From your description it sounds like either an (axle) journal bearing, 
commonly called a “brass”. They usually, but not always have soft silver 
colored tin based babbitt metal on the arched face. These brasses were 
short lived, and commonly replaced. I suspect the markings you see are 
for the owning railroad (OSL), the journal box style or manufacturer (in 
this case Hewitt, there was less standardization than the railroads 
wanted) and the car capacity in tons (10 tons). If this is for a 10 car 
the arched side will fit an axle of roughly 2 ¾” diameter by 4” long.

Herbert H Hewitt, variously described as being from either Detroit or 
Buffalo, held several patents related to railroad trucks; The best known 
is a 1877 patent for a journal box lid, the other 4 separate patents for 
an iron framed truck from November 1896.

Hewitt journal boxes are not uncommon in the west.

A photo would likely confim the idenification.

Randy Hees
Patterson House at Ardenwood Farm
City of Fremont, California

*
*



John Martinson wrote:

>I am looking at various artifacts in our collection to make sure they
>are true museum property.
>We have one artifact that is marked "Metal piece from Oregon Shortline
>RR car".  It is
>a heavy brass piece, which looks like it went over a bearing?  It is a
>cast piece with the word "FREIGHT" on the outside exterior of the
>bearing side.  Also, in the cast is the words/figures:  "10" and "Hewitt
>St Louis" and "OSL"  (guess that is why they are thinking it was a piece
>to a train of the Oregon Short Line".  One employee said it was the
>doorstop for years....but could be from mining equipment or anything.  
>
>
>Any ideas?
>
>John
>Boise, ID
>  
>

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