Earlier this week, we provided our long range planning committee with our proposal and associated costs for the rebuild of our one steam locomotive. They in turn asked about alternatives, including the cost of replacing the boiler.

Anybody out there know a company I can call about building a new boiler and getting a rough cost? Anybody else already crossed this bridge and care to share?

You can email me or just post here to the board. Thanks in advance.

shaymech@hotmail.com

The Strasburg Rail Road is an ASME Code shop, holding "S" and "R" stamps, and can build new boilers. We are currently working on a new boiler for the V&T Lyon replica, using flanged firebox sheets, as well as a new boiler with square firebox corners for a locally owned traction engine.

kelly@strasburgrailroad.com

We had a new fire tube boiler constructed for us by the Boilersmith up in Seaforth Ontario (about 2 hours from Toronto), they still use the original equipment from the Robert Bell Steam Traction Engine company. They can give you a ASME cloverleaf stamp. I'm not sure what their capacity is (I'm thinking they wouldn't do Big Boys, but certainly tank engines or 4-4-0's and the like shouldn't be a problem) Our boiler is not superheated, but then again maintenance is dead simple while we lose a little efficiency. Unless you are using the engine in high speed mainline service, the superheaters could be an area where you could legitimately look at not replacing them.


b.hume@rogers.com

Nooter Boilermakers of St. Louis can do custom pressure vessels of about any size or type. I believe they did a new boiler for Monticello's SRR Consolidation that they're in the process of restoring. If their is someone on here from Monticello, perhaps they can confirm that. In any case, Nooter could make a boiler compliant with about any standard one desired.


david_ackerman@yahoo.com

John,

Be careful when you talk about getting a code boiler built for the 604. The ASME now allows a FoS of 3.5 while the FRA requirement is still 4. Be sure to clarify this in your bid documents.

G. Mark

TVRM Shop Updates by Steve Freer
aw90h@cs.com