[SEL] Dismantling the IR Steam Compressor Day 1
Richard Strobel
Richard_Strobel7 at msn.com
Wed Dec 15 05:38:51 PST 2004
Zara...Rick needs a propane fired space heater (torpedo) for Christmas!
Tough to work in those conditions. One doesn't take/have the time to clean
the threads and such.
Congrats to you both and we're rootin' for ya.
RickinMt.
----- Original Message -----
From: <Todengine at aol.com>
To: <relisses at gmpexpress.net>; <Stationary_Steam_Engines at yahoogroups.com>;
<steam_lizards at yahoogroups.com>; <steam-engine at lists.stationary-engine.com>;
<TodEngine at yahoogroups.com>; <sel at lists.stationary-engine.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2004 5:15 PM
Subject: [SEL] Dismantling the IR Steam Compressor Day 1
> Well wouldn't you know it the heavy snows finally came last night, and
> completely covered the compressor engine!
>
> The dismantling crew (myself and my wife Zara) arrived at the Park drop
> forging plant in Cleveland about 12:30 pm, and I started to work removing
> misc.
> small parts including the exhaust steam lines, lube lines and mechanical
> lubricators, piping etc. I started to remove the throttle valve and
> governor but as
> usually happens one of the nuts stripped out, so more drastic measures
> will be
> taken on it later. I also removed the nuts holding the air crossover pipe
> and
> the main bearing caps nuts. By 2:30 pm I was frozen solid and we left the
> plant to head back home with a pickup load of steam engine goodies.
>
> I'll be back at the plant tommorrow afternoon to continue the work. I
> hope
> to be able to hijack a forlkift and operator for a few minutes to take off
> the
> air crossover pipe, and pull the flywheel and crankshaft out. I also hope
> to
> crib up under the compressor end of the main bedplate to support that end
> so I
> can remove the air lines underneath the compressor cylinders, and to get
> the
> compressor cylinders themselves ready to pull off.
>
> Assuming things go according to plan tommorrow I'll be back on Friday to
> move
> more parts to Youngstown.
>
> As I was packing up to leave one of the maintenance men was getting into
> his
> car and mantioned that "someone from the Smithsonian had looked at the
> compressor at one time". If I had a dollar for each time I have heard that
> phrase
> when it comes to old machinery I would be rich by now! He also said that
> it was
> a good running machine and worked when they stopped using it. If that is
> so
> then why are one set of eccentric rods disconnected and tied up out oif
> the way
> and the packing glands on the valve rods missing? I think it was running
> on
> one cylinder at the end of its career. I just hope I don't find any major
> problems inside. But if so, heck I work at a foundry and we have a lathe
> and
> milling machine so there isn't anything we couldn't remake!
>
> More phjotos of todays work are online at
> http://community.webshots.com/user/todengine
>
> Rick Rowlands
> Executive Director
> Tod Steam Engine Historic Landmark
> William Tod 34" x 68" x 60" Cross Compound Steam Engine
> Youngstown, OH
> www.todengine.org
> _______________________________________________
> SEL mailing list
> SEL at lists.stationary-engine.com
> http://www.stationary-engine.com/mailman/listinfo/sel
>
More information about the sel
mailing list