Illinois Railway Museum Blog

Another month of intense activity.  Yesterday there was a substantial flood outside the steam shop.  Far from being a problem, this was a cause for celebration, marking another major milestone toward operation.

The focus thru April has been upon completing all the tests necessary prior to steaming.  Most of these involve pressuring the boiler completely full of water (hydrostatic testing).  The core principle is that pressurized water expands little when the pressure is released.  So, should the boiler fail under 225 psi of water pressure, there is no explosion.  Were it to fail under 180 psi of steam pressure, the force would substantially destroy a city block!.  So the requirement is to test the boiler at 125% of operating pressure (225 psi for our 180 psi boiler) with water before you can put it into steam.

We have been filling the boiler, heating the water (testing is done with warm water to reduce stress on the boiler) and applying pressure with our antique water pump throughout April.  Yesterday we reached the key milestone where, having done the last check with water, we were able to pump the water from the boiler and tender to waste.  The work is complete so we no longer need the untreated well water we have been pumping between the tender and boiler all thru April.  Next time we fill the tender it will be with treated water to be used in steaming.

There were several stages to the testing.

First we carried out a couple of days testing to identify leaks, correct them, and test again to ensure that we were satisfied that the boiler was fit for inspection;

Once this was done the formal test at 225 psi was carried out observed by the FRA inspector.

With this done the boiler was completely drained, the inspection hatch removed, dried and ventilated to allow people to work inside.  The interior of the boiler was then inspected (with the FRA inspector observing for the second week).  The key objective here is to ensure that nothing inside the boiler (particularly braces) has been loosened by applying the 125% pressure.  This was carried out successfully, with one question raised on a few flexible stays that sounded dull on hammer testing.  Once this is complete it is essential that the boiler is not pressured above operating as the internal inspection must be carried out whenever the boiler has been raised above operating pressure.

During the week, thickness measurements were made of the dry pipe, which is in good condition, and the hatch was then reinstalled to seal the boiler.  Yesterday the boiler was pressured to 180 psi and thoroughly checked.  All stays were hammer tested.  This indicated that the flexis, that sounded odd when empty, ring perfectly normal under pressure and all rigid stays also ring true.  No significant leaks were detected so we are ready to move forward to steaming.

Reaching this milestone opened up all sorts of activity this weekend.

The firebox was cleared of all tools and the last of the grates re-installed.

Firebox ready for a fire

The fire hole door has been prepared for refitting.

Trevor cleans the firehole door

Dennis completed welding in the cab floor.

The hydro fittings were all removed from the boiler and the auxiliary dome cover fitted.

Jason/Brian fit the hatch cover

The lagging was re-fitted to the firebox sides.

Firebox lagging back in place

Mesh was re-installed in the smokebox

Despite all the activity, there is now serious doubt that we will be ready for our first planned steaming (May 16/17).  We have made great progress overcoming the set-backs but there are still significant tasks to complete.

The biggest task is refitting the tender draft gear. This must be done before we can move the tender forward, recouple it and move the locomotive to refit the last coupling rod.  Dennis has put a lot of work into building up the mounts under the tender and others have been hard at work in the unpleasant space under the tender grinding the surfaces smooth after welding.  This is close to completion and then we have the fun job of squeezing the large and very heavy draft gear assembly back into its narrow pocket above the axle.

Pocket for the draft gear

The shot above gives some idea of the work required,  That draft gear fits up between the large castings that hang down from the tender. The draft gear has been displaced to the right in this view for many years causing excess wear on that side.  Dennis has added the new metal that can be seen on the right an we are in process of grinding off the excess to produce a smooth surface of the correct profile to match the left hand side before the gear can be lifted back into place.

The wedges for the trailing axle box must be shimmed and refitted.  Phil test fitted one yesterday.  This proved that the required shim was exactly as predicted by Jason’s measurements before the shoes were machined.  The shims now need to be cut, riveted to the wedges which can then be refitted.

Both injector starter valves need to be serviced and refitted.  There was leakage last year and this needs to be corrected before they are refitted for this season.

The reverser cylinder must be reassembled.  The cylinder was prepared yesterday for the piston to be refitted. All the parts are prepared so it is now a case of fitting.  Unfortunately this and the injector valves have been delayed as Mike, who had been working on these, has had to go to Arizona for family reasons.

The “tear drops” securing the grate shakers must be fitted and welded in to place.

Additional plate work must be welded into the tender above the stoker helix to replace plate that was damaged and allowing coal to fall into the stoker channel last year.

Around these key tasks are the more obvious ones of reconnecting the tender to the locomotive and refitting the coupling rod.  The issue is that we have many people who can do these tasks but only a few who can do the key tasks.

1630 has absorbed most of the effort in the shop during April but work has continued on the Shay and 428 when possible.

On the Shay, work is focused on preparing the boiler for re-tubing. 

On 428 Eric has made good progress on machining the frame spacer and work has continued on riveting the cab.

So we will be working as much as we can during the week as we go into May with the objective of steaming as soon as we can.

And now a big plug for a very important event for the Department!.  Tickets are now available for the Steam Department Benefit that will be held again this year at the San Filippo Estate on Sunday June 28th.  The estate with its unrivalled collection of music machines and the great Wurlitzer organ, on which Dave will provide another great concert, is spectacular and can only be visited thru events such as this.  This is a great afternoon out and a major opportunity to support the work in the Steam Shop.

http://www.irm.org/events/steamdeptbenefit.html

So watch this space.  I hope that, by the end of the month, I will be able to report 1630 in steam.  However we have a very busy month ahead to achieve this.

Nigel