Some Notes on Early Railway Lubrication

The benefits of lubrication have been understood since the beginning of the machine age. The need for a proper supply of oil to diminish the friction of moving parts was self-evident. A small container, called an oil cup, was attached to the bearing so that lubricant was applied in a steady but not too generous manner. So long as the cup’s oil supply was replenished, the lubrication was automatic or self-acting. Just who applied the first oil cup is not recorded so far as I can find; however, there is considerable evidence to show that such devices were in use at an early date and that many individuals were active in their introduction. Railway lubrication has received little attention from historians of technology. Charles Singer’s five-volume work on the history of technology barely mentions it. The same is true for the other general works that we all consult from time to time. Some will give space to petroleum or the production of vegetable oils but not to the ubiquitous, yet humble, oil cup. I can find no historical articles or monographs on the subject. Perhaps a reader will correct my oversight if I have missed such a treatise. Yet material on lubricators can be found in many readily available sources, such as the patent record, trade journals and early engineering books. I will summarise what I found after a relatively short search of about six months. Please understand that my research was done primarily in a provincial setting and not in a major research centre such as London or Washington.