The making of steam locomotives 1928

[jim216]

Thought you'd like to see a film of the making of steam locomotives, casting, turning and shaping . Circa 1928 Canada.

http://www.cinemamuetquebec.ca/content/movies/23?lang=en


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[zeeprogrammer]

Cool video. I enjoyed that very much. Thanks for posting it.

 

[GWRdriver]

I wondered how they did the cylinders as far as casting.

Depends upon the era and to individual foundary practice. This is a broad generalization but until about the mid-1920's cylinders would have been cast conventionally in a metal flask, but after about 1935 cylinders and frames for larger locomotives were being cast in the ground, where the earth itself was used as the flask, with the cylinders and frames cast in one piece. The most amazing part of this would be the coring. Imagine all the openings, passages, etc, in a modern locomotive frame and if one core falls out of place the casting has to be junked.

 

[cl350rr]

cool film, thanks for sharing.

really amazing what can be done at that scale.

A couple of years ago I got a chance to tour the foundry at Newport News shipbuilding and got to stand inside the hause pipe casting for the carrier Ronald Reagan. they had cast the steering tie bar a few days before and it was done like you said, half of the mold was in the sand floor of the shop with a large steel box (approximately 10'X20'x6') over the top forming the other half. it was poured 2 days before our tout and they said it would be another 5 at least before it would cool enough to open the mold. did not have a camera with me but I will never forget what I got to see there.

r

 

[Dan Rowe]

I have seen photos of most of that equipment in use but watching a film to see the action was very interesting. The speed of the machines and the depth of cut was very informative. I will have try it with the shaper and start at low speed and heavy cuts.

Did anyone notice that the bend of the boiler plate was carefully measured then the plate was rolled flat? ???

Dan

 

[ChooChooMike]

1. The cylinder head without the cap. The head has external webs, did not know that.

Here's some pictures of reinstalling the piston on the steam locomotive I've been working on.

1) piston flying high
2) piston sitting next to cylinder
3) closeup of cylinder from front side
4) another closeup (that's just surface rust. It was removed by me before installing piston)

 

[ChooChooMike]

More :

#1, #2, #3 - muscling piston into place. The other guy was most of the muscle, I'm the guy in the grey jacket Notice the gaps where the 2 rings go.

4) piston rings - 2 sets of matched ring arcs. I was totally amazed seeing these rings. I thought they'd be one solid piece, not 2 sets of overlapping pieces for each ring ! The rings sit on top of a strap of spring steel that sits in the piston groove. It provides some pressure against the rings so they'll stay in place and push out against the cylinder walls. It was like piecing a puzzle back together even though the ring pieces are marked/matched.

:bow: :bow: to the engineers of old - engine was built in 1913.

 

[ChooChooMike]

1) Andy installing the final pieces of the rings

2) ditto

3) Andy either getting ready to kiss the piston or doing a final check :big:

4) cylinder cap in place

 

[ChooChooMike]

1) greasing up the glands where the piston rod slides through

2) ditto

3) steam glands & packing in place

4) ME using an Alemite gun to grease up the wrist pin where the main rod connects to the piston/crosshead

 

[ChooChooMike]

The preceding pictures are from the restoration of Fillmore & Western Railway's #14
Here she is operating for the 1st time in over 50 years a few weeks ago 12/2010

More restoration pix here :

http://www.fwry.com/The_FW_14_steam_engine/FW_14_steam_engine.html

More pix of her operating :

http://www.kenjjohnson.com/fwry14

I had the pleasure of helping out for the last 6 weeks of her restoration !

Picture #2 - that's me standing out of the fireman's side of the cab

Mike