It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 6:40 pm

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 40 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next
Author Message
 Post subject: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 3:29 pm 

Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 4:23 pm
Posts: 21
Location: Northwest Indiana
May as well just jump right in. Several years back I purchased a Davenport GM30, yes the old international Harvester plant switcher that worked at the Fort Wayne plant.
Hitting it pretty hard lately and should be ready to fire it up this summer. I was told by the former maintenance manager that was responsible for the loco that it had been rebuilt a few years prior to the plant closing. The engine looks to be in good shape, clean internally and good compression.
The plan was to start it up last year. We decided to pull the oil pump pickup tube off to clean it out. It was pretty nasty, we decided to pull the oil pump off only to find it was seized up. Good thing we didn't try to start it. Anyway looking for LeRoi parts. Pretty much impossible i know but I figured I'd throw it out there. I'll add a pic of the loco once I figure out how!


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 4:22 pm 

Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2017 5:26 pm
Posts: 612
Location: Pure Michigan
This one?
http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0601/fjd1.jpg


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 5:26 pm 

Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 4:23 pm
Posts: 21
Location: Northwest Indiana
That is the one. I believe that photo is in Delphos Ohio. It was painted like that at IH also. The day the plant closed the maintenance manager that way in charge of the Locomotive took the Bell. (1983) 35 years later we met up and he gave me the original bell. All that was possible due to emails, Facebook, and posts on sites like this.

How do you add a picture to your post?


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 6:32 pm 

Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2015 7:28 pm
Posts: 545
Location: Northern WV
You might want to get in touch with someone at the Stewartstown Railroad in Pennsylvania. Their main motive power is a 1943 Plymouth locomotive (Mighty Mo) that still has a functioning LeRoi engine (the last I heard). They might be able to point you to potential parts sources.


Attachments:
189c0390.jpg
189c0390.jpg [ 68.24 KiB | Viewed 9454 times ]

_________________
Roger Cole
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 7:08 pm 

Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 4:23 pm
Posts: 21
Location: Northwest Indiana
Thanks. I just recently found out about them. Was browsing around on YouTube and came across it. Ironically mine has the nick name Moe also. I'm told that when the Locomotive was delivered to IH the employees were happy to have a Locomotive with "MOE" power! Hard telling what they were using before that.


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:02 pm 

Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm
Posts: 1227
IH bought this Davenport new:

2669 1/1944 B 26” Std GM30 Climax 60000#
International Harvester, Ft Wayne, Ind

Which one do you have?


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:11 pm 

Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2011 4:29 pm
Posts: 1899
Location: Youngstown, OH
I can't help you. We have a 25 ton Davenport in Youngstown but was re-engined with a Cummins diesel many years ago.

However, the sprocket on the front axle of our locomotive is worn out and we will be making a new one for it. So if yours needs a new sprocket I would be glad to share what we know.

_________________
From the desk of Rick Rowlands
inside Conrail caboose 21747


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:23 pm 

Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 4:23 pm
Posts: 21
Location: Northwest Indiana
I have Davenport GM30 Serial # 2669 it has a LeRoi RSx1 inline 6 cylinder 1503cu.
According to my old IH contact the loco wasn't new when IH bought it, don't know if that is accurate or not. Anyway, here is a pic from when we first got the locomotive in 2013


Attachments:
FB_IMG_1453742327510.jpg
FB_IMG_1453742327510.jpg [ 47.61 KiB | Viewed 9329 times ]
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:41 pm 

Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2004 9:48 am
Posts: 1531
Location: Byers, Colorado
That's pretty cool, best of luck with her !!!

Take Care & WORK SAFE

_________________
Ask not what your locomotive can do for you,
Ask what you can do for your locomotive,

Sammy King


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 4:17 pm 

Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:25 pm
Posts: 485
I posted some hints about old internal combustion engine restoration in your "New Guy" post.


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 4:55 pm 

Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2015 7:28 pm
Posts: 545
Location: Northern WV
With a little "Googling" around, I found an article on LeRoi engines that concluded with a contact name/number of someone dubbed "The Le Roi Man".

https://www.gasenginemagazine.com/gas-e ... Roi-Legacy

Also, if you check Ebay, they have carb kits, manuals & even a complete engine for sale. You never know what will show up there. You just have to check periodically to see what gets listed. They made engines for all sorts of applications. It might take a lot of perseverance (and luck) to find exactly what you are looking for.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=le ... noapp=true

_________________
Roger Cole


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 8:51 pm 

Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 4:23 pm
Posts: 21
Location: Northwest Indiana
I want to thank all for the input. One great thing about the loco is the guy I bought it from had pretty much everything for it as well as some spare parts. Actually it was his dad's and he figured it was going to sit a while so he pulled everything off it that he thought someone might try to steal.
Even have the serial number builders plate and the factory manual with blue prints. Other then the bell which I acquired a few years back it was all there.

This loco sat on a siding in pleasant lake Indiana on the Indiana northeastern Railroad for quit some time.


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 10:47 pm 

Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2017 11:41 am
Posts: 138
I know the person who had it when he was trying to start up the "FJ&D". I wonder if he has any info.


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 12:24 am 

Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 4:23 pm
Posts: 21
Location: Northwest Indiana
I'm not sure if it went to FJ&D from IH or if it was somewhere else first. I know the guy I got it from and his dad hauled it from Delphos to pleasant lake.

Wish I could figure out how to post pictures. My son posted the other one while on the house computer. Not sure what he did.


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Davenport Locomotive, LeRoi engine
PostPosted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 9:00 am 

Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:07 pm
Posts: 1192
Location: Leicester, MA.
Now I don't have my encyclopedia of a younger brother next to me, but what's so specific about the oil pump on a LeRoi? Would it be possible to refit the motor with one that's readily available?

_________________
Dylan M. Lambert
https://www.facebook.com/LambertLocomotive/


Offline
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 40 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


 Who is online

Users browsing this forum: AlderGulch12, Google [Bot], Majestic-12 [Bot], toolmeister and 108 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: