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Society for the Preservation of Steam Engines |
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The restoration Activities in de period from October 2000 until the 7th of September, 2001 Invited by the Nederlands Openluchtmuseum (Dutch Open Air Museum) a delegation of the VBS inspected the engine in October 2000 in the depot of the museum. The VBS discussed the possible approach with the curator, Mr. van 't Hull. It lacked the inspection certificate, the identification plate from the Boiler Inspectorate, the drawings and the material data of the boiler. To get the portable steam worthy again the drawings and a material description of the boiler are necessary and an expert will have to investigate the state of the boiler. Shortly after this visit Mr. Bijker of boiler manufacturer Standard Fasel in Utrecht was approached. The Ten Horn firm has been part of Standard Fasel for years. A thorough search of the archives of Ten Horn proved that no drawings dated before 1900 were present anymore. In April 2001 the VBS visited the Open Air Museum again and the most important measures of the portable were taken. Based on this measurements a new drawing was made. In June 2001 a quotation was done to the Open Air Museum which was approved by the Open Air Museum in August 2001 On the 7th of September the portable was transported to Nijkerk by Henk van der Wal from Jubbega. Plan of action After the engine arrived in Nijkerk a thorough visual inspection revealed some interesting details. During the time that the engine was property of the Henry Ford Museum in the United States attempts were made to repair the boiler. The crown plate of the firebox was replaced altogether. The firebox has no crown stays but four supports that are attached to the crown plate with firm bolts. That this repair occurred in the United States could be concluded from the performed welding. Before 1940, no welding was done at boilers. Undoubtedly, one removed the bolts and the supports, cut out the crown plate, and welded a new one, working from the inside of the firebox. With little space above the firebox it had to be a singular weld. The weld did not flow well and looks shoddy and irregular. The question rises, of course, why this crown plate had to be replaced. The dents between the crown plate supports points to damage, caused perhaps by stoking the boiler while the water level was too low. Extreme corrosion could have been another reason. The fire tube plate did probably leak which could not be stopped by caulking. This was also welded. The weld looks well at the lower side, but at the upper side the melt had not been hot enough to get a good weld. Extreme corrosion was found around one of the mud hole covers leaving a thickness of the plate of 3mm instead of the original 11 mm. Multiple rivets have a welded edge. The fire tubes are new and well fitted. We concluded that the repair did not lead to a safe boiler. With chalk stripes still visible at the newly placed crown plate of the firebox the boiler was never stoked after the repair. Unfortunately the Henry Ford Museum has no documentation about the repair. After this inspection the plan was made to remove all parts and to have the boiler inspected by a certified boiler inspector. All parts got marked where necessary to make the rebuild possible. The boilerSaturday, October 13th, 2001, Wouterus Bos, a certified boiler inspector from Bunschoten carried out a thorough inspection. The welding was reviewed as totally insufficient. In search of cracks an error in the used plating was discovered. At some spots "doubling" was found. Doubling occurs when the iron plates are rolled and undesired layers arise, mostly existing out of Phosphor and Sulfur compounds. This very thin layer separates the plate in two layers. |
