MNGRR Steam Team
Special Report
B&SR 7 Boiler Work Status
March 21, 2009By Hans Brandes
Out of sight, but not out of mindLast fall we saw B&SR 7’s boiler travel from MNGRR, to its temporary home in Alna. There, work will continue by both volunteers and hired labor (Brian Fanslau and Jason LaMontagne dba Maine Locomotive and Machine Co.). I am happy to report that the boiler is in a good place and work has been moving forward. Following is the news as I sit next to the woodstove writing this report after another of many days spent up at Alna.
The ShopB&SR 7’s boiler is resting comfortably in a structure built especially to house the boiler and do this project. The structure is on Brian Fanslau’s property. Though a simple structure, the boiler’s home has a cement floor, barn doors, vertical wood sides and a roof that does not leak. It is equipped with electricity, a work light, oxygen and acetylene tanks, hoses and a torch. Access is convenient in that you can back your truck right up to the door, unload tools and go right to work. The boiler is up on blocks allowing access to the firebox from underneath. What more could anyone want? OK, you do have to bring your own grinder, disks, work clothes and appropriate safety equipment, but hey, a pretty good setup.
BS&R #7 boiler with smoke box removed sits inside the shop at Alna. (Photo by Hans Brandes)The TubesWhen the boiler left MNGRR, all 131 tubes had been removed but only about half of the tube ends in the smoke box had been removed. So this was the next job to be accomplished. It is not easy to remove tube ends. On the smoke box end, some tubes are welded, but most are rolled and beaded. It’s a different story on the firebox end. All the tubes are welded. Every welded tube end must have the weld ground down using a grinder. It must be done carefully to remove the weld connecting the tube and the tube sheet avoiding gouging the sheet. Once welds have been ground down, the tube end is heated up using the oxyacetylene torch. This must also be done with care to avoid distorting the sheet. Once the tube end is red hot, it is hammered out with a special punch that was made by our volunteer Bob Comeau. The tube comes out easy or hard depending on how thorough the end was ground. As of today, after my sixth trip to Alna, the last of the 262 tube ends have been removed by yours truly.
Hans Brandes heating a tube end for removal. (Photo by Donna Mitchelson)The Smoke BoxTwo weeks ago Brian and Jason began working on the boiler. When the boiler was separated from the chassis, it had to be cut away. This was done as the bottom third of the smoke box was rotten (ash is very corrosive) and would need to be replaced. Once up at Alna, a further assessment was made and it was decided to cut off the rest of the smoke box due to additional rot, thinned smoke box ring bolts, etc. and install a whole new one. This is a good decision as it will give #7 a clean looking smoke box with no weld seams indicating patches.
The old smoke box removed from the boiler sits out side the shop in Alna. (Photo by Hans Brandes)The Fire BoxBased on ultrasound tests, it was determined that the crown sheet and side sheets down to the cab floor level would have to be removed in order to obtain a goal of a 150 PSI maximum operating pressure. Two weeks ago, Brian and Jason started cutting out the crown and side sheets. As the sheets were cut out, the true condition of the metal could be seen. As the calculations showed, the sheets had indeed thinned due to years of fire. In addition, the stays holding these sheets have corroded to various degrees due to mineral in the water. Doing this replacement now will give #7 its next fifteen years of life.
The side and crown sheets have been removed. Four rows of rigid stay bolts remain to be cut off. (Photo by Hans Brandes)The Next StepsSteel plate is going to get ordered this week. Once that arrives, it can be installed. Volunteer labor can be used to drill out the old stay bolts. We are also working on finding a way to get access to a CNC lathe to make the stay bolts. This will save some money. Once those are made, they can be installed. The new smoke box will go on, inspections will be done and a hydrostatic test performed. Though there are additional tasks, this is the basic summary of the boiler work portion of this project.
The MoneyAs many of you know, we have very limited funds for this project. After paying for asbestos removal, tubes for the boiler and plate for smoke box and fire box, we still need to buy material for new rigid and flexible stays, pay for labor to weld the firebox and smoke box and have inspections done that are necessary to make #7 FRA Form 4 compliant. This gets the boiler work done but there is more. We will need to buy insulation, new glass and additional plumbing fittings as may be required to put it all back together. We currently have approximately $6,500 left in our Restricted Fund. We need to raise more to ensure that we can finish this project. When the money runs out, the work stops and material can not be ordered and paid for.
So with that challenge, we are kicking of a Buy a Stay bolt Campaign. A $100 contribution buys a stay bolt for #7 and gets us that much closer to completion. There are 42 stay bolts, so our goal is $4,200. That is not enough to complete the project, but it keeps us going for awhile. Please send your contributions to the museum at 58 Fore Street, Portland, Maine 04101. State that this is for a stay bolt for #7.
ClosingThis pretty much sums it up for the boiler. There is a whole lot of other work that needs to be done on the chassis back in Portland. This too will require additional funding in order to complete the job.
When will we be done? That is a good question that does not have an answer at this time. Until we are done removing parts and taking things apart, we will continue to be in the ‘discovery’s stage. That means not everything will be known until this is done. Like everything else, it is a function of time and money. Though we have done much to date, we have a long way to go and a lot more hard work ahead of us.