Anyone know what this type of train rod is called?

[DisneyHead123]

Does anyone know what this type of train rod is called? The part that looks like a crank of some sort, on the 2nd large wheel?

C&O 614

We saw this in Strasburg awhile ago and my son asked me out of blue yesterday why it’s like that. I have no idea and can’t find anything on Google for this one. Since there are some train enthusiasts and professionals who post here hoping someone might know!

 

[Goofyernmost]

I don't know, but it might be a mechanical setup that counts the rotations of the wheel and combining the with the circumference of the wheel will tell them how many miles, meters, kilometers and so on that the train has traveled. Please Keep In Mind That This Was Just A Guess!!!!

 

[DisneyHead123]

I don't know, but it might be a mechanical setup that counts the rotations of the wheel and combining the with the circumference of the wheel will tell them how many miles, meters, kilometers and so on that the train has traveled. Please Keep In Mind That This Was Just A Guess!!!!

Thanks for the guess! It will give me more info to put into Google to try searching it.