Entries by Nigel Bennett

It has been a Spring of mixed fortunes.

Progress on #1630 has been excellent.  On Sunday 4/9 she passed her FRA observed 125% hydro test.  So, work then focused on getting her ready for the internal inspection scheduled next week and doing all the final assembly tasks to make her ready form steam testing.

The inspection hatch was removed and air circulation installed to thoroughly dry out the interior of the boiler to allow the internal inspection.  From here the path is fairly clear.  Once the internal is done, the boiler can be sealed again and filled with water for a final test at 180 psi, basically to ensure that the hatches have been properly refitted.  The water level can then be lowered to normal level and we can load her up to do the steam test.

Work proceeded on many fronts with a large team in the shop on Saturday.

The fireman’s side connecting rod and motion rods were reinstalled with the new bearings that have been made during the Spring.  The new main rod bearing fitted nicely

New main rod bearing in place

The new crosshead bearing was an excellent fit.  Well done Eric and Brian.  The new bearing is in one piece, while the old one was split.  This was apparent normal practice.  When new the bearing is a single machined bearing.  After wear, it is split vertically in the middle so that wear can be taken up by adjusting the wedge seen at the rear of the bearing in the rod.

New crosshead bearing in the rod

Much was learned in reinstalling the motion rods!!.  The pins are installed from behind.  Clearly the connecting rod must go on first as it is behind the motion rods.  However, the pins in the motion may be impossible to install if the connecting rod or piston rod are behind the point where they must be fitted.

Pin in place … BUT

The key problem in the picture above is that the union link is not connected!.  The “small” snag is that there is no position where you can insert the pin between the union link and the combination lever without the piston rod being in the way!.  Amid increasing frustration, the secret was finally revealed (after fitting and removing the pin between the connecting rod and the crosshead twice)!!.  The connecting rod must be fitted BUT ONLY MOUNTED AT THE WHEEL END!.  If the connecting rod is not mounted to the crosshead it can be lowered and the motion moved enough to allow the pins to be inserted into the motion rods.  The extra couple of inches that the connecting rod is raised when pinned to the crosshead and the inability to move the motion when attached to the crosshead makes all the difference.  So pinning the connecting rod to the crosshead is the LAST step!.

Complete at last

While not as aggressive as last Winter the work program this Winter has made significant improvements to the running gear. 

A wedge bolt that has been broken for many years was replaced, which will allow adjustment of all axle boxes to be carried out normally.  The adjusters are long threaded rods with an expanded end that fits into the hole seem here in the wedge itself.  Adjusting the rod where it passes thru the binder allows the wedge to be raised or lowered to adjust the clearance between the axle box and the frame.

Wedge removed from guide

In addition a damaged bolt in one of the binders was replaced.  Again, something that has been there for a long time.  This shows the binder removed and primed in preparation for reinstallation.  These parts are bolted tightly into the frame from below across the base of the horn guide, effectively converting the “U” shaped guide into a box to avoid any distortion under force.  The binders are machined to fit tightly into the horn guides in the frame so it is the machined faces of the binder that stop the frame flexing not the bolts.

Binder out and primed

A significant patch was welded into the bottom of the smokebox.  We have noticed some seepage when washing out the smokebox each Fall and this proved to be an indication of a significant thin area in the smokebox wrapper.  A contract welder welded in a patch and built up the area, which should ensure that the smokebox bottom is good for at least the rest of the 15 year certificate.

In addition a new section of pipe was formed and fitted at the front of the blower line.  The main length of the pipe was replaced last year but the section fitting here was not replaced then.  On inspection it had lost maybe 2/3 of its original thickness

The blower line fits here

A new pipe was formed and fitted.

and this is the new section

A last minute issue arose when a crack was discovered on inspection of the steel pad that sits between the locomotive and tender buffers.  However, that was welded during the week and should now be ready to install.  The two auxiliary drawbars can be fitted while she is in the shop but the main drawbar can only be finally fitted with the help of a switching locomotive as the sprung buffers between locomotive and tender must be compressed to allow this to be finally connected.

In parallel with the “improvement” work, the many tasks of the annual inspection were completed successfully.  The one remaining inspection item is to hammer test the firebox stays during the 180 psi hydro test.

Probably the most troubling issue of the Winter was a leak that developed in the tender water tank.  This has been sealed by the application of several coats of a preservation / sealant.  However, it is an indication of a serious problem that we will have to deal with at some stage.  The tender tank is basically life expired.  Corrosion has thinned the bottom and lower sides to an extent that is real difficult to assess.  This makes it a tricky call on how much you do to prepare the surface for any treatment.  Getting to clean metal is highly recommended for most sealants to work well but discovering that your search for clean metal has exposed the timber on which the tank sits would be really bad!.  It is very possible that, in the not too distant future, we will have to lift the tank off the frame and either do some substantial patching to the existing bottom or replace it.

However, for now at least, this has been a very successful Winter on #1630.  Within the next couple of weeks, she should be moved out to the steam lead for steam testing and service.

I wish that similar progress could be reported on the Shay.  One setback is that we no longer have Brian Davis as the project manager.  It proved problematic to effectively manage the project remotely.

A great deal has been achieved but the remaining barrier to completion is the fabrication and welding work on the smokebox.  Fitting of the new bottom was completed but the inner protecting sheet has still to be fitted and additional work is required as the smokebox front was found to be too thin to repair and replacement is being fabricated.

The new components for the blast pipe have been made and test fitted.  Here the exhaust casting, joining the motor to the blast pipe has been test fitted.

Exhaust casting test fitted

The spark arrestor assemble and chimney petticoat were test fitted but have now bee removed to allow access to fit the inner sheet on the bottom of the smokebox.

Much of the new grate mechanism has been assembled but a couple of studs in the firebox have proved a problem and the holes for these will need to be welded up so that they can be re-drilled.

The lagging is all in place and the cladding is also largely complete.

Rick and his helpers have made great progress on the front beam.  First the bottom beam was cut and chamfered on the edges to fit into the heavy channel that secures it to the locomotive frame.

Bottom beam shaped to fit

The channel was then test fitted to the locomotive so that the beam could be installed correctly.

Preparing the channel beam to receive the timber

Once the bottom beam is in place the top beam can be placed to allow accurate marking of the holes to be drilled to fit the rods that link the two beams.  This is all temporary fitting at present.  A large beam that connects the center of the beam to the main frame cross member has yet to be fitted and this cannot be done until welding under the smokebox is completed.

Top beam test fitted

In parallel with the work on the front beam, a lot of painting has been progressed.

Trucks primed ready for painting

And do not forget ….. the Annual Steam Department Benefit is approaching again.  Last year the proceeds from this enabled us to install the large sand blasting cabinet.

This year the event is on Sunday June 25^th.  This is a great event for everyone, even if you do not have interest in the steam department the San Filipo collection of music machines and the giant Wurlitzer are amazing.  Tickets are now on sale at http://www.irm.org/events/steamdeptbenefit.html so come join us on June 25^th.

Nigel

It has been an awfully long time!.

The Summer is always a bad time for blogging about the steam shop.  Operating is very time consuming, leaving relatively little time for other work and after that, things rather got away from me.

So what is happening now in the steam shop?.

Everything is winterized and positioned in the shop for the off-season work program.  However, the layout in the shop is unusual and this hopefully indicates a big change.  #428 remains at the South end but next to her is #1630 with Shay #5 at the North end.  In part this is because the (limited) planned work on #1630 this Winter is best done over the small area of deeper crawl space but mainly because it is hoped that #5 will be the first locomotive into steam in 2017!.

So, what is the status of the locomotives and plans for this Winter.

#1630

The decapod had a very successful running season after the incident in June with the broken truck Spring.  Thereafter all planned running days were achieved with only very minor incidents.  The most significant was probably the breakage of a lubricator line to the crosshead guide.  Some rapid brazing by Brian meant that we only missed a couple of trips that day.

The valve and running gear work over the last couple of years seems to have much improved the locomotive.  She is now probably stronger than at any time since she arrived from Eagle Pitcher.  With other aspects of the running gear now better adjusted, the most obvious unwanted noise was from the rods on the fireman’s side.  So the non-routine work for this Winter is primarily the replacement of the rod bearings of the drive axle on this side.  The rods were removed promptly once she was in the shop and the bearings are now in the machine shop.  Measurement has demonstrated that they are indeed worn beyond acceptable railroad standards.  So replacements will be machined and fitted.

Aside from this the annual inspection is in progress.  All the normal “fun” tasks are being progressed.

·         gauges and safety valves are off for testing and setting;

·         drawbars have been removed thoroughly cleaned, inspected for any cracks and will shortly go offsite for annealing;

·         the locomotive has been resounding to the tapping and banging as we crawl all over the inside and outside of the firebox, clearing the telltale holes in the stays and then checking that they are clear to the required depth.  Good progress.  The outside is done and the inside is well advanced;

Last day in service

Progress on stay testing

Main rod bearing stripped

·         cleaning and inspection of the smokebox and front tube-sheet is well advanced.

It is also planned to do some “improvement” work on a couple of the drive box wedges.  One has had a distinctly questionable adjusting bolt for many years that makes adjustment awkward and another is believed to be just about at the limit of its adjustment.  So the plan is to correct this over Winter.

Shay #5

Work on Shay #5 has progressed steadily and is now hopefully approaching the point where an intensive spell can be scheduled to get her to operating condition.

Major activity has included:

·         Dennis welding the new smokebox bottom into place.  Recently he was relaxing in his purpose-built hammock structure! to complete the grinding of the joint on the engineer’s side;

Work on a steam engine is never comfortable

·         Jerry has substantially completed the lagging and installation of the cladding is well under way;

Boiler lagging largely complete

and the backhead

·         Substantial progress has been made on the next big step, which is installation of the blast pipe into the smokebox.  On a Shay, that has had a rebuild of this scale, this is a 3 dimensional jigsaw started knowing that some of the pieces are missing!. 

Positioning the exhaust casting

Obviously, as with any steam engine, the blast orifice must center below the petticoat of the chimney to ensure the most effective drafting.  Also, it must bolt thru the floor of the smokebox and into the exhaust casting.  However, unlike a rod driven loco, the exhaust casting of the Shay is not the top of the cylinder casting, firmly fixed into place, but a heavy casting that joins with some flexibility to the exhaust pipe and is bolted at several points to the smokebox.  The game is that, once all the attachments are made, there is just about zero flexibility in how the exhaust casting must sit and attach to the exhaust pipe and blast pipe and, to ensure the smokebox is sealed as well as possible, all the mounting holes need to be a good fit.  Since the smokebox bottom is entirely new (and the original was so rusted as to be useless as a template) the game is to juggle and test fit these heavy and awkward parts accurately into position so that the mounting hole scan be marked for drilling and cutting with a fair degree of accuracy.  The acid test will come in a couple of weeks when we offer it up again and try to bolt everything into place!.

·         The air pump was finally reassembled as well.  Mike has thoroughly stripped and reconditioned this unit, so this should now be pretty much ready to go.

Air pump complete again

·         A big exercise completed over recent weeks, by Dennis, is the fire-grates.  This was not a planned exercise.  #5 was an oil burner that was converted to coal on arrival at IRM.  The original conversion, in the 1970’s, was less than satisfactory and part of the rebuild planned when she came out of service in 1998 was to fit a new and robust grate system.  This was designed in advance and parts were obtained ready to fit, including the cast grates complete with rocking levers, that were produced by a supportive (and now defunct) local foundry.  The finding that the tube-sheet required repair turned the overhaul from a 2-3 year job to nearly 20 years.  The grate castings sat unused for more than 10 years and it was only when they were pulled out of storage, to build the new grate mechanism, that it was discovered the foundry had misread the drawings and cast the rocking levers facing the wrong way!!.  Since they are cast iron, you cannot simply cut the levers of and weld the back facing the other way!.  The solution for now has been to fabricate steel sections that can fit thru the grates and allow the levers to be attached in the correct configuration.  Time will tell how well this will stand up to operation.  It is hoped that it will allow at least a couple of years of service but there is no doubt that we will need to gather the money (estimate about $6,000) to have new grates cast correctly to the drawings.  The good thing is that the grates that Dennis has modified are now exactly the shape that the design specified so, once we can get grates correctly cast to the pattern, it should be a routine maintenance activity to substitute them.

Completed grates

·         There is still much to do, including:

o   Rebuilding the front beam once the exhaust assembly is finally installed;

o   Fitting the grate rocker assembly;

o   Sealing /lining the inside of the water tank;

o   Plus the myriad of once smaller tasks that are always involved in bringing a locomotive back into operation.

However, the expectation is that she will be ready to test in the Spring.

#428

Various work has continued on #428.  The biggest has been work on the valves.  It was decided to progress the valves while the experience of the work on #1630 was fresh in the mind.  While the detail of these valves is earlier than #1630 and differs in some ways the basic structure is the same.  Extensive measurement has been done to identify where it is necessary to build up the spiders and ends to allow them to be machined to critical dimensions.  Based upon this, the plan is to repair and machine to specification and then get the valves reassembled.

Valves stripped and cleaned

#938

During the Summer, Phil and others continued the laborious task of removing rust and repainting.  She now looks better than she has in many years and is now back into barn #9 following completion of repair work on the barn walls.

#2903

The commissioning of the renovated Santa Fe sign provided an unusual opportunity to see one of our large locomotives in the open.  She was posed behind the sign along with the Warbonnet #92 for the dedication ceremony.  Sadly, she aroused less than happy memories for one of our honored guests, a retired senior Santa Fe executive.  As a young man, she was memorable for having barfed a large quantity of black gunk all over his good suit during a re-railing operation!.  Oh well.

Face to face

In the open for once

So we reach the end of another year.  I am away to the UK for a couple of weeks.  It will be a busy Winter but it promises to be an interesting New Year with the prospect of two running locomotives.  Please consider supporting the Steam Department projects this year end.  Money is always a limiting factor in all of our projects and will be critical in ensuring that the Shay does run as planned as well as ensuring that we can continue the improvement work on #1630.

Happy Christmas

Nigel