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Monday, April 9. 2012Wood Shop Update - April 7, 2012 Mystery Car I saw this unknown car on Track 41 as I was preparing to leave the Museum. Do any of you sharp eyed readers notice some of the characteristic spotting features?  Lift Pockets Earlier, back in the woodshop, Victor Humphries and John Faulhaber did a lot to ensure that all of the lift pockets got routed out in the nine new IC 3996 windows. Using a combination of a purpose constructed jig, and many clamps, the task involved much less setup for each window.  Tapped Out Eric Lorenz was drilling and tapping threaded holes in the window posts to allow subsequent installation of the window track assemblies. Recent posts have shown other volunteers laboring over those tracks. Lorne Tweed was also active on this project, doing window frame work and several other tasks.  The End Bill Wulfert and Tim Peters were installing new sheet metal panels on Chicago Rapid Transit 1797. Last year some of the original panels had been quickly painted and placed there for cosmetic purposes only. Now the new panels have been installed. Back to the mystery car. It is Illinois Terminal 415, the first trolley to be operated at IRM. For many years it has been the stalwart backbone of service for the public, serving many more years than for any previous railroad owner. We had an aggressive and perhaps optimistic plan to have the car re-painted over the winter, but a lot of things had to fall into place. As in any volunteer program that does not always work out perfectly. So in the above picture Joel Arendt and Dan Fenlaciki are up on the roof and applying a new coat of sealing gray paint. It will help buy us more time until the day the 415 can retire to some much needed maintenance, painting, and repairs. Monday, April 9. 2012Bureau of Forestry - April 7, 2012Our Buildings and Grounds Department, led by Dave Diamond, is just like maintaining the many functions found in our towns, villages and cities. Today the Bureau of Forestry volunteers were recalled from unpaid leave to work around the campus. Actually, our volunteers are unpaid whether on furlough or actively engaged in the work.  Damaged Goods For decades many have enjoyed the shade from a tree just north of our office. During one of the severe storms of last summer about half of this tree split off and was removed. Now it was time to finish the job.  Removal The first operation was to trim off any branches and there was equipment on hand and willing volunteers to load it into one of our dump trucks.  The Grand Trunk Of course not the railroad, but the remaining trunk was the last to stand. I think that is Tom Opolony up in the bucket. The crew continued through the day trimming trees, for example in the Depot Street Shelter area, and also in Electric Park. Do not worry about the 'employees'. Throughout the year you will likely see them engaged maintaining the buildings, campus landscaping, or working in the Streets and Sanitation Department, for Snow Command, or in constructing improvements throughout the campus. And do not forget the fleet of special equipment needed to do this work - keep it in good repair and ready for use on what sometimes is a moments notice. Sunday, April 8. 2012Steam Department Update 4-7-2012A good deal of progress was achieved on 1630 today despite a low turnout that was to be expected at Easter weekend. The main effort was heavy duty cleaning. The objective was to clear the abrasive and associated dust from the locomotive top down so as to minimize the amount above the wheels and motion before the sheeting could be removed. This was achieved and she now looks recognizable again with the wheels and rods uncovered ready to shunt next weekend.
Matt spend several hours inside the boiler sweeping, shoveling and finally vacuuming the sand from the boiler barrel. There is still some more to remove from the sides and top of the firebox but the barrel itself is now clear and open again at both ends. Looking in from the front the view is open thru to the firebox again. The tubes are clear of the sand that could be seen in the views last week. The strange rod running between the tube sheets was being used to measure lengths for the super heater flues.
The scale of the effort over recent weeks can be judged from the medium removed. Each of these tubs is about 80 pounds and there are several more that did not fit on the pallet!. Paul, Ed and I were kept busy shifting the material that Matt pushed out while also cleaning the outside of the locomotive, tender and surrounding areas of the shop.
The decision was taken not to use sandblasting on the footplate. We will needle chip the back head as the effort of removing the medium would outweigh the gains of quicker cleaning. The diesel department moved the rotary snow plough from in front of the shop so, weather permitting, we are now ready to shunt outside next Saturday. The objectives then will be steam cleaning to remove any remaining residue and prepare for painting as well as lifting out the throttle valve body for lapping. We were also able to start work on preparing the super heater flues for refitting (safe ending). The preparation is complex because there are small but significant length differences between different areas of the tube sheets so the final length of individual flues will vary by about 1/2 inch. The length of each flue is currently different depending upon how much was lost in cutting each one out of the boiler. There is a limit to how long the narrow section can be so each flue must be measured to determine if it can be fitted by attaching a safe end just at the narrow end or if it must be extended at both ends. Once this is done work will begin on cutting the required extension pieces matched to each flue. After we had removed the sand blast material from the area, Mike was able to restart work on the firebox patch. Progress here will depend upon availability of our welding expert to build up the mud ring. In other areas: · Steve, Bob and Ed were working on the hydraulics that will drive the planer. This machine will significantly increase our capability to machine axle boxes and wedges, which is currently a very slow process. · Cameron was using the shaper to prepare the sections that will be used to build up the axle boxes for 428.
Nigel Friday, April 6. 2012Wood Shop Update - April 4, 2012Most days in the shop, I never seem to take the time to snap a photo. This week it seemed that whenever I turned around there was one of the many volunteers working on one of many projects. So this will be more of a quick photo tour rather than long or not so long stories.  Window Trim Buzz Morisette is shown setting up to make new exterior window jamb and trim pieces for some of the many new windows he fabricated over the winter for caboose ATSF 1400. Later in the day he was seen working on wood for a new ELECTRIC PARK station sign for Dave Diamond and our B&G Department.  Window Details Victor Humphreys is demonstrating how we routed a weatherstrip half round recess into the bottom of the new windows for IC 3996. The step ahead of this was squaring up exactly the bottom of each sash. And after the routing, he and Dick Cubbage helped cut a 10 degree bevel on each sash to match the sills on the car.  Jointing I was not immune from the photo taking spree as Al Reinschmidt snuck one in unknown to me, while I was running some wood through our jointer to try to take out any warp, cup, or twist.  Hand Brake Frank Sirinek is shown by the drill press with a modified hand brake assembly for Chicago & West Towns 141. He and Mike Alterio worked on those for the two ends of that car.  Getting Even I got even with Al Reinschmidt by catching him renewing some of the hundreds of window tracks needed for our PCC project car, Cleveland Transit 4223.  Window Frames For the same CTS 4223 project Lorne Tweed continued on the often frustrating task of dismantling aluminum window frames so defective glass and weatherstipping can be replaced. It seems that they are assembled with hardened self tapping screws and galvanic action and years of exposure make removing each screw a project in itself.  4223 Paint Dave Rogan pitched in on a number of things throughout the day, seen here painting primed interior panels for the rear area of the PCC.  Pipe Dreams Pete Galayda is showing Jan Nunez, our Office Manager, some of the finer restoration points of electric conduit piping for Charles City Western 300 steeple cab locomotive. John Nelligan also worked on this project, among other things, fabricating new Crouse Hinds conduit box covers.  EX Siding We are always excited about new pieces for any of the old warhorses. George Clark continues here, painting a new batch of siding boards for Lake Shore Electric 810, an interurban freight trailer.  Brakes A very dedicated group of volunteers has made remarkable progress in rebuilding a truck for Milwaukee Electric 972. This work is being funded by donations to the TMS (Two Milwaukee Streetcar) project. Over 70 new hardened bushings have been fabricated in our own shops and installed, and all of the new hardened pins have been made. This photo shows the reassembled set of levers for one of the car's brake heads.  The Hopper No, not the current tv ad for a video gadget called the HOPPER. But Victor and I crawled underneath our GN 70104 three bay open hopper to take some measurements of the mechanism for releasing the doors. Sunday, April 1. 2012Wood Shop Update - March 31, 2012I have been having more trouble getting around lately, so have had to take time off from the shops. But I managed a short visit yesterday and was very pleased at the smell of fresh sawdust in the air. Here is the short report.  Framed Victor Humphreys is standing beside a stack of eight new windows while John Faulhaber is FRAMED by the ninth completed sash. All were run through our nearly 100 year old BERLIN drum sander and that was accompanied by some DRAMA. By day's end these sash were silky smooth, and all the extensions of the stiles had been trimmed.  Masked Men Tim Peters and Eric Lorenz hold up some of the new painting masks prepared by Buzz Morisette. These will be used on Chicago Rapid Transit 1797 and for Cleveland Transit System 4223.  Puzzle For many of us anything electrical remains a puzzle. Here, an intrepid group of wizards examine some original electrical schematics for the CRT 1797 project. Victor Humphreys, Bill Wulfert, Tim Peters, and Randy Hicks confer on a vexing problem and the solution. There was a lot of other work going on as usual, just not where I had a camera in hand. The Electric Car Department had cars on and off the pit for their annual pre-operations inspection and lubrication. CNS&M 714 was one I saw. For the TMS project, all the new hardened heat treated bushings for one of the TM 972 trucks are made and installed. And a new project has been launched. We have several TMER&L locomotives and the L 4 is getting some attention. This homebuilt 1920 steeplecab is operational and offers a unique feature. The TM installed a large cable reel and stinger on one of the hoods. This allowed it to be run for short distances on sidings and other track without overhead wire. For several months now both of our two small internal combustion switching locomotives have been out of service, so L 4 work is being done to have this electric locomotive able to operate and make some of the many car moves waiting in the queue. Sunday, April 1. 2012Steam Department Update 3-31-2012A rather limited turn out at the shop this Saturday with several people helping at the book store to catalog and prepare a large collection of model locomotives recently received thru a donation. However the key target on 1630 was achieved. The sand blasting of the boiler interior is now complete and a few of us were able to start removing all the ply that sealed the boiler and cleaning the dust and sand from the locomotive. Despite all the sealing the process creates a vast amount of dust and some escape of the abrasive. We now need to remove as much as possible of this from areas close to bearings etc. before we can move her outside to sand blast the back head. At that time we will aim to give her a thorough cleaning. The interior of the boiler shows the progress that has been made and also provides some unusual views of the inside of a locomotive boiler. Here you can see the top and part of the side seam of the firebox. The many long vertical and shorter horizontal stays hold the inner and outer fireboxes together. In use the inner firebox must always be completely covered by water but most of the height above the firebox crown would be steam. The water and steam are all at a pressure of 180 psi. The extensive stay system is required to hold the inner and outer firebox together against that pressure. On the left you can see one of the super heater flues and two of the smaller fire tubes that have been left in place. On the right are the holes from which other flues and fire tubes were removed to allow access to the boiler for cleaning and inspection. In this picture they are still blocked by the ply sheet used to contain the blasting abrasive but soon they will again be open to the fire space.
In this shot we are looking forward toward the front tube sheet. Here you can clearly see where the majority of the tubes had to be removed to allow access to the sides and bottom of the boiler and only a few remain in the center. At this point the holes were still blocked by ply sheets but, by end of day, they were again open to the smoke box. Above you can see the long braces that secure the top section of the tube sheet to the boiler barrel. Again the whole structure is built to resist a pressure of 180 psi. The tubes themselves brace the lower part of the tube sheet but above the level of the tubes (an area that would be full of steam, when in operation) the braces are required to prevent the tube sheet being pushed forward by the pressure.
This view shows the top of the front tube sheet more closely. Here you can see the heavy attachment of the braces to the tube sheet. To understand why they are so heavy do a quick calculation. At 180psi the load on an area about 10 inches square is around one ton!!. In the center can be seen the dry pipe. This carries steam from the throttle (high in the dome) forward to the super heater header (in the smoke box on the other side of the tube sheet) and then on to the cylinders. It is called the dry pipe as the steam that it carries is now separated from the water in the main space of the boiler. This view also shows the work still to be done in removing the abrasive that still sits on top of the tubes and other surfaces within the boiler.
Meanwhile Paul made good progress on needle chipping and wire brushing the truck of the Shay. With the thick crud removed it can now be taken down to clean metal for final inspection and then repainting. The bolster now looks pristine after Paul's efforts.
This makes an interesting comparison to the shot of the same part 11/26 last year.
Nigel |
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Comments
Thu, 05-16-2013 21:52
Looking good Bob! I hope to come out soon once I'm done with school.
Wed, 05-15-2013 21:28
I was not around at the time. General discussion suggests that it was "pretty marginal" in a number of areas. Nigel
Mon, 05-13-2013 11:08
"THUMBS UP!"
Fri, 05-10-2013 02:15
No, it will not be necessary to hold any of the work waiting for the plow to be turned, end for end. Weather will be the major factor, but there will [...]
Thu, 05-09-2013 19:54
The CGW X-38 plow is really coming to life. Bob Kutella and Vic and crew need to be very proud of your collective efforts. I am very appreciative of [...]
Thu, 05-09-2013 15:20
The snowplow looks great! Are you going to apply the door and upper windows befor it is turned to continue work?
Thu, 05-09-2013 09:09
Max, Is there any progress to report yet, in regards to the installation of the poles and overhead wires? Have a good day, sir.
Wed, 05-08-2013 18:40
Thanks for the update! I still don't understand why Commonwealth #5 was removed from service. Do you know why?
Tue, 05-07-2013 09:28
Mr. Kolanowski.....I was just wondering if the Spaulding webcam will be up and running soon for us stay-at-homes. Thanks!2FP
Mon, 05-06-2013 23:04
Max, Has work begun yet on the construction phase of erecting the poles and putting up the wire? Wish I could be there to watch it happen.
Mon, 05-06-2013 23:02
Keep up the good work, Bob. Wish I could be there to help!!!!!!!
Sun, 05-05-2013 18:53
Ah yes, I have made such Jibs myself. If it were me, I would add in each corner an angled piece from the base to the Jib to act as sway bracing. [...]