Does anyone know if the Old Dominion Chapter NRHS (Richmond, VA) still operates their ex- U.S. Army/Albemarle Paper Manufacturing Co. Porter 0-6-0T? I know it was serviceable a few years ago and was steamed up by chapter members once or twice a year. I have not found much on the internet about it.

Jeff Terry

We will be firing it up around the end of June!

Here are some photos of Hallsboro yard (including the Porter)

http://naphotos.nerail.org/show/?order= ... %20Chapter


Win

Thanks for the info and the link. What exactly is the 0-6-0T used for? Just to switch cars for the enjoyment of the NRHS members? How often is it fired up? This has to be one of the least-known of all steam operations in the US.

Jeff Terry

The 0-6-0 is used to excersize the equipment at Hallsboro to prevent the bearings from freezing up and to try to keep the brakes functioning . We fire it up sporadically at this time but hope to have a schedule in the near future . The next time it is fired up will be sometime in late june. I believe it's the only working steam locomotive in the state of Virginia.

Win

The grates are being removed from the 0-6-0 and are going to be machined so they don't hang up. The work is being done at Hermitage Techincal Center in Richmond Virginia as a Machine Technology class project.

After running our 0-6-0 this summer, we encountered a problem with the new cast grates. They were hanging up and not swinging freely to dump the ashes out of the firebox. We knew that they would have to be removed from the engine and machined. The Machine Technology Class at Hermitage Technical Center has taken this on as a class project under the direction of Instructor Steve Fletcher and the work is primarily done by two students, Stephen McIntyre and Joseph Gersch. The frame and grates were removed by Randly Ridley and Kevin Frick, then brought over to tthe Tech Center, reassembled, and then each grate with be smoothed on either side and beveled at either end. Photos can be seen here:

http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?200 ... 216329.jpg

http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?200 ... 516359.jpg

http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?200 ... 516359.jpg

http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?200 ... 516359.jpg

http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?200 ... 516359.jpg

At the Black River Western, we had some new grate bearers cast and then went to install them in the engine. Some of the grate pieces that sit on the bearer and some would fit others wouldn't. I was quite surprised how close the clearances were for cast iron on cast iron. I found the pictures of the machining that they did on the grate bearers http://naphotos.nerail.org/show/?order= ... %20Chapter
and I was wondering how much material actually needed to be removed. Some of the ones that didn't fit were able to be just done over a bit with an angle grinder.

What was more impressive to me however was that casting for the grate pieces themselves. I wonder how they got all the holes and air passages cast into the grate.

Adam

Chef, where did the individual cast iron grate sections come from? They look like new castings. Who is the supplier of these?
\
Howard P.

The castings you had done are indeed impressive. Those grates are "Hulson" type grates. All the holes you mention were done by making a core pattern, then pouring the cast iron over them. The core is made using casting sand. It is then removed after the pour is made. If you ever noticed the "frost plugs" in your automobile engine, that was what it was for, for removing the core sand. Good luck on your engine.
LF

I'll find out who did the castings, I'm pretty sure they were done locally. The really cool thing is the one kid who is working on them brought in diagrams and drawings of the grates and the whole firebox assembly. They came from a 1940 Locomotive encyclopedia that his father had. Looks like I messed up posting the photos. There are more here:

http://naphotos.nerail.org/show/?order= ... %20Chapter

I'll post more as we get farther along. It's really amazing how tight these things fit once you get them machined.

These grates when new seem to grow a little after they have seen a fire. Whenever installing them new or the first couple times after, I take a rock grinder with me to take off just what is needed to get them to slip on and off the shaker bars.