CONDUCTED BY
Peter E. Bouley
of
BENSON MOUNTAIN COMPANY
1555 Wallum Lake Road
Pascoag, Rhode Island 02859-1818
(401) 567-0020 Fax: (401) 567-0021
Date of Inspection: June 1999
Date of Report: September 20, 1999
Inspection done with permission by:
Ms. Elizabeth Kammerad, Executive Director
of
Tri-Cities Historical Society
P.O. Box 234, 1 N. Harbor Drive
Grand Haven, Michigan 49417
for
The Citizens of Grand Haven, Michigan
to determine the feasibility of #1223 running again
for the enrichment of the community and its citizens
General Condition as found
This locomotive is a fine example of steam power preserved and possible new life as a running steam locomotive. I had some knowledge of the story of the mishaps concerning the sister engine and would hope that #1223 would be given a chance to live again. I feel that the appearance of this engine is one of pride as it has been kept up and cared for by volunteers for many years.
This engine lies at the head of a dead-end track in a picturesque area along the waterfront in Grand Haven. My observation at the time of my visit is that everyone felt it should be there and many asked the question: When will it run again? There was a genuine feeling of excitement in the air when people saw activity around this beautiful locomotive.
INSPECTION BEGINS
BOILER: Inside the firebox
In order to conduct this study it was necessary to check the actual metal thickness of many areas. I invited those present to join me in the firebox so that they could witness my inspection first hand. For most, it would be the first time they had been in a locomotive firebox. Approximately 5 people, including Ms. Kammerad, took this challenge and crawled through the small opening access into a large steel room, which we know as the combustion chamber or firebox. Once inside, there was ample room for everyone to be seated in a semi circle and participate during my inspection. Many questions were asked and I conducted a mini class on how this locomotive functions. Using an Ultrasonic Thickness Tester and assisted by those present to clean many test areas, I was able to determine the integrity of the steel walls that made up the firebox. To everyone's surprise the readings were all very good and showed that the boiler may possibly be still safe enough to be fired. I noticed and remarked about several repairs which were done under the old I.C.C. (Inter-state Commerce Commission) rules when she was in service. Some of these repairs are unacceptable by today's much stricter F.R.A. (Federal Railroad Administration) rules and would have to be done over, if this locomotive were to be used again. One area of interest to those present, was the Syphon, which allow the water in the boiler to circulate through the sheets attached to the Crown sheet (roof of the firebox) and enhance this boilers ability to conduct a natural heat exchange without the use of pumps.
A hammer test was also done on the exposed staybolt ends (threaded steel pins that support firebox sheets inside the shell of a locomotive style boiler) and all were found to be serviceable accept a few in the Syphon sheets, in the same area with the questionable repairs. It is my feeling that these stays probably broke shortly after the boiler went back in service after these repairs, due to too much stress. As this boiler is obviously built to a factor of 6 or greater, these broken stays had no effect to the safe operation of this boiler. The Factor of Safety is a formula set forth to insure that all boilers are built to a minimum safety factor. Today ASME Code Boilers are only required to be built to a Factor of Safety of 3 and Benson Mountain Company, as an example, still builds new boilers to the old Factor of Safety of 6, as we feel that safety has no short cuts.
Considerable time was spent in the firebox doing various tests, as stated above, answering questions and providing lengthy explanations of what was seen in the firebox.
CAB EQUIPMENT
Piping, valves and accessories to operate this locomotive found in the cab, need to be taken apart and inspected internally and in some cases repaired or rebuilt. The time allotted for this inspection did not allow this type of scrutiny of these items. If an internal inspection was held, I am sure that some piping will need at a minimum a thorough cleaning as scale will be present, which is normal for this operation. Due to changes in Code requirements some of the valves will have to be replaced to be in compliance.
OUTSIDE SHELL INSPECTION
The knuckle radius on the throat sheet ( vertical sheet that makes up the firebox outer wall and is riveted to the barrel) was found to be greater in thickness than 1t, which is a very good sign. Removal of washout plugs in lower corners revealed that the staybolts showed no signs of wear and in fact the threads looked new. No scale was present, other than a light coating of clay, which came from the water used to replenish water boiled off in the process of making steam in the boiler.
A hammer test was done on several accessible rivets (steel pin that
is installed hot and fastens two or more sheets together) in longitudinal
(horizontal) and girth (circumference) joints which were found to be serviceable.
A few additional ultrasonic tests were taken and all were found be excellent.
The (caulking) joint construction appeared to be tight and no evidence
of leaks were noted.
SMOKEBOX INSPECTION
The smokebox is a chamber in the front of the boiler which houses the Superheater header (system that takes steam generated within the boiler and allows it to pick up additional BTUs by passing through additional tubes which are installed within Flues in the boiler where hot flue gas/smoke pass around on the way to the smokebox), branch pipes (which carry the superheated steam from Superheater header to the cylinders), blast tube (combines exhaust steam from each cylinder and directs it up the stack), petticoat (a reverse funnel shaped metal object suspended from the top of the smokebox in line with the stack, and provides a venturi effect using rapidly expanding exhaust steam to pull a vacuum causing flue gas/smoke to exit out of the stack above) and all of this equipment is behind screening to help prevent cinders from flying out the stack. For obvious reasons a thorough inspection of the smokebox could not be done as all of this equipment needs to be removed prior to an inspection. Although there was evidence of soot present the condition of all equipment that could be viewed was excellent.
WALK-A-ROUND OF AUXILIARIES
A visual inspection was conducted on all the auxiliary equipment hanging on the outside of the boiler and found to appear to be serviceable, although it must be noted that all of these items need to be taken apart and inspected internally and at the very least cleaned and some lubrication applied. Again no time was allowed to inspect any of these items.
CHASSIS FROM UNDERNEATH THE LOCOMOTIVE
A visual inspection conducted by crawling underneath the locomotive chassis was done in accessible areas. It was noted and later explained that the sister engineers group had taken several important parts for their engine when #1223's future was uncertain. These need to be returned or replaced prior to operation. The driving boxes, axles, wheels/tires, brake rigging, springs and equalizers appear to be in new like condition and ready to run again. The side rod and drive rod ends need to be removed and bearings inspected for wear. It would be worthwhile to consider installing roller bearings as a lasting repair instead of original brasses, which are very sensitive to overheating and distortion and most of all to dirt.
TENDER
Some extensive sandblasting and painting had been done in the past and is still is good condition. Upon opening up a water fill hatch on top, it became apparent that this tender tank is in serviceable condition after a thorough cleaning is done. The underbelly and trucks appear to be in serviceable condition, but bearing boxes need to be washed out and packed with fresh lubrication. It may be worthwhile to check with Timken Bearing Company in Cleveland, Ohio about their upgrade roller bearing assembly that can be installed in the existing axle boxes. As with the engine, this would be a better repair than existing equipment. It would also reduce heat from friction while underway and take less effort to roller her, which results in lower operating costs. The stoker screw will have to be removed in order to thoroughly inspect it for wear. The drive unit needs to be inspected as well. The coal compartment appears to be in good condition and ready to be filled with fresh coal.
RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
It is in my opinion having had the opportunity to inspect some major and some minor (cost wise) points of this locomotive that it is indeed feasible to clean her up, retube her, possibly replace some piping, valves and fittings and bring her back to life again. Retubing should be done as the locomotive obviously was shutdown without cleaning the tubes. As the fuel used was coal and coupled with the fact that the tubes could not be inspected and have been in there for a minimum of 30 years, they should be replaced. The replacement tubes should be SA-178 Grade A Straight 2t OD x minimum wall thickness of .120t (known in older times as locomotive grade tubes). The cost of the material in inexpensive compared to the labor to remove all items in the smokebox in the way and finally remove all the tubes, prep seats in tube sheets and install new tubes. When you do remove the tubes it is critical not to remove all of them as the sheets need to have some left in for support and removed after the new ones around them are installed. It should also be noted that only under extreme cases is it necessary to remove the Flues which house the Superheater elements. They are very thick walled and will last upwards of 30 years of service, if taken care of. As this engine saw less than 15 actual years of service, chances are they are still serviceable. They can be inspected after the smaller tubes are removed by entering the barrel from the steam dome. This would be the best time to inspect angle brackets, hangers, dry pipe and various internals. This would also require the removal of the throttle valve from the steam dome.
INVOLVEMENT OF THE FRA
Once you have the smokebox internals out, throttle out and have thoroughly
washed down the inside of the boiler, your should contact the FRA for an
internal/external inspection. It is always a good idea to involve
them prior to starting any repairs. They need to make a decision
about the problems found in the Syphon's in the firebox and also need to
know what you intend to do with this engine.
WHERE SHOULD IT BE RUN?
Due to its weight, it will require a minimum of 100#/yard rail on a good roadbed and tires. I visited a nearby tourist operation that is using the old right-a-way to Lansing and has 100# rail in service. This would be an excellent line to operate the #1223 and is close enough to Grand Haven to attract tourist. You will find, however, that an engine of this size is not cost effective to operate daily. It should be reserved to special trains or weekends during the tourist season. It should definitely be housed in an engine house to protect your investment from the elements as well as vandals.
WHO CAN OPERATE #1223?
Due to FRA rules and potential insurance problems, you will have to have a legitimate locomotive engineer with steam locomotive experience or someone with the license who is willing to learn differences between their normal job running a Diesel and operating a steam locomotive. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers has been helpful in the past for other tourist operations. They have qualified locomotive engineers for steam locomotives available.
WHAT FUEL AND HOW MUCH DO WE NEED?
It is designed to burn coal using a stoker. The normal coal consumption could be between 4-6 tons per hour with a heavy load. You may have to apply for a permit from the EPA to burn coal. I am not familiar enough with your area to be able to answer this question. In the event that burning coal is not acceptable, Benson Mountain Company has designed an steam atomizing fuel oil burner, similar to those used on industrial boilers. We have many of them in use around the world on steam locomotives. Conversion can be done using some of your volunteers and our people in a few days. Conversion would also involve the purchase of a custom fuel oil tank to be installed in the coal section of the tender.
Another consideration is water. Wherever you finally run this
locomotive there must be ample supply of water as the tender holds several
thousand gallons of water and depending upon how far your run is, it may
have to be replenished during the run or you may opt to have a water car
behind the tender. The Union Pacific Railroad uses one or more water
cars when they take one of their similar sized steam locomotives on a fan
trip. Purchasing a water car could be in the $50,000.00 range, unless
you could get someone to donate one.
POTENTIAL COSTS TO RESTORE TO AN OPERATING STEAM LOCOMOTIVE
I am sure that you have heard all sorts of numbers and units of time to tackle a project like this. It is a big project, but not insurmountable if you go about it the right way. Benson Mountain Company has assisted many groups like yourself and in fact has a few projects still going on around the world. Our approach is really quite simple. You need professionals for a small percentage of the project, while your greatest asset is yourselves providing labor and other support activities. We have showed others the way and have saved them over $100,000.00 in potential labor costs as follows:
Benson Mountain Company is sincerely interested in working with your group as a partner, in that we will come on site for a minimal amount of time at a reduced price to start the project and give you a plan to follow. We will then leave and we will communicate via e-mail, fax or phone as needed. We will make periodic trips to the project when you reach specific points to give you another helping hand and another plan to follow, etc.. In this way, everyone in the community, who has a specific talent or skill can make a difference. We have seen these projects bring unity within a community that is refreshing in this day and age.
I would like to present an example using the Tanana Valley Rail Road,
Fairbanks, Alaska, 1899 Porter #1. This little engine sat on display
for over 70 years surviving 2 major floods and normal elements attacking
her parts. About eight years ago a group of train buffs and businessmen
got together and approached the Borough who are the legal owners of this
locomotive, as it was a gift from the Alaska Railroad in 1962, and asked
if they could look into the feasibility of restoring this locomotive back
to operation. The Borough agreed, as long as they did not have to
pay for it. Through their trial and error dealing with various inspectors
and government departments it was determined that the boiler was not repairable
and would have to be replaced. They found Benson Mountain Company
and we became a partner in their restoration in 1996. I flew to Fairbanks
and blueprinted the old boiler and examined various parts. I directed
the group, which was now expanding, as to how to proceed and what needed
to be repaired or replaced. Last September a new boiler was shipped
from Rhode Island to Fairbanks and I went there to install it on the chassis
with their volunteers. This past July two crew members of Benson
Mountain Company and myself went to Fairbanks for 4 weeks and with the
help of 3-4 volunteers per day we were able to assemble all the parts,
make some new pieces and on day 25 we fired her up and I pulled the throttle
and she lurched forward under her own power after being asleep for
over 70 years. Many visitors and members of the community were on
hand to witness that historic moment. This is just one example of
what you can do if you have the courage to begin.
HELP IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK
After speaking to a representative from Benson Mountain Company, most communities and groups faced with your decision are surprised to learn that help is a lot closer than you think! We have involved local and state trade schools to help do some of the machine work, drafting, fabrication and painting; which is most situations is totally free accept that you purchase or supply materials. Besides that you are providing a promising future citizen with some sreal skillst and could change their outlook on life.
The United States Army is available to move heavy objects at no cost. They use this as a training exercise. Last Fall a unit from New England moved a complete train via their trucks over the mountains in New Hampshire to a restoration shop in Claremont, NH They provided their own cranes, military police for traffic and their electrians worked with New Hampshire Public Service (Public Utility in that area) to move all affected electrical and phone lines along the way. The cost to the owner was dinner for all the troops for one day. You need to contact your United States Senator to get this service. It is done as a courtesy.
Materials may be either donated or sold at cost by an industry in your area that may like to help or take a tax rite off. In the case of special material like boiler tube, it would be good to contact the Johnson Boiler Works, in your community, which manufactures a fine industrial packaged boiler. Their quality control department would insure that the tubes were the proper material with certification paperwork, which is required. They may even have skilled employees that would donate their time to help you install them using tooling provided by Johnson Boiler. It would be a win - win for Johnson Boiler and the community, both working toward a common goal and reaching a satisfaction in work ethic seldom found today.
CONCLUSION
I am including some letters of reference from satisfied clients for your review. On behalf of the Benson Mountain Company we sincerely recommend that this project be considered as a viable undertaking by your community which will strengthen it and definitely increase tourism, once the word is out that #1223 is awake after her long sleep. Good luck, in whatever your decision is and we will help you in any way that we can.
Thank you for this opportunity to inspect a fine piece of equipment.
Sincerely,
Benson Mountain Company
Peter E. Bouley
President
Enclosures,
Mission Statement
Business Card
Letters of Reference
Photos