Are you off your rocker these days Len? What are you talking about "...when steam was king." Diesels! FEH!! Steam IS STILL king!!!
Once a foamer, ALWAYS a foamer!!
Long live Phoebe Snow!!
Now if only they'd start working on that darned Cutoff...(sigh)...

Did you call Howard P.??? Yes, I was totally immersed in the whole affair as the then " Director-PR&Adv." for the BR&W. When we acquired the Flemington branch from the PRR (1964) and began assembling the various pieces of equipment that Bill Whitehead had collected for the operation at Ringoes, we did a thorough mechanical inspection of the 565 and found her to be in really "rough" shape and it was decided that for SUBSTANTIALLY less money we could buy and transport #60 to NJ. It was really a no brainer.

Her rough condition is no doubt the reason she's never been a serious restoration candidate!!

Ross Rowland

Her boiler has never been mapped. I talked to a gentleman who was on the work at New Hope and he told me the bottom of the boiler is pitted bad. To do it right the boiler would have to be cut and those sections replaced.

Ross for not wanting to operate her on the Black River, can you explain this photo?


Len.

Schuylkill Valley,

If you reread the post by Howard Pincus from June 4 your photo should require no further explaination.

John Bohon

I know the exact spot in Chester, NJ where this was taken as I pass it every week. And every time I do I think about how stupid Chester was to make the Black River people unwelcome. The town has a small antique and tourist business less than 1 block from where the railroad was. Now the space has a somewhat failed strip mall and a larger newer strip mall immediately behind it. The fortunes of this town would have been so different for the better had the Black River been able to stay in Chester.

For Mr. Dave Crosby...
I'm afraid I'm a bit aloof when it comes to technical terms...what is a lap boiler?
Sorry for asking but just curious.

I'm not Mr. Crosby,
But this might help.
A lap seam boiler, which mean that the seam in the barrel of the boiler laps over itself and is riveted together. This is an older design. Newer (old) boilers used a butt-strap seam, which mean that the edges of the boiler barrel are butted up against each other and are covered with a strap of iron on both the inside and outside of the boiler and then riveted together.

Len.

Would 565 be one of the last representations of this type of boiler still in existence or do others survive out there? If so what would be their status?

Also, wouldn't it seem that a boiler that was wrapped over itself would prove to be much more stronger rather than one that was butted together? You would think that the integrity at that point would be stronger than those that aren't in such fashion.

Is that the case? If so, why discontinue the practice?

Steve,

The big reason for not using lap seam boilers is that the joint must be fully inspected, inside and out, at EVERY annual inspection. That means removing enough tubes and flues, boiler lagging, appliances etc. to get to the seam for inspection. A costly operation.

The locomotive builders went the way of butt seams as they are stronger and more suited to higher pressures of modern locomotives.

Bruce Mowbray
Springville, PA
http//www.geocities.com/trainhead391/

Steve RG,
Here's what lap seam boiler looks like , this one is from a Steam Tractor though. but Steam is Steam.





Len.

Boiler barrels are self supporting because they form a true circle, equating to the pressure being equal on all surfaces. When you introduce a lap seam into the barrel course, the circle is no longer true, because you have to offset it by the thickness of the material to make the lap seam, this offset adds additional stresses in that local area, causing cracking of the plate and cracking from the rivet holes used to fasten the plate at the seam. Which can cause failure of the boiler barrel.
Mike Tillger

Not to get off the subject at hand but rather get back to the original subject of 565; if she is too far gone for restoration how about 952 provided that Steamtown ever wins and gets her back?
From what I have heard here and other various sites, she is in pretty good condition (cosmetically).
How about her operational status or restoration for that matter? Could SHE be a candidate to run "back home"?

Steve

Can't speak as to the 952's mechanical condition. Did want to point out that Steamtown has absolutely nothing to do with that lawsuit over the 952. That's between the R&LHS and the Museum in St Louis. If the R&LHS does win there's no telling what will happen to the 952.

Dave