Steam Locomotive Engineer

One of things on my “must do” list was to drive a large steam locomotive. This past week at The Essex Valley Railway in Essex Connecticut I did just that.

I operated the locomotive for 2 hours. The total round trip distance was about 25 miles.

Because I booked two hours, we went north to the end of the line. I am the first person to operate a steam locomotive over the last 5 miles of track since the 1950s.

Engine #3025 is a large locomotive used on main-line railroads in the 20s, 30s, & 40s.  The locomotive and coal tender together weigh 150 tons.

Steam locomotives are complicated machines to operate and maintain. #3025 has “Trofimoff” steam control valves which require setting. Each time you stop, change direction, or when a novice “engineer” allows the steam pressure in the valve to drop too low, it must be re-set.

To conserve steam (water + coal), the stroke of the Trofimoff valve is reduced once the engine is moving.

The law requires the railroad to use coal with low sulfur content and low volatiles. It is metallurgical coal used in steel making. At $250 per ton, the cost to “steam” these locomotives is very high. The Fireman shovels all the coal by hand!

It was a fantastic experience!  I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in large machinery of any kind.

Regards, Jon (Student Steam Locomotive Engineer)

Hamworthy 4550 Mk2 Air Compressor

Very interesting air compressor sold recently at auction.
The correct model number is Hamworthy 4S50-MK2.

This multi-stage compressor pumps to 6000 psi!
Manual available –  request manual via a “Comment” on this blog.

Galvanic Corrosion

The photo shows a small amount of aluminum that was transferred to the root of the third thread on this 1/2″ x 1″ stainless steel bolt. The bolt was threaded into an aluminum extrusion that was submerged in lake water for about 5 months. The pH of the lake water is approximately 7.7.

This small amount of aluminum was enough to bind the bolt and make it very difficult to un-do.

The following link to Wikipedia provides an explanation of the process.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion

Riveting and Safety Wiring for Aircraft Repair

I had the opportunity to learn the basic skills of riveting aircraft aluminum material and Safety Wiring Screws.

Riveting: The single lap splices are cleaned, sharp edges removed and the rivet holes are drilled.  All burrs are removed and the material is prepared for riveting. Holes for countersunk head rivets are countersunk with a hand tool and the rivets are installed and “driven”.   100 degree heads are standard. A complete explanation is available in FAA AC-43-13 starting on page 4-14

Safety Wiring: In this example the safety wire is routed through the hole in the head of the first screw, twisted at 6-8 twists per inch and then one of the wires is threaded through the hole in the second screw, and so on.  The wire is arranged such that each screw prevents the next screw from coming undone. The wire is also arranged so that the wire looping around the outside of the screw-head is held down by the wire passing through the hole in the screw.  A complete explanation is available in FAA AC-43-13 starting on page 7-19

“Walter Mikron” Inverted 4 Cylinder Aircraft Engine

This aero engine is installed in a Czech-built motor-glider called an L13-Vivat.

It is an inverted design, pistons point down, dry oil sump, 75 hp/55 kws.

The engine has one carb and two magnetos.

Caterpillar D11R Dozer

The Cat dealer just south of Tampa Florida had this dozer on display in the yard adjacent to i75. I have run D10s but never been close to a D11, a very impressive machine indeed.  I was on this outing by myself and didn’t have a “photographer” with me to take a good picture of me standing beside it.  The picture below of me standing beside the drive sprocket was taken by me holding my camera at “arms-length”.

Specifications:

Engine – 935 Horsepower

Weight – 230100 Pounds

Drawbar Pull – 337,000 Pounds

Blade Capacity – 44.99 Cubic Yards.

Complete Specifications are published by Cat at: http://www.cat.com/cda/layout?m=607306&x=7

“Train Wreck – The Forensics of Rail Disasters” written by George Bibel

I have always had an interest in trains and my interest peaked after visiting the “Folkston Funnel” in Folkston Georgia. http://www.folkston.com/trains/trains.htm

This book is a very interesting and informative read for rail professionals, rail-fans, those who are mechanically inclined, and those who are fascinated by the process of analysing complex problems and events. It includes examples of train wrecks and discusses the root causes of them.

It delves into many of the challenges of operating today’s long, heavy freight trains and the challenges faced by operators of lighter but much higher speed passenger trains.

Just a few of the subjects covered include collisions, derailments, mechanical failures, rail and road-bed deterioration, to name just a few. The book is a great read and I recommend it, written by Dr. George Bibel.   (Disclaimer: I have no monetary interest in the sale of this book and no relationship with the publisher or the author except that the author provided the PDF of the book cover.)

“Winterizing” (storing) Small Engines – Fuel – Ethanol

Manufacturers are recommending draining the fuel tanks on equipment with small gasoline engines and running the fuel system dry.

Stihl recommends: “The fuel tank should be emptied. Run the carburetor until dry (Warning! Do not operate throttle; run equipment in idle until the engine stops!)”.  This is a great tip because 2 cycle engines rely on the oil in the fuel mixture for lubrication – no fuel/oil mix in the crankcase – no lubrication!

Generac recommends: “To avoid engine problems, the fuel system should be emptied before storage of 30 days or longer.”

Honda recommends: “Before storing the outboard motor for a prolonged period, we recommend that you remove the fuel line connector and operate the engine (4 stroke) at 2,000 to 3,000 RPM until it stops”. The owner’s manual also provides instructions to drain the carburetor bowls for storage. (taken from the Honda BF50A owner’s manual).

Caterpillar Equipment moves a 100+ year old 518,000 pound Oak Tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

League City, Texas

Using Cat equipment, a huge tree was moved to a new location rather than being cut down.

Follow the link below to read the write-up and view the video.

The video is a “must watch”. It is amazing! http://leaguecity.com/index.aspx?nid=1806

 

Follow the link below to the photo gallery of still pictures: http://www.leaguecity.com/gallery.aspx?AID=26

Honda Oil Filter Woes

         15400-PFB-007                     15400PFB-014                 NAPA 1365

BACKGROUND:

I have a 2006 Honda 50 hp outboard motor. The Honda oil filters (part number 15400-PFB-007, black in colour) that I bought a couple of years ago only thread on about 3/4 of a turn before they contact the mating surface on the block. With the recommended 3/4 turn more to tighten, the filter is only hanging on by about 1 1/2 threads. This filter has a deep cover-plate.

OTHER FILTERS:

Honda has another filter (part number 15400-PFB-014, blue in colour) that has a slightly shallower cover-plate -> 0.350″ versus 0.388″. The filter thread is 20mm metric fine. The .038′ shallower cover-plate allows for approximately one more thread of engagement – barely enough engagement in my opinion.

According to my local NAPA store, Honda filter part number 15400-PFB-014 crosses over to NAPA 1365.  This filter has the correct thread AND it has a cover-plate that is recessed only .240″. This allows for several threads of engagement.

SERIAL NUMBERS:

The Boats.net website has a parts list that shows a change from the -007 filter to the -014 filter at serial number 3015672, specifically for the Honda 50 hp outboards. Therefore, the -014 filter would be the recommended filter for my engine but the thread engagement is still marginal in my opinion.  See boats.net for listings.

Disclaimer – I don’t know if the boats.net parts lists are official Honda lists?

Links;

http://www.boats.net/parts/search/Honda/Outboard%20Engine/parts.html

http://www.boats.net/parts/search/Honda/Outboard%20Engine/2006/BF50A6%20LRTA%20/CYLINDER%20BLOCK/parts.html

THREADED FILTER MOUNTING “PIPE”:

After all of this, I wonder if the threaded filter mounting “pipe” is too short, or if it is recessed too far into the block. I haven’t determined if it is threaded into the block or pressed into the block

Exempar Filter