Best blocks and pistons

Many of my friends have farm workshops and work on trucks, tractors or 7.5 in trains as a hobby. One of my friends Hank said he would like to see the museum and agreed to help fix up the whitcomb. We took all the remaining pistons, blocks, and heads up to the frieght house. We worked to loosen the bolts on the hood and radiator that have to come off next spring. Many of them broke off and were replaced with new ones. We honed the cylinders on the three best blocks. One block needed new studs. We installed them. The best blocks and pistons and rods are being cleaned, polished and fitted. The next day we wire brushed and painted 6 engine hand hole covers.

Modifing Aluminum piston to fit older style con rod

The pistons and connecting rods were different in the two engines. The engine from the locomotive was 10 years older and had cast iron pistons. The donated engine had aluminum pistons. I was not able to get all the old pistons out and decided to go with the aluminum pistons. Trouble was there were only 5 connecting rods for the newer pistons. I had to modify an aluminum piston to work with one old style connecting rod. Bronze bushings were made and pressed into the piston so the piston pin could pivot in the piston.

The pistons are pushed out

I took Whitcomb block (cyl 5-6) and 2 blocks from the spare engine to J&M welding in Rock Creek Ohio. Joe used a 100 ton press to push out 4 stuck pistons. The newer Aluminum pistons seem to stick tighter than the cast iron ones. Then my friend Al and I chiseled the rings out of the pistons. The three best blocks were degreased and honed with a glaze breaker. The two best blocks are in fine shape. The third best block has a few small pits in the cylinder but is serviceable.

Disc clutch

After the torque converter there is a single plate clutch operated by a foot pedal. The foot pedal controls an air cylinder. When the foot pedal is pushed down it puts air into the cylinder and disengages the clutch. A large spring returns the cylinder and engages the clutch. The clutch did not move under air pressure. I tried to move the cylinder with a large bar. The cylinder was rusted stuck. I took the cylinder out of the loco and took it home. I hooked the cylinder up to the winch on a tow truck and put some tension on it. after 4 days it broke loose.
With the linkage disengaged, the clutch plate was stuck between the flywheel and the pressure plate. I worked on that for a couple days. I finally got the clutch adjuster freed up and the with the adjuster backed off the clutch plate freed up.

Torque converter

Locomotives need a way to apply power to a load (of cars), exerting a force on the load until the rolling friction is broken and the cars start to move. You dont want to do this by 'slipping the clutch'. In our Whitcomb gas mechanical loco the power is exerted through a torque converter. Whitcomb called it Hydro-Motive. I so fortunate to get a copy of the operation instructions for the Twin disc torque converter. The torque converter is basically two fined plates which operate in oil. The instructions recommend light turbine oil or 10 wt oil. I am planning on using 10 wt. hydralic oil. Our model is a 24 HU-00 which takes 18 gals of oil. The book says to fill it until oil comes out of the fluid over flow level hole. Apply a small amount of lubricant through the fittings every 50 hours. I wonder when that was last done ? I hope that the seals are still good after 67 years.

Good neighbors

The pistons in both engines were stuck. I called Bill R. at Cliffstar about pushing the pistons out with a hydraulic press. Bill said that Cliffstar would help us anyway he could. I took the blocks over to Cliffstar and they put them in the press. They were able to get two pistons out. Two need a bigger press. Thanks Bill and his excellent mechanics.

Fill the crankcase

There is a big cast iron strainer basket in the bottom of the crankcase. Somehow this got broken on the locomotive. One of the first things that I did when I started on the rebuild was to take the good basket out of the spare crankcase. Over the years the copper screen that surrounds the basket deteriorated probably because of acidic conditions in the crankcase. New screen was found and wrapped around the basket. When I went to put the basket in I found that the copper pipe to the oil pump was split. Whether that was what caused the engine to sieze or whether that happened after the engine siezed, I dont know. I spent a whole day just removing the good pipe and oil pump from the spare crankcase and installing the good pipe and new basket in the Whitcomb crankcase. I began to wonder, could the oil pump pull up the new oil when the copper pipe to the strainer basket had air in it. I thought of a way to prime the oil pump and fill the pipe with oil. I stuck a piece of plastic tubing up through the strainer into the pipe. It was downhill to the oil pump. I forced oil in the tube and filled the pipe with oil. I filled the crankcase with 15W40 oil and Lucas oil stabilizer.