Project 3713

Some of the other projects I've worked on for Steamtown and the NPS. Projects include B&M 3713, 514, 664. Currently building the new stoker trough for 3713.

Some end of the year Boston and Maine #3713 backshop progress. At this point, the shop forces are concentrating on a lot of small projects. During these repairs..., it appears as if there isn't anything getting done on the engine or tender. But, without all of these little detail items getting attention, the locomotive could not function reliably when it's put back into service hauling excursion trains. See captions under the photos. See more

With the snow flying and temperatures a bit on the chilly side, imagine yourself inside the warm cab of our #3713 all nice and cozy . This is a photo of a Boston and Maine P4b Pacific locomotive backhead, maybe even our of #3713. Once restored, the cab controls of the #3713 will look a lot like this. Note the #1130. This is the order number of this batch of locomotives from the Lima Locomotive Works by the B&M.

Newly cast brake heads arrived at the shop.last week to replace the worn out, previously repaired (quiet a few times) units. The tender has 16 of these brake heads, (2 per wheel) on which the brake shoes will be attached.

Giving the project a boost. As mentioned earlier, there was a worn area where the booster motor is supported by the trailing truck frame. That area was welded up to fill in the worn area as well as a little extra for machining . The casting was set up in the 100" King vertical boring machine in the proper level, and with the use of a tracing template, the support pocket was brought back to original blueprint specifications.

And to end this productive week, the tender truck equalizer beams have been built up on the worn area that sit on top.of the journal boxes. These will be set out for stress relieving.befor they are machined to the original dimensions following the General Steel Castings blueprints.

It’s the season of giving. Steamtown is collecting toys for the less fortunate. If you can’t get to the park in the next few weeks, seek out a toy collection box near you. #HappyThanksgiving2020

Another major item is now in the shop. The Coffin turbine water pump.has been fully rebuilt by the Coffin Pump Company. This is the same company that built the pump back in the late 1930's. Needles to say, they were pretty excited to work on an historic piece of their original equipment.

Work has begun on rebuilding the rear support pocket of the #3713 booster engine casting. This spherical pocket allows the engine to pivot while maintaining full contact on the two support bearings that rest on the trailing truck axle as it raises and lowers going over uneven track.. This is a three point support setup.

This week the reinforcement of the tender buffer pocket is complete except for some paint. Plug welded top plates plus the complete replacement of the angled web are now close to or exceeding the original. Definitely way stronger than the badly rusted portions that were replaced

Some things are better left for the pros. The egged out equalizer lever holes in the 3713's main frame get some attention. Welder and Line Boring company, Oaks Welding, was hired to repair the holes and line bore them in proper position for new bushings. These will be the pivot points for the massive equalizer levers that even out the spring pressure between the drivers on uneven track.

For this #ThrowbackThursday, we take you to a fall day in the 1960's. Steam locomotive no. 127 is seen moving toward the turntable in the Boston & Maine railro...ad yard in North Walpole, NH. To the right, you can see the Big Boy, Union Pacific no. 4012 and Boston & Maine no. 3713. If you look closely, you will see the unique smokestack cover built into the Big Boy’s smokestack shield. Do you recognize any other pieces in the photo? NPS Photo, Steamtown USA collection. #OctoberSteamCelebration See more

You can see photos of Boston & Maine no. 3713 undergoing restoration in the Visitor Center as part of our #OctoberSteamCelebration. We are looking forward to th...e completion of this restored locomotive so that it will see more time on our turntable, and on the mainline around this region of Pennsylvania. NPS Photo, Steamtown USA Collection.

Number 3713 is known as The Constitution. The name was selected in 1937 through an essay contest held to name 20 Boston and Maine passenger locomotives. A 14-year-old student, J. Schumann Moore of Lynn, Massachusetts suggested the name. #OctoberSteamCelebration

For the next 7 days, Project 3713 and the Big Boy (Union Pacific 4012) will be highlighted at Steamtown. Stop by the park, if you have a chance.

An inside view. This is the inside of one of the tender truck journal boxes that were converted to roller bearings. The tool you see was made by one of our Johnson College grads. The purpose of the tool is to hold the 1045 steel liners in place while it is plug welded to the ceiling of the box. This is where the roller bearing adapter will contact the top of the box, where at one time the friction bearing wedge originally sat. The tool and the welding procedure were directly taken from the AAR manual of truck specifications.

Coming up in the not too distant future, the stoker trough is going to be rebuilt. The original one shown here is in really bad shape. Fortunately, there are a few other troughs in the bone yard that have good end castings. The best of these will be taken and used to build a new stoker trough assembly by mating the useable ends with a new formed center section . This will.be lined with abrasion resistant steel to help reduce the wear from grinding up the coal chunks on their way to the firebox.

With the tender frame right side up again, some reinforcement work is being done around the buffer pocket. This area will house the springs and wedges that make up the Franklin Locomotive Buffer assembly the keeps the connection between the locomotive and tender tight. The tops of the pocket had corroded down to 3/8" thick from an original thickness of 7/8". Most likely from years of having coal dust and rain water sitting on top.

A tender (frame) subject. Today's shop work consists of line drilling and reaming of the center casting and frame prior to hot riveting. And the new coupler and draft gear gets test fitted into the pocket. Both jobs are easier with the frame being upside down.

Innovation is the word I would use for this application of a radial arm drill press. The #3713 tender frame was moved over to the radial arm drill press and leveled in order to dress the repaired area where the loose center casting caused some damage to the frame. The worn area was welded up and roughly ground flat by eye. In order to insure a perfectly flat surface is made for the new center casting, a grinding disc was mounted to the drill press and fed across the surface until a fully cleaned up surface was achieved. Yes, innovation is a good word for this!