Mount Savage Locomotive Works
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The Mount Savage Locomotive Works was a railroad workshop established at
locomotive shops were established in Mt. Savage in 1866, under the direction of James Millholland. The original locomotive shop was constructed of stone and was 90 feet x 250 feet in size with a 33-foot-high roof. An adjoining car shop, built at about the same time, was also of stone and was later extended with a wooden structure. These buildings still stand in Mt. Savage.Personnel
James Millholland, Senior
James Millholland, Senior was 54 years old when he and his family came to Mt. Savage from
James Millholland, Junior
His son, James Junior, was 24 when the family moved to Mt. Savage. He had been born in Reading in 1842, and had apprenticed in the railroad shops. He also joined the C&P, becoming Master Mechanic, and was vice president by the time his father retired. He left the C&P in 1879 to join the George's Creek and Cumberland Railroad. The younger Millholland was tasked with building the C&P shops, to maintain the mixed fleet of motive power. He had the right experience for the job.
Millholland bought good machine tools, which were still in use 40 years later as evidenced by the 1917 ICC valuation. He equipped the shops with metal working machinery from Bement & Dougherty, probably a predecessor of Wm. B. Bement & Son of Philadelphia.
Work undertaken
Repair and rebuilding
Initially, the work supervised by Millholland at the Mt. Savage Shops was limited to repairing and rebuilding the Winans Camels and other early C&P locomotives. The shop force gained much hands-on experience during the first twenty years; at least 15 of the C&P's camel-backed locos were rebuilt at Mt. Savage (some twice). Typical of the rebuilds was the engine Highlander, a Winans Camel inherited from the
New build
Initially, the Winans Camels and other early locomotives were extensively rebuilt, and much hands-on experience was gained during the period from 1866–1888. The first recorded engine 'build' was a 0-10-0 unit in 1868. This could have been a modification to a Winans Camel. By the 1880s, the shops that Millholland had set up apparently had built quite an extensive operation, able to offer custom built locomotives for sale in addition to meeting the requirements of the parent C&P.
The period beginning in 1883 was an exciting one for heavy manufacturing in Mount Savage. A locomotive catalog was issued for the Works by their agent, Thomas B. Inness & Co. of Broadway,
Engine production was active between 1885 and 1917. Engines were produced for other roads as well. The production figures for 1882 list 19 passenger and freight engines outshopped, with 16 more in 1883.
One particularly good customer was T. H. Paul & Sons of
Heavy machinery
The following table shows some of the machinery used in the original shop. All of the rotating power machinery was driven by leather belts from overhead master shafts. These in turn, were powered by a stationary steam engine in the adjacent power house. A similar facility may be seen today at the
- Equipment from Bement & Dougherty, unless otherwise noted
- engine lathe, 28-inch x 8-foot bed
- horizontal boring and drilling machine, table size 24 inches x 44 inches
- 18-inch x 48-inch engine lathe, C&P
- 18-inch x 24-inch engine lathe, C&P
- vertical boring mill 54 inches
- car wheel boring mill, 48-inch table
- 10-inch slotter
- wooden jib crane, 20-foot mast, 15-foot boom, 4.5-ton capacity, C&P
- punch & shear, 30-inch throat (used for rivet holes)
- Car shop
The car shop would build the wooden parts of the engine, such as the cab.
- 18-inch rip saw
- Lowell drill press
- Tice shaper/molder
- Blacksmith shop
- Fulton 500-pound power hammer (for forging)
Manufacturing procedures
Locomotive manufacturing during this period was hard, heavy, dangerous work. It proceeded according to numerous 'rules of thumb' developed by the master mechanic over the years. Innovations were introduced slowly. There were continuous efforts to reduce costs, and increase performance. Weight reduction was not desirable, as weight-on-drivers contributed directly to tractive effort. Locomotive frames were usually riveted, built-up construction, of wrought iron and later, steel.
According to White, experience at the Norris Locomotive Works showed that a team of 14 men could build a locomotive in 15 days. This was assuming the parts were on hand. A locomotive is a carefully integrated collection of a large number of specialty parts.
Boilers
The typical boiler was constructed of 5/16-inch wrought iron, starting as plate, and rolled to shape. The lap joints were single riveted. There is a long way between watertight and steam tight. Later, double riveting, and reinforced butt joints were used. Welding was not yet a developed technology, particularly for a pressure vessel. Boiler tubes were typically iron tubing of 2 inches diameter. They were lap welded, and reportedly difficult to flange.
Lagging
Boilers were covered, or lagged, to reduce heat loss, and increase efficiency. Wood slats were used originally. After 1900, asbestos was a favored lagging material. It was common for the slabs of the mineral to be machined to fit. This produced large clouds of asbestos dust that is now known to be a major carcinogen, a significant cause of lung cancer. The use of dust masks, hearing protection, and safety glasses was unknown at the time. The boiler shops were a haze of asbestos dust.
Water feed
Millholland favored Giffard's water injectors, based on the favorable experience with them on the Reading line. He was also an early advocate of feedwater heaters, using them as early as 1855. His designs have them on the right side, under the engine running board. They are about 10 feet long, and 8 inches in diameter. These are a visible clue to engines produced in Mount Savage. Millholland is also responsible for the development of the poppet throttle, originally retrofitted on Camel engines in Pennsylvania.
Cylinders
The cylinders were usually cast in halves, assembled, and bored to size. This represented the most complex and expensive operation of the whole locomotive assembly. In 1856, it was common for the boring operation to consume 2 days. The pistons were cast iron, with fitted brass piston rings.
Driving wheels
The
Connecting rods
Connecting rods were
Gauges
Engine safety appliances were sparse. The
Lamps
Head lights were originally oil lamps. These units were box-shaped, and had an 18- to 22-inch parabolic reflector. They could cast a 1000-foot beam, sufficient for low-speed operation in darkness. An important improvement was introduced with the advent of lamps powered by carbide. Similar to the lamps used by miners, these lamps used the reaction of water and the mineral
References
- Stakem, Patrick H. "Cumberland & Pennsylvania Railroad Revisited," 2002, ISBN 0-9725966-0-7