120 Days until the Tod Engine Runs Again

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]Hey there everyone. So, we have 120 days left until this thing must be completely put back together and operational for our big event on September 19th.

[00:00:15]So, let's walk around the engine and see where we're at at this point and the amount of work we have going on and what we have left to do.

[00:00:26]So, as many of you know from previous videos that we now have all the concrete done for the engine.

[00:00:34]Um but we still have the grouting to do over here on the high pressure side and that's going to happen uh two to three weeks from now or so.

[00:00:46]Frankly, I am burned out on concrete after spending two months getting all the forms ready and then you know, all the stress and worry of pouring the 70 yd of concrete for this and so like, you know what? I'm just going to take a little break from the concrete for a little while. So, um but we will be getting that grouting done fairly soon.

[00:01:10]So, um back here we have uh this is ready to go for the uh oil pan. We had a new oil pan fabricated uh to go in here to replace the old one which was cast iron and was busted up.

[00:01:25]So, um we may get that installed this weekend if we get the holes drilled and all that and then get this back in here.

[00:01:33]Um moving towards the cylinder end of the engine.

[00:01:39]Um we have some uh stair treads and steel.

[00:01:45]Uh this is going to get put together uh for this step.

[00:01:49]Uh we've got another one down here. This is going to get uh put together with its new treads um, sometime soon and then we can get rid of that step and then have the much wider 4-ft steps to come up in here.

[00:02:07]Uh, we're not really doing anything with the cylinder right now. The uh, piston rod is still out at the chrome plater.

[00:02:14]They haven't had a chance to work on it.

[00:02:17]Uh, the valve stems, uh, they've been working on on those. Actually, one of them is done. They still have to do something on the other, but for right now, I'm not worried about steam or the steam cylinders or anything.

[00:02:31]Focusing on things that rotate.

[00:02:35]And um, and getting the electric motor drive in so that we can demonstrate all the functions of the engine until we get around to doing the steam side.

[00:02:48]So, over here on the high pressure side, uh, just today I pulled the uh, um, the drill back as it was sitting up this way and I I moved it out of the way when we were um, thinking of doing this trench here for the uh, exhaust line, but since we're not going to do that right now, so we pulled this back into position and then we just have to wire the contactor box up for it so that um, we can get this thing working cuz I think we're going to be needing this here fairly soon for all the stuff we have to make.

[00:03:27]So, one thing I'm doing here, uh, this platform it's been sitting out front of the building since, I don't know, for a few months now and it's a platform that's supposed to go up here so that we can you know, put it here so that we can um, access the uh, the crane cab from you know, anywhere in the building.

[00:03:52]But, um I was thinking about it. It's like, well, we have all this work that needs to be done back here in this corner, which uh involves, you know, digging this out and putting the foundation wall in, and then raising the floor level basically up to the height of the plywood here.

[00:04:12]And that's not going to happen this year, but I would would like to have visitors able to come back through this way and see the backside of the engine.

[00:04:21]So, we decided to take that platform and temporarily install it here with a with a set of steps, uh and grating and handrails and all that. So, I just have a temporary steps here and just threw these old concrete forms down just so we can walk on this uh until we get all the materials in and get this built. But, the reason we did this is so that when visitors here um are here when the engine's running, uh you'll be able to get this close to uh to everything.

[00:04:53]And you know, see the flywheel spin and all that from back here in this corner.

[00:04:59]Uh been down in the crank pits uh cleaning and painting. So, putting a coat of gray primer and then putting the uh um they call it Macropoxy 646. It's the two-part Sherwin Williams coating.

[00:05:16]Uh the purpose of doing all this is so that when the oil that comes off of the bearings goes down in the pit and runs out, it's a lot easier to keep it clean if it's nicely painted and and it's a good coating there. So, we're going to get that done before we even hook up any of the lube oil systems to um to attempt to rotate anything.

[00:05:39]So, speaking of lube oil system, also been working over here on on this unit.

[00:05:47]Now, this blue unit came from McDonald Steel. It was the um lube oil uh system for one of their big frequency changers.

[00:06:00]Um and uh we got it here and installing it to do the same same job on the Todd.

[00:06:08]Now, we don't have three-phase power here, but we do have 250 V DC.

[00:06:14]So, the three-phase motor we cannot use, but we can use DC motors. So, that motor there is a new one I just bought on eBay and it will run it will run the low pressure pump, which basically is the oil that goes out to all the oilers that comes into the tops of the bearings and all that. Um which will be about in about 20 PSI or so that'll go out to all the sight feed oilers.

[00:06:45]The other one, that pump right there, is a high pressure pump that will feed underneath the main bearings and basically trying to float the journal with uh high pressure oil.

[00:06:58]So, we don't have the those uh bearings drilled and ported and all that yet for that. So, not really worried about getting that all installed, but I had this DC motor. I brought it down to see if it would fit.

[00:07:12]Problem with DC motors is that they're a lot longer than their AC counterparts and there's some clearance issues. So, we're going to we're going to work on that.

[00:07:20]Um all the controls on this are all single-phase 120 V, so we can just tie into the 120 V system to run all the controls on this.

[00:07:31]Um So, there is going to be a um kind of an an an emergency engine stop feature with emergency stop switches in various different places tied into the uh over speed trip um to the emergency stop valve that's on the steam side and then it'll also tie into the contactors that run the DC motor for turning the wheel um and then also tied into the um low oil pressure switch that's on this unit.

[00:08:08]So, if there's any issue with running the engine um over speed, lose oil pressure somebody pushes emergency stop switch, anything like that the engine will shut down. It'll cut steam line off. It'll take power away from the motor um and bring the engine to a stop and then also this bell will ring.

[00:08:34]Um this bell here is one of those Union Switch and Signal they call them a teardrop teardrop style bell and it was in the river pump house at at McDonald Steel uh down there hanging on the wall and uh I guess it was an alarm for one of their uh one of the one of their pumps. So, let me run it here for a second.

[00:08:59]>> [bell] [bell] >> I don't know about I kind of like that one. It has a unique cadence to it. So, >> [laughter] >> rather unique bell. So, that if you hear that thing ringing, that means there is some sort of issue with the engine losing oil pressure or someone pushed a button or whatever.

[00:09:28]So, that'll be the uh you know, part of the safety systems on this.

[00:09:34]Um so, coming down this side uh I haven't doing too much over on this side lately, but out front here is that new oil pan.

[00:09:48]So, a new fabrication we had made.

[00:09:51]Um it needs holes drilled on this side.

[00:09:54]I have to weld a inch and a quarter half coupling on the drain.

[00:10:01]And then we'll take this and install it um over where I showed you earlier.

[00:10:07]Uh let's see. What else do we have?

[00:10:09]Anything going on around outside in the yard?

[00:10:22]Well, 58 sitting out front right now. We have a steam locomotive experience on Sunday.

[00:10:27]Uh one of our volunteers has been needle scaling and repainting the uh scale house.

[00:10:34]So, we parked 58 down here so that we could use the uh compressor there to run the needle scaler.

[00:10:41]So, he's just about done with this.

[00:10:45]Yeah.

[00:10:46]Pretty much done back here.

[00:10:48]Uh clean this up and prime it. This is going to go in the building in the front uh as the stationary engineer's office.

[00:10:57]And in addition to that, we're going to put a platform up on top of this so that you can go up on top and then look down upon the front of the engine uh from the cylinder end so that you can get a better overall view of the entire engine.

[00:11:13]And uh so, we also have some new stair treads here uh for the uh the new set of steps that'll go up on top of that.

[00:11:24]Brought this down. This was one of the buildings that uh we found over at McDonald Steel and uh it's been here since we got it last year.

[00:11:35]And when we did this concrete when we did the the high pressure side figured to bring it down here and it's great for additional storage.

[00:11:46]The the scissors lift has a little electrical issue and we'll be taking care of that.

[00:11:54]It the brushes on the pump motor went bad on it so we'll get that fixed up and get that back in service cuz we're going to need that for doing you know work up on the building this year.

[00:12:10]And I don't know not much else going on back here in the yard.

[00:12:17]Haven't really been spending much time back here.

[00:12:22]I'm spending all that time trying to get the the Todd engine operational for for this fall.

[00:12:30]Um as far as I know railroad is in fully operational condition the electric switch machine and all that it has its permanent power supply restored to it so all that works the track is in great shape all the equipment's in pretty good shape.

[00:12:49]Tank car is full of water we've got three tons of coal on site.

[00:12:53]We're ready for ready for the season.

[00:12:56]So the first think four Sundays here are booked up four people per per Sunday for the steam locomotive experiences.

[00:13:08]And I think we have we have some open spots after that.

[00:13:13]I think I'll be adding a few more days.

[00:13:16]So if you want to come on out to Youngstown Ohio and spend a day learning how to run the 58 and running it on our railroad just go to our website youngstownsteel.org, and uh look under events, and then you'll see the list of all the days that are available.

[00:13:34]Um you won't regret it.

[00:13:36]Everyone that comes out and runs 58 enjoys the uh experience.

[00:13:42]Uh we have a lot of fun here doing this.

[00:13:43]So, um you know, book your day, take your vacation, whatever you got to do, come on out, and you need to run that.

[00:13:53]All right, everyone. Looks like a storm's just about ready to hit. So, I'm going to go home before I get wet.

[00:13:59]All right, everyone. Take care, and I'll see you later.