Does anyone here have any experience with repairing cracked or broken seats in a superheater header? The header we have is for T-bolted joints and the flange which supports the T-bolt is broken right next to a seat. This will not allow this particular unit to be fully tightened.We know that a welded repair on the iron casting is possible but we are also looking at a mechanical repair.If you have had to repair a problem like this, we would appreciate knowledge of your experience.

Sierra locomotive #28 had the same problem a few years ago. It was repaired by a company experenced in cast iron welding . they cut out the cracked T area which went into the steam area. It was welded up full the old way .Heating the header in completely then gas welding the cast iron with cast iron rod. The Railtown shop remachine the T and superheater connection holes. I saw it being machined there was not porsity in the weld metal.This company really knew how to cast iron weld. Superheater header has been back in service a couple of years now. I would say this is the best way to repair your problem. Please contact George Sapp at Railtown for more information as this was his project.

Ex SP1233 had the same problem SP drilled and tapped the header and installed a stud, the seat of the header appears to have had a piece of steal tubing rolled into the port and flared on the end to create a seat for the flue. It appears to be an easy repair provided the crack does not run into the steam portion and only the flange is damaged.

If the broken section is just a short chunk broken out of the flange, you might be able to substitute a T section the entire depth of the header. Change all the T bolts in that section to studs threaded into the single new T. This will allow you to span the broken part and will help distribute the load on the flange. This way you don't disturb the header with welding or lockstitch holes. Both these methods can work, but they have inherent risks.Good luck.