Author Archives: Jeffrey Lentz

1385’s Boiler Painted, Ready for Delivery

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Posted on by

With the hydro test successfully completed, 1385’s boiler has received a shiny coat of paint on the boiler exterior and it looks great! Most of it will be covered later though by lagging (insulation) and boiler jacketing.

C&NW 1385’s new boiler – painted and ready for delivery. Photo courtesy Continental Fabricators.

The smokebox has also been attached for shipment. The smokebox has only been tack welded in place as it will need to be detached later. It will need to be attached to – and become part of – the cylinder saddle first. Then the boiler is attached to it.

Front view of 1385’s boiler with smokebox attached. Photo courtesy Continental Fabricators.

Sharp-eyed viewers will notice in the smokebox door ring has been bolted in place upside down.  It has just been temporarily fastened in place and it too will be removed and re-added probably multiple times before the locomotive is completed.

With this, the work at Continental Fabricators is complete. Now the boiler will join the cab and running gear at SPEC Machine in Middleton, Wis.

PLEASE NOTE: We appreciate the public’s enthusiasm to see the 1385’s progress first-hand; however, the contractor shops where the #1385 work is taking place are private property and not open to the public. Anyone requesting to see the locomotive at those locations will be turned away. Please help #1385 return to operation as expeditiously as possible by respecting our contractors’ wishes.

C&NW 1385 Boiler Passes Hydro Test

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Posted on by

This is our 100th C&NW #1385 steam status update posted to our website and it is a momentous one! The locomotive’s new boiler has passed its hydrostatic test (a.k.a. hydro test). This test affirms the new boiler remains sealed with no leaks while at pressures well in excess of its designed operating pressure.

Pressure gauge showing 300 PSI during 1385’s hydro test. Photo courtesy Continental Fabricators.

This test is conducted by filling the boiler to the point there is no (or practically no) air trapped in the boiler.  Additional water is then pumped in until it reaches the designated test pressure – this can require as little as a few cups of water.  Excluding the air allows the boiler and appurtenances to be safely tested for. If a leak appears the pressure quickly drops by relieving that cup or two of water.

To complete the test, the boiler is then left under pressure for a period of time. An inspector then checks to see if the pressure has dropped. If the pressure has gone down more than a few percentage points, it indicates a significant leak which must be tracked down and corrected. If the pressure does not see a drop by more than a few percentage points, it indicates there are no significant leaks and it passes the test.

The 300 PSI you see on the pressure gauge is 1 ½ times the designed maximum working pressure of the boiler. This is one standard benchmark percentage for testing and helps prove the boiler has a margin of safety when in use.  The 1385’s boiler has been designed for a maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP) of 200 PSI with a minimum safety factor of four.  This means the boiler is designed to withstand pressures of at least four times greater than the MAWP which you can see gives a sizable margin of safety when in use.  The 200-pound pressure also marks a return to the R-1 class locomotives’ design pressure, meaning the engine will be restored to its original capabilities.

 

Up next: Prepare and attach the smokebox and paint the boiler exterior.

Installing and Rolling 1385’s Tubes

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In this C&NW #1385 update, we get a glimpse of the process of installing tubes in the boiler.

The tubes are installed by sliding them into the holes on the tubesheet. Their outside diameter is just slightly smaller than the holes in the tube sheet. However, in order to have a water-tight and steam-tight seal, there can’t be any gap. This is achieved through a process called rolling.

In the rolling process the tube is actually expanded from the inside using a roller. The roller presses the end of the tube against the hole in the tubesheet tightly enough to form a steam-tight seal.  The end of the tube actually sticks out of the hole a specified amount.  The portion that sticks out is then curled outward and back until it touches the tubesheet in a process called beading.  If the end of the tube were left hanging out by itself it would soon overheat and burn off or crack.  Since the beaded end of the tube is touching the tubesheet it will transfer some of the heat back into the tubesheet and not get hot enough to burn off or crack.

A Continental Fabricators employee trims excess tube material from the front of the boiler. Additional employees are on the firebox-end rolling and beading the tubes. Photos courtesy Continental Fabricators.

Additionally, the arch tubes have now been installed. Arch tubes provide increased firebox heating surface area and allow better circulation of water in the areas surrounding the firebox. The arch tubes also serve to support the brick arch, a series of firebricks that help direct heat from the fire more evenly throughout the firebox.

Arch tubes inside the 1385’s firebox as viewed from firebox door. S. Roudebush photo.

With the tubes now installed, a countdown clock has begun to tick. A boiler must be disassembled for extensive Federal Railroad Administration mandated inspections every 15 calendar years or 1,472 days of operating – whichever occurs first. Once the first tube was installed, the FRA gives a 1-year grace period in which to complete work before the 15-year time limit begins. If the locomotive is completed in less time, the 15-year clock starts once the FRA accepts the locomotive for service. If the locomotive is not accepted for service within the 1-year grace period, then the 15-year clocks starts anyway.

The next step for C&NW 1385’s boiler is the hydro test. Stay tuned!

Mid-September 2019 Boiler Update

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Posted on by

With structural welding and the post-weld heat treatment complete, the next step on Chicago & North Western #1385’s boiler progression was sandblasting and painting. This step was recently completed as seen in these photos supplied by Continental Fabricators. Paint has only been applied to the inside of the boiler at this stage. The exterior will be painted a bit later in the process.

C&NW #1385 boiler after being sandblasted. Photo courtesy Continental Fabricators.

The paint is APEXIOR No. 1, a product that has been used in locomotive boilers going back many decades and is proven effective and typically lasts for decades. The paint is designed to withstand continuous immersion in boiling water and steam up to 698°F (370°C). It serves to aid in preventing corrosion and scale buildup in the boiler by preventing the boiler water from touching the metal of the boiler shell.

Next on the to-do list: rolling boiler tubes.

Coach Shed #2 to Open September 21st

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Posted on by

The biggest expansion of indoor exhibit space at Mid-Continent Railway Museum in 43 years is set to officially open on September 21, 2019. The Laurence Dorcy Building, also known as Coach Shed #2, will add 10,500 sq. ft. of indoor display space to the museum and is planned to hold ten pieces of rolling stock.

Starting at 1:00 PM on September 21st, the new building will be opened up for all museum members and visitors to explore and enjoy. The building will be open each day thereafter when trains are operating (see Train Ride Info page for full schedule). Admission to the self-guided museum, including Coach Shed #2 is free – only train rides require a ticket purchase. Join us for opening day, or for a behind-the-scenes tour inside normally locked areas, visit us on October 5th and 6th for our Vintage Rail Car Tours event.

A walkway inside Coach Shed #2. Wisconsin Fish Commission #2, aka “Badger #2” on the left and Lake Superior & Ishpeming steam locomotive #22 is on the right. MCRM photo.

The rolling stock placed in the new building includes several items that were previously stored outdoors. Exposure to the rain, snow, and sun is the primary cause of degradation of historic railroad equipment. The ability to now keep a larger percentage of Mid-Continent’s collection indoors while still available for public viewing is a great advancement in helping preserve and protect Mid-Continent’s award-winning restorations for future generations.

Wisconsin Fish Commission #2, Mid-Continent’s “Fish Car” is rolled inside Coach Shed #2 in preparation for the building’s opening. MCRM photo.

The locomotive and cars on display in the new building include the following:

Item Type Year Built Status
Great Northern #A-22 Business car 1905 Unrestored
Duluth South Shore & Atlantic #701 Coach car 1902 Unrestored
Montana Western #31 Gas-electric self-powered railcar 1925 Original
Lake Superior & Ishpeming #22 Steam locomotive 1910 Restored, non-operational
Duluth South Shore & Atlantic #996 Gondola car 1899 Restored
Duluth Missabe & Iron Range #7122 Refrigerator car 1912 Restored
Chicago & North Western #10802 Drovers caboose 1909 Restored
Wisconsin Fish Commission #2 Fish car 1912 Restored
Copper Range #60 Coach car 1903 Restored
Copper Range #25 Baggage/Coach car 1903 Restored
Average Age 111 years

Want to learn more about the construction process? View previous construction updates.