Building a Willamette donkey

[Ray Dunakin]

Thanks, I would appreciate that!

[marc_reusser]

Frederic....Going to hijack your thread here for a few, to post the images of the Clyde Iron Works Mine Hoists for Ray....these are from their 1912 catalog.

[marc_reusser]

Clyde

[marc_reusser]

Clyde

[marc_reusser]

Clyde

[marc_reusser]

Clyde

[marc_reusser]

Clyde

[marc_reusser]

Clyde

[marc_reusser]

Clyde

[marc_reusser]

Clyde electric

[marc_reusser]

Clyde electric


At this time, this concludes our Mine Hoist section.

[NORCALLOGGER]

Hi Frederic,

Rick, it certainly would be a shame not to try making Russ the happiest of the men, but for an ignorant like me, "drilling the tell-tale holes in the stay-bolts" is quite an esoteric sentence...

I don't know if your serious or not but will take it that way.  The stay bolts were used to hold the fire box sheet and the boiler water jacket apart and in stable position.  The "rivets" around the bottom section of your Willamette boiler are actually stay bolts.  The stay bolts had a hole drilled into them from the outside and if any of them broke or cracked they would leak steam/water creating a tell-tale to the operator so he would know they needed repair.  What usually happend in actual operation is that a nail was driven into the tell-tale to stop the leak and the nail sticking out acted as a marker for repair at the end of the logging season when the equipment was refurbished.


The attached sketch isn't real clear but shows the general idea.
Later
Rick

[Ray Dunakin]

That was quick! Thanks! I think one of those hoists might be just the ticket for one of my older mines.

[marc_reusser]

Ray,

I found Lidgerwood catalog from 1893 in my library, that has a bunch more mine hoisting engines, they are all pretty sim to the ones already posted, though one design has a side elev. drawing (no scale)....I can scan and post it if you want.


Frederic:

I am sorry, but I have to say that I am glad that you are not going to use the Willamette for your project (as these were really logging specific engines), and changing to a smaller unit. FWIW There are two smaller units (hoisting engines) shown in the 1925 catalog,...I am sure you will see them when you get yours....that are sim to the ones I have posted by the other mfrs.

One thing that really pointed against the use of the large Willamette (other than it being a logging engine) is the fact that logically a used boiler for a maritime facility like yours would most likely come from one of several places: either an old boiler and winch set-up salvaged from a ship, and old boiler and winched salvaged from a dock (they used to have them for loading and unloading cargo), or a second hand/used boiler from some kind of construction company.......in any case they would all be of the smaller size.  I have the instruction sheet drawings for a CHB 2-drum hoist engine..(not to scale)......I will scan them and post them along with a reference dimension. I also have a drawing (I think from a Bill Roy Plan Pack) for a single drum "utility steam donkey" that was used on the docks in San Francisco, that I will scan & post here.



Marc

[Frederic Testard]

Rick : thanks for the explanation about the holes and, sometimes, nails in the bolts. I had seen some of these nails and had no idea about their use. Now, I know.

Marc : no problem with the additionnal pictures, this is not hi-jack but cultural tourism. And I agree on the more prototypical aspect of the smaller machine, not too logging looking. Thanks for all the information, and in advance for all the new images you plan to add.