New Photos

Fall-Winter, 2008

Status: December 5, 2008

Steam Operations Corporation, Muscle Shoals, AL:  For the first time the new cylinder-saddle has been mated up with the frame, and it fits perfectly.  This is only a test fit, and there is more machining to be done, but this is a real milestone!!

Photo: Steam Operations Corporation

Preparing for this step, the frame was leveled and all the binders installed.  While still on the horizontal milling machine, "spiders" were precisely located in the centers of each of the bores.  Using a 40 ton overhead crane, the cylinders were moved and slowly lowered onto the frame.  It was a prefect fit and pulls up tight on the frame rails.  (The fit is better than the original cylinders.)

This is a test fit.  The cylinder-saddle will make several more trips between the milling machine and the frame before final assembly.  Currently, the bores are all rough bored and long, but are on the correct centerlines.  This test fit is a critical step to determine precisely the distance to the centerline of the main driver axle.  Knowing this dimension, as well as the lengths of the main rod, crosshead & piston rod will allow the machinists to determine how much additional material will be removed from the pads to ensure the cylinders are correctly positioned on the frame.

These photos show Ronnie Jones, Tyler Poss and Craig moving the cylinder-saddle into position. (Click the photo for an enlarged view.)

Photos: Steam Operations Corporation

Status: November 24, 2008

Boiler work in Steele, AL is progressing well.  Pretty much all that remains as of Nov 24 is installation of the tubes & flues.  We're not in a particular hurry to complete this task as it's ahead of the cylinder & frame work going on in Muscle Shoals, AL.  It would be nice if everything got completed at about the some time so the boiler could be fitted to the frame "just in time".  Well, we'll do the best we can with this old machinery and various project competing for shop time.!

The tires have been delivered to TVRM in Chattanooga.  They look great & and are awaiting the opportunity to shrink them on to the driver centers.  After that, the crank pins will be quartered and then the completed drivers will be delivered to Muscle Shoals to be integrated with the frame.

In Muscle Shoals, work on machining the cylinder-saddle is progressing well.  There have been the usual delays, but no serious problems.  The driver bearing boxes were delivered in late Summer.  After cleaning them up, it was discovered that the boxes are not in very good shape and will have to be replaced.  Casting new driver boxes is not overly complex, but it is costly and was not anticipated.  But, it has to be done and will be worked into the schedule & budget.  (A 786 fund raiser is being planned to raise the balance of funds needed to complete the 786 project.)

New photos of the machining progress is shown below.

The Air Compressor and Cold Water pump restoration has been completed and delivered back to Austin.  The work was done by Bernie Watts, a long time friend of ASTA, Backshop Enterprises in Wheat Ridge, Colorado (near Denver). (photos coming soon!)

Boiler Restoration & Repair
(Updated 11/24/2008)

The firebox area is complete.  A few new stay bolts need to be installed, but all the hard tasks have been done.  The dry pipe has been re-installed, attached to the super heater header, and hydro tested.  The connections on the superheater header have all be cleaned up and are ready for mating to the super heaters (later).  The tubes & flues will need to be installed next.

The bottom of the smoke box will be fabricated in Muscle Shoals and welded to the smoke box when the boiler & frame are mated up in Muscle Shoals some time in 2009.

786 Boiler as it appears in late October, 2008.      Oct, 2008
Super heater header has been installed, attached to the dry pipe and pressure tested.  This shows the cleaned up connection points for the super heater tubes.     Oct, 2008
Inside the fire box.  A few stay bolts remaining to be installed and a few to be cut off. Since this picture was taken, the remaing stay bolts have been installed.     Oct, 2008
New stay bolts that will be installed.     Oct, 2008
Bob Yuill holds some of the tools used to cut the threads for the stay bolts.       Oct, 2008

Cylinder-Saddle Machining & fitting
(Updated Nov 24, 2008)

Cylinders after completion of  machining on saddle radius.   Oct, 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Completed saddle.   Oct, 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Initial layout of upper frame rails highlighted by painted circles.   Oct, 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
completion of minimum clean up bore  on location at valve openings.   Oct, 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Hole layout for exhaust steam to  Worthington feed water system.   Oct, 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
completed holes for Worthington feed water heater exhaust steam outlet, left and right,   Oct, 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
feed water heat exhaust openings machined in casting at arrow   Oct, 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
feed water heat exhaust openings machined in casting at arrow   Oct, 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
"Catfish" (everyone calls him that) servicing brake cylinder. He has also done the threading of all the new wedge bolts and knows brake cylinder servicing.    Oct, 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Brake Cylinder parts being serviced.   Oct, 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
completed brake cylinder.   Oct, 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
beginning of minimum clean up bore on location of cylinders.   Nov, 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Initial skin bore of cylinders on location.   Nov 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Initial  cylinder boring on location.   Nov 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Craig Bauer machining valve bores Nov 2008	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation

New Photos

Spring - Summer, 2008

Boiler Restoration & Repair
(Updated Sept 6, 2008)

After several surprises (that happens a lot with old machinery!) and extensive work in the firebox area, work on the boiler had gotten ahead of the cylinder machining.  So, when another boiler project came along, we agreed to temporarily suspend work on 786's boiler for 5-6 months.  Now, Historic Machinery (Bob Yuill) has just resumed work on the boiler - there is still plenty to do! 

There will be more boiler progress photos in the coming months.

The firebox has undergone significant repair work.  Numerous small cracks were discovered around stay bolt threads in the crown sheet shoulders.  It was decided to cut out both shoulders and fabricate all new metal for those areas. This is the inside of the firebox showing the crown sheet repair work and new stay bolts installed.  The firebox needs 2 more rows of stay bolts & a few washout plugs and that end of the boiler will be complete!	Photo: Historic Machinery
This is a new cast flange welded onto a new section of dry pipe.  There is no easy way to install the dry pipe in one piece, so it will be installed in 2 pieces and welded together inside the boiler. This piece is the front part of the dry pipe, located between the front tube sheet and the super heater header.	Photo: Historic Machinery
Some very nice, new cast bronze washout plugs.	Photo: Historic Machinery

Mounting & Machining Cylinder-Saddle Surface
(Updated Sept 3, 2008)

July & August will be active months of machining for 786's cylinder castings.  The bottom of the cylinders has been machined to fit on the frame.  A special machining fixture has been made to hold the cylinders in position for machining on the big horizontal boring mill.  The cylinders are mounted on the fixture and aligned with the mill.

The next machining step is to cut the 3.5 foot radius that forms the base for the bottom of the boiler's smoke box. 

By the time the cylinder castings have been completely machined and mounted on the frame, approximately 4,000 pounds of chips will have been removed!

The Tires have arrived at TVRM in Chattanooga!  Next, the tires will be heated & applied to the wheel centers with a tight shrink fit.  The final step will be "quartering", which means turning all of the crank pin journals. August, 2008	Photo: Pat Powers
Ronnie Jones is turning the cylinder casting to sit on the  machining fixture	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Machining fixture in the foreground	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
The fixture replicates the mounting dimensions of the frame and will serve as the starting point for all future  machine operations.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
The cylinder mounted on the fixture in front of the large horizontal boring mill.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
In preparation for milling the saddle (shown below), Ronnie Jones and Craig Bauer are using a dial indicator, mounted in the mill's arbor to accurately align the cylinder castings to the machining axes of the mill.  This cylinder bore had been previously machined (not to the final diameter) to provide an accurate reference surface for this step.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Overview of Horizontal Boring Mill with cylinders set up for machining.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
CAD layout of the cylinders	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Digital readout with machining parameters for saddle.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Preparing for the first pass of the cutter for machining the cylinder saddle.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
First pass of tooling over cylinder saddle. The cylinder saddle is the point where the smoke box sits and is secured to the saddle.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Machining the cylinder saddle:  The milling machine is programmed to follow the proper radius of the saddle (about 42") and the arbor (that holds the cutting tool) advances forward with each pass. The machine cut is 3/4" deep and  advances 0.150" each pass.  (A little more than 1/8") Lots of chips!	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
The cutter will make multiple passes until the saddle is the correct height above the centerline of the cylinders.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation

Cylinder-Saddle and Running Gear 
(Updated July 8, 2008)

In April. 2008, volunteers Bill Nash & John Mandell delivered about 8,000 pounds of 786 components to Steam Operations Corporation in Muscle Shoals, AL.

The machining of the cylinder-saddle is progressing well as you can see from these photos.

A trailer load of parts arrive in Muscle Shoals & is quickly unloaded: 2 pistons 2 valves 8 driving boxes 2 cross heads & guides (April 2008)	Photo: Bill Nash
Pistons being unloaded.  Ronnie Jones looks on.	Photo: Bill Nash
Volunteers Bill Nash & John Mandell with 786 frame & delivered components	Photo: Bill Nash
	Photo: Bill Nash
Some driver boxes, before being cleaned.	Photo: Bill Nash
Cages for the valves (4) were cast and initially machined for the side openings..  They are shown here with the insertion tools.  They will be installed in the cylinder-saddle casting to the proper depth and then machined to the final inside diameter.	Photo: Bill Nash
Pistons/valves and crossheads being evaluated for condition.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
New cylinders, bolted together with taper bolts, mounted on the horizontal boring mill. The current operation is to mill the underside of the cylinder assembly to fit the frame rails.  This allows the cylinder to be mounted on the frame for various measurements.  It will make numerous "round trips" between the frame and the milling machine.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Another view of the cylinders, in position for machining the bottom mounting surfaces.	Photo: Bill Nash
Ronnie Jones is the principal machinist.  He has also been working on the CAD drawings, adding detail as the operations progress.	Photo: Bill Nash
This facing mill (cutting tool) will be used to create a large flat surface.	Photo: Bill Nash
Machining frame fit on cylinder bottom	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Machinist Ed Pettus is cutting surfaces to mate to the sides of the frame rails.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
This end mill (cutting tool) is being used to accurately machine the lower sides of the cylinder to precisely match the outside width of the frame rails.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Another view of the frame rail sides being machined.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
This dial test indicator is used to accurately align the axes of the cylinder with the boring mill or to "pick up" the precise location of some feature. Here, the dial is indicating the center line established by a pin to lay out, drill and tap holes for engine truck fulcrum and bottom covers.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Another indicating step	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Machining bottom center on location for application of the engine truck fulcrum bracket.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
layout for engine truck spring equalizer fulcrum bracket	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Ed Pettus cutting 1/4 inch radius between vertical and horizontal machined surfaces.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
Machining of cylinder bottom to fit the frame rails is complete.	Photo: Steam Operations Corporation
With the bottom of the cylinder assembly complete, it can be installed on the frame for measurement or put on this holding fixture for further machining operation. Scott Lindsay (Steam Operations Corporation) and volunteer John Mandell looking over the holding fixture.	Photo: Bill Nash
Original cylinder assembly with lots of notes and take-off measurements.	Photo: Bill Nash
	Photo: Bill Nash

Webmaster:  jmandell2@pointech.com