I was going to start on
the jacketing but realized I had a ton more work to do before I
started on that. I had to figure out where I needed to connect
all the appliances (air compressors, turbos, etc) and the
running boards to the boiler. Since this boiler is conical, it
was more difficult to line things up. I also wanted to make
sure that once I weld all these brackets on, I could still
easily put on and take off the boiler jacketing. I studied the
prototype drawings very carefully and then made some templates
out of cardboard. I then positioned the 3 turbo brackets on the
boiler and welded them up.
Air Compressors
Mounts
In order to
properly position the Westinghouse air compressors, I
had to get them assembled. In order to do that, I
needed to do some basic machining on them, made tons of
"T" bolts and then assembled them to see how they would
fit. I had to make sure they would fit under the
running boards properly. Only made the "T" bolts for
one compressor for now. Still need to do a lot more
machining on these things and make more "T" bolts before
I can make them ready for display. For now, I plan on
just having these air pumps as "dummy" units, but I have
the drawings/plans to make them fully operational after
I get the engine done. The Westinghouse pumps are
another project that will take some time to finish them.
Running Boards
Now this was a pain in the
a@#. The conical boiler made it real tough to get a straight
line. I made more cardboard templates and welded threaded tabs
on the boiler. I did this so the jacketing could be put on
easier. Once the jacketing is on, I then screw the brackets 0n
for the running boards and air compressors. Since I knew where
the running boards were going to be, I then found a convenient
place for the mechanical lubricators.
