3 ms·

Clearly they worked for a considerable period of time. It’s a question of construction: In this case, the paper is encased in a metal enclosure and is strong i

Clearly they worked for a considerable period of time. It’s a question of construction: In this case, the paper is encased in a metal enclosure and is strong in compression, much like concrete, without being as brittle as concrete.

kallistisoft 5y ago
That was the main question that I had -- how durable and cost effective were these wheels? According to this page (p.148) of the "The Railway Purchasing Agent (Jan 1881)" they had a service life of 500,000 miles vs 50,000 miles for cast iron wheels resulting in an operation savings of 3.5 cents per 1,000 miles. [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Railway_Master_Mechanic/hB82AAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=service+life+of+a+Allen+Paper+Car+Wheel&pg=PA148&printsec=frontcover https://www.google.com/books/edition/Railway_Master_Mechanic...] Given the rave reviews and obvious cost savings, it makes me wonder why|when they fell out of favor; my naive assumption would be a dramatic improvement in metallurgy? Disclaimer: statements made using an historical sample size of n=1 ;)
- vl 5y ago
  > it makes me wonder why|when they fell out of favor Read the article.