ASR had another productive work session Saturday at the West 3rd St. roundhouse in Cleveland, OH. The following volunteers attended Saturday’s work session:
● Gordon Hartschuh
● Steve Harvey
● Russ Swinnerton
● Forest Nace
● Craig Madonna
● Rick Owings
● Tiffany Saultz
Contractors
● Dan Pluta
Saturday proved to be an interesting and challenging day. Preparations began to remove the oil tank from the tender. The steam piping and electric cable were removed from the top of the tank and fittings installed for a salvage company to drain the oil and remove the tank. It appears that four anchor bolts can be removed and the tank should be able to be lifted out. The drawbars, drawbar pins and keepers were brought inside the roundhouse to clean them up and test with dye penetrant. The main pistons were pulled completely back into the cylinders so inspection of the cylinder walls could be done. Dan Pluta started an inspection of the running gear and will continue with that next week. We removed the safety valves, and installed the hydro test caps. The test pressure gauges are installed and the dynamo was put on the workbench to be cleaned up and tested. The dynamo ran smoothly, it was checked out, and the governor adjusted for the start up voltage.
The work schedule took a slight detour today. The water level in the boiler was about 5”-6” from the top of the boiler so we started to top off the water. A little time later, we found water in the pilot valve of the throttle body. Upon closer investigation we felt the water level had never reached the dry pipe cap so this is indicating we have a dry pipe leak which is likely the elbow coupling just below the steam dome. To try and stay on schedule with the hydro test next week and since it has to been done anyway, we decided to go ahead and lap in the throttle valve so it would seal closed. Disassembly of the throttle valve occupied the remainder of the day. The valve heads were opened and the pistons removed. The valve pistons needed some machining which will be done by next Saturday morning when reassembly can take place. Tools and parts have been ordered to help in reassembly. To keep on the hydro schedule, we plan on spending a day or two insulating the firebox, building a stand for the heater, making a cover plate for the stack, and doing some of the machining of the bolt studs, installing some that came out, and generally preparing the throttle body casting for assembly. We will start warming the boiler on Friday and prepare everything for maintaining water and pressure in the boiler and completing the hydro test. When the machined pistons for throttle arrive Saturday, we will lap them in as quickly as possible and reassemble the throttle. If all goes as planned, we should be able to start the hydro test by early afternoon.
Sincerely,
Rob Gardner
On behalf of Gordon Hartschuh, ASR Crew Chief
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File comment: Caps installed in lieu of the safety valves on top of the boiler for the upcoming hydro test. Safety Valve Hydro Caps Resized.jpg [ 10.34 KiB | Viewed 10598 times ] |
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File comment: 2100's multiple valve throttle awaiting final lapping and reinstallation of throttle valves. 2100's Multiple Valve Throttle Body Awaiting Final Lapping and Reassembly.jpg [ 13.4 KiB | Viewed 10598 times ] |