The Bissell truck consists of one pair of wheels connected to a triangular framework, as shown in Fig. 46. The axle-boxes are attached to the side of the triangle which lies parallel to the axle, the other two sides terminate in a circular ring which works round a centre pin fixed to the engine. These two sides are practically the radii of a given circle, and permit a large amount of lateral movement, which can be controlled by placing suitable stop-pieces to limit the side play to the extent desired. Radial axle-boxes have been tried on the engines of some railways. In the best types the opposite boxes are braced together by a diaphragm, or plate-iron framework, to ensure that both boxes work together. The curved faces of the horn-blocks, in which the radial axle-boxes slide, are struck from a centre taken at some point to the rear of the normal centre line of the axle, and stops are placed at proper distances to control the extent of lateral movement. Although the advocates of radial axle-boxes may urge some points in their favour, there are few engineers, if any, amongst those who have had practical experience of both systems, who would for a moment claim for the radial axle-box anything but a modicum of the many advantages obtained by the four-wheeled bogie truck. As one of the principal functions of a four-wheeled bogie truck for an engine is to act as a path-finder, or guide, to the other wheels which constitute the fixed or rigid wheel-base portion of the machine, it follows, therefore, that the full benefit of the bogie truck can only be obtained when it is placed at the leading, or front, end of the engine. In this position the bogie, with its swivelling arrangement and smaller weights, is the first to pass over the rails, and in doing so shapes the course and prepares the way for the easy running of the heavier wheel weights which have to follow. When the bogie truck is placed at the rear end of the engine, its action is restricted to affording lateral movement only, and the driving and coupled wheels have to force or pound themselves round the curves in a jerky, irregular manner, as compared to their smooth running when following 59 the leading or guiding influence of a bogie truck in front. The wheel-base of a four-wheeled bogie truck for an engine should always be greater than the gauge of the line over which the bogie has to travel On the 4 feet 8½ inch gauge some of the best results have been obtained with bogies having wheel-bases varying from 6 feet to 7 feet. Where the wheel-centres have been less than 6 feet, the running has been found to be much less steady than with the wider spacing; and where the wheel-base is not more than the gauge, there is a tendency for the bogie to catch, or lock, when passing round sharp curves. CHAPTER II. 60