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 Post subject: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 10:23 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 9:34 am
Posts: 382
630:

As of 7 PM tonight, TVRM shop personnel have made good progress in repairs to 630. The journals on the #2 axle have been turned and burnished, the L2 box has been babbitted, the R2 is ready for babbitting, and work has started on fabrication of the new oil cellars. The tentative, and I do mean tentative, schedule is for the machining pf the driving boxes to finish on Sunday, fabrication of the oil cellars to complete Monday, and departure early Tuesday morning with all the parts. If all goes well, reassembly will finish Wednesday with departure for Bristol on Thursday and arrival in Knoxville one week from today.

4501:

Boiler work remains the prime focus -

Backhead: a few items remain (location of water column spuds and installation of corner washout sleeves) and then this sheet will be ready for tack up and weld out.
Replacement Firebox: Tapping of bolt holes for crown bolts continues. Approximately 90% of the staybolts in the side sheets have already been installed and driven.
3rd Course Repair: The regulator has accepted our alteration to replace the section of forge welded seam on the dome course with a fusion weld.
Stoker: Repair and restoration of the stoker equipment continues. New valve rods and piston rods have been made for the engine.
Feedwater Heater: We expect arrival of the feedwater heater system in about two weeks.

Some machinery work has been performed:

Driving Wheels: All driving axles but the main have freshly turned and burnished axles. The crank pins have been removed and holes quartered. Replacement crank pins are ready for installation.
Main Driving Axle: After discovering major cracks at each end, this axle has been renewed by Steam Operations. The wheelset should return to Chattanooga next week.
Trailing Truck: One of the more interesting mysteries of 4501 is the spring rigging for the trailing truck. As it is currently arranged, the truck frame is unable to swivel without severly twisting the leaf springs. Proof of this is the left spring which is twisted with a broken band. Recent inspection of a similar age locomotive appears to have revealed the answer. We will need to make modifications to the spring hangers but the solution will allow the truck frame to swivel as Mr.Hodges intended.

Finally, the cab interior woodwork has been completed and looks beautiful!

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G. Mark Ray - TVRM
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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 12:17 am 

Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm
Posts: 2213
Please come back and document exactly what you do to the trailing truck, with full pictures. I for one am looking forward to seeing the 'fine points' of how the Hodge truck works in actual practice.


RME


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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 8:54 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 8:31 am
Posts: 1310
Location: South Carolina
Mark- what kind of feedwater heater are you installing? I'd guess a Chinese copy of a Worthington SA?

Wow! Stoker AND a feedwater heater. Catching up on ~50 years of deferred upgrades for the old girl!

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Hugh Odom
The Ultimate Steam Page
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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 10:50 am 

Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 12:58 pm
Posts: 1346
Location: Chicago USA
I asked the same thing but removed my question after a search reminded me of Mark's previous statement:

We've also acquired a Chinese knock-off of the Worthington SA Feedwater Heater. It's a size 3-1/2 which is what many of her Ms Class sisters were equipped with. This will also improve the life of the boiler and improve its steaming capability. Our intentions are to install the system in the same manner as the Southern Railway did.


Steve


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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 10:02 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 8:31 am
Posts: 1310
Location: South Carolina
Thanks for filling me in Steve. Very cool.

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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 7:49 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:06 am
Posts: 539
Location: NE PA
Just out of curiosity why did TVRM choose a babbitted bearing versus a nonbabitted one?

Mike Tillger


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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 9:10 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 9:34 am
Posts: 382
Mike -

We chose to go with the SP Spring Pad Lubricator design which has a babbitted crown brass. This is a tried and proven design. We didn't want to turn the effort into a science project by trying different things. With the Armstrong oilers and PB&J 460 available, we are pretty much duplicating the SP design.

I should put in a thank you to Doyle McCormack. Doyle has been very helpful with answering questions and providing us information on what he's experienced. Having the original SP drawings to work from has also been a great help.

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www.tvrail.com


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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 9:34 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:06 am
Posts: 539
Location: NE PA
Thanks for the reply, I can very much understand going with a proven method, the Baldwin switcher (low speed) project I am currently involved in was built with oil cellars and no babbitt on the brasses. I believe we have managements approval to use spring pad lubricators from Armstrong Oilers.
http://www.armstrongoilers.co.uk/
Thanks again,
Mike Tillger


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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update - Updated 630 Update
PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 8:13 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 9:34 am
Posts: 382
Work has remained on schedule through the weekend - Machining of the boxes is complete. Assembly of the oil cellars will be done tomorrow. In addition, running of lube lines and other prep work is already underway at Shaffer's Crossing.

End of Update

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www.tvrail.com


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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 6:37 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 9:34 am
Posts: 382
7/10/11 0634 EDT Update

Wheelset, modified boxes, and crew enroute to Roanoke.

Works remains on schedule.

End of Update

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G. Mark Ray - TVRM
www.tvrail.com


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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 10:41 am 

Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2004 1:41 pm
Posts: 834
Location: Bowling Green, KY
Mr. Ray,

I am somehow utterly not surprised, applause goes out to Pugh, Shane and all others involved!

Cheers, Jason


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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:07 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:54 pm
Posts: 2367
Anybody care to explain what a babbitt is?


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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:21 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 9:34 am
Posts: 382
It's not a what but a who. A guy named Isaac Babbitt came us with this mixture of white metals to use as a bearing surface. Google him and you can become an expert like I did.

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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:36 pm 

Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:41 am
Posts: 3911
Location: Inwood, W.Va.
A former coworker was often picked to be an instructor-public relations person for the agency where we worked (sadly, he has since passed away). He liked to joke that he had this duty because he was an "expert."

He defined an "expert" by breaking the word into two parts. "Ex" meant "formerly," or "used to be," while the second half, "spurt," was "a little bit of something." So, he "used to be" a "little spurt of something," but he wasn't even that anymore. . .

One of the cool things about the internet is that sometimes you can become an instant "expert:"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babbitt_(metal)

Instant expert? Yeah, right. . .

A cool little video series on the overhaul of McCloud No. 18, with some footage on babbitt bearings in part 1, at about 3:30:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_McuPc1 ... 31A5A24F89

Looking around, it seems the V&T has a number of "shop tour" videos that may be worth perusing. . .

Have fun.


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 Post subject: Re: 630 and 4501 Update
PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:37 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 10:56 am
Posts: 1330
Location: Roanoke Va.
Be vewy, vewy quiet....we're "searching" babbitts........

(sorry, I couldn't resist......)

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Gary


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