gmpullmanWith a drop-pit, wheels, tires and spring rigging could be dropped and replaced in a matter of hours. Usually a spare driver set was on-hand but if a new tire had to be sweat on to a driver center that could add two to four hours to the job.
Ed,
That's amazing to me. I would think dropping a driver axle and changing a tire would take a lot longer than 6-8 hours. I can't imagine removing all those rods on both sides plus removing and replacing all the other associated stuff plus the tire sweating on/off could be done that fast. That would really be something to see! I've seen tires sweated on and off and it's a very interesting process. I would think the new tire would have to be trued to match the opposite tire depending on how badly it was worn too.
I've also heard about boilermakers climbing into a hot firebox or smokebox just after the fire was dropped so they could see just how bad the damage was and start the repair. Tough guys!
This all started out of my desire to add operating cards to my layout and need to add some drama to operating my engine terminal. Guys always add cards for hotboxes, slow orders for track, mantenance, weather, etc so I thought doing some engine defect cards would help create a little confusion & delay too.
Man, that's some neat equipment in those photos! Those fellows sure earned their money back then. I spent 44+ years working on aircraft and I thought we had some dirty, tough jobs and cool equipment but looking at steam shops makes it pale by comparison.
Thanks for the help, Guys!
Roger
BMMECNYCThe more serious the repair, or more complicated, the longer the time in the roundhouse.
I never thought about that! You men a firebox renewal would take longer than replacing a burned out headlight bulb?
Thanks,
Roger Huber
I'll give a little background supporting the responses I made above.
All of the work mentioned by the OP could be performed in any moderate-to-large sized roundhouse without having the locomotive sent to the backshops. There were gangs available 'round the clock for running repairs and for the most part, turn-around time was extremely important especially in the War years and for some time afterward as the railroads played catch-up to much defered maintenance and limits to new locomotive purchases.
Here's an organizational chart showing just how many departments were involved in locomotive repair:
Most of the tradesmen involved had apprentices and helpers so there usually wasn't a shortage of labor on hand, although the War did have some effect on labor resources.
Quite a bit of the equipment available in the roundhouse was geared for "in-place" repairs in order to get the locomotive back in service until such time as the general foremen decided that heavy repairs or an overhaul was necessary, requiring scheduling in the backshop.
Replacing sets of driving wheels was pretty much a routine job for the roundhouse forces. A few of the roundhouses I'm familiar with had two, and sometimes three drop pits.
Here's one that is large enough to handle two drivers at once. It was all about saving time...
I have talked with boilermakers who have told me that as soon as the fire was dropped and the engine moved into the roundhouse under residual steam pressure, he would toss a few planks over the grates, connect a shop air line to the blower connection in order to get a draft of cool air up through the grates and climb into the firebox. He had to check staybolts and seams while the boiler was still hot and enough steam pressure remained to help the leak to show up.
Nearly every roundhouse had a stationary steam plant and the locomotives could be quickly brought up to operating temperature and pressure and a new fire laid, using oil burners designed for the purpose in a very short time perhaps one-to-two hours. Often the boilers were filled with hot water and steam and the locomotive then moved to a "firing" track where the new fire was made.
Hostlers were kept busy making sure the assigned locomotives were lined up, in proper order and completely ready for the arriving engine crew. Protection engines were kept on-hand for last-minute failures or to minimize delays, especially on any of the tight-scheduled passenger trains.
Again, lots of this is based on what may be usual or average. I'm sure it varied greatly depending on traffic needs, the size of the railroad and location, or importance, of the roundhouse.
Regards, Ed
oldline1OK.........your steamer a heavy 2-8-0 returns to the engine terminal after a run and gets serviced with coal, sand, water, washed, inspected and ashes dumped. Inspection reveals some defects and assuming the shop there has the capability how long would it take them to make these repairs? loose driver tire? leaking flues? broken or leaking staybolts? broken driver springs? stoker inop-motor broken?
While the times for the repairs may be correct, I doubt the turn around time on the engine would be that quick. Having worked in a shop, the chances of having an open spot in the backshop exactly when the engine showed up is low. There could be several hours getting the engine hostled from the service area to the shop where the repairs have to be done. Backshops don't necessarily operate 24x7, they might only work one or two shifts so there might be a delay depending on when the engine is ad ordered. For the leaking stay bolts and probably the leaking flues the steam would have to be dropped in the engine and the engine allowed to cool to work on it. The shop forces would have to trouble shoot the problems (the tire is loose, why?). Then once the engine is repaired it would have to steamed up, then tested and hostled back to the ready track.
While the repairs may take a few hours, reality probably is that any of those things would have the engine out of service for anywhere from a day to a week. To give an example, it takes less than an hour to change out a wheelset on a car on the RIP track. But if the car department bad orders a car in the yard, unless there is specific heat on the car, its a two day magical mystery tour through the yard, the RIP track and back to the yard. On a set of diesel engines, you can figure to get the inbound power to diesel shop, service it and inspect it, then get it back out to the yard on an outbound train, its anywhere from 4-6 hours if they are spinning well. And that's just putting fuel and sand in the engine, no actual repairs. Typically the turn time is greater than that, 8-12 hours.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Freight Terminals and Trains by John A Droege has a chapter on "The Engine House". That chapter parallels what Ed is saying. The more serious the repair, or more complicated, the longer the time in the roundhouse.
If the locomotive being repaired has streamlining, the removal of that streamlining and re-installation will also add to the time for all repairs.
Those are all four to six hour jobs for a decent-sized roundhouse except for the broken staybolt depending on it's location in the firebox. IF the jacket and lagging has to be removed to get to the cold side of the staybolt or if some of the cab hardware has to be removed the job might get into ten or twelve hours. Sometimes a leaking staybolt can be "caulked" in place with an air hammer if the leak was caught in time.
Unless superheaters have to be removed, flues can be changed out in a few hours. Add eight or ten hours to that if superheaters need to come out.
With a drop-pit, wheels, tires and spring rigging could be dropped and replaced in a matter of hours. Usually a spare driver set was on-hand but if a new tire had to be sweat on to a driver center that could add two to four hours to the job.
One thing I am not sure about is if the new tires have to be "trued-up" on the wheel lathe to be sure of no run-out after they cool.
Of course, all of this has a great deal of variability involved but these are pretty routine jobs for the shop forces.
OK.........your steamer a heavy 2-8-0 returns to the engine terminal after a run and gets serviced with coal, sand, water, washed, inspected and ashes dumped. Inspection reveals some defects and assuming the shop there has the capability how long would it take them to make these repairs?
loose driver tire?
leaking flues?
broken or leaking staybolts?
broken driver springs?
stoker inop-motor broken?