Superheater Header Finish and Installation

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In our last update, we discussed how the Chicago & North Western #1385 had been converted in 1926 to become a superheated locomotive. One of the components added as part of that 1926 conversion was the superheater header. The superheater header’s job is to take steam from the dry pipe and direct it to the superheater tubes for a second round of heating before the steam is sent to the branch pipes and down to the cylinders.

We now pick up on the repair of the superheater header and its installation.  After the gas weld repairs were finished to mend the broken “T”-slots the header was mounted in SPEC’s large CNC milling machine.  A skin cut on the superheater unit face was made to give an even working surface and then the sealing surface for each of the superheater ball ends was machined. 

Superheater unit face after machining.

The T-slots were also machined to a minimum clearance to accept the new T-bars that will be used to clamp the superheater units into the header for a steam tight seal. 

The original design was to have an individual T-headed bolt for each unit but that concentrates all the clamping stress in the small area of the shoulders of the bolt.  It is believed that is why the sections of the header broke out and had to be repaired in the first place.  The T-bars will distribute the stress along the length of the slot and hopefully preclude any more breaks in the slots. The nuts are extra long so that while the engine is on service the threads of the clamping bolts will be protected from the abrasive blast of cinders flying past and the corrosive nature of the cinders and ash that will collect.

Picture of all the T-bars and clamping bolts in place on the header with a reminder that the header is lying on the palette upside down. 

The header and superheater units await installation.

After that operation (and many other tasks) the header was placed in the smokebox prior to mounting it for a test fit.  

The superheater header sits in the smokebox as it is readied for installation.

Finally, the header is moved into its working position. Looking through a branch pipe hole in the side of the smokebox we can see the freshly machined surface that will seal against the dry pipe as it seats in the flange in the front tubesheet.

The header is gently slid over the studs and when the nuts are tightened it is finally in its home position for the first time on our new boiler. 

A little closer look and a bit of imagination and you can see how the superheater units will be drawn up into the header with the ball ends straddling the T-slots. 

The header is tested for fit inside the smokebox.

One side of the slot will deliver the steam from the throttle to the superheater unit and the other side will collect the superheated steam for delivery down the branch pipes to the valves and cylinders. 

With the fit-up and sealing proven, tabs are welded to the inside of the smokebox to support the weight of the header while in service.  The sealing surfaces of the branch pipe flanges also get dressed and lapped to seal against the donuts used in the branch pipes.

With the test fitting completed and everything checking out, the header and superheaters have all been installed and are now mated to the header.

Superheaters and header fully installed and mated.

A sharp eye will catch a ring of different color between the superheater units and the header.  Due to a discrepancy between the C&NW drawings and how the boiler was actually built we’ve been given an opportunity to improve the sealing surface by adding a heavy brass gasket. 

These collars not only take up the needed space but also give us a brass-on-steel sealing surface rather than steel-on-steel and provides us a replaceable sealing seat for easier maintenance down the line.

All photos provided by M. L. Deets.

 

Dry Pipe Work

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Today’s steam status update looks at work taking place on the 1385’s dry pipe. Before jumping into a description of the work being done, it is helpful to first understand a little bit more about how boilers work and some of the terminology of steam.

The Science of Steam: Dry Steam Versus Wet Steam

The job of a dry pipe in the locomotive is that when the throttle is opened it will deliver the driest available steam out of the boiler proper and deliver it for the next stage of use by the locomotive. What that next stage is will depend on the type of boiler.

The idea of “dry steam” seems counterintuitive since steam is made from water and we generally think of water as being wet. However, in scientific terms, wetness is defined as “the ability of a liquid to adhere to the surface of a solid.” Pure steam is not liquid and does not adhere to a solid and is therefore not wet. If you place your hand over a boiling pot of water, the steam will make your hand wet only because the steam coming into contact with your hand is rapidly cooling off to the point at which it is able to recondense into liquid water again.

Converting and maintaining all of the water molecules into steam is not easily accomplished. The liquid water sloshing around inside the boiler and the extensive system of piping through which the steam must travel means there is plenty of opportunities for the tiny droplets of liquid water to get mixed in with the steam or recondense into liquid. Some of those tiny droplets fall back down into the liquid water lower in the boiler, but other droplets will become suspended in the steam. When a substance exists as a mixture of both gas and liquid such as this it is called vapor.

The ratio of gas molecules to liquid molecules is called vapor quality. For example, if a vapor contains 95% steam and 5% liquid, it is said to have a quality of 0.95 or 95%. Water vapor that contains very few suspended droplets is referred to as dry steam. Water vapor with a higher ratio of suspended droplets is referred to as wet steam. Dry steam, because it is less dense, rises above wet steam, which means the driest steam is always found at the top of the boiler.

How the Throttle and Dry Pipe Work

With the terminology and science of steam and its varying degrees of quality out of the way, let’s get back to the subject of the dry pipe. As was stated, the purpose of the dry pipe is to transport the driest available steam from inside the boiler to where it can be put to use by the locomotive. Since dry steam rises, a dome is added to the top of boilers so the driest steam can gather at a single location to make it easier to collect. This dome-shaped reservoir for dry steam is unimaginatively called the steam dome.

It is within the steam dome that 1385’s throttle is located. When the throttle is placed inside the steam dome, it is called dome throttle. Later locomotive designs which included superheaters (more on that in a moment) would often instead have the throttle at the front of the boiler next to the smokebox rather than inside the steam dome. Those are referred to as front-end throttles.

When the engineer pulls the lever on the 1385 to open the throttle, it permits the steam in the steam dome to enter the dry pipe where it is then directed to the next phase of use. C&NW #1385 was originally built as a saturated boiler, which meant that from the throttle the steam was sent directly to the cylinders for use in turning the wheels.

In 1898, the first superheated locomotive, a Prussian State Railways S4 series, was introduced to the world. In a superheated boiler, after the water has been heated to form saturated steam, that steam is then sent for another round of heating in the superheater. This accomplishes two things. First, it further dries the steam by converting the remaining liquid water droplets into steam, improving its vapor quality. Secondly, it introduces additional heat energy to the steam molecules. Greater heat energy means more work can be accomplished using the same amount of steam. This translates into better fuel and water efficiency and more tonnage that can be pulled by the locomotive. 

Energy efficiency was taken very seriously by railroads even at the opening of the last century. To take advantage of the advancement of superheater technology, #1385 was modified by the Chicago & North Western in April 1926 to convert it from a saturated boiler to a superheated boiler. Many of its fellow R-1 class locomotives also underwent the conversion.

locomotive schematic

IMAGE 1: Simplified illustration of the throttle, dry pipe, and related components within the C&NW #1385 steam locomotive boiler.

 

Progress on C&NW #1385’s Dry Pipe

At the throttle end of the dry pipe there is an elbow that must seal to the bottom of the throttle so steam cannot leak in while the throttle is closed. The throttle end elbow has a machined sealing surface much the same as the bottom of the throttle (seen in Image 3) and a bronze ring or donut of the opposite shape is clamped between the two pieces as a metallic gasket. The bronze ring can be seen between the throttle and the elbow as Steve R. of SPEC Machine is fitting the pieces together (Image 4).  A large U-bolt will cradle the dry pipe elbow and come up through the holes shown in the ears on the throttle body to clamp the pieces together and form a steam-tight seal.

IMAGE 4: SPEC Machine’s Steve R. works to install the throttle. The access hole in which Steve is working will eventually be covered by the steam dome. Brett Morley photo.

The smokebox end of the dry pipe requires a double seal. The back side must seal tightly against the flange in the smokebox (circled in Image 5) to keep the steam inside the boiler.  The front side has to seal tightly against the input flange of the superheater header (circle in Image 6) so the steam to be applied to the cylinders doesn’t leak out to the atmosphere. 

front view of 1385's smokebox with front tube sheet exposed

IMAGE 5: The red circle indicates where the dry pipe will pass through the front tube sheet.

 

Superheater header

IMAGE 6: This is the superheater header. The input flange that connects to the dry pipe is circled in red.

Below is a better look at the superheater header’s sealing surface prior to machining (Image 7) and again just prior to installation (Image 8). The double sealing ring was machined as a separate piece. Below photos show it before being welded to the dry pipe (Image 9) and after (Image 10).  

During installation, the dry pipe is slid through the flange in the smokebox toward the steam dome and throttle and can be seen almost in its home position (Image 11).  The superheater header will be installed on the studs shown and will clamp down the dry pipe in order to achieve the necessary steam tight seal on both surfaces.

Dry pipe partially sticking out into smokebox

IMAGE 11: Viewed from inside the smokebox, the dry pipe is in the process of being inserted into the boiler. The studs surrounding it will support the superheater header.

The fitting work shown in this post was carried out in early July 2020. Be sure to keep an eye out for upcoming updates in which we’ll be detailing work on the throttle rod and superheater.

All photos in this update are by ML Deets unless otherwise noted.

Mid-Continent to Remain Closed for Remainder of 2020

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For the safety of our patrons, volunteers, and staff as the pandemic continues in Wisconsin and across the nation, Mid-Continent Railway Museum will remain closed for the remainder of 2020. This closure includes the cancellation of all train rides, tours, and special events including Vintage Rail Car Tours, Harvest Limited, Autumn Color Weekend, Pumpkin Special, and Santa Express. The museum displays will also remain closed to the public.

Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a seasonal operation that closes each winter. This means the Museum’s reopening and return of train rides are presently scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 8, 2021, although this too is subject to change if necessary.

We are saddened to have not been able to welcome visitors to explore railroad history at Mid-Continent this year and hope you will plan to join us next year. You can stay up-to-date with any future announcements, restoration updates, and more by subscribing to Mid-Continent emails.

Impacts on Volunteer Sessions and Member Events

As part of the Mid-Continent’s closure for the remainder of 2020, the following changes are in effect.

  • Volunteer work sessions organized by department superintendents can continue as they are now until September 20, 2020. To conserve resources, all museum buildings will be closed to members and departments from September 21, 2020 through May 2021.
  • The Annual Meeting of the Members and banquet scheduled for November 7, 2020 is canceled.

Supporting Mid-Continent During the Pandemic Closure

Mid-Continent relies on ticket sales as a primary source of revenue so the COVID-19 pandemic closure has had and will continue to have a significant impact on the organization’s finances. Steps have been taken to minimize operating costs and stretch our available funds as far as possible, but some expenses like insurance premiums, loan payments, and essential maintenance do not go away. Donations made to Mid-Continent’s General Fund will directly help offset these expenses and are greatly appreciated. If you would like to assist Mid-Continent during this time, please visit our Donation page.

Catching Up with 1385

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In the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting shutdowns over the past few months, we have been fortunate SPEC Machine has been able to work on the Chicago & North Western #1385 at all. Many of the things done during this time period has been measuring, fitting and design work that provides little to no visual change to the locomotive which makes progress reporting a bit more difficult. 

That said, the boiler and smoke box have been positioned which allows for the furnace bearers to be made. The boiler is fixed solidly to the smokebox and cylinders but like so many other things, steel expands as it gets hotter.  When the 1385 is fired up it will start at ambient temperature but when it reaches a full head of steam of 200 PSI the boiler will be about 388° F.  This will cause the boiler to grow in length.

To accommodate this, the rest of the boiler and the front corners of the firebox rest on a pair of bronze shoes called furnace bearers. The shoes bolt to tabs welded to the front-bottom of the mudring. These shoes allow the boiler to freely expand and contract as needed while still being supported by the locomotive frame.

Animated illustration of boiler movement

The below photos show the tab as well as the top part of the shoe holder that will support the weight of the boiler.

On the fundraising front, the 1385 project was recently the recipient of a $7,000 donation from the Bluewater Michigan Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. While this is good news for the 1385, it sadly was donated as part of the Chapter’s dissolution and distribution of assets. The Bluewater Chapter was established in 1982 and was well known in railroad circles for operating many successful mainline passenger excursions around the Midwest, helping to bring railroading to the public. The Chapter faced tough times in recent years as mainline excursions became more challenging to operate for a variety of reasons, ultimately leading the group to dissolve the Chapter last year. We salute the Bluewater Chapter members for their amazing work over the years and are appreciative of this final act of generosity toward Mid-Continent’s 1385 program.

Construction Begins on Parts Storage Building

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Artistic rendition of storage building

Artistic approximation of Mid-Continent Railway Museum’s new storage building.

Construction is underway on a new parts storage building at Mid-Continent Railway Museum. The new building, located along the western edge of the museum grounds, will help Mid-Continent to provide safe and secure storage for its inventory of parts used for historic railcar restorations and the operation of demonstration passenger trains.

Mid-Continent Railway Museum was hard-hit by flooding along the Baraboo River in 2008 and again in 2018. Increases in frequency and severity of flooding in recent years have made it a priority for the museum to minimize losses from any future floods by relocating items to higher and more secure storage areas.

A major step in this mission was accomplished in September 2019 with the opening of the Laurence Dorcy Building, a 10,500 square foot railcar display building. That building provides indoor display space for nine railcars and a locomotive as well as additional outdoor track space for another six cars, all located above the flood zone.

Aside from railcars and locomotives, Mid-Continent Railway Museum houses a collection of hard-to-find parts for the historic trains. Some parts were salvaged from railcars long-ago destroyed and are stored for use in the restoration of similar railcars. Other stored parts were removed during the restoration process and are kept for use as historical reference and templates for reproductions by Mid-Continent or other museums. To keep this collection of parts safe and secure, a dedicated storage building was sorely needed.

After seeing the success of the Laurence Dorcy Building, in late 2019 small group of donors looked at the museum’s next area of need and banded together to donate the entire cost of a new parts storage building. With this funding secured, things proceeded quickly. Contractors were hired and permits obtained in the early months of 2020. By early May, contractors began clearing and leveling the building site, clearing the way for construction to begin on July 2nd. The new structure is expected to be completed by later this summer.

The building will be 48 feet by 60 feet in size. A 20-foot ceiling clearance will provide plenty of overhead space for the shelving units that will line the walls and building center to allow maximum utilization of the new storage space. The building will also provide indoor parking spaces for the railroad’s maintenance vehicles. A wide gravel driveway will provide plenty of space for large vehicle access for loading and unload of materials.

Despite the ongoing closure from the COVID-19 pandemic, Mid-Continent Railway Museum continues to move forward. The museum is making strides to ensure the safety of the artifacts entrusted to it are provided a safe home. These behind-the-scenes improvements will ultimately lead to an improved museum experience for future visitors. Thanks to the generosity of the project donors, this new storage building is being constructed without a single dollar used from the museum’s operating fund, assuring that the project has no negative impact on the museum’s financial position during the pandemic while simultaneously providing jobs to local construction contractors.