Back in the Saddle

As work s-l-o-w-l-y moves forward on the cylinder block, the saddle area has become the area of focus.  After modifying the front and rear cylinder plate, once again I wasn't quite up to speed in figuring out how everything went together.  (Of course Ed was light-years ahead of me and was already pondering smokebox issues.)

This called for a quick visit to 2925 as I already had a meeting near her haunting grounds.  Visually inspecting the area in question on the full-size engine cleared up any confusion so I could see what was going and in turn, re-arrange the mental jigsaw puzzle and  allow a few more pieces to fall into place. 

However, even though the sun was shining for what seemed like the first time in weeks, I couldnt keep down the lump that rose in my throat.  Although I know that the chances of her ever having a fire in her belly and steam coursing through her veins are practically non-existent it almost kills me to see 2925 in her current state.  Such a thing of majestic power just sitting on some out-of-the-way siding under a freeway rotting away.  Where she once ruled the rails second to none, now the wind, rain, and vandals rob her of her dignity and majesty.  I thought back to her heyday when 2925 and her sister locomotives ruled the rails as some of the biggest, baddest, and most technologically advanced engines that steam had to offer.  I guess that I should be thankful that she didnt meet her fate at the hand of the scrapyard so that at least I can see her.  But when you put a racehorse out to pasture they, at least get to stretch their legs and maintain some self respect.  (At least 2926 looks as if she will one day have her fires lit again!)

But I digress.......  The saddle area has been tack welded together to make sure that everything fits together and that nothing is sticking out into places it shouldn't.  The actual saddle piece has been cut and made (and can be partially seen laying behind the block in the picture) but is not yet attached as we need to make sure that it mates up perfectly with the smokebox.  Yes, it would be that smokebox that Ed is already figuring out while I bring up the rear still congratulaing myself in finally figuring out how the cylinder block sort of fits together.  Here is a picture of what we have so far.

The Draft and Inside Passage(s)

Taking the path of least resistance (that being the easiest thing to accomplish with a minimal amount of thinking), we began installing the inside steam passages from the valve chamber to the piston cylinder. We concentrated on completing the rear passage as the front cylinder plate forms one side of the front passage and we are not yet ready to permanently install the plate. I cut out the pieces and only burned my fingers a couple times as I sanded down the parts to fit. Here is a picture of the completed passage.

Further examination into what had to be finished to allow the front plate to be permanently installed only succeded in opening up a fresh can of worms. A moderate quantity of brain cells were burned up trying to figure out the exhaust nozzle assembly and how to make the inside area airtight. Of course the first thing that immediately popped into my head was "Why is it so important that the interior of the cylinder block is airtight"? Master Ed quickly explained "the draft" and that the process of expelling the steam and boiler exhaust would create a draft through the boiler and that air leaks had the potential to severly impact the draft efficiency and in turn the burner/boiler performance. OK, OK lets make it airtight!

Further analysis led us to the conclusion that we need to finish the work on the cylinder block and smokebox saddle. After another pondering/plan checking/picture looking session we realized that our plans had been incorrectly drawn. As a result, the front and rear plates that Dave and the plasma cutter had made for the cylinder block were incorrect with relation to the smokebox saddle area. Hey, nothing that a little bandsaw work and welding cant remedy! So, in conjunction with the re-work of the smokebox saddle and after a little brainstorming session (and a quick little peek into Fidel's 2-8-2 smokebox!), Ed came up with the idea to kind of box-in the area around the exhaust nozzle manifold. This "boxing-in" would separate the exhaust mainfold and nozzle from the lower portion of the cylinder block and thus drastically simplify the process of making things airtight. More on this later.....

Building Blocks 3

With the rear heads now completed, our efforts are refocusing on completing the cylinder block. The exhaust lines have been plumbed from the cylinders to a center collector ring where the exhaust nozzle will be bolted to the ring. I kind of like this setup as it allows the nozzle portion of the exhaust assembly to be easily removed to allow us to try different sized nozzles.

Two of the plumbing joints on one side of the cylinder have been left unsoldered to allow us to continue to dissasemble the block into the individual components. But, Ed will soon begin to weld more of the block together and it will eventually become one big permanent piece. I need to start cutting out all of the little pieces that will be used to fabricate the steam passages between the valve cylinder and the piston cylinder.

Head Trauma

Remember a much earlier post where I was whining to the Live Steam Gods about the rear head of the valve chamber being a pain to make? Well, trying to build that part has definitely lived up to and even exceeded those expectations. While working on the parts, more than once I have found myself daydreaming about a time long ago where the Santa Fe/Baldwin draftsmen and engineers would gather around the water cooler and all scheme together on how they could make something more complex or difficult to build. Put some curves into it? Sure why not. Add a bevel or two? No problem. Make these 2 parallel sides skew at different angles - easy enough. I keep asking Ed why didn't locomotive builders from the past try and re-use some of the same things from engine to engine or why didn't they look more at "buildability" (maybe I should have built that 844)? Seems like a real simple way to save a buck. But, if it was easy then I guess everybody would do it. The whining continues.......

So, back to the valve chamber rear head and guide. We have round shapes transitioning into squarish shapes and one giant bevel that gives everything a optical illusion (or is it delusion?). The plans don't exactly match the actual heads installed on 2925. I think more welding, grinding, plan and picture checking and more welding and grinding has occured to build these than just about any other parts so far. Here they are just about complete.

Uhh.... Has it really been that long?

Last night it was brought to my attention that the year 2000 family Christmas letter had a reference to my brother and I starting to build a steam engine. What?! It couldnt have been that long ago. No Way! But, I guess when I start thinking about it, maybe it has been that long.

The whole process started when I was able to move my business to a new location that would include a mill and lathe in our shop. Sounds great! Better take the opportunity to put these machines to good use and so the adventure began. My brother and I originally thought that since we didnt really have much of a clue on how to build a steam engine we should maybe start kind of small. That idea was quickly shelved when we realized that neither of us wanted a "small" locomotive. We then checked out a Mikado kit fron Railroad Warehouse and almost settled on building one, but again decided that bigger was better.

That left us in the position of using Little Engines as it was the only other place we knew of that had plans and parts for a 4-8-4. Since bigger is better, why not go for the biggest of them all and build one of Santa Fe's 2900 class behemoths? Heck, why let something as mundane as common sense or as trivial as a lack of experience get in the way of a childhood dream! Plans and castings were purchased in the Spring of 2001 from LE and we were off.

Now fast-forward a few years. We have been moving along at a snails pace machining parts and castings whenever time and circumstances allowed. After my youngest daughter was born almost a year elapsed without any progress being made. As we tried to figure out how to make a LE New Northern look like a 2900, our limited abilities and resources seemed to make it a next to impossible task. Enter the Live Steam God.........

I was remotely acquainted with Ed (of cab forward building fame) and through a series of events, was able to renew the acquaintance. One thing led to another and Ed said he would help us build a 2900. However, he was not pleased with our current status, primarily because we were building a 1.5" scale locomotive and it really didnt look like a 2900. Any real lcocmotive builder, he said, would build in 1.6" scale. Again, fast-forwarding through events, in 2005 we ended up selling most of our Little Engines 4-8-4 and started over. (As of today I still have the drivers, rear cradle and springs if anyone is interested in buying them.)

Ed already had copies of some of the original Baldwin locomotive construction drawings and secured those we still needed. Ed takes the original drawings and redraws the parts we need using BobCAD. We then go scrounge through the shop and find whatever material that will allow us to build what is drawn. So far, only the drivers, journal boxes and spring keepers (is that what they are called?) have been castings and everything else has been fabricated. We started over from the beginning and we're going to now build a true 1.6" scale 2900-class Santa Fe locomotive. So I guess it really has been that long. But at least its an adventure!

More building blocks

I am still basking in the afterglow of the unveiling and all of a sudden can't wait to get more parts completed. Through all of the starts, stops, re-starts and hiccups on this project I have kind of tried to maintain a even level of enthusiasm. But now that I have finally reached a major milestone in having a rolling chassis, I am just dying to get more done! Patience grasshopper, patience.....

So, its back to the block. The bronze liners were mashed into the valve chambers and the cast iron rings that will be used on the valve fit perfect. (I'll skip the gory details of the "oops" moment of boring the bushing in the valve chamber oversize and needing to pound it out of the chamber and making a new correct size bushing.) I drilled and tapped all of the holes for the front and rear heads on the valve chambers without a "oops". Maybe that should be more of milestone that I should be celebrating! Now we just need to construct the front (easy) and rear (a pain) heads for them.

Ed continued welding on the block. The valve chamber is now permanently attached (welded) to the piston cylinders and we are working on building up the steam passages between the two.

THE UNVEILING!

Last week was the Fall meet for the Sacramento Valley Live Steamers. I was out of town and unable to go, but Ed and Vic decided that the 2900 should see the light. They assembled all of the parts, components, doo-hickeys and thingamajigs that we have been making for many years and hauled her to the track so she could see and be seen and strut her stuff in the steaming bays. This was the first time that all of the sub-assemblies had been installed all together. I must say that I am one proud poppa! :-)