Help Put the Short
Line
Back on Track!
Getting All Steamed Up
By WDM Conservation Manager Larry Postnikioff
Steam is still one of the more efficient ways of conveying power. The concept is really quite simple; heat energy is added to water in by means of an exchange device that is called a boiler. Sufficient heat is added to change water into steam. The steam conveys the energy through pipes to a device which converts the thermodynamic energy into mechanical energy. This device is called a steam engine and for the purpose of locomotion the most common type is the reciprocating steam engine.
Water in its solid and liquid form (what we call ice and water) do not compress that is to say that if you have a 1 kilogram mass of ice or liquid water it will take up a constant volume at a given temperature and you cannot make it take any less, if you heat liquid water to its boiling point, you make it turn into steam, its vapour or gaseous state. If the steam is not contained it will expand 1600 times the original liquid volume and as it expands it will give up its heat energy until it reaches its liquid state again or condenses. The more heat that is added in the confines of the boiler, the greater the compression of the steam and the more mechanical energy that can be produced from expansion. Expansion from contained high pressure steam to atmosphere is explosive that is to say it expands sat supersonic speed and then collapses nearly as quickly. The point of this is that this force is very useful if controlled.
How the Steam Engine Works
The engineer controls a
volumetric steam release from the boiler to the steam chest on the
engine with a special throttle valve. The steam chest on the engine is
an enclosed chamber that houses the engine valve which directs the steam
to either side of a double acting steam cylinder and exhausts (expanded
steam) out the opposite side of the cylinder to atmosphere. The double
acting cylinder has a piston running through it that allows the steam to
be admitted or exhausted on either side of the piston. The alternation
of steam and exhaust to and from the cylinder causes the piston to move
back and forth or go through the pistons stroke. Steam is only admitted
for a part of this stoke after which time the expansive nature of the
steam is utilized to carry it through. The end of this partial admission
of stem is called the cut off and is where the economical use of steam
comes into play. The timing of the valve comes from the position of an
eccentric on the main driving axel. The eccentric is like a cam that
imparts enough motion at the right time to open and close the steam
valve to let steam in and out of both sides of the cylinder at the right
time. A lever is connected with a linkage reverses the action of the
valve timing that causes the engine intake and exhaust to be exchange
and thus the engine turns in the opposite direction. This lever is some
times referred to as a “JOHNSTON BAR”
or reversing lever. This device allows the Engineer to choose a
direction or set the valve so that there is no admission to either side
of the piston. It will also allow the engineer to set the cutoff so that
he has the most efficient use of the steam using only the amount that he
needs for his power requirement. The reciprocating motion is transformer
to rotary motion with the use of a special knuckle slide joint called a
crosshead. This joint rides in a slide that is set parallel to the
piston rod that has a hinged connection between the piston rod and a
connecting rod that attaches to the crank pin on the wheel. So the
Engineer put the
The boiler is a very special piece of equipment that has to be specially built to make and holds high pressure steam. It has to be designed to produce enough steam to allow the engine to pull its cargo at what ever speed is desired. The boiler must be cared for in order to prevent deterioration from corrosion from taking place until it is too dangerous to operate.
This is where our Vulcan is today, which is the reason for the Vulcan re-boilering project. The old riveted boiler will be replaced with a modern welded replica boiler.
The original Vulcan Locomotive #
2265 was built in 1914 for Hillcrest Collieries, in Hillcrest
It was designated as engine #5
at Hillcrest. After some use at the colliery it was relocated to a
sodium sulfate mine situated along the
Short Line (narrow-gauge rail -36”) Vulcan Iron Works (0-4-0 class) Locomotive
Vulcan Locomotive # 2265
WDM Engine #101 - built in 1914
Weight 11 tons(9979 kg) Hauling capacity 659 tons (597845 kg.)
Drivers 24 inches in diameter Wheel base 4 feet
Boiler :
Maximum allowable working pressure
200 psi
175 square feet of heating surface
17.5 Boiler Horse power (175 kilowatts) steaming capacity
46 tubes 1 ¾ “ diameter
86 ½ “
Long firebox 26 ¼ “ long 29
¾ “ wide 26 ½ “ high
2” diameter Safety Valve
Internal throttle valve -
shaking grates - built
for firing coal as a fuel
Engine:
2 – 8” diameter pistons with 12” strokes Stephenson Valve Gear Sliding D valves
#6 Nathan mechanical lubricators
2 - ¾” Penberthy Injectors
400 gallon
Saddle type water tender tank originally came with a cab lamp,
head light , and a bell and a Lunkenheimer whistle
Short Line 101 Updates
By Conservation Manager Larry Posnikoff
Just in case you've been wondering this is what has happened in September and where we are at with our project at present.
There have been some major developments. All of our quotations for the boiler have come in and the project team has decided to go with Saskatoon Boiler Mfg. Ltd. for the construction of the new boiler.
The locomotive has been stripped down and the we have removed the boiler from the locomotive and taken the old boiler to Saskatoon Boiler's shop for the purpose of design and drawings as well as for the “jigging up” for the construction. Thanks very much to the staff members that helped with the dis-assembly and delivery of the boiler. But we don't stop now, we must clean the remainder and stow the parts in our storage before winter so that we have accessibility for evaluation of the remaining components and so we can work on these parts when we have opportunity and space. So onward constantly and steadily is the coarse of the project. Stay tuned for the next update.
November 17th, 2009
Where is the Vulcan short line locomotive project at?
Some may wonder what is happening in our train project and I am proud to be able to say that a lot is happening and we are making progress. We are about on schedule with the project. The Manufacturing process has begun. A fit up jig has been completed, and the design calculations are complete. The drawings are very near to completion and physical construction should be on going by the end of this week That is to say the boiler is progressing well.
As some people know, the boiler is only a part of the project, we have moved the saddle tender and undercarriage into the Provincial Curatorial Center and assessment has begun on these items. It has been determined that much work is required on the other component items and disassembly has begun. We can safely say we are right on track and building up a head of steam on this project.
2009 Year End Status Report on the Vulcan Short Line Locomotive Project
No further assessment has taken place on the chassis and drive for the locomotive. Temporary shelves for part organization have been planned for the lower mechanical bay. This will allow for ease of dis- assembly and reassembly. I received a customer drawing from Saskatoon Boiler on the 29th of December and I will review and return it as expediently as possible. The customer drawings are not the registered design drawings. The design drawings are being developed and will be completed after I give any further feed back that I have developed from my review of the customer drawing. The project will become very involved as we start into the new year. Delays have taken more time than I would have liked but I am optimistic that we will still make our June 1st projection. We now have much work ahead of us if we want to put this project on track.
For more information or to order
your genuine railroad tie,
contact the Moose Jaw Western Development Museum.