Great photos, quite interesting!

So what are the plans for the fleet of Cagneys? Are they all owned by one person, or various owners? What an impressive collection!

Is there a need for new boilers and CODE shops? I think JohnE made a good call![/quote]


It looks as if Wasatch filled an important nitch in the live steam hobby world. That shows good market research. I would then, if it were me, place my efforts in this direction. Reason being that I would suspect that there are not enough full steam projects in the USA to be spread around the available shops.

Let me ask about the Mcdermott engine. Being that this is a riveted boiler will the replacement be a welded assembly? If so does this then take a newly designed assembly/set of blueprints?

The 15 inch locomotives in the photos that Mike Lewis begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting posted are owned by individual owners. Out of respect to the owners, I am not at liberty to disclose where they are going or what they will do. I can however mention that there will be postings related to where each of them ends up when they are delivered. One project, located in Illinois is very promising and will be a new industry favorite!

The 19 inch Swanton Pacific locomotive has been redesigned as an all welded boiler. However, there are aspects that will give the illusion that the boiler is historic. For example, the new boiler will include a fascia that includes rivets in the mud ring thus preserving some historical appearance. The back head and the throat sheet will have round corners. The boiler jacket, like the 15 inch locomotives will be stood off of the new boiler by means of skeleton straps that will surround the boiler and give the jacket elevation. The second course will be tapered much like the original.

Some interesting side notes; As the construction is all welded, not riveted, the boiler actually ends up having more heating surface area. The reason it has more heating surface area is that we are able to increase the number of tubes in the boiler as we do not have to deal with flanged knuckles in the front tube sheet and flanged knuckles in the rear tube sheet. In fact, from a pure design stand point, under the code, one is left to either increase the heating surface area by installing more tubes (tubes are considered support to areas that otherwise would be considered “unsupported.”). If we do not install more tubes, we are left to support the front tube sheet by either making it thicker or by adding braces to the tube sheet. Additionally, the fire box is ultimately bigger as the sheets that make up the fire box are not overlapped, as they are in riveted construction. The OD of the fire box remains the same, however the ID gains nearly ¾ of an inch in width. The smooth sides of the new fire box, and lack of overlapped sheets will provide less turbulence for the fire. Though this can aid in more evenly distributed heat in the fire box, it is unlikely that without sophisticated testing equipment that any quantifiable result can be derived from this efficiency factor. It is simply a notable adjustment from the original design.

The idea that Wasatch made a good move in the miniature industry is a pre-curser to what is ahead. We have built boilers as large as 36 inch gauge and we are entertaining proposals for more. We have seen new boilers on Standard Gauge locomotives all over the world, including here in the US.

Matt Janssen a frequent poster here on RYPN has commented before that the Germans have a specific life span for a boiler. During controlled inspection periods, if the boiler material fails to meet specific testing requirements, the boiler is de-commissioned and disposed of. Matt, myself and a number of others believe that we will see a day, here in the US, where the same or similar standards will be upheld. The Swanton Pacific project is a modern day example.

Did you know that historic boilers operated in the State of California MAY be subject to an increased margin of safety (Safety Factor). It was through the enforcement of an increased margin of safety for this boiler that it was found that the boiler simply can not operate at a Margin of Safety of 5 or more! One of two things, as per the California Inspector are to happen. A.) Lower the MAWP of the boiler or B.) Build a new Boiler. “Oh, and by the way, next year, the margin of safety may be increased to 6,” says the inspector on his way out the door!

Discussions above mention the need for AI’s in the entire code process. Young AI’s…..all over the world have no idea what a rivet is, how it works or why one would even be installed in the first place. Wasatch has just completed riveted repairs on two boilers currently in service. Had a new, young, AI watched us install the rivets and then work the rivets to get them to not leak….he would have had a massive heart attack on the scene. “You installed a what (rivet)…..and then you did what to it?” AI’s who spend all day in a Nuke Plant, Steam Generating power plants or Steam Heat Plants have never seen the historic stuff that we love so much. Mark my words; this young generation of inspectors will not tolerate our historic views much longer! Even with a new ASME Code, all we are doing is seeing the “squashing” of these old boilers get one step closer to reality. True, the new code will aid in the construction of these new vessels; however, it will also increase the propensity of the AI’s to ask…..

“Don’t you guys have a new code to build these historic boilers new? Why aren’t you doing it?”

John E. Rimmasch
Wasatch Railroad Contractors

http://www.wrrc.us

Are the "Marine" boilers vertical or horizontal? Any photos of the old "Marine" boilers?