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 Post subject: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Thu Jun 17, 2021 5:33 pm 

Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 10:38 am
Posts: 130
CORRY R.A.I.L.S. has begun the process of restoring/renovating CLIMAX A-313. The below is an image of a partially assembled 1902 Class A Climax A-313. All dimensions were taken from the WOOD and have not been confirmed by attaching any steel or iron parts or measuring any such parts. Therefore this is a first approximation subject to remeasuring and remeasuring and assembling some parts to determine the (hopefully) original sizes of the wood parts 120 years later.

The cylinder shown is to indicate to the viewer the location of the Boiler and is NOT based upon any measurements of the Boiler. I will be preparing 2D drawings of each part so that the measurements can be confirmed and corrected and a 3D CADD Model be created from which to re-create the parts.

Link to 3D pdf. Best viewed in Solid Outline in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/SIMONTON/A-313+Frame.pdf

Attachment:
Screen Shot 06-17-21 at 05.12 PM.JPG
Screen Shot 06-17-21 at 05.12 PM.JPG [ 214.06 KiB | Viewed 23429 times ]


Last edited by WESIII on Fri Jun 18, 2021 10:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Fri Jun 18, 2021 8:49 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 5:55 pm
Posts: 982
Location: Warren, PA
Having been there at the open house in May, looking at the rather large wood puzzle of the disassembled wood frame was actually encouraging.

The entire sills are southern yellow pine, not oak, reportedly as oak would be too heavy. There's a variety of wood on it. That sketch doesn't do justice to the rather intricate jointwork of notching and dovetailing though that Climax did in that era.

One sill side is relatively intact, and the other is very deteriorated, but as the only surviving one of it's type, even having shards to measure is a huge advantage.

The other nice thing is that Corry, PA is on the southern edge of a large, and growing, regional Amish population. There were lot of Amish at the open house. As this isn't exactly prime farmland up here in NW Pennsylvania, the local population is primarily skilled trades - including home sawmills, all manner of steel and leather crafts, etc. If you have original wood pieces and can scale it out, to them it looks like just another barn, this time on wheels.

I have an Amish friend up there that's both a railfan and an HO model railroader, he has an exquisite finish-grade sawmill of furniture quality, all powered with a natural-gas engine and electric generator from his own well (legal) and an overhead-belt driven mill powering nearly everything that would make the EBT machine shop fans feel right at home. So for a Climax, with a lot of wood, the local resources are actually there.

The other thing about A313 that surprised me was that while it's 36" gauge, the wheels look like they were done by Lionel - wide tread and deep flange. It looks like wood beam or strap rail wheels. Supposedly they were ordered that way to compensate for the 'irregular' nature of the gauge in Alaska due to permafrost heaves.


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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Fri Jun 18, 2021 10:31 am 

Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 10:38 am
Posts: 130
Check out the 3D pdf. One can hide parts in a 3D pdf to observe the Mortises and Tenons which are concealed.

Note the Mortises in the Front Bolster. I speculate that A-313 was a transitional frame from Vertical Boiler to T-Boiler with the Cross Member behind the Front Sill being added to what was in essence a Vertical Boiler frame design to support the Smokebox Saddle of the T-Boiler making the mortises in the front sill redundant.

Just a thought as the thought process is just beginning.


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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Fri Jun 18, 2021 11:34 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 5:55 pm
Posts: 982
Location: Warren, PA
It's a fascinating locomotive not just because it survived at all when so much of it is wood, but it's a living piece of engineering history in the evolution of geared steam.

I'd have to spend some more time in the Climax book and studying build numbers and photos, but the boiler on 313 that's clearly a transitional vertical to horizontal design is fascinating to examine. Obviously it worked or it wouldn't have survived, but so has a Platypus.

I've always admired Scott's (Gilbert) patent design for the helical drive gears, but there's lots of other little brilliant touches on a design both this old, and this basic, to admire, and to make it 'simple stupid' to maintain with few resources at hand.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US393896A/en


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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Fri Aug 13, 2021 2:21 pm 

Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 10:38 am
Posts: 130
Another visit to Corry, PA to work on Climax A-313 (1902). With so much time, the wood has shrank, been damaged and is some cases rot has affected the wood parts. With that in mind much work on re-engineering the frame remains. The following are three screen shots of the results to date. Please keep in mind that as Corry RAILS matches wood to steel and iron, some things may change because what we think can and will change as the forensic investigation continues.


Attachment:
A-313a 08-13-21.JPG
A-313a 08-13-21.JPG [ 48.41 KiB | Viewed 22353 times ]



Attachment:
A-313 08-13-21c.JPG
A-313 08-13-21c.JPG [ 49.99 KiB | Viewed 22355 times ]


Attachments:
A-313 08-13-21b.JPG
A-313 08-13-21b.JPG [ 20.39 KiB | Viewed 22355 times ]
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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Sat Sep 11, 2021 5:48 pm 

Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 10:38 am
Posts: 130
A number of individuals were kind enough to share their Notes and Sketches, some from Keith Christenson, and some photos of details. Although every dimension will be remeasured where available and the Notes consulted and reconciled as some are conflicting, the below illustrates a March 1902 15 Ton Class A Climax fairly accurately with a number of place holders like the roof arches, etc. I am aware of a number of errors and construction details which are inaccurate but do not want to impose my 21st Century ideas of what they did or did not do especially when working in 21st Century CADD. So view these screenshots from my CADD program with a grain of salt and please offer any constructive comments if you have any original or second hand detail of which you are aware.

Attachment:
A-313 09-11-21 Right Side.JPG
A-313 09-11-21 Right Side.JPG [ 91.42 KiB | Viewed 21717 times ]

Attachment:
A-313 09-11-21 Overhead PM.JPG
A-313 09-11-21 Overhead PM.JPG [ 69.71 KiB | Viewed 21717 times ]

Attachment:
A-313 09-11-21 under Side.JPG
A-313 09-11-21 under Side.JPG [ 73.86 KiB | Viewed 21717 times ]


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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Sun Sep 12, 2021 10:29 am 

Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 10:38 am
Posts: 130
As I have said my drawings of A-313 are a work-in-progress. Last night after posting the three screenshots of the progress on A-313. I went back to the Notes and Sketches of Keith Christenson which I was shared. One of the Notes is a handwritten list of square headed bolts required to begin putting A-313 back together along with a few scrawled notes as to the use thereof. By blowing up the list and puzzling out the handwriting I found a note indicating that the Posts and the Facia were bolted together (no tie rods). He lists 1/2" x 5" bolts although a sketch indicates 5/8" holes in the Facia and Posts from those sketches for the facia and posts, I found that 5/8" x 4" square headed bolts with washers both sides work. Now to reconcile my mistakes, Keith's mistakes (I have found some) and Climax's mistakes - at least 3 found so far - a hole drilled and plugged, another hole in the wrong place and a mortise in the wrong place.

Therefore, it would appear that Climax did not tie the sides together except for the 1/2" x "x" Lag Bolts into the ends of the roof arches.

So here is a screenshot of the "revised" setup without tie rods. Other mistakes and puzzles to worked out and "corrected" as I and CORRY R.A.I.L.S. work our way through the rebuild and renovation.

Attachment:
A-313 09-12-2 No Tie Rods.JPG
A-313 09-12-2 No Tie Rods.JPG [ 56.73 KiB | Viewed 21411 times ]


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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 8:58 pm 

Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 10:38 am
Posts: 130
A pdf of the plan views and elevations of A-313 is attached hereto. All the dimensions are subject to incremental change so I am not showing a dimensioned drawing although it is all to scale. Your contributions to CORRY R.A.I.L.S. a 501 (c)(3) organization can help bring this unique locomotive back to life to its as-new condition when it first went to the Alaska gold fields in 1902.


Attachments:
A-313 R5.pdf [549.22 KiB]
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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 4:32 pm 

Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 10:38 am
Posts: 130
For all of those who have wondered how Climax ran the steam exhaust from the Engine to the Stack on a Class A Climax (as I have), here are a couple of screenshots which illustrate the way Climax did it.

Attachment:
Climax Steam Piping #1.JPG
Climax Steam Piping #1.JPG [ 80.17 KiB | Viewed 20621 times ]


Attachment:
Climax Steam Piping #2.JPG
Climax Steam Piping #2.JPG [ 79.94 KiB | Viewed 20621 times ]


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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 3:35 pm 

Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 10:38 am
Posts: 130
Progress on Climax A-313 (March 1902).

Attachment:
Screen Shot 10-03-21.JPG
Screen Shot 10-03-21.JPG [ 68.86 KiB | Viewed 20325 times ]


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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 7:04 pm 

Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 10:38 am
Posts: 130
Interesting detail from A-313 which illustrates how Climax secured/tied the roof arcs to the side framing. The Bolts were 1/2" or 5/8" and the Anchor is 7/8".

Attachment:
Screen Shot 11-18-21 at 05.55 PM.JPG
Screen Shot 11-18-21 at 05.55 PM.JPG [ 57.05 KiB | Viewed 19654 times ]


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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2021 8:19 am 

Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2010 9:26 am
Posts: 95
Location: Princeton, NJ
Thanks for continuing to post your drawings...that detail...looks like Ikea took inspiration from it! Will be making the 3D files available like you did with the other Climax?


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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2021 10:46 am 

Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 10:38 am
Posts: 130
I will post 2D and 3D pdfs of A-313 as plans are finalized. I hope to have the basic frame drawings complete in a few weeks with only a few things missing or subject to revision which will not prevent the A-313 crew from beginning to create all the wood parts of the frame. As indicated above in another post the Side Sills will be clear Southern Yellow Pine and all the other frame members Oak - probably White Oak but Corry RAILS has not received a report yet on the wood samples. Work on the Trucks has started and an assessment of the Boiler is being made to determine how to manufacture a T-Boiler which appears correct but meets modern boiler standards. The original boiler has a lap seam longitudinal seam with 160# operating pressure.

As the only known original T-Boiler in existence, it has generated quite a bit of interest from both modern and traditional boilermakers.


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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:35 pm 

Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 10:38 am
Posts: 130
A drawing of the T-Boiler on A-313. This is a Pro Forma rendition as only basic measurements were taken to assist in preparing the Wood Frame drawings. The only measurements taken were the ones indicated, some measurements of the boiler mounting brackets, and everything else is by mark one eyeball. So this is close but dimensions may change incrementally as the forensic work continues.

As the jpg does not display the dimensions very well, I attached a pdf of the same drawing.

Attachment:
T-Boiler Pro Forma.JPG
T-Boiler Pro Forma.JPG [ 24.48 KiB | Viewed 18632 times ]


Attachments:
Pro Forma T-Boiler.pdf [100.22 KiB]
Downloaded 258 times
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 Post subject: Re: CLIMAX A-313
PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2021 4:44 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 12:15 am
Posts: 585
WESIII,
As someone that works on 3D models everyday (AutoCAD Inventor), gotta say you are doing a great job on this project.

Do you happen to have any photos of either this locomotive or a sister (same model or similar config) that you can post?

Thanks,
Rich C.


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