Posts tagged Engineering
Steam Locomotive Assessment | Restoration Roundtable with Pennsylvania Raliroad No. 1361

Join the Railroaders Memorial Museum and FMW Solutions to recap the colorful history of Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotive No. 1361 and explore the engineering and restoration challenges in taking on the rebuild of the Spirit of Altoona. You can support the project by making a donation here.

The restoration of K4 1361 is a thirty-year undertaking that has seen multiple project managers, with considerable work completed. However, there is still much to be done. The latest boiler studies revealed some of the following:

(1) Some of the rivets used in the boiler were of the incorrect steel.
(2) The repair and subsequent re-repair of the main dome course needed further inspection.
(3) Some firebox repairs were completed with improperly sized materials. FMW Solutions has undertaken ultrasonic testing to further assess the boiler’s integrity. It was determined that the firebox area would require some of the project's most substantial repairs.

The square, Belpaire-style firebox with which K4 1361 was built was a key feature of PRR steam locomotives. The Pennsy designed the K4s with the ability to swap components between 400 different locomotive designs. FMW undertook both traditional and computational engineering analysis of the boiler in addition to building a 3D CAD model. Through modifying material thickness and staybolt size, FMW has engineered a solution that will preserve the original Belpaire boiler and return the locomotive to operation. Much of the firebox will be replaced with new steel—resulting in a safer and sturdier locomotive to last.

For a summary of our initial inspection and engineering report for the locomotive, click here.

Steam locomotive fuel oil conversion aided by FMW Solutions
FMW Solutions engineers steam locomotive for oil fuel conversion.

Hollidaysburg, PA (March 15th) - The Everett Railroad Company has successfully converted its historic 1920s steam locomotive No. 11 back to fuel oil with help from rail preservation contractor FMW Solutions, allowing the popular tourist railroad operation to improve the locomotive’s performance and simplify its operation.

“With our increased ridership and popularity, the 11 has been operating on our tourist trains now more than ever. It’s become a challenge to get the right coal at a reasonable price, and the quality of coal can greatly affect how a locomotive operates. Combined with our desire to be a good neighbor through reducing smoke, we’ll also be able to simplify our fueling logistics and free up more space for parking,” said Alan Maples, President of the Everett Railroad Company.                       

CAD drawing by FMW Solutions shows a cross section of a steam locomotive smokebox with improvements made to aid the conversion to oil firing.

In addition to designing an improved exhaust nozzle, the engineering work extended the petticoat by 12-inches, reducing the gap between the bellmouth and the nozzle itself to improve draft. This application was largely inspired by L.D. Porta’s Lempor Exhaust system.

The conversion to oil meant more than just changing the fuel. FMW Solutions performed the engineering and design work for the required drafting changes in the locomotive smokebox, which included a new exhaust nozzle, and petticoat extension to optimize draft production without needing to alter the original smokestack. FMW also provided guidance for the firebox and firepan modifications, which Everett Railroad performed in-house.

“There are some major differences in how coal and oil combust, which means that the steam locomotive needs to generate more of a draft on the fire to evenly distribute the heat and draw the fire forward,” explained Wolf Fengler, Vice President of Engineering for FMW Solutions. “Our approach was informed by historic railroad mechanical practices, modern fluid mechanics, and our background in installing similar systems on other locomotives.”       

“Working with FMW Solutions made this an economical solution in more ways than one. With our upcoming season just around the corner, we had a fairly small window to get this conversion right and ensure the conversion itself was cost-effective. FMW had the skills to ensure that this was the case. Their work went a long way to save us money and the engine’s performance now is the best it's ever been,” explained Zach Hall, Everett Railroad steam shop foreman.               

The Everett Railroad constructed a new oil tank for the 11 and Stockton Locomotive Works provided Everett with a burner, firing valve quadrant, and emergency oil shutoff.                   

Built by the Cooke Works of the American Locomotive Company, the locomotive was originally constructed to burn oil for a railroad in Cuba, but ultimately never delivered for its intended use. It was converted to burn coal and served various short line railroads until the 1980s. The 11 was later acquired by the Everett Railroad Company in 2006 and restored to service in 2015.           

The Everett Railroad Company is a short-line freight and tourist railroad headquartered in Hollidaysburg, PA, operating 22 miles of track and providing rail freight transportation for industrial and agricultural customers. Its tourism program has welcomed over 100,000 passengers to the area since 2015. It is currently restoring Huntingdon & Broad Top Mountain Railroad steam locomotive No. 38, which will also be an oil burner. For more information on the Everett Railroad Company, visit everettrailroad.com.                   

FMW Solutions and its subsidiary National Rail Consulting Group offer a suite of professional services for the railroad industry, including mechanical and engineering design, diesel locomotive servicing and repair, rail operations, strategic planning support, marketing, public relations, safety compliance administration, training, and alternative fuel technology research and development. FMW is also an accomplished rail preservation resource, with expertise in the restoration and operation of historic equipment. For more on FMW Solutions, to request a quote, proposal, or to explore opportunities for your railroad operation, visit fmwsolutions.com, email us, or call (423) 425-9753.

Locomotive Bearing Box, Crankpin, and Wheel Work on U.S. Sugar No. 148
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FMW was retained to oversee a variety of detailed engineering and fabrication tasks associated with the driving wheels and driving boxes of U.S. Sugar (USS) steam locomotive No. 148 (No. 148). Originally built for the Florida East Coast Railway in 1920, the light 4-6-2 type locomotive is in the midst of an extensive overhaul to operation for use by USS on its Florida sugar plantation railroad. In particular, FMW was tasked with: 1) wheelset work; 2) crankpin work; and 3) driving box work.

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Wheelset Work | FMW’s Shane Meador began its wheelset work with a detailed inspection of each wheel center, including removing the original tires, sandblasting, and dye penetrant testing the wheel centers. This revealed the wheel centers to have cracks from years of use. Employing railroad standard practice from the era, FMW ground out the cracks and weld-repaired the wheel centers. Then, FMW employed a specialty wheel and journal lathe to re-profile the wheel centers, re-profile the journals, and roll burnish the journals to harden the surfaces. Once this work was completed, Meador ordered and installed new tires for all three wheelsets.

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Crankpin Work | FMW burned out the crank pins from each of the wheel centers and undertook quartering of the crank pin bores. This work, as per industry practice, was done after the new tires had been applied to the wheel centers to ensure that the quartering of the bores and pins would not be impacted by the flex associated with the application of new tires. Then, using the original pins as a guide, FMW’s Fengler created new 3D CAD drawings of each of the crank pins. These drawings were used to rough CNC-machine new pins which, after their delivery, were finish machined by Meador to-fit. Finally, once all of the quartering boring and crankpins were completed, Meador used liquid nitrogen to shrink the pins so that they could be inserted into the bores, by hand.

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Driving Box Work | FMW was initially tasked with undertaking an inspection of the existing driving boxes on No. 148. The original boxes were found to be quite worn, thus it was determined that manufacturing new driving boxes would be a better cost benefit than repairing the worn out components that came with the locomotive, and it instructed FMW to undertake that work. FMW reverse-engineered the existing boxes, creating 3D CAD drawings, one each for the main and other than main boxes. As part of this process, FMW took into consideration the request to convert the locomotive from “grease cake” lubrication to a force feed lubrication, as was commonplace with the Southern Pacific Railroad. This force feed oil system was also undertaken by Meador on Southern Railway Nos. 630 and 4501, and it has proven reliable over tens of thousands of miles of operation. This system is also used by SP 4449 which, too, has proven quite reliable on the road.

Once each box design was approved, FMW acquired the raw material (a 12 inch thick slab of steel) and began fabrication. Employing a combination of CNC machining and manual machining, FMW: 1) rough machined the boxes; 2) detail machined the boxes; 3) machined and press-fit new crown brasses and hub liners; 4) applied Babbitt to the journal bearing surface; 5) machined the babbitt to-fit; 6) machined all required lubrication paths on the boxes; and 7) finish machined the wedge/shoe surfaces and spreader plates.