EA2,USN-MCB 128 ‘H’ Co.,San Francisco, FPO 96601
This steam roller was found in QUANG TRI CITY which is just
south of the DMZ. Arrangements were made thru our Civil Affairs
Officer to repair it for the people. It has not been in working
order for quite sometime, when it was used for street repair.
The engine is an Albaret, Type BM, No. 1544 made in Rantigny
Oise, France.
Can anyone tell us what year and what horsepower this engine
is?
It was towed back to the base by a 10 ton military tow truck.
Every time the truck hit a small bump the front wheels would come
off the ground! Although we don’t know what this roller weighs,
it is sure to be well over 10 tons.
The repair work was turned over to ‘A’ Co. and McClure,
1st Class Construction Mechanic, volunteered to take charge of the
job. All work was done in his spare time. McClure had no previous
experience with steam engines but took to the work willingly and
did a fine job.
Some of the things that were done to it was replacing the right
hand water feed valve. It has one on each side. One oiler had to be
replaced, and the other thoroughly cleaned. The connecting rod was
knocking, so McClure fixed the bearing. Much copper tubing,
gaskets, and packing had to be replaced.
A new top was put on and did you notice the bullet hole in the
stack? It also was repaired.
The brake assembly is on the right wheel, but is missing. The
flues are 1 inches and the boiler has a circumference of
7’2′. The fly wheel is 4′ across. The back wheels are
5′ high and the fron is 3′ 10′ high.
I was surprised to see that the engine had no whistle.
The last time it had a pressure test was in April 1950 according
to the lead plate above the fire box door. A bit overdue I might
add.
It holds a full 8 kilograms of pressure I don’t know how
many PSI that would be, and the safety valve goes off at about 8
kilograms.
This engine now runs quite smooth and it really sounds good to
the ear. It’s a pleasant change from the roar of a diesel
truck.
