Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Usually, the wheels of steam trains are big spoked wheels. But what's the deal with boxpok wheels? And why doesn't modern traction use counter weights? For this year's April 2st video, we'll take a cheeky look.

And yes this is a pretty blatent @zefrank parody. Frankly I'd be surprised if he doesn't copyright strikes me out of orbit. Well I'd be baffled, really.


SOURCES

Photograph of a boxpok wheelset by Zzrbiker at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Oxyman using CommonsHelper., Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7096805

Photograph a Fiat Multipla by Guillaume Vachey from Chalon sur Saone, France - Fiat Multipla "Sporting", CC0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79713649

Photograph of a locomotive with boxpok wheels being serviced by Robert Yarnall Richie - flickr.com/photos/smu_cul_digitalcollections/16084253310/, No restrictions, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53466894

Photograph of boxpok wheels in rusty condition by Carol M. Highsmith - Library of Congress Catalog: lccn.loc.gov/2015632332Image download: cdn.loc.gov/master/pnp/highsm/32300/32317a.tifOriginal url: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/highsm.32317, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51916065

Photograph of Bulleid Light Pacific no.34020 Seaton at Stewards Lane by Brian Townsley - flickr.com/photos/27148401@N06/52183234532/, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=151139822

Photograph of Bulleid Pacific no.21C1 'Chanel Packett' - Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6911437

Photograph of Bulleid Q1 no.33038 by John Griffiths - britishrailways.tripod.com/steamsr.html, Copyrighted free use, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=342079

Photograph of Great Western Railway Class 4100 by Internet Archive Book Images - flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14574552557/, CC0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=161008366

Photograph of London & North Eastern Railway Class P2 no.2001 - Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=163297441

Photograph of New York Central Railroad Hudson for the 20th Century Limited by Robert Yarnall Richie - Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from Flickr: Hudson locomotive for the New York Central, No restrictions, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12449086

Photograph of NYC Hudson for the Mercury by New York Central Railroad - eBay itemcoverpage 1page 2page 3page 4, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20834875

Photograph of NYC Niagara Class S-2a no.5500 by ausdew - flickr.com/photos/ausdew/53427166301/, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=149880347

Photograph of the wheels of a Victorian Railways J Class by User:Zzrbiker - Own work, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20536584

Photograph of SCOA-P wheels by Zzrbiker at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Oxyman using CommonsHelper., Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7096797

Photograph of SNCF Class 241 P Tangopaso - Old postcard "SNCF notre métier 1950 n° 23 1ere série", Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9407228

Photograph of South African Railways Class GF no.2370 by Linton Brothers, photographer (c. 1920-c. 1930) - This image is available from the Our Collections of the State Library of Victoria under the Accession Number:, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34551057

Photograph of South Australian Railways Class 520 no.521 'Thomas Playford' - Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76663929

Photograph of VR Class R no.701 - Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12478105

Literary sources:

'Winston Churchill' And The Bulleid Pacifics' by Rob Adamson and Chris Nettleton, published by Friends of the National Railway Museum.


Website sources:


steamlocomotive.com/types/drivers

vulcan.newton-le-willows.com/vulcan_foundry/miscellaneous/Scoap%20wheel%20centres.pdf


Music used:

'Gates of Brandenburg'
Josef Suk, Serenade, Op 6



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