I’ve seen hundreds of Nickel Plate Road photos of various steam locomotives over the years. My dad bought one of the first copies of Rehor’s Nickel Plate Story and I often perused that as a youngster way back when.
One thing I could never find an answer to was why so many of their steam locomotives required the beefy lateral bracing on the ‘steam chest’ or cylinder castings? Some were fitted over the sheet metal jacketing and some under. It looks to be about 1" x 3" cold rolled steel with 1 or 1¼" diameter steel rod with nuts to keep them snug.
This photo clearly shows the engineering behind the modification:
NKP 639 H-6 seen here at Delphos Ohio 1953 by Mike Snow, on Flickr
They mostly seem to be applied to H-class Mikados but this K-1b also has the clamps and they are tucked under the cladding:
Nickel Plate Road No. 167 K-1b at Hoopeston Illinois, March 7, 1950 NKP 167 was built by Alco/Brooks 8/1923 and was 1 of 6 produced. Swartz-McCarter Collection. Photo by M.D. McCarter by Mike Snow, on Flickr
Was the Nickel Plate that rough on their cylinder castings that this bracing was needed? Did any other roads effect the same modification?
This came to my attention recently as I have an HO USRA Mikado that I’d like to “NKP-ize” and I’m planning to add this little detail. Seems to be a straightforward detail addition.
Just curious if anyone might have an understanding of why this brace was needed. In a few photos of Nickel Plate shop areas I noticed stockpiles of cylinder castings on hand, more than a usual number to keep on hand, I would say.
Regards, Ed
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Never noticed those before. I would guess it was to help the cylinders resist the thrust of the pistons without flexing outward or twisting and stressing the steam pipes.
Can’t be thrust accommodation because the rods only ‘clamp’ laterally, and there isn’t any structure where they contact the frame. My guess is that it clamps the two-piece saddle casting tightly together so that the bolts don’t tend to work loose.
I think we can also rule out an attempt at beautification.
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Thanks for the replies from my inquiry way back in february! One of my curiosities is why didn’t any other railroads have the same problems with locomotives from the same builders?
Rehor mentions in a photo caption of Mikado 633 “Braces were applied to 2-8-2s after a rash of cylinder breaks in early 1930s”.
Here’s yet another example:
It looks like some of their Hudsons got the same treatment:
Curiouser and curiouser…
Ed
To quote Leonard Nimoy, “fascinating”.
For many more photos, but little comment as to the ‘why’, take a look here:
It seems the ‘epidemic’ occurred around 1926. I’m looking into the builders affected but it seems these mikes are from both Alco and Lima and even the inherited Wheeling engines got the braces.
Now Lima and Alco were certainly building engines for other roads at this time and one wonders why they didn’t seem to have the ‘cracking’ malady?
Cheers, Ed
Zinc pest? Impurities in the steel? Made by Harland and Wolf? 
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I’d suspect, if it extends across builders, the designer was a little overenthusiastic reducing wall thickness to get better ports and passages, and crews might not have been trained in best drifting practices…
