Illinois Railway Museum Blog

Lot of ups and now a down in the Steam Department

Oh well.  Up until yesterday I was planning to detail just a series of successes in the Steam department this Spring.  Unfortunately, as of yesterday, we still have a long series of successes but now a set-back that we are working on.

On #1630, the completion of the Winter work progressed very well.

The reassembly of the valve gear went as smoothly as we could have hoped.  A final hydro-test was carried out successfully and this allowed the completion of all the jobs needed to get her back into service to be completed in the week leading up to Memorial Day.

Reassembling a valve

The completed valve

Easing the valve back into the cylinder

Rebuilt valve back in place

She was steam tested on the Friday before that weekend. 

Test firing begins

Jason looks a happy project manager

This went well as did test running that day.  This demonstrated that the valve overhaul seemed to have been very successful.  We had been nervous that, despite careful marking of all the parts, we might have caused some change in the valve timing.  However, she sounded very even and pulled strongly.  A few runs were carried out light engine to run in the new valves and then a run with a train confirmed that everything was good.

So she was back into service for the three days of the Memorial weekend and performed very well.

The Sunday of Memorial weekend provided a spectacular event.  The last of the trains of coal cars that have been stored at the museum over Winter was delayed in departure due to problems on UP.  This could not be collected by UP until that Sunday so, until that evening, trains had to run only as far as Johnson Siding.  Since she had been working the service train, it was decided to use #1630 to move the coal cars from their storage location at Kishwaukee to the UP interchange at Union to meet the UP locomotives in the evening.

This provided quite a spectacle.  We believe it was probably the largest freight train hauled by a steam engine in the USA for maybe 25 years.  There were 137 cars for a total weight of around 2,900 tons and a length of around 1 ½ miles.  She handled the load very well, lifting the train cleanly, first to Carsten’s crossing, where we had to wait for the UP locomotives to arrive, then onward to the interchange.  The size of the train meant that it needed to hold short of Carsten’s until the UP diesels were ready to attach as soon as #1630 brought the cars into position as both the Carsten’s and Olson Road crossings were blocked when the head of the train was at the interchange.  The length also gave some of us watching at Johnson siding a scare.  In the first move, the train ran thru Seeman road and Johnson siding but ground to a halt with the last cars only just West of the siding.  After initial concern that there had been a problem, it was realized that the train was so long that #1630 had stopped as planned just short of Carsten’s and the train stretched the whole length of the section back to Johnson siding!.  (There is a at least one good video of this move on YouTube).

Approaching Seeman Rd with 2,900 tons in tow

Working hard thru the crossing

So a very successful demonstration that the valve job had been highly successful and she is now probably more powerful than she has been since he first arrival at IRM in the 1970’s.

She then ran well thru the weekend of June 11/12 with only minor issues to be corrected and all looked very good.  Unfortunately, on Saturday 18^th we had a problem.

On the first trip, a pin broke in the rigging of the spring loading the front truck.  This meant that the locomotive had to be withdrawn from service.  It was not possible to repair the problem in time to run Sunday.  Work during the week and next weekend will determine if she can be back in service for the July 4^th weekend.  The broken pin was removed (with a great deal of difficult) and we have a spare for the spring retaining shackle (which broke when the pin holding it broke).  The difficulty lies in the fact that the pin is partially behind the wheel of the truck and also that we have to unload the spring (which carries a load of several tons) in order to fit the new pin and shackle.  Finding a suitable position at which we can simultaneously jack the loco or partially drop the truck while taking the load off the spring will be an interesting game!.  How effectively we can do that will determine if the repair can be finished in time for July 4^th weekend.

Over the same 3-4 week period, Brian Davies and his team achieved vast progress on Shay #5.

The riveting of the smokebox was completed.  The new lower sections still need to be welded to existing upper smokebox but this requires welding along the sides, not from underneath.  This meant that great progress could be made;

Smokebox rivets all in placer

The leading truck was run back under the locomotive a reattached.  This time it is expected that it is back permanently;

Back on the leading truck

The lifting beam that has been in place for several years was removed;

The tender was reattached to the locomotive;

Tender reconnected

Drive train was reconnected between the three trucks.  (Sounds simple but, needless to say, the large square bars and sockets that form the connection had somehow moved slightly out of line.  I was not around for this exercise but understand I would have learned some new words if I had been!!).  Anyway, with a deal of effort, the drive train was reconnected and she is now a complete a moveable 3 truck locomotive again.

After the riveting and setting of the studs to secure the new grate system, it was necessary to hydro the boiler to ensure that no flues of stays had been loosened.  A few stays were re-caulked but all the flues proved good.

This allowed the super heater elements to be re-fitted.  This is a major step as it means the steam circuit is now complete again.  (I.E. there is now a pressure tight path from the boiler thru the throttle to the cylinder and out to exhaust, albeit the exhaust is currently thru an open pipe until the blast pipe assembly is refitted to the bottom of the smokebox.

This enabled a test that was very satisfying for the team who had put in so much work.  The boiler was filled with compressed air and #5 moved a short distance backwards and then forwards again under her own power for the first time in the 21^st century!!.

With #1630 out of the shop, #938 was brought back in and good progress has been made on cleaning and repainting.

So a very successful Spring before the recent minor set back.

HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT WEEKEND AT THE BENEFIT AT SAN FILIPO.  There are still some tickets available.

https://www3.irm.org/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=2128

Nigel