Steam & Excursion > Milwaukee Road 261 8 September 2021

Ron (former Amtrak & Soo Line engineer retired 24-years ago-) paid his respects to the Friends of the 261 at Minneapolis Junction, MN, 8 September 2021.  Thanks Steve for the invite.

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Are those braces or syphons?

Circulators, but they do act a bit as braces.
 

I  read they were going to do an oil conversion, is this the initial steps?

Cheers, Dave

Looks like an annual inspection to me.

Surprised to see 261's appearance.  It was in 2009 that the last 15 yr/1472 inspection was done.

Jim, there are plenty of reasons for jacketing to be removed, typically staybolt work. Like I say, most likely in preparation for the annual inspection.

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Hillcrest Wrote:
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> I  read they were going to do an oil conversion,
> is this the initial steps?
>
They're doing a cost/benefit analysis, probably won't happen till the next 1472.  This is probably a flexible cap inspection.

nycman Wrote:
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> Surprised to see 261's appearance.  It was in
> 2009 that the last 15 yr/1472 inspection was done.

Likely flexible cap inspection.  Done more frequently than the 1472.

It's not really a flexible cap inspection..
The  crucial task is what's under the flexible  caps: The Flannery Flexible
Staybot inspection.

Flannery Flexibles have a 'ball' head, slotted for installation.
The Flannery bolts are screwed into the firebox sheets, hammered 
at the sheets, and may be 'seal-welded' to the side sheets.
( 'seal welding' is a single-pass of welding rod, uniting the side-sheet steel
to the staybolt in order to form a thermally-uniform joint between the 
side sheet [3/8"] and the bolt-body).

The Flannery bolts are machined with ball-head to allow the outer end to pivot slightly
as the hotter side sheet moves longitudinally from the colder, 1"-thick steel of the wrapper sheet.  
Continual flexing of the bolts in the firebox sheets leads to thread-tearing at the firebox
sheets.  The repeated expansion-contraction cycles of the firebox can break and tear the 
staybolt threads due to 'metal-fatigue'...

Because the outer ends of Flannerys are in a ball socket, when cold, and without pressure,
the common method of stsybolt testing: by hammer-bounce of the inner ends --- on Flannerys
will not work.

Old-style, Hammer testing  used on solid bolt, (not cracked), will cause a hammer head to
immediately recoil---- be bounced away fro the struck bolt.
A cracked, defective, or broken ( conventional bolt) will not KICK-BACK the hammerhead,
when struck---- the hammer will stick to the steel as if magnetized!

Flexible Flannerys, who's outer ends are loose,  and they cannot be hammer-tested as a way
of compliance testing.....  and will, likewise, not respond to hammer-testing

In order to test Flannerys, they are factory-bored (3/16") their full length, and at least 1/3 of
the way into the ball head.   

To compliance-test Flannerys, this tell-tale hole must be proven to be open its entire length,
and a simple electrically insulated ( battery) probe is inserted the full length of the bolt.

Only the very tip of the pointed-probe is exposed.  If the point of the probe gets into the
head of the bolt, and makes contact with the copper-plated hole-bore, in the head --
-- it lights 💡 a bulb,  indicating to the inspector that the hole is proven to be open,
and is open & clear, it's entire length.

To keep the telltale holes open during the hot fires and road trips,   In-service Flannery bolts
have their open telltale holes ( firebox end) plugged with pourous refractory-brick, clay plugs.
At inspection time, the plugs are chipped out, using a special Flannery tool.
( pourous--- to permit blowing steam, when in-service, & indicating torn/broken bolts) 

Failure to gat a bright light from the tester, flunks the continuity test, and the bolt must
be replaced, just as if it were a 'broken bolt'.  

In order to further assist in the "continuity testing", Flannery bolts' tell-tale holes are
copper-plated their entire bolt-hole length, top to bottom.   

NEVER CLEAN THE BOLT HOLES WITH A MODERN ELECTRIC DRILL & BIT!!

You will peel-off and ruin the interior copper plating...and the ruined bolt-holes & bolts
run the risk of being condemned  because of a failed 'electric test''.

The proper pressure-testing of all the Flannery bolts, means that they must be stretched, with the ball-heads
pulled-tight into the shell, and the firebox pulled-tight against the bolt threads. 

To get that 'stretch',  hydrostatic pressure is applied to the whole boiler...however, the pressure 
does not have to be the same as the 'formal" hydro-test spec of 125% of MAWP.  A hydro-pressure
of a lower value will stretch the bolts enough to open-up and expose to strong leakage-spray from
any fractures in any Flannery bolt, when holes are properly prepared.

Removing the jacket and insulation, allows visual inspection of the Flannery bolt sockets
that house the ball head, and with the jacket and insulation removed, minor cracks in the 
attaching welds can be repaired.

Some Flannery bolts have a recess, beveled hole. ( no two-piece socket)  in the boiler sheet,
as a seat for the ball head and which are covered by a hemispheric steel cap, welded to the
boiler shell, as a cover for the Flannery bolt.  

You will find such welded-on Flannery covers are over bolts where the sheets' lateral movement
forces are nonexistent, and those covered bolts rarely get cracked.  As long as those bolts
successfully pass the 'hole-continuity' test, those welded-on covers never have to be removed,
unless the bolt inside is being replaced because of leaking condition --- steam/water out the
tell-tale hole.

editing break...
W.

not proofed, yet...


 



 



Edited 8 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/21 16:11 by wcamp1472.

Thanks, Flash and the rest of you.  As much as I have learned there is apparently a lot more I need to learn.

We’re all at different points on the learning-curve.

The more I learn, it reveals how much more I HAVE, yet to learn…

Everyone alive today, came along after steam left the scene… except for a very few places..

We’re all, mostly stumbling in the dark, compared to even what the steam-era apprentices knew..

My aim is to reach-back to others and try to Impart the truth about caring for big steam.

W

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/21 18:04 by wcamp1472.

flash34 Wrote:
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> Looks like an annual inspection to me.

To me too, thought they might be killing two birds...

Cheers, Dave