Arch Bar Trucks (2)

The Arch Bar Truck is typical of these trucks from around the turn of the century. Despite the age of these trucks, they saw more than seventy years of service in some applications. The arch bar were used into the 1920s, They were banned from interchange after Dec. 31, 1939. On railroads that were not common carriers such as logging or other industrial lines, this restriction of the trucks did not apply since the trucks did not operate on rails other than the owner's. The Northern Pacific, for example, used truss rod frame maintenance away cars fitted with arch bar trucks well into the early 1970's. Many logging railroads also used them at least until then.