Hi Folks,
Just an update on No 9 machine work- to clarify this discussion on axles. I thought I had mentioned somewhere about the axles being found with cracks by UT in December. With that we were gearing up to replace both of them- no small task considering the critical nature of locating the keys for proper quartering and eccentrics after the axles were machined. We proceeded to buy material- a 6ft piece just for No 9 cost pretty near the same as a 20 ft piece- so we got the latter, with No 11 in mind. Subsequent to that- with some experience at BRV, we had some reason to question the initial UT results- mainly in that there was no discussion with the technician about the various keyways and other changes in geometry along the length of the axle which could affect results. This entire scenario also applied to BRV's SD Warren Baldwin 0-4-0, which they are working at down there; it's axles were also found to have cracks by UT.
With this- we loaded all 4 wheelsets onto BRV's trailer and took them to the testing company's lab so the top guy could check. After checking every axle and crank in multiple ways- he concluded that there were no flaws, and proceeded to explain why the error had occurred the first time. We are grateful to him for saving us all a lot of work. Of course, we are grateful to BRV for the transportation and splitting the visit with us.
At this point- the material for new axles, along with material for No 11's lead truck axle (also planned), had already been sent south with Ed Gilhouley, on its way to Bruce's place. With the change in plans, and Bruce's complete flexibility (thanks, Bruce), we switched gears and added No 11's crank pins to the list.
So this message is mainly to clear up those details in case anyone is confused by the tidbits floating around. And great work, Bruce!
Jason