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 Post subject: Keith Rucker and a cracked Vulcan steam chest
PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 11:01 am 

Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:07 pm
Posts: 1114
Location: B'more Maryland
My favorite YouTuber just posted a video where he's working on a repair to a 1917 Vulcan 0-4-0's cracked steam chest.

https://youtu.be/hONRPxxui5g

At the end of the video he mentions that he's looking to get a new casting made.

Any of you happen to have one and can help him out?

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 Post subject: Re: Keith Rucker and a cracked Vulcan steam chest
PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 11:19 am 

Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2004 7:52 am
Posts: 2560
Location: Strasburg, PA
IIRC, the Strasburg RR has made new steam chests, contact Erich.

He seems to know his business when it comes to welding, so he could just fabricate a new steam chest from steel plate. No need for it to be iron.

I saw on the video that someone had plugged the vent hole on the top of the valve. That needs to be open for the balance strips to function. Plugging it turns a balanced slide valve into an unbalanced one, adding a lot more load to the valve gear.


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 Post subject: Re: Keith Rucker and a cracked Vulcan steam chest
PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 12:19 pm 

Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 10:42 am
Posts: 313
Location: Wyoming, DE
Hello,

Keith has a good channel, very good resource for manual machining work. I believe his day job is a research scientist? He has a pretty good side hustle down in the woods of Tifton. Dream shop for sure!

Regards,

Randy


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 Post subject: Re: Keith Rucker and a cracked Vulcan steam chest
PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 4:15 pm 

Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:07 pm
Posts: 1114
Location: B'more Maryland
Randy Musselman wrote:
Hello,

Keith has a good channel, very good resource for manual machining work. I believe his day job is a research scientist? He has a pretty good side hustle down in the woods of Tifton. Dream shop for sure!

Regards,

Randy


My wife and I can him the Bob Ross of machinery.

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 Post subject: Re: Keith Rucker and a cracked Vulcan steam chest
PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 11:12 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jan 20, 2007 5:40 pm
Posts: 418
Location: Hamilton, Illinois
I am hoping he will get back to the restoration of the stoker engine for the folks in Nashville.

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Last edited by rlsteam on Sat Oct 01, 2022 11:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Keith Rucker and a cracked Vulcan steam chest
PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 11:15 pm 

Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:07 pm
Posts: 1114
Location: B'more Maryland
rlsteam wrote:
I am hoping he will get back to the restoration of the stoker engine for the folks n Nashville.


So far that's the first thing I've seen really give him a challenge.

Even Abom79's massive equipment couldn't pull it off.

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 Post subject: Re: Keith Rucker and a cracked Vulcan steam chest
PostPosted: Sun Oct 02, 2022 7:56 pm 

Joined: Thu Oct 24, 2019 11:05 pm
Posts: 142
Ed Kapuscinski wrote:
rlsteam wrote:
I am hoping he will get back to the restoration of the stoker engine for the folks n Nashville.


So far that's the first thing I've seen really give him a challenge.

Even Abom79's massive equipment couldn't pull it off.


Most machine shops can't comprehend the size of machines that are necessary to perform the machining necessary to keep a steam locomotive of standard gauge size in functioning good repair.

The machines that kept steam engines functioning were melted into razor blades over half a century ago. Not only are the machines gone, so are the artists that operated them.

Cutting Edge Engineering in Australia - does the machine work necessary to keep mining operating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O8j8D95GjE


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 Post subject: Re: Keith Rucker and a cracked Vulcan steam chest
PostPosted: Mon Oct 03, 2022 6:47 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 8:31 am
Posts: 1310
Location: South Carolina
Keith posted the video showing the braze repair of the steam chest this afternoon.

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