. The body consists of two built-up structural
flasks of channel sections with flanges 7 inches wide and a
depth of web tapering, as shown on plate'366, from 38 inches in front
to 13.5 inches at the extreme rear. The axle on which the wheels
described under Traversing Mechanism are mounted is bolted to the
bottom of the flasks.
325. RArLWAY CAR BODy.-The railway car is a drop frame flat
oar of special and very strong construotion. The side sills are builtup
plate girders of very heavy and varying sections, plates 365 and
366. The entire body is deoked with about 0.625-inch steel plate.
Except for the very strong oonstruct.ion, there is nothing of speoial
note about the car body.
326. ANCIIORAGE.-For firing at angles up to 13 degrees on each
side of the center line of the track, cast-steel wedges are placed on
the ties under corresponding wedges on the side sills and the mount
Digitized QY Coogle