The 494 Restoration Committee wants to know if our 1892 lap seam boiler has a shot at certification by the FRA. How does one begin this process and what are the costs and upsides/downsides? Thanks in advance. 494 is located in White River Junction, Vermont and hasn't steamed in almost 70 years. We're under no illusions, we just want to know where we stand.

wrj494@aol.com

This site has 49CFR230, although each section is listed as a separate pdf file:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wais ... 30_00.html

Sorry, lost the address for the site which had the whole file. You might try to search through the archives of this site (rypn.org/interchange); there was a posting early this year or sometime last year which gave the address.

This is all it says about lap seams:

ÿ 230.30 Lap-joint seam boilers.
Every boiler having lap-joint
longitudinal seams without reinforcing
plates shall have sufficient lagging,
jacketing, flues, and tubes removed at
every annual inspection so that an
inspection of the entire joint, inside and
out, can be made, taking special care to
detect grooving or cracks at the edges of
the seams.

You will most likely have to have to have your boiler re-engineered, which is what determines your working pressure. I doubt if you will get more than about 110-120 psi.

> You will most likely have to have to have
> your boiler re-engineered, which is what
> determines your working pressure. I doubt if
> you will get more than about 110-120 psi.

Note that it said every annual inspection. That means removal of the tubes every year.

Also, I believe the best practices preamble stuff to 230, which is not necessarily in the regulation but in the preamble to the first publication in the Federal Register, refers to other industry best practices; and best as I recall, any State that allows lap seams, puts a 100 psi maximum on them.


SZuidervee@aol.com

> Note that it said every annual inspection.
> That means removal of the tubes every year.

Surely this removing flues annually is for lap seam boilers only.

Robert@trainorders.com

Hopefully, Mark Ray will see your message and can help you out. The SP 2248 has a lap seam boiler and Mark consulted on the Form 4 calcs for that engine's recertification. Otherwise, e-mail him.

Mike Brown
TVRM

> The 494 Restoration Committee wants to know
> if our 1892 lap seam boiler has a shot at
> certification by the FRA. How does one begin
> this process and what are the costs and
> upsides/downsides? Thanks in advance. 494 is
> located in White River Junction, Vermont and
> hasn't steamed in almost 70 years. We're
> under no illusions, we just want to know
> where we stand.


Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
newriver400@cs.com

Yep, I saw it. The 2248 has a reinforced lap seam and will not require the annual inspection. You may find yours to have been reinforced. Many older lap seam boilers had the reinforcing plates (an additional butt strap) so that they would meet the mandatory ICC Factor of Safety which became law during the 1910's. I would suggest getting someone like a Scott Lindsay, Bob Yuill, Ron Larson, Gary Bensman. J. David Conrad, or even Linn Moedinger to take a look at it and provide you some direction.

G. Mark Ray - TVRM

aw90h@cs.com