Steam & Excursion > Hey, Hotwater....

PLEASE tell me I'm wrong....

Was the reason the Cheyenne Charlatan drilled all the original staybolt caps was in a vain search for the tell-tale hole in the Flannery flexible bolts?

Does he REALLY NOT KNOW where to find the Flannery tell-tale holes?  [ Should we tell him?]
Why else would you spend all that time, drilling holes?

If he missed cleaning out the proper tell-tale holes, won't that cause concern when seeking 'approval' of an attempted qualifying hydro...?

Straighten me out!
W.

[ D.L.: "OH, You mean THOSE holes!!!"   "I wondered about them...."]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/16 15:37 by wcamp1472.

Wes, if it wasn't for Mary McPhersons concurrant post today you'd have made the funniest 844 post ever.

But, 2nd place ain't bad!

-John

Gotta get me an 844 sprinkler, or at least a copywrite !

I loved it , too...

Actually, you could do a metal silhouette of 844, mount it to the oscillating spray tube, and have a wobbling 844, as she waters....
Remember those watering "tractors",  maybe we could do an 844, that follows the hose!!!! And sell 'em?

( I'm intentionally ignoring the obvious snide comments...).

W.

Wrong hole.  WRONG HOLE!
Heard a rumor today that the engine passed her hydro with three FRA inspectors present, most of the cab and engine piping is back on and the cab is back on.  Must have been a busy week in Cheyenne.

"Three FRA inspectors"? In one place at the same time, all capable of a boiler test? Sure. And
from the tour shots to almost finished including the cab piping, in a week. Sure. Pictures please.

Out

Frisco1522 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wrong hole.  WRONG HOLE!
> Heard a rumor today that the engine passed her
> hydro with three FRA inspectors present, most of
> the cab and engine piping is back on and the cab
> is back on.  Must have been a busy week in
> Cheyenne.
There would be pictures and such on the propaganda FB page if they had the cab on. and they would post up pics of the hydro and all. Didn't happen I guarantee it..

To answer Wes' original question, yes that was what they were doing, but then to cover their ignorance the reasoning put out was to "release steam pressure within the welded-on caps, when they were being removed.".  Who knows the thinking that goes on there!

OMG..!!!!!!

THAT'S SCARY...
They'd go to all that trouble, all those new caps to cover up their ignorance? 

W.

I'm telling you guys, it just makes sense. Drill big enough holes (path of least resistance) and the water
from the broken staybolts won't put out your fire!

Out

What a bunch of morons!

to cover their
> ignorance the reasoning put out was to "release
> steam pressure within the welded-on caps,

"The welded-on caps" ---- hemispherical caps are designed for locations where staybolt breakage is rare.
We called them biscuits, they were 'permanent'.  And yes, Flannery sold a hollow tool, like used in a milling machines, to be used to cut the cicumfreential weld. The defective bolt would have been replaced, and a new biscuit welded over the bolt's head.

So it appears that ALL the buscuits were cut-off and new ones applied? All shiny and new?
Unbelievable....  If true.

W.


 

RRMike Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What a bunch of morons!


I agree Mike, that July trip looks to really be on shaky ground!

Posted from Android

Well yah, to Wes' point, the fixed stays are used in areas where there's no relative motion between the inner and
outer sheets which precludes the need for the socket and the swiveling action.

Out

callum_out Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well yah, to Wes' point, the fixed stays are used
> in areas where there's no relative motion between
> the inner and
> outer sheets which precludes the need for the
> socket and the swiveling action.
>
> Out

To be clear, these bolts are spherical headed, fitting into the beveled-hole sheets of the boilers, then covered with the biscuits.
The spherical head still allows the stay to move and swivel easier. They're not really 'fixed stays'.... And they are hollow drilled, 1/3 the distance into the head. ( from the threaded end .....don't tell the Cheyenne Charlatan....)

Common to all flexibles, is the fact that although the ball-head is on the heavier, outer boiler wrapper sheets, the threaded end is screwed into the firebox sheets.  The firebox, being exposed to the 3,000 degree fire, expands in all directions, thus causing all the bolts to bend from their original alignment. Remember, that tthe exterior boiler sheets a are only subject to the temperature of the hot water of the boiler ---- relatively COLD, compared to the white-heat of the firebox.  Constant flexing, due to the cyclical nature of thermal fire-UP's and cool-down cycles trends to weaken the staybolts at the threads.  The larger the firebox, the greater the actual lateral expansion and realignment distances are.

The greater the 'flex distance' ( angular displacement) the greater strains are put on the original, right-angle fit and the screwed joint.  [ Extra credit question: "Bolts threaded at 12 threads-per-inch, how many threads are 'holding' in a sheet that's only 3/8" thick?"] 

Flex-bolts eventually will tear at the treads ( rarely at the ball-end)  ---- at the waterside of the firebox....
The tears may be minute (MY-nute)  and only open when under very high boiler pressures.

One of the functions of the hydo test is to stretch any of these 'torn' bolts 'open' ---- so that they leak out the tell-tale holes during the testing pressures.
The leaking bolts are marked for replacement. A leaking bolt IS a broken bolt, and MUST be replaced....

In recently posted pics of 844's internal firebox, ---- note the wide radius rear corners in the 800's fireboxes.
Thia was U.P.'s attempt to solve the problems associated with the conventional 'tight' corners in fireboxes --- where most common replacements had to be done...

These 800s are truly wonderful machines...

W,
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/16 21:16 by wcamp1472.

About three and a half threads engaged.  Doesn't sound like much does it?  Maybe when you have to replace pieces in the firebox sheets you could use thicker material for the patch and then you'd get more engagement.  There's an idea.

So they are busy putting the backhead back together and have reinstalled the cab...but, let me guess, the No.4 drivers probably still haven't been reinstalled yet....

TrackGuy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So they are busy putting the backhead back
> together and have reinstalled the cab...but, let
> me guess, the No.4 drivers probably still haven't
> been reinstalled yet....

Why bother?

Wes, I was differentiating between the fixed stays used in parallel areas where there is no relative movement
between the two fixed points (inner and outer sheets) and the flexible stays used in areas such as curved faces
where there is deflection or relative motion. I do know the difference, you misread me.

Out

re:callum_out.. And the staybolts....

I was being too literal..
I apologize.

" May I quake forever among the camel turds in the dessert, for having slighted you, sir"

W.


( As a matter of habit, and old age, I call the common staybolt, --- all threads, no head, ---- rigid staybolts.
Simply a matter of semantics, I suppose...)... 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/16 10:04 by wcamp1472.

WOW