I guess it's time to provide another update on the 4501 rebuild progress. Let's start with the boiler -

The firebox work is complete. She's now had 100% of the staybolts and mud ring rivets replaced, around 97% of the firebox sheets renewed (two small areas under the rear tube that were renewed in 1984 were left intact), the backhead replaced, a flush patch installed in the right side exterior side sheet, the exterior throat sheet renewed, and a flush patch put in the dome course to replace a forge weld. All radiography has been successfully completed.

All the boiler studs and boiler fittings are applied. The tubes and flues will not be installed until she's back on her wheels. The fluorogold material arrived and was attached to the furnace bearers so the furnace bearers are now back in place. Finally, the new smokebox front is being fabricated using the same centerpiece pattern as 630 and 765.

Machinery work is in full swing. All the spring rigging is sitting on the shop floor. We found the front equalizer was frozen solid at the pivot pin which made it difficult to remove. The engine truck is ready for assembly once pins and bushes are returned from the heat treater. The driving boxes are coming along quite well. Hub liners are applied, babbiting installed, and final machining is underway. The shoes and wedges are being cast and should arrive just in time for machining.

I read with the great interest the earlier thread about the feedwater heater, stoker, color, and tender trucks. We have not been able to locate the drawings that show the installation of the Worthington system to the Class Ms locomotives (we have the drawing numbers) so we are relying on pictures to help up install the system as close to the way it was installed on her sisters as is possible. Same goes with the stoker system. Both of these systems are the same size applied to the Class Ms locomotives.

I don't want to rekindle the color discussion but I do want to offer this - according to the paint drawings, Southern Railway painted their steam locomotives according to the type of service they were in.

Lastly, personnally, I would love to see Andrews trucks under the tender. However, trying to modify the trucks we have to accomodate rotating end cap roller bearings and provide access to the lineside detectors was going to cost time and money. Remember, above everything else, it's all about the money. When there's only so much to spend, we have to make choices. I'd rather have roller bearings on the lead and trailing trucks instead.

Enjoy the pictures.

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More pictures.

And even more pictures.

Last set of pictures.

Mark,

As always, interesting information. In the other thread, someone pointed out that while on the K&T and in early excursion service, she had a lot more flexible staybolts on the side sheets. These were "lost" at some point, with rigid bolts taking their place.

Do you know when this was done? Were the additional flexible bolts applied by Southern in service or the K&T?

Thanks Mr. Ray for providing this insight on the 4501's restoration, and please keep the updates and pictures coming. Also Mr. Ray, do you know at this time if the 4501's pistons are going to remain the same diameter, or are they going to be able to be enlarged with the mechanical stoker and feedwater heater being fitted to the engine?
Thanks,
Austin Bryant.

Speaking of the '01, I ran across a cool picture the other day in a collection I'm working on preserving. This shot is from 1964 and believed to be somewhere between Stearns and Chattanooga right after Paul Merriman bought her from the K&T. After purchasing her, Paul handpainted the '01 lettering back into Southern freight black scheme...

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So with the comment that Southern painted their locomotives based on the type of service they were entering... are you hinting she could return in GREEN? :) :) :) :) :) How I would love to see that!

Flourogold? Please elaborate....

dave

Flourgold is a brand of slide bearing material:

http://www.sepbearings.com/fluorogold-slide-bearings.html

This is the first time I've heard of it being used on a steam locomotive. Has anyone else used it?

Oh, flUOrgold, not flOUrgold........cool. No wonder I couldn't find it.

dave

We first applied fluorogold on 630's furnace bearers and it has done well. No further lubrication required.

The exterior side sheets were replaced in the 1970's to remove all those flexible bolts. We were ablXe to see the welds real well on the inside once the firebox was out.

The information regarding the lettering of 4501 in Stearns is not fully correct. A team of TVRM personnel were involved in that effort including Bob Soule and Grady Ragan.

The cylinders will remain at their present bore which is 26-5/8". The diameter of the cylinders was reduced in 1968 from 27" to 26". Cylinder borings since then have increased the diameter. In 1996, the last boring was performed. The pistons were modified then to accept T-type sectional rings.

You guys are going to have one super Mike when you get done! I hope NS really decides to let her take the bit in her teeth and see what she can do...

Good to see work this thorough being done. I'm sure 4501 will appreciate it also.

I think that the 4501 is a shining example of what is required to actually operate steam in the modern environment. Since we are not building new steam locomotives which comply with current interchange standards (roller bearings, etc.), we must bring the old ones up to something approaching modern standards if we are to have any hope of actually operating on the general network. Old locomotives, if they are to remain "old" are simply never going to comply with the current safety and reliability standards in force on todays railroads.

If a lion in the zoo is to be released into the wild, it needs to be healthy, robust and strong enough to survive among its peers. Otherwise it needs to remain in the zoo where it can look like a lion and act like a lion but in a safe and controlled environment.

No sense complaining about the "compromises" being foisted on the 4501. We need to be happy that 4501 is being given the strength and health it needs to be able to live in the wilds on the main lines!

When the SLSTA originally restored 1522, there were some hand wringers who were outraged over us replacing the brake system with 26L, adding a second lubricator, installing an electric speedometer, EOT receiver, modern radio, MU box and the temp monitoring system. We were absolutely ruining the engine.
Well guess what? Having done all that made the engine feel comfortable to the pilots, soothed the worries of the supes and higher ups. Plus the fact that the brake system used parts that were available at any terminal. We always had a spare brake valve and it saved us once when ours popped a leak. We stopped between switches of a passing track on the BNSF at West Alton and were moving again in 40 minutes with a new brake valve.
Original fabric doesn't matter to the railroad, but anything you can do to make it fit in with traffic does matter. Do what you gotta do.