Illinois Railway Museum Blog

What a difference a few days makes in Illinois!!.  In the last few weeks we have been working steadily thru the jobs needed to winterize #1630 and the support equipment while enjoying a long warm Fall.  Then this weekend Winter arrived with a vengeance.  Small problem, this was the weekend we had a rather critical activity scheduled!!.  So, neither rain nor snow etc.  (Also you don’t have to be mad to work in the steam shop but it sure helps at times.

The  critical activity was the FRA observed hydro test of Shay #5 which was scheduled for Sunday.  Clearly large quantities of water do not mix well with temperatures falling into single digits.  However we managed.

On Friday Phil managed to fill the boiler and a reserve container in the shop before draining the bottle car that provides our supply of treated water.  (Just ahead of the night when temperatures plummeted).

On Saturday I managed to get to the shop between the two bands of snow.  Conditions on site were “interesting” and the work team was small. 

Wild day at IRM

Difficult to imagine that this was just 7 days after the shot of removing the dome cover from #1630!!.  Congratulations to Chris and Jon who made it in.  On the Shay the objective was to get the water circulating from the boiler thru the pool heater and then get this fired up so that boiler could be brought up to around 100F and allowed to equilibrate for the test.  This was subject to some significant concern as the heater is outside and, should it not operate reliably, there would be a risk of it freezing and damaging the exchanger.  Much to my relief, despite digging it out of the snow and having to shield it from further driving snow during the day, it started and ran reliably so the warm up worked well. 

Snug inside the shop

Actually, having been used to #1630, it is startling how much quicker #5 warms up and it seems to even the heat out much more effectively because of the relatively short barrel.  In the shot above you can see the inlet from the heater feeding into the dome and the return running from the blow down back along the shop to the North.

Cold but pretty

Sunday was a very pretty day, even if it was 8F when I got back to the shop, and the team could get to the site without problems.  The heater restarted without issue and the boiler was ready for testing by mid-morning when the FRA inspector was scheduled.  The pressure was raised slowly to 240 psi (125% of the 190 psi at which she will operate).    Jason, Phil and Collin worked with the inspector to check parts of the boiler for any sign of leakage but she proved extremely tight.  One small area of a seam and the head of one stay will need minor peening but we have an acceptable pressure vessel!!.

This opens up a whole lot more work for the Winter (which is why we were so desperate to get this done before it became impossible to work with water!).  The boiler can now be lagged and the various accessories and their pipework fitted.  The smokebox riveting should be done soon and then the smokebox can be completed and the truck refitted.

Technically there is no reason that she should not be operational next season.  The biggest barrier is MONEY!.  The response to the Summer appear was disappointing ($600 plus $600 in matching).   Funds for #5 are now low and her operation in 2016 is going to depend heavily on donations in the next few weeks.

So, aside from this weekend, what has been happening in the last few weeks?.

#1630

Work progressed as planned.

The boiler was washed out when the weekend weather was reasonable and she then waited for the completion of #938 to free up her space in the shop;

Last weekend the switch was carried out with #938 going outside and #1630 coming into the North end of the shop.  The switching involved some coordination with Frank and the track team as they were using the last good weekend to replace ties in the switches leading in to the steam shop.  Thanks to Frank and his team for this.  Some of the ties were getting very tired and none of us fancy the idea of lifting #1630 out if she were to fall into the switch because of this!. 

Almost a ceremonial end of season ritual is the removal of the dome cover to allow her to fit into the shop.  Thanks to Max who did this lift with the boom truck;

Removing the dome cover

Once into the shop, the switching continued to split the loco and tender and remove the drawbar for its annual inspection;

This weekend we have continued stripping in preparation for the annual inspection and planned Winter work.

The small team yesterday removed the safety valves, firebox lagging and gauges to enable routine annual inspection work;

Today Jason and the team were working on measuring the valves and crosshead shoe.  The major maintenance activity for this Winter is the inspection, and probably fitting new rings, of the valves on both sides and the fitting of new babbit to the upper shoe of the crosshead on the fireman’s side as this has excessive play.

#5 – Shay

I am sure that Brian will provide a more detailed update however a lot of progress is apparent leading up to the test today.

The broken stay, identified in the first water test, was removed and a replacement machined and fitted.  Then the heads were formed.  First the outer end of the stay is bucked to prevent movement (while Phil is working in the firebox to form the head there)

Bucking the stay

Then he moves outside and forms the outer head in the same way.

Forming the stay head

Work then progressed thru the iterative process of applying some hydrostatic pressure to the boiler, spotting any leaks, correcting those leaks and moving to a higher pressure;

Much progress on the backhead

Once it was demonstrated that the tubes and super heater flues were watertight, their ends were formed and beaded;

The boiler as then tested to 240psi to prove it was ready for inspection.

#938

Phil and his team completed the Summer work by painting all the wheel and lower areas that have been stripped and primed.  She looks a great deal more presentable and will hopefully be able to go under cover once the new barns come into service.

Looking much better

#428

With the cab now riveted, Jon has been working on painting the interior and planning the woodwork that can now be fitted.

Compressor shed

Jeff and Jerry have made huge progress on the pipe work for the new compressors.  Max has set up most of the wiring.  The smaller of the two compressors is linked in and workable.  All the main pipe work for the large compressor, including the cooling loop has been installed.  The one remaining item is the flanges to connect the large compressor to the pipework.  Once these are made the whole set up should be in a state to test.

Before it can be commissioned a state inspection is required so we cannot put either into operation until the whole set up is complete.

So a busy and successful couple of weeks.  Now we head into a busy Winter with the objective of completing two locomotives for next season.

Nigel