We do not have a smokebox door for the J&L 58, and don't even have a photo of it aside from the builders photo which shows a side profile and the general arrangement drawing which shows the same. It shows a round center going to a flat along the rim, then a 90 degree radius. Probably 52" diameter. I have enough info. to create a new one from, but the problem is how to do so. Has anyone else had to tackle the problem of replacing a smokebox door, and if so, how did you do it?

So far my options are:
1) Try to create something using commercially available tank heads such as what is available from http://www.compcoind.com/products
2) Have a pattern made and cast one out of iron

Is there usually another plate attached to the inside of the door but spaced away from it slightly?

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We were faced with this problem initially on Coronet Phosphate #5. The door had been dropped sometime far in the past and shattered. We eventually located all the pieces within a 100 yard radius of the engine and had them welded back together. While we were hunting, we did have the local foundry give us an estimate to cast a replacement. The mold pattern was $2000 and the casting was $500. If you can locate a similar door, the door can be used to make a pattern, but you will have to add a strip on the outer edge to make up for the roughly 3% shrinkage that will occur.

Herb Sakalaucks
Colfax RR Museum

LA Boiler Works can bend and twist almost anything to your specs for a reasonable price.

http://laboiler.com/dished_flared_heads_d.html

On a smaller scale, but it can be done.

http://s1055.photobucket.com/user/slide ... Box%20Door


Bruce E. Babcock

Further info might be available from the Gramlings as I know the 126 needed a new smokebox door when it was acquired.

That extra chrome is a "code snippet" intended for web designers - doesn't work on a forum. Just snip out the bare URL. A URL starts with http and does not contain < > " or spaces. Usually the code snippet helpfully wraps the URL in quote marks - don't grab them by mistake.

http://s1055.photobucket.com/user/slide ... Box%20Door

I followed up on Matt Austin's lead and just received a price of $325 for a dished and flared head 33" in diameter. That plus a 33" OD rolled ring out of 1" square stock will make up our new smokebox door.

Thanks!