Wexmar provides CNC machining for rail and transit equipment makers, railcar builders, rebuild shops and transit agency suppliers from our shop in Canastota, New York. As a rail machine shop, we produce the pins, bushings, shafts, fittings, brake and coupler components and electrical hardware used on freight cars, locomotives, passenger rail vehicles and transit buses. Every part is machined in the USA, which supports domestic content documentation for rail and transit procurements.
What rail and transit buyers order from a machine shop
Rail equipment runs for decades, so much of the machined work is replacement and overhaul hardware alongside new build parts. Typical requirements include:
- Pins, bushings and wear sleeves for trucks, brake rigging, couplers and suspension linkages.
- Brake system components such as valve parts, fittings and adapters.
- Shafts and spacers for door operators, HVAC units and auxiliary equipment.
- Electrical hardware including terminal studs, bus connectors and grounding parts.
- Hydraulic and pneumatic fittings for pantographs, doors and suspension systems.
- Brackets and mounting blocks for sensors, cameras and signaling equipment.
- Wayside and signal hardware such as housings and actuator parts.
Materials common to rail parts
Rail hardware leans on carbon and alloy steels such as 1045, 4140 and 4340 for pins, shafts and wear parts, often heat treated or induction hardened through qualified outside processors. 8620 is used for case-hardened wear parts. Stainless 304 and 316 cover fittings and exposed hardware, and 17-4 PH is used for high-strength pins. Bronze serves bushings and bearing sleeves. Copper C110 and brass are used for electrical components, and aluminum 6061-T6 for brackets and housings. See our materials page for machining notes by grade.
Tolerances, finishes and documentation
Rail parts carry moderate tolerances with tight fits where parts pivot or wear. Typical callouts include ±.0005 to ±.001 in. on pin diameters and bushing bores, ±.005 in. on general features, and surface finish of 32 to 63 Ra on bearing surfaces. Heat treat, induction hardening, zinc plating, phosphate and paint are performed through qualified outside processors.
Documentation on rail and transit orders typically includes:
- Mill material certs with heat-lot traceability to each part lot.
- Dimensional inspection results and CMM reports on request.
- First article inspection in AS9102 format or the customer's form.
- Certificate of conformance and country-of-origin statements for domestic content requirements.
Our quality system is ISO 9001:2015-aligned, and inspection runs on NIST-traceable Brown & Sharpe CMMs.
Quantity patterns: overhaul, spares and new build
Rebuild and overhaul programs order kits of pins and bushings in quantities of 50 to 1,000 pieces per part number, often tied to a fleet overhaul schedule. Transit agencies and their suppliers order spares in lots of 5 to 100. New car and bus builds release production lots aligned with vehicle schedules. Legacy parts are sometimes requested from older drawings, and we review revision history at quote so the correct version is built. Where an old drawing calls out a material grade or finish that is no longer common, we flag it and propose a current equivalent for your engineering group to accept before we order material.
How our floor handles CNC machining for rail and transit
Turning pins, bushings and shafts
Ten CNC lathes, including Mazak Nexus and Doosan Lynx 2100A models, turn pins, bushings and shafts in steel, stainless and bronze. Live tooling and Y-axis add cross holes for cotter pins, grease fittings and flats in one setup. See our CNC turning page.
Horizontal milling
Six horizontal machining centers with pallet changers run 3- and 4-axis horizontal milling on brackets, valve bodies, bus connectors and housings.
Swiss and grinding
Four Maier MLK-32 Swiss machines produce small fittings, terminal studs and pins to 32 mm diameter, and a centerless grinder finishes pin diameters after heat treat.
Typical rail and transit parts, materials and tolerances
| Part | Common material | Typical tolerance | Primary process |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake rigging pin | 4140, 1045 hardened | ±.001 in. OD | Lathe, centerless grind |
| Wear bushing | Bronze, 8620 | ±.001 in. bore | Lathe |
| Air brake fitting | Brass, 316 | ±.002 in., class 2 threads | Swiss or lathe |
| Door operator shaft | 17-4 PH, 4140 | ±.0005 in. bearing seats | Lathe |
| Terminal stud | Copper C110 | Class 2A threads | Swiss |
| Sensor bracket | 6061-T6 | ±.005 in. | Horizontal milling |
Getting a quote
Send the drawing, revision, material specification, quantity and any domestic content or documentation requirements. You can upload a drawing for an instant estimate, and a human estimator confirms every quote. For rail and transit parts, call (315) 400-2654, Monday through Friday, 7 to 4 Eastern, or email ron@backwell.com.