Here is your long awaited progress report on 4501.

Boiler - After further review, the team decided that an old patch on the exterior throat sheet needed to be replaced. The corresponding piece of internal throat sheet is being replaced as well. This will now give us 100% replacement of the mud ring rivets and 95% replacement of the firebox. There are two small areas below the rear tube back that managed to survive. They date back to the 1984 rebuild. Weld out of the 3rd course flush patch is still underway. We will still have boiler fittings to apply after the throat sheet work is complete. Both the inner and outer sheets are formed, prepped, and awaiting drilling of bolt and rivet holes. Tube installation will occur after we get some wheels back under the locomotive.

Machinery - The main crank pins were received and installed. This wheelset is now in the journal lathe getting the journals burnished and hubs machined out to the 55" back-to-back dimension. Then its to the quartering machine for final machining of the crank pins and crank pin hubs. Crown brass is being turned for the driving boxes. All the hangers have been rebushed. The lead truck has been disassembled and numerous problems uncovered. The truck frame was bent in two different directions and required straightening. The pedestal legs were worn beyond repair so replacements have been fabricated. The equalizers were also bent so they've been straightened. We're looking at replacement of the very tired coil springs.

Engineering - Our friends at the Southeastern Railway Museum have graciously given us access to drawings and files collected by the late William J, Purdie. So far, we have scanned over 400 Southern Railway steam locomotive drawings from both TVRM's and SERM's archives. In addition, I read letters that discussed increasing the diameter of the Ms Class (4501 is the first Ms Class) from 10 to 10.5 inches because the main axles were cracking. I found this most interesting since we found cracks in 4501's main axle and had to replace it. The repair was designed to work within the existing driving box which meant increasing the bore and thinning the crown brass. 4501 evidently never got this modification and we did not increase the axle diameter as the replacement had already been made. Boiler calculations are 98% complete with only the calcs for two existing patches to be added.

That's it for this update. Enjoy the pictures.

More pictures -

And still more pictures -

Last set of pictures for today.

A M A Z I N G.

She is going to run like new isn't she? Thanks for the pictures.

We are requesting domestic steel when we make purchases. I have not reviewed all the CMTR's (Certified Mill Test Report) to verify the source was a domestic mill. The one foreign manufactured item that will be on the locomotive is the feedwater heater system.

Mr Ray, Can you take a picture of the center pin for the pilot truck? I'm helping on DL&W 565 and we need to make a new one, ours was lost at some point. Just need to see how the flare is on the bottom.

Thank you in advance.

I'm curious as to why the original dead hanger blocks were cut off the frame?

Good question. It appears that the dead block hangers were never part of the frame. We have yet to determine what kept them in position in the original construction. Later drawings show replacement frame sections with the dead blocks cast as part of the frame.

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So I guess that means that the modification shown in the drawings was never carried out?

4501's dead blocks moved without having to jack up the locomotive. They will be welded to the frame now.

4501 did receive a new front frame section (heavier rails) but the center section where the dead blocks are located is still original.

Hi, Mark.

I am just askin.....just askin.

So, I too have worked on locomotives with what I have called floating dead blocks. Kelly mentions them too. Being that it is true that they are held in by gravity and to date, gravity has not failed us and owing to the fact that the blocks do move a bit even under load.....

Why weld them in? Seems to me that somebody figured out a long time ago that letting them float was the best option. Just askin......what is the primary reason for wanting to weld them in? I would be worried about having to watch that weld and inspect it. Left floating, out of sight, out of mind, right?

Just askin.....

JohnE.

John,

Hopefully Gary can elaborate on the subject, but it seems Southern found a use/need for casting the dead block hangers integral with the frame. Perhaps this is TVRM's reasoning for welding them? Truthfully, whether they're welded or cast, that shouldn't matter as far as their inspection frequency.

My $0.02 anyway...

DC

Hmmm, the best option?

I've struggled to find the advantages in the dead blocks not being part of the frame. 4501's had moved closer to each other which means the hangers were not longer vertical. The made the effective length of the hangers shorter compared to the one connected to the equalizer. It also created a horizontal force which would cause it to continue to move. The stress on the weld is easily calculated and is less than half the allowable even when considering a dynamic load factor of 3. I am not going to worry over it.

Southern's later M Class locomotives had integral dead blocks. I chalk the "floating" dead blocks up to someone who thought they had a good idea but it just didn't work out too well. I also include the Hodges trailing truck in that same category. This could be a thread of its own, ideas for steam locomotives that just didn't work out. Would compounding top the list? Hmmm, the N&W proved it could work :-)

The K Class locomotives had integral dead blocks and they predate the M Class.