Trip report: Tod Engine Foundation, Pt. 1

(note, all pictures by DKMC from the cornfields of upstate NY. I edited some of them, and failed to include some that were incriminating )

In the past, I've posted about having difficulty in getting a response from several foundries after approaching them to cast from my straight edge patterns.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004011#000014

The picture links are broken in the old posts, but here is an over all shot of the pattern.



Even though Rick Rowlands responded at that time, it took several more tries to really get his attention. In the meantime, I was unsuccessful with a couple more other foundries, and decided to pester and beg Rick again . I guess he got tired of my pestering, felt sorry for me, and agreed to cast them . He had some good advice about the mix to use, (C30) and about having them stress relieved with a facility he uses. Rick is currently second in command at a production foundry and is extremely knowlegable.

Now IMO, there is always the makings of a good trip if 1.) you get to see some interesting iron. The more, the better. As a personal "hobby" project, it does not get much better in terms of raw tonnage (~1/4 million pounds) than the Tod Engine! 2.) There should be a chance to meet interesting people. This goes without saying for Rick Rowlands. I originally began following his saga with the Tod Engine and some of the removal adventures back when it was first offered on the old ATIS list. Rick has a rare determination and has made steady progress to succeed where in that case many people responded, he's the one that got it done when the engine was slated to be scrapped. There were a few who helped in the removal, IIRC, but essentially, Rick is the one who has put vast amounts of time, -and- money to see it through. 3.) if the trip can take place using an airplane for transportation, it's a no brainer.

Yesterday, Friday, all 3 criteria came together. DKMC and I met at 0-dark-thirty, preflighted a trusty Cessna 140 steed, and left the cornfields of upstate NY far behind as we flew into the predawn haze westward to Youngstown, OH. My original destination was Landsdowne airport, sort of diagonally through the woods about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the Tod Engine Foundation. In airtravel terms, about as close as it gets. It is shown on current sectional charts as having services, and a unicom frequency is listed. I began having some misgivings from the tone of voice of the Youngstown approach controller. She confirmed we had airport in sight and approved the frequency change, about the time I noticed the airport didn't look like it had been in use since the 50's.

Well, it was right in Ricks back yard, so i landed to regroup, and we called Rick to let him know we were int town. He came over to meet us and walked around the (locked!) gate. He mentioned that an occasional airplane lands there, but that is has been deserted and locked up for years.

We handed over the patterns, but decided to reposition the airplane to Youngstown-Warren Regional for fuel and security. A few minutes later, we were thrashing the weeds down the center line of the pocked concrete runway, flew over to the regional airport, made arrangements for fuel, and got a cab back down to Rick's place for show and tell.



this view of the fence includes a tantalizing shot of the Tod Engine crosshead bore



...to be continued....

(had to cut this into 2 parts, as it would not accept all the pictures at once)

smt

[ 08-27-2005, 10:13 PM: Message edited by: stephen thomas ]

Tod Engine Trip, part 2

a long view of the crankcase, up toward the crosshead. The steam cylinder will bolt on to the flange at the far end. The flywheel is 20feet in diameter, and each -half- weighs 60,000lbs (if I got the numbers right) Rick has had riggers on site, but patiently moves and locates most of the pieces by himself. It reminds me of the stories Joe Michaels tells of erecting such engines in far off places with basic equipment.



this picture gives a better sense of scale. Rick is facing the camera. I'm trying to mentally process one more bit of information relating to an engine or machine of this scale!



Looking up through the crosshead support again. Noticethe removable babbits on the right. Rick related that the engine started with a 23" diameter main journals when it was originally erected in 1914. It went out of service in 1979. During that time, the journals wore down to 22-3/8". IOW, 5/16" wore off the O.D. of the journals over those 65 years of daily use. Rick related the numbers in pounds of material worn off, but I was on overload and did not retain those numbers.



Here we are, standing on the new foundations of the Tod Engine Foundation. One of the things to put in perspective for a machine this size is the the sheer amount of excavation work, form work, and cubic yards of concrete to be placed, before any mechanical work even begins. Rick did much of it alone, though he has been resourceful in finding some reasonably priced contracting help by exploiting among the retired excavator community. DK on the left, Rick, and me on the right.



The saga of the rescue of this engine, one of the larger stationary steam engines ever built, has been related on several machinery related websites. Rick Rowlands headed up the drive to remove it from the Steel rolling mill where it had been installed in 1914, and worked until the late 1970's. He has started a non-profit museum, to re-erect the engine for public display. The engine will be driven mechanically to show how it functioned. A working foundry is being built on the site to provide educational skills in the foundry trades, including pattern-making, moulding, and pouring. Rick currently is swamped with orders to cast iron parts, which is being conducted at another site until the buildings and foundry can be completed at the museum site.

The astonishing thing about Rick is his drive and energy. He essentially works 3 full time jobs. He is the responsible person in command at the production foundry; also has an arrangement with the owner to cast for his own customers there, and is building the engine and the museum, literally from the ground up.

Rick's wife is a professor at a local universty. She had the day off and was helping scrape and paint the day we met. She took the group photo of us in front of the engine (above). They took us to lunch at a great local place, then offered to drive us back to the airport.

Here's a shot of our trusty steed, at the big downtown airport, the one without the weeds and small trees growing through the tarmac...



It was a great visit from both the iron perspective, and the people perspective.
Thanks for meeting with us, Rick, I hope we did not cost you too much time, and good luck in everything you are doing.

I'm looking forward to seeing the castings!

smt

Very interesting!

Thankyou- nice pics!
Cheers, Stan.

Great story...... now I really know that engine is huge!!!!!.... one bolt weighs more than everything I've made in my life...... And Rick it sounds like your doing a fantastic job...

Well I don't know what to say! Thanks for the excellent post about our little project here in Youngstown. I always enjoy visits from people who appreciate what we are doing here. It makes it all worthwhile. What you and DK saw was about half of the engine. The LP cylinder, HP bedplate, HP cylinder and crankshaft or about 230,000 lbs. still remain at the mill and are waiting to be moved. The trucking and rigging costs are estimated at around $10,000 so getting this casting job from you will help in my efforts to raise that money.

The green sign is something that I just recently put up to replace the older white one which is peeling. The letters and logo on the new sign are all made of cast iron which I poured myself. The steel plates and pipe which make up the sign were all made in one of Youngstown's now closed steel mills. The patterns for the letters are wood letters obtainable at craft stores, the logo pattern I cut out of a piece of 1/8" luan. The logo is the original William Tod Company's logo.

If you are wondering why the flywheel half is on I beams, it is to rectify an oversight when the wheel was put in the pit. I forgot to put timbers in the pit to keep the wheel off the floor, so whenever it rains the bottom of the wheel gets submerged and as as consequence has started to rust. I am lifting the wheel up so I can put a couple of big creosoted timbers under there to keep the wheel out of the water. I am giving my four 20 ton Chinese jacks a workout and I'm up about 2 inches so far.

I read your post with much interest, I live in Baltimore Md. I would like very much to visit your Engine in the hopefully near future.

I have had a love affair with steam engines ever since I was a toddler and my Uncle (A stationary engineer in a cotton mill) would take me with him every few weeks to the mill for a day of "work". I'd even get to "pull the whistle" at the proper times, a wet steam sound that could heard for miles.

Huge magnificent machines with flawless green paint and brass shining, deep red painted floors that were spotless, the smell of hot oil still lingers. These engines turning jack shafts for an entire duckcloth mill.

Their giant sunken flywheels literally singing in their bearings, the monkey motion of the valving, governors, and oil pumps, the soft exhaust chuff muffled by the condensing systems.

I can now look back and reflect, then see again such a wonder. I love all steam engines (they ARE alive!) But those particular memories lay outstanding in my mind.

I only wish that more of today's kids will have an experience of that nature to take with them through life, it is only through the efforts of people like yourself this can be realized. I wouldn't trade those times for anything.

I thank you and hope to meet you some day...