onetreeforge Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 There has been this old boiler lying on the side of an old train line for over 100 years close to my place, everyone says it was from a train witch didn't fit through the tunnel and was removed and dumped. but I don't think it is a locomotive boiler and it may not even be a boiler. it has no fire tubes or fire box, just has a single offset tube witch is huge There was an old timbermill up the track witch burned down in 1881, it must have been something they were trying to take away for scrap. I find it hard to beleave someone would drive there train up the track and when they found it wouldn't fit through the tunnel then remove the boiler and just dump it and then carry on. The middle photo I found with a similar riveted vessel with an offset tube, but can't find out what they were used for. If anyone could tell me what it is would be realy helpfull Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgemaster Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Classed as a cornish boiler, it was set into brickwork therefore a stationary boiler, it was fired by hand, the grate was located in the central tube, in service it was set with the inner tube to the bottom of the barrel, not really that efficient, but they had a fairly large steam reserve, due to the large amount of water above boiling point that was contained inside it, also had a reasonable large steam space, a further development of the cornish boiler was the lancashire boiler which usually had 2 fire tubes. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron woodrow Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 i was wondering where i left my cornish boiler! thanks, ill come and get it. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Boilers powered more than trains back then, saw mills, winches to haul trees out of forests via cable lines, to run pumps to keep mines dry and run lifts. Boilers were the portable generators of the their day. I have a boiler front plate that I found out in the desert and I have used it for many years as my welding table, it came from the scrap heap at an old mine north of Phoenix, AZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetreeforge Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 Classed as a cornish boiler, it was set into brickwork therefore a stationary boiler, it was fired by hand, the grate was located in the central tube, in service it was set with the inner tube to the bottom of the barrel, not really that efficient, but they had a fairly large steam reserve, due to the large amount of water above boiling point that was contained inside it, also had a reasonable large steam space, a further development of the cornish boiler was the lancashire boiler which usually had 2 fire tubes. Phil Thanks for that info, its what I was looking for, I think I may have found the remains of the brick work, I was hoping I would find a steam hammer or something, Alot of people will be dissapointed when I brake the news to them its a stationary boiler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetreeforge Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 i was wondering where i left my cornish boiler! thanks, ill come and get it. :rolleyes: Lol they tryed to take it away 100 yers ago and thats befor the train line was ripped up and the bush covered everything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetreeforge Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 Boilers powered more than trains back then, saw mills, winches to haul trees out of forests via cable lines, to run pumps to keep mines dry and run lifts. Boilers were the portable generators of the their day. I have a boiler front plate that I found out in the desert and I have used it for many years as my welding table, it came from the scrap heap at an old mine north of Phoenix, AZ. It must have been powering the mill, as this is in a very remote place, now they want to protect this boiler and have put it on timbers, everyone thinks its from the train Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron woodrow Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 it is possible that an attempt to move it was made, and it was put behind a train, on a flatbed, and its diameter was to great to fit through the tunnel. that would fit both stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetreeforge Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 it is possible that an attempt to move it was made, and it was put behind a train, on a flatbed, and its diameter was to great to fit through the tunnel. that would fit both stories. Yes I think thats what happend and it was dumped at the tunnel, The history everyone tells it and is written in the books is that the boiler was ordered from england and there was a mixup somewhere, and it was too big for the train it was powering, and when they came to the first and only tunnle they dumped it off the train chassis But when I think about it the boiler is on the same side of the tunnel as the port and the mill, witch is about 3 miles, witch means they didn't get far at all, and there was no where to buld up a train as it is a very remot place, and the boiler is not a locomotive boiler or show any indercation it was fitted to a locomotive, witch means it was powering something at the mill and not a locomotive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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