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Author Topic: Restoring the Waterworks Engine in Woburn Massachusetts  (Read 1398 times)

A. E. Karnes

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Restoring the Waterworks Engine in Woburn Massachusetts
« on: April 05, 2019, 01:15:15 am »
My pals and I discovered a completely undisturbed, secretly kept steam engine and associated apparatus in the Woburn Water Department in Woburn, Massachusetts.  From oil lamps to wall clocks.  A stone's throw from Boston.   With the permission of city officials, four months of work we brought everything in the station to life  and got the engine steaming in November 2018.   It had not run since 1933.  Simply a fairytale story.

Now looking to establish a museum there and run the engine regularly.

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A. E. Karnes

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I have produced artwork of the surviving Platt 5MGD Corliss engine, the two original engines (A Worthington and a Blake, both four-cylinder compound Corliss-valve duplex pumps rated 2MGD and 3 MGD respectively) sadly lost to time.   I am selling these as prints to try and benefit the restoration of this national treasure.  The building desperately needs a new roof and windows. [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

Swift Fox

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I bet it was a wonderful feeling when it turned over on steam for the first time, interesting to see another triple expansion waterworks engine and it is nice it has been restored to working order.

I visited the impressive engines at Kempton in London some years back which were Worthington Simpson Triples, there is also a pair of triple waterworks engines in Wombourne, South Staffordshire (similar name to Woburn!).
Your nose is before your eyes, so trust it first!

classixs

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Impressive story, way better than a fairytale...


Very well done on bringing this beauty back to life !!!
Cheers
Jan
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Nick

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Awesome find! Please post future updates  ;)

Nice artwork too  8)
Nick

A. E. Karnes

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@ Swift Fox 

This engine is a compound only, HP/LP cylinders.  The dimensions of it are 18 inch HP bore, 36 inch LP bore, 36 inch stroke.   3.5 stories from base plate to top of cylinders, what I would call a small engine.

The same friends and I also restored a triple in Phillipsburg New Jersey from a heavily damaged state.  That one is 24 x 36 x 56 with a 36 inch stroke, and stands 6 floors tall.  What I would call a medium sized engine.  After a year of intensive and back breaking restoration we got it steaming July of last year.  We needed to make most of the valve gear new pieces due to most of it being shattered. [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

Swift Fox

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My mistake as somehow i just assumed it was a triple but i can see now what with the flywheel being in the middle and the cylinders either side.

Nice to see that triple you worked on and it looks like it had a hard life, great you were able to re-manufacture parts and get it running again.
Your nose is before your eyes, so trust it first!

oilfield_steam

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Geez Louise. Now that's a project engine.

Good Luck and Thanks for Posting!
Scott

A. E. Karnes

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Scott, both are now under steam!

txlabman

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Great news on getting them both running.

I hope to get to see this some day.


Stoker

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All this done by just the five young fellas shown?

Whoever has done it, and no matter how many .... well done to you all!

WELL DONE INDEED!!!
"Information is not knowledge, Knowledge is not wisdom, Wisdom is not truth, Truth is not beauty, Beauty is not love, Love is not music: Music is THE BEST...   
Wisdom is the domain of the Wis (which is extinct). Beauty is a French phonetic corruption of a short cloth neck ornament currently in resurgence..."
F. Zappa ... by way of Mary, the girl from the bus.

A. E. Karnes

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Yes, this was done by myself, Phil Christopher, Philip Beard, Ben Rechel and Cody O'Leary.   Myself, Cody and the two Phils have been restoring steam engines of various types and sizes for a long time.

Jim

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Fantastic effort to all concerned, well done!
_______________________________________________
Cheers.
Jim

My YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/Blue123Heeler/videos