Larger than the other wheels of the locomotive, the driving wheels make fewer revolutions and apply more adhesive force to the rails. More than any other simgle part of the engine, the drivers are responsible for lifting heavy trains over high mountains and dragging long loads across hot deserts. The drivers, hidden away behind rods, linkage, piping, counterbalances, and other paraphenalia, are easy to over look.
Quick facts
What makes a driver
Mounting the tire
Advances made
Steel is introduced
Suspension improvements
Staying on the rails