Axle control mechanism for rail vehicles

In an axle control mechanism for rail vehicles having at least one truck frame, which has a longitudinal dimension in a predetermined direction and two wheel sets therewith, each wheel set having an axle, and a journal box and journal box housing at each end of each axle;

• the two journal boxes of a given wheel set being interconnected with the respectively opposite journal boxes of the other wheel set by means of a hydraulic system;
• a movement of one of the wheel sets automatically bringing about a "self-orienting" movement of the other wheel set;
• the improvement therewith which comprises:
• hydraulic cylinders, each having a double-acting piston with a working chamber, each working chamber including an inner chamber portion connected to the frame and an outer chamber portion on the opposite side of the piston;
• each hydraulic cylinder being operatively connected via its piston to a respective said journal box housing of the two wheel sets of a given truck frame;
• said hydraulic cylinders being disposed in longitudinal pairs in the direction of said longitudinal dimension of said truck frame, and effecting connection of the latter to said journal box housings;
• in a given truck frame, two hydraulic cylinders being successively located in-line on each longitudinal side thereof;
• and
• hydraulic lines for respectively interconnecting an inner chamber portion of a given hydraulic cylinder to the outer chamber portion of the other hydraulic cylinder located on the same longitudinal side of said truck frame to establish hydraulic circuit communication directly between said last-mentioned chamber portions so that a piston movement in a given one of the in-line hydraulic cylinders on a given longitudinal side of said truck frame causes an oppositely directed piston movement in the other hydraulic cylinder on that longitudinal side of said truck frame, thus accomplishing coupled opposite turning movements of the two wheel sets of a given truck frame during movements in curve travel.