Port Huron Rebuild

Jerry Christiansen

Mega Poster
WMSTR Lifetime Member
Hi all,

A few pictures of the action at Larson Welding on 9 Jan 2016.

January 001.jpg
Ray drilled and tapped a lot of holes in the Port Huron boiler. Here he is getting set up to drill holes to mount the left hand driver.

January 003.jpg

Ned expalins some facts of life to Louie.

January 004.jpg
Three crews working on the Port Huron. Holes are being drilled and tapped for the right hand driver. Another crew is drilling and tapping holes on top of the boiler to mount the engine. A third crew is cleaning parts.

January 005.jpg

Mean while in the other bay of Jim's shop parts are taken out of a trailer and cleaned.

January 008.jpg

The original steam dome will be put on just for appearances. The bottoms of the rivets were are gound smooth, then spot welded so they won't fall out.

More pictures coming.
Jerry Christiansen
 
More pictures.

January 010.jpg
Louie really isn't going to eat that donut, he said he was inspecting it for Wimpy.

January 011.jpg

More Port Huron parts getting cleaned.

January 012.jpg

More holes being drilled and tapped.

January 017.jpg

Installing studs, getting closer to putting a driver on.

January 018.jpg

The axle is slid in.

January 019.jpg

Installing the righthand driver.

More coming,
Jerry Christiansen
 
The last of the pictues I took.
January 023.jpg
Obviously they are discussing BOD matters.

January 024.jpg
Mel is still cleaning parts.

January 026.jpg

The Port Huron had a lap seam boiler. The new boiler is a welded boiler and doesn't have a lap seam. The seam from the old boiler is getting cleaned up and will be bolted on so it will look like a lap seam boiler.

January 027.jpg
Kenneth and Marlin drilled holes to mount the smoke stack and cut out the hole for the smoke stack.

I left the shop around 1:30. I hope someone else will share some pictues from later in the day.

Later,
Jerry Christiansen
 
Hi all,
I am still hoping for more pictures from Saturday and maybe Sunday.

I happened to drive by Jim's shop today and saw what the crew got done. I didn't have a camera with me, so no pictues.

The Port is sitting outside the shop with all its wheels in place. The smoke stack is in place and the engine is bolted in place. The crew got a lot done after I left.

Congratulations to all involved. Thanks for the hard work.

Later,
Jerry Christiansen
 
Jerry, I’m really proud of all the work that got done and more importantly the people. We had tremendous crews! Even you and I worked together well. Everyone worked hard plus we had a very fun time visiting. The Port Huron went from “started” to clearly “in progress”. There’s still a ton of work to be done, but much of the heavy lifting work is behind us. I’d think platform and bunkers will be the next big job, steam dome, frivets, lap seam, followed by lots of levers to mount and finally the plethora of piping to be installed. Jim wants to be running by steam up in April which is an incredibly aggressive goal………..but as the sign in my office says, “you miss all the shots you don’t take”, so an aggressive schedule will keep us focused on the end. I'll be out of the country for the February work weekend, but hopefully we can get some work done before that.

Congratulations to all the crews that worked Saturday, it was a tremendous success!
 
portpic.JPG I meant to post this picture but we had a passing in my family so it's a couple weeks late but this is the Port as she rolled out of the shop on Sunday morning on all four wheels. Awesome job to everyone involved still a lot of work ahead but we're getting there and hopefully we will have steam on by April for the MSEA steam up

Ned
 
That thing that use to look like an anemic hunk of overgrown pipe is starting to look like a steam engine! Thanks Ned.
 
Hi all,

The Port Huron was back in the shop on Friday morning with a crew ready to go to work. I stopped by after I got off work Friday afternoon to see who was there and check the progress.

Hartley and Louie were working on installing the sheilds over the gears. I believe the wheel on this side had to come off so they could get enough room to work. Look through the flywheel and notice the steam dome. The new steam dome is very small compared to the original.
January 034.jpg

Work on the original steam dome started on the last Work Weekend. Ned dod some more work and is getting ready to lift it into place.
January 035.jpg

Noah is on the boiler setting the steam dome in place. More members of the Friday work crew stopped what they were doing to watch.

January 037.jpg

After the steam dome was in position, Ned did some final fit and cut holes for the pipes to come through. Four holes will be drilled and tapped to hold the steam dome in place.

January 040.jpg

Here is a picture from the other side. If you look closely you can see that one rivet is missing. That is where one of the bolts will be installed to secure the steam dome. The chalk drawings on the boiler are from a couple weeks ago when we were discussing the loactation of the casting that holds the axle.

January 041.jpg

Bob C is installing the foot pedal for the brake.

January 038.jpg

Ray W repaired a bracket for the brake.
January 039.jpg

I wasn't able to go to Jim's shop on Saturday or Sunday. I hope someone that was there will provide an update of the progess.

Later,
Jerry Christiansen



 
Jerry, I didn’t take any pictures L, but we did get a bunch done on Saturday. The castings for the hitch and platform were installed and the hitch went on after Jim and Ned beat it into submission…………certainly didn’t fall on there, but they got it. The firebox door ring got installed, wheel rub castings, the steps and standing platform on the left side got installed, the clutch, throttle and reverse lever are installed, and the governor was in place when I left around 4:00 pm. It was a banner weekend and it’s starting to become clearer how it MAY run for steam up! Still a very aggressive goal with lots to do. I see the biggest jobs as:

Main Steam piping

Exhaust steam piping and nozzle installation

Setting the timing and staking the reverse block casting

Piping (not plumbing according to Tom Dillon) of the two injectors (this, by the way is no small task!)

Install linkages for clutch, throttle and reverse

Install the smokebox door

Make and install clutch shoes

Install the bunkers in the platform

Make and install keys for the flywheel and left side bull pinion

Install the canopy

Trim, (whistle cord, lubricators, draft door chain, rear step……..this, too, is not small and takes a lot of time)

Maybe someone else can add to this and it's our "punch list" to ensure we get everything done.

Good luck in February!


Ray
 
Hi all,

Ray posted a list of things done and things to do. I stopped by Jim's shop and took some pictures after work today.

January 042.jpg
The engine and all the drive gears are in place. The steps, governor, steam dome and levers are mounted. The sheild above the gears is in place, but can't be seen in this picture;

January 043.jpg
The framework for the platform and bunkers is in place. The firebox ring and ash pan door are ready to go.

January 044.jpg

Now the sheilds above the gears can be seen.

January 045.jpg
This angle shows the brake pedal a bit better.


January 046.jpg
One of the bolts holding the steam dome in place can be seen. A lot (jsut about all) of piping needs to be done.

January 047.jpg

The wood blocks for the clutch need to be made and installed. The lugs on the Port Huron drivers are part of the wheel casting. Wimpy would need to burn a lot of rod to build those back up.

January 048.jpg

A close up showing a tandem, compound steam engine.

Thanks to everybody for all the work!

Later,
Jerry Christiansen

By the way, when I took the pictures at 4:45 the temperature in Fargo was 37 degrees F and rain was falling.
 
Last edited:
Hi all,

I happened to call Larson Welding today about a different topic and learned that Mark K and Hartley E were spending time on the Port Huron today. I stopped after work to take a few pictures and talked with Jim about the progress.

January 049.jpg

The governor is piped and the hole coming out of the steam dome has been dressed up. You can also see that most of the studs have been trimed.

January 050.jpg
It may not look like much, but the hole for the blower valve has been drilled and tapped.

January 052.jpg

The valves for the water glass have been installed along with the try cocks. The holes for the injectors are drilled and tapped and the locations of the feed water pipes have been laid out.

It may not look like much was done, but a lot of measuring and figuring has to be done before holes are drilled in the boiler.

Thanks to everyone for the work that is being done on the Port!

Later,
Jerry Christiansen
 
looking good guys! I'm on the other side of the pond right now but i'll be back soon. sure great to see the project progressing! Jerry keep the pictures coming........it's amazing to see how far that has come.
 
Hi Caveman,

I am certain that someone knows the serial number, I don't.

Where is the number located on a Port Huron?

Later,
Jerry Christiansen
 
Jerry and Caveman,

If I remember correctly, the serial number is on the smoke box door. However, I do not remember what that number is off the top of my head...
I have a short article about the engine at home that I will post later this afternoon, I think it has the number.

Sanders
 
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