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 Post subject: Sleeving a locomotive cylinder
PostPosted: Thu May 09, 2019 10:26 am 

Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 4:30 pm
Posts: 205
Has anyone out there sleeved a steam locomotive? If so where did you get your sleeves? We are looking for an 18" OD x 16" ID x 28" raw sleeve. Or thereabouts. Any insight would be appreciated.

Chris De Witt
Nevada State Railroad Museum


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 Post subject: Re: Sleeving a locomotive cylinder
PostPosted: Thu May 09, 2019 10:54 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:19 am
Posts: 6399
Location: southeastern USA
I did some research on this about 3 years ago - didn't find anything satisfactory at that point. Sources for loose ends, drops and other such wonderful ways to recycle have dried up considerably over the past couple decades, while we have lost a lot of the industries that provided them at the same time. I'd encourage you to look in the UK or Australia since they have a more global perspective on sourcing.

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“God, the beautiful racket of it all: the sighing and hissing, the rattle and clack of the cars over the rails. These were the sounds that made America the greatest country on earth." Jonathan Evison


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 Post subject: Re: Sleeving a locomotive cylinder
PostPosted: Thu May 09, 2019 10:58 am 

Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2004 7:52 am
Posts: 2560
Location: Strasburg, PA
On Steve Jackson's recommendation, we went to Lokey Iron in Texas for G2 centrifugally cast grey iron tube. I see that Lokey has been absorbed by Dura-Bar, so G2 tube from any Dura-Bar distributor should do the trick.


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 Post subject: Re: Sleeving a locomotive cylinder
PostPosted: Thu May 09, 2019 12:17 pm 

Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 4:30 pm
Posts: 205
I spoke with Durabar. They do continuous casting with very small ID's necessating lots of machine time. I am looking into centrifugal casting. Haven't gotten many responses yet.

Thanks for the suggestion.


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 Post subject: Re: Sleeving a locomotive cylinder
PostPosted: Thu May 09, 2019 10:28 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 3:37 pm
Posts: 1275
Location: Pacific, MO
When I was still working about 15 years ago, we would buy centrifugally cast iron from a company down in Birmingham,AL if memory serves. Sizes as large as you mentioned. I'm wondering if the name of the company WAS Centrifugally Cast Iron?


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 Post subject: Re: Sleeving a locomotive cylinder
PostPosted: Fri May 10, 2019 1:01 am 

Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2018 8:04 pm
Posts: 314
Or you can do like they did with the Big Boy restoration. Overbore the cylinder and buy larger pistons. Get a few hundred extra horsepower to boot.


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 Post subject: Re: Sleeving a locomotive cylinder
PostPosted: Fri May 10, 2019 8:14 pm 

Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:35 pm
Posts: 351
Location: Pacific Northwest
I remember that on one of the restoration videos of MILW 261 Gary Bensman demonstrated the sleeving process as well as showing the sleeve being cut on a vertical lathe. Then the process of keeping the sleeve on dry ice while heating the cylinder then sliding the two together. He might have some ideas for you.


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 Post subject: Re: Sleeving a locomotive cylinder
PostPosted: Tue May 14, 2019 10:06 pm 

Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2010 2:06 am
Posts: 329
Perhaps you're thinking of the sequence where they showed the machining and installation of one of the rod bushings? .........mld


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 Post subject: Re: Sleeving a locomotive cylinder
PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 9:32 am 

Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 4:30 pm
Posts: 205
So far the most promising response I have received is from Spuncast Foundry of Watertown, WI. They cast the correct alloy (Ni-resist 2) in the sizes I need. I am waiting for a quote. This is going to be a fun project.

I am also looking into the marine diesel industry to find a used liner in the correct size. I don't know if there is anything out there but if so I am interested in cost comparison.


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 Post subject: Re: Sleeving a locomotive cylinder
PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 4:03 pm 

Joined: Fri Jan 10, 2014 5:00 pm
Posts: 71
Is this for the loco that suffered a cracked cylinder during a move shoot? The one that now runs with a U-bolt type repair strap?

I recall getting a cab ride a few years ago; it wheezed, and blew a jet of steam every time that cylinder was working steam...


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 Post subject: Re: Sleeving a locomotive cylinder
PostPosted: Thu May 16, 2019 12:05 am 

Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 4:30 pm
Posts: 205
The locomotive with the busted saddle half is the #8, Cooke, 1888, American, out of service pending a firebox. The engine I wish to sleeve is the V&T #25, 1905 Baldwin 10 wheeler.

What happens to engines that are bored out? I ask because I haven't heard of a lot of engines getting sleeves. Do they just get parked?


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 Post subject: Re: Sleeving a locomotive cylinder
PostPosted: Thu May 16, 2019 9:06 pm 

Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2010 2:06 am
Posts: 329
The sleeve is a sacrificial wear part. Different railroads had different standards for minimum serviceable wall thickness before replacement. The same applies for the sleeves of a piston valve.

With the cylinders of the C&NW 1385 at Mid-Continent Rwy Museum we found we had plenty of meat in the cylinder sleeves even after boring to bring them back to round & true. With proper care & lubrication there should be at least one more machining left which puts the need for replacement probably past the time that I become a part of the coal pile.........mld


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