Hello all:

I recently returned from a quick business trip to Toronto to witness some product testing. Among the testing was a fair amount of tensile testing, where one pulls on a product to a specified force and ensures its durability. Most tensile machines I've seen are computer controlled electric machines which use ballscrews to slowly and precisely stretch a product while an electronic load cell measures the force applied.

At this client though, I found a bit of a surprise:



This is an air powered tensile tester that uses hydraulic fluid and some impressive mechanics to very precisely measure force while pulling or pushing on a product. Why am I posting this on RYPN, you ask? Check out the nameplate...



Apparently, Baldwin made tensile testers? Anyone know anything about this? Some other pictures:

Wish all Baldwins had a fast-slow gauge!

Guess RYPN only lets me attach 3 photos at a time, so here's some more:

The tester's controls:



Later, I found CN 6213 looking pretty at the John St. Roundhouse in downtown Toronto:



Another view of 6213. Literally right in the shadow of the CN Tower:



Sorry for the iffy photos, these were all with my phone. Hope you enjoyed!

That brings back memories! I ran a 60,000 lb capacity Baldwin-Southwark hydraulic testing machine as part of my first position as a grad student assistant at Berkeley in the 1960's doing mechanical tests of timber specimens.

The control cabinet looks exactly like that photo, although mine had a nice BLW logo riveted to the load-sensing crosshead.

Baldwin's entry into that market was natural outgrowth of their capability of precision machining of large metal objects like steam locomotive components.

Their testing machine business has gone through several ownership changes over the years.

This URL from the current owner of that business might be of interest:

http://www.instron.cn/wa/library/StreamFile.aspx?doc=466

Another non-railroad product of Baldwin that I spotted while visiting Davis Dam near Laughlin, Nevada was a water turbine in the powerhouse. This was over 30 years ago, and I've forgotten whether it was Baldwin Locomotive Works or Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton, but it was still a bit of a surprise.

I think the most commonly available Baldwin product is the "Eddystone" M1917 Enfield Rifle.

CD

Baldwins Southwark division in addition to water turbines also made hydraulic presses. I saw one a few years ago in one of the buildings in the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

here is another tester: http://digital.library.temple.edu/cdm4/ ... X=1&REC=20

I have an Eddystone built M1917. I call it "The Rifle that Baldwin Built" (Apologies to the author of the similarly-titled book)

Nice find on the tester! There is one in Bethlehem, PA, at Lehigh University. It needs to be seen in person to truly grasp how big it is:
http://cf2.cc.lehigh.edu/projects/exhib ... 9&exp=true
and
http://etc.technologyandculture.net/200 ... ffe_cover/

In addition to testing machines and presses, Baldwin's Southwark Div. also made (as noted here) the hydraulic turbines associated with hydro-electric generating facilities. One addition product with transportation connections was the giant propellers used on ships. The Baldwin magazine frequently carried ads for these auxiliary products on the back covers, along with Whitcomb locomotives. Perhaps BLW could qualify as one of the early "industrial conglomerates."

Of the various BLW divisions, I know Standard Steel continued to exist at their original location at Burnham, PA, and perhaps still does. What other BLW activities found new ownership and continued life after BLH was dissolved?

"This URL from the current owner of that business might be of interest:

http://www.instron.cn/wa/library/Stream ... px?doc=466"

Frank G. Tatnall was a reasonably-well known rail photographer from the Philadelphia area, an active shooter from the 40s into the 60s. Interesting to see his involvement with this equipment.

Howard P.

The Frank G. Tatnall pictured may be the father of the current Frank G. Tatnall, who is alive and well and active in the Phila. Chapter of NRHS and PRRT&HS circles. I note that the folks in Grove City don't know much about Baldwin locomotives, though, having used a Climax, manufactured in nearby Corry, to illustrate the steam locomotive.

I believe BLH also built condensors and/or feedwater heaters for fossil-fueled power plants; need to check some pedigree power plant data I have to verify that.

Baldwin also built Impact testing machines. At my former college we had one of these in the metal lab. Unfortunately it went in the dumpster(nothing I could do, wasn't there at the time) when they renovated the building. I'm posting a link to a picture of one that's similar, though I think the one we had was much older as it had "The Baldwin Locomotive Works " written in large, fancy script on the gauge.

http://dmseg5.case.edu/groups/Lewandows ... mpact.html

Baldwin also manufactured dry ice presses... even today they are the gold standard... more than one old school dry ice plant has several old Baldwin presses around back, awaiting rebuilding if more capacity is needed.

The Baldwin presses make 50-60 lb blocks... the modern presses make pellets...

Randy

Several years ago I had the good fortune to see a very large version of this device, whch was built by Baldwin. I was testing a transit car at Budd's Hunting Park Plant test facility in Phildelphia. I was using the climate lab, but in a large room next door was a compression tester for compression testing railroad cars.

The tension rods were horizontal and about 100 feet long. The rail cars came in below the machine and were lifted up into the tester on an elevator, lifted by about 12 mechanically driven screws. There were stops in the tension rods about every 10 feet to allow the reaction beam to be moved to adjust for different length rail cars. There was a bridge crane to move the reaction beam. At the cylinder end there was a large pressure regulator operated by a wheel that looked like it was the steering wheel out of a sailing ship. The pressure gauge was about two feet in diameter. The capacity of the tester was 1,500,000 pounds. I do not remember how large the cylinder was but it was several feet in diameter.

I was fortunate enough to observe a test. Budd was testing the prototype Amtrak Viewliner cars. The car was lifted up into the machine. It was just a shell; there was no interior. Budd engineers had laid out piano wire reference lines around the car. As the pressure increased, engineers stationed at critical locations would take measurements off the wire. When the pressure got high, occasionally, one of the shot welds would let go with a load bang.

After the contract required pressure was reached, maybe 800,000 lbs, everyone except Budd people were asked to leave. Budd took the car to a higher force, but it was for their own information.

I believe the Hunting Park Plant was expanded in the 1990s, and the test lab was torn down to make room. I have no idea what happened to the compression tester.