HG's thread of miscelaneous stuff

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by TennesseeZ

HG, on that Unilux boiler, that looks like what I'm used to on the utility boilers, 'cept they're big enuf to get a thousand men in if needed. The tubes are what we do, also panels which I'm sure you know are tubes welded together. Do they still call them a steam drum and a mud drum on one that small?

The terminology is the same from little baby boilers up to the big utility ones. Although there are some with center or intermediate drums and cross drums and ring headers instead of drums, etc.. I've been in a couple of the utility boilers but thats it. But there are probably 5000 or maybe even 10000 small or package boilers for every one of those. I've inspected panel replacements before too when I was doing R stamp inspection work.

The big boilers like that are awesome to look at, but you soon realize they are doing the exact same thing as the one down the street at the feed mill or in the church basement heating the building. The main differences being what they burn, pressure rating and heat surface area. The control and safety requirements are very similar. They are built to the same code. Utility boilers have more tube sections dedicated to preheating combustion air and feed water to maximize efficiency, but it's just more of the same stuff. Tubes comprising a giant heat exchanger. Less climbing with the package boilers.

Interesting thing about this unilux boiler retube job is that the contractor or stamp holder is a 1 man shop. His shop is actually about 15 miles from here and he specializes in repairs and complete replacements of the old steam tractor boilers. There are several of them in and around his shop. He's an ex-music teacher that got fed up with the issues going on with schools, funding, etc and quit to take up his hobby as a new business. I should stop in there again with my camera and share it here with you people.

BTW, I'm uploading about 48 pictures from today.

[TennesseeZ]

Real interesting stuff HG, I love machine tools and welding, fabricating and re-purposing too. And you're right, the big boilers are awsome to look at, but hard, hot, filthy work for the first part, way too fast paced for me anymore.

It was always a sideline to pipefitting anyway, but glad I had the opportunity to get to know a little about them.

The garden gate captivates me, I believe I could build one with what I have here, (if I really wanted to) but don't think I've ever seen steel like he used for the leaves.

[Low Elco]

How did I not see this? Cool thread and pics!

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

How did I not see this? Cool thread and pics!

Welcome aboard.

[hgs_notes]

Continuing on my journey home I was heading west on MN Hwy 60 and on the south side of the road is what looks like a farm except instead of the standard red (IH) or green (John Deere) equipment, everything is Cat yellow. And there are cranes, belly dumps, etc. It's all construction equipment. It looks like a construction company was having a yard sale that has been going on for about 50 years. I do remember seeing the place over the years but today I decided to stop.

I rang the door bell, nothing. I knocked on the only door that was usable, still nothing. I looked at a few things right there by the house. There was a light on but nobody home. And just as I was going to get back in the car a window slides open and an old guys asks if he can help me. He spits a wad of brown saliva to the ground and with his greasy old Cat ball cap he looked like a train engineer hanging out the cab window ready to pull the cable and let the whistle blow.

I introduced myself and we chatted like that for a good 15-20 minutes. Him in his window and me standing by the driveway. He had a WWII vintage army truck he wanted to sell me. Everybody thinks I wanna buy their stuff. But it was the opening to go look at part of his amazing collection. He was a construction worker all his life and about 40 or more years ago he bought a couple derelict pieces of equipment. He maintained then and felt like if had that stuff, he should have some of the other things that go with it, and the collection grew into the monstrosity it is today. I only looked at a small corner of the property and a few things by his house. Literally the tip of the iceberg. I told him there must be 10,000 tons of steel out there and a scrappers wet dream. He just chuckled and said he knows they all go by his placing waiting for the chance to come in like vultures. I may be underestimating it.

The army truck he got strictly to save from the scrapper. The cab is 8'-6" across, it's probably at the limits for road legal...



The winch was insanely huge, you'd need a winch to move the winch ...


This sign was in the weeds by the house. I looked it up and it's chewing tobacco. Maybe was his favorite.


There was a big blue engine by the house with a GM logo on it but I didn't recognize what it was. He said back in the 40's or 50's nobody was building big enough gas/diesel engines for running some heavy equipment in remote locations. They needed around 500 HP and most of the engines for big trucks and stuff were rated around 200-250 HP. So GM took 2 of their big 671 diesel engines and mounted them side by side and had a gearbox to hook them together that would turn a single shaft. He said it would have been rated at over 450 HP. He said they were typically used for rock crushers or in the oil fields. I'll take his word for it. And he knows what he's doing to. He doesn't just drag it in and let it sit. He tries to keep things going. He replaced a head gasket on this and has done other work to it also.




I think this is a similar engine here but you diesel experts can tell me if I'm wrong. Won't hurt my feelings.

GM Detroit Diesel 6-71 Engine Motor Running and...

Here's a sample of some of the smaller pieces around the yard...






And some of the medium size stuff...


I need someone like my father-in-law to go with me to this place that knows about this kind of equipment. My wifes grandpa had a big construction company in Idaho. Built a lot of the roads around that part of the country. That's it for today folks.

[Ol Blue K20]

Looks like you had a good day, can't wait to see more.

[Ta2Don]

I'm so glad you take the time to share from your travels...

Your favorite of the day, yesterday, that OLDS is SICK!!!
Needs to be resurrected...

[Ol Blue K20]

Thanks for the visual break from work...

[Madtat]

All great shots, keep'em comming!

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

I'm so glad you take the time to share from your travels...

Your favorite of the day, yesterday, that OLDS is SICK!!!
Needs to be resurrected...

The olds is super cool. I agree.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Thanks for the visual break from work...

You're welcome.

Originally Posted by Madtat

All great shots, keep'em comming!

Thanks, thats the plan.

Last friday I had to go to the twin cities, then north to Little Falls, where I grew up, for the night. I had a saturday morning inspection in Motley and needed to help my mom out with some things. Anyway, I went through St Cloud and north of there on highway 10 is a strip club called Sugar Daddys. Now before you all get your blood pressure up I will say I have never been into the joint and there will be no pics from there. I only mention it because behind the referenced gentlemans club is a hidden junkyard. You can see the shop buildings and some cars/trucks out front that are for sale from the highway, but you have to go behind the fence of the exotic dance studio to get there. I usually try to stop and see what they have out front cuz the owner digs 67-72 Chevys and usually has some around, plus other cool stuff.

Like this...




And this (not for sale)...



I personally like the firebirds more than the camaros. This was a customer car that the shop painted.

And this project...


With a custom chassis, 4 link rear, and I think a camaro front.



And these...


After BS'ing for a bit I let him get back to his paying customers and I finished my drive to Little Falls. As mentioned before, I grew up here. And I can't help feeling nostalgic and sometimes a bit sad whenever I get back home. First off, I haven't lived there since I went into the Navy at age 18. Almost 30 years ago now. Second, I lived in 2 houses in the city limits (others outside of that imaginary line) and both of them are long gone. One was tore down to make better parking for the boat ramp on the Mississippi river that was just behind out house. The 2nd place was a rental that had severe water damage after we moved out of it because the water didn't get turned off, the heat wasn't turned on, and all the old cast iron radiators, the plumbing, the toilets, etc. all broke from freezing. It was abandoned and eventually it became fire practice for the local fire dept.

There was a paper mill across the street (they were the house owners) where my dad worked when I was a kid. It's gone too. Whats left is now a park area with some sections of the original foundation, a couple spiral staircases and a few hunks of machinery.





These are dryer rolls. And interestingly enough, both of these were fairly new. One was from the mid 60's but the other one was built in 1989, probably just before the plant was mothballed.


Inside...


The arched foundation was under the original Yankee Dryer roll. These big rollers here are for grinding the wood to pulp...



Most of the paper mills I have been in chip the wood into flakes and dump them in a digester with an acid solution that breaks the wood down to fiber pulp and lignin. Then the fiber is made into paper. This was a small plant and the pulp was made mechanically. They could only produce card stock or construction paper which is why it was shutdown. There just wasn't enough market for it and they couldn't produce the printer paper or other paper products that drove the market. Luckily my dad found a job elsewhere before the place closed down.

The house here we always called the paper mill house. They owned it and it was across the street from the mill. It's also where we lived when my dad bought my C-10 from my grandpa. Dad walked to work of course, but I remember many winter nights and mornings when dad would come home (rotating shifts) go start up the truck (always started ez) and go back to the mill parking lot to jump start the cars that wouldn't after sitting for a shift. This was around 1976-79.

Funny thing is that years later when we lived out of town and I was driving the truck to high school, many mornings the battery would barely turn it over. If I pumped the gas pedal about 6 times and could get it to turn even a little bit it would fire right up.

The other house we lived in was called the boat landing house. I spent many days down by the river. It was about 150' from our back door. I caught crayfish and skipped rocks. I got to be a very good rock skipper. And not too bad at catching crayfish either. Just upstream a half mile or so was a train tressel that crosses the river. One night while we were having supper we heard the loudest crash and thunder of noise ever heard in my short life at the time. We all ran outside to see what happened. The first unusual site was whole train cars and pieces of train cars floating down the river. When we got down to the landing and looked north we saw that half of the tressel was in the river with a train on the tracks, and more parts of the train floating down stream. It was scary and awesome and I'll never forget it.

I used to fish from the cement footings for that tressel. It crossed the river right by the boat plants on the west side (Little Falls is home to Chrestliner, Larson and Glastron boats). The boat landing house was on the east bank. I would look down the length of the tressel and could never muster the courage to cross it. It seemed a mile long through my young eyes and at the time it was a very busy track. Friday I walked out there...


Looking downstream from the middle of the tressel...


Seems I have always lived by the river or train tracks or both. That's enough reminiscing for now. I'll post more stuff later.

[Ol Blue K20]

Dang It!!! That means Back to work!!!

[Low Elco]

Wow...Cool shots!

[hgs_notes]

Couple more pics from Little Falls. A Ranchero in someones backyard...


And since winter is around the corner, might as well get into the spirit of it. How about a fish house. But not your ordinary fish house you pull out to your favorite frozen pond. This one drives itself in style.


Next morning I have to drive up to Motley and look at a few boilers. Gots ta pay the bills ya know. One of the prettiest areas of the state, IMHO is in the Lincoln lakes area, which is between Little Falls and Motley. Rolling wooded hills and this time of year the colors are popping. But I'm not out looking at the trees drop their leaves. Just north of Cushing I saw this parked along the road.


There's a couple of things that always capture my attention through the area though. First is this tower. Its got a walkway or viewing area up top and I can't think of any others like it in the state. I want to call it a fire watchers tower, but I don't think it is. It's one of those things though that you drive by and can't help but think of climbing up it. Even if you are of a mind that would never EVER do such a thing, when you see the ladder and the platform on top you're gonna think of being there and looking around.


The other thing in the area is a for sale lot along Hwy 10 at a towing shop. You might think that's pretty lame, and maybe your right, but I always see something there worth a look. This one was barely worth the look because of the extensive rust, but look I did anyway.


Ooooh, comes with a matching (sort of) trailer...


And it's right across from this place...


For all your boulder needs. You know, cuz everyone needs a boulder or 3.

[hgs_notes]

This little Saab Sonett III was also there, but hidden out back. I actually saw it last year and took pics of it then too. They were trying to sell it, not sure whats going on with it now. It sat outside for a long time. The floor is basically gone. But it's somewhat rare and I like the body shape/profile and thought briefly of using it for a future project. You're basically buying a shell and junking the rest.




And I forgot a few more pics from Little Falls. Pine Grove Park was fairly close to my house when I was a kid. It's got a small zoo, miles of trails through the woods, a playground. You know, a kids idea of paradise.



My great grandfather (never met him) worked with stone. At least that was what I was told once a long time ago. This buildings footing is the kind of thing he did. I have no idea if he was involved with this building, or the stone wall along the street that borders the park, but he did work on the stone wall that borders Camp Ripley, just north of Little Falls. Another thing about this building was that when it was open and you could go inside, there were all kinds of oddities on display. Like a 2 headed calf head. That's the 1 that I can still remember. I wonder if it's still there?


One last shot of the trip. This is on a hill NE of Paynesville overlooking some farmland, some woods, a small stream through those woods and it's just some beautiful country as the sun was setting...


And this was my 5000th post. Good for me. At least it wasn't something stupid.

[GOPAPA]

Hg,,always interesting to follow your adventures in photos .. "IF" you need an excuse to climb the tower you took the photo of ..heres a reason ..

I say it's 106' 8'' tall from the ground to the platform at the top..there will be other guess's I would guess and so you need to climb it taking a tape measure with you and measure it on the way back down.. lol if not ,,keep up the photos anyway ..

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by GOPAPA

Hg,,always interesting to follow your adventures in photos .. "IF" you need an excuse to climb the tower you took the photo of ..heres a reason ..

I say it's 106' 8'' tall from the ground to the platform at the top..there will be other guess's I would guess and so you need to climb it taking a tape measure with you and measure it on the way back down.. lol if not ,,keep up the photos anyway ..

Only problem with climbing the tower is it's hard to post in the thread when ya need bail...

[TennesseeZ]

Originally Posted by GOPAPA

Hg,,always interesting to follow your adventures in photos .. "IF" you need an excuse to climb the tower you took the photo of ..heres a reason ..

I say it's 106' 8'' tall from the ground to the platform at the top..there will be other guess's I would guess and so you need to climb it taking a tape measure with you and measure it on the way back down.. lol if not ,,keep up the photos anyway ..

My guess: 100' 4 7/16"

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by GOPAPA

Hg,,always interesting to follow your adventures in photos .. "IF" you need an excuse to climb the tower you took the photo of ..heres a reason ..

I say it's 106' 8'' tall from the ground to the platform at the top..there will be other guess's I would guess and so you need to climb it taking a tape measure with you and measure it on the way back down.. lol if not ,,keep up the photos anyway ..

I've got a couple 100' tape measures I think.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Only problem with climbing the tower is it's hard to post in the thread when ya need bail...

I can be sneaky. Besides, I'm a boiler inspector. I can go anywhere with my clipboard, flashlight and hard hat. And that is NOT a joke.

Originally Posted by T.J. MCCAULEY

Some really cool stiff on here!

Thanks for looking and commenting.

Originally Posted by TennesseeZ

My guess: 100' 4 7/16"

Not that I'm ascared to climb it, but it's gonna take way more than 2 guesses to get me to drive 3 hours 1 way and climb it to find out.

Happy Halloween everyone!

[prairewolf]

... cool thread and pictures. ...you live a good life

[hgs_notes]

Looking through the viewport to check the burner flame. The outermost ring is the end of the refractory tube you look through to see the flame. The bright center is the core of the flame but it doesn't photograph well. Its actually mostly blue and is pushing towards the camera about 8-10'. The ring just around the bright center is the burner throat refractory and is about 12-14' away from the camera.


I have a bunch of stuff to upload and tell my story. But it's late, so I'm just gonna share a couple things for now. Saw this in Waterloo, IA.

Cuz 'Murica...


I texted that to a friend of mine. He asked "wtf kind of rednecks do you have there?" My reply, "The best rednecks in the world!"

Across the street from that was a junkyard...


I stopped in, they dont have any cool old stuff, but behind the shop I did see this...


In this shot it reminds me of a VW bus...


Bunch more this weekend. Good night.

[Indian113]

Thanks for taking us on a photo trip with you! Your thread is one of the most interesting ones on the forum. Drive safe and thanks again Ray

[Ta2Don]

The mini van on the 4WD frame reminded me of an 80's Jaquar on a simlar set-up I spotted this past week... Will get a pic soon to share.
As for your "cuz Murica" comment
My son uses that reply to stuff I send him...
Thanx again for sharing your observations throughout your travels!

[hgs_notes]

These are also from Waterloo, on the same street as the others actually. Independence St I think. Anyway, One place had a couple interesting things out front. Didn't have for sale signs on them but were set up like they were for sale. First the Ford Falcon...



and I really liked this little trailer. It looked like it was only about 5' long. Would pull good behind my jimmy...




Closer to downtown on the same street was a used car lot. This Caddy kinda stuck out from the rest of the crap on the lot...



I thought the light for the rear plate was a pretty sweet set up.


That was it for Thursdays finds. Here is the 1st pic from fridays. It's obviously an eye catcher. But what I stumbled into a few minutes later most of you won't believe. Still need to upload those pics so here is the teaser...


49 pics to come. All from one location. It's freakin AWESOME!

[hgs_notes]

The redneck limo was in front of a place called Gaines Auto Salvage in Glenville, MN. I had been within about 5 miles of the place before but had never taken this road before. I'm a firm believer in taking the road less traveled whenever I can. I parked by a Frazer. Never heard of it? Me either. But it's pretty slick looking and I love the front bumper.


Oh, and there is a short row of them along the dirt road that goes east from the yard.


I go into the office and ask if they have any 60's to 70's stuff. They say "Sure, whatcha lookin for?" 67-72 Chevy truck stuff of course. He says "We probably got 4 or 5 out there."

We go outside and here is my first view of the yard...


From this vantage I can spot about half a dozen 67-72 chevy trucks and he's telling me where others are at that are hidden behind things. And my mouth is hanging open. He didn't seem surprised. I'm spotting all kinds of things. He just tells me I can go look at anything, its a U-pull it or I can take pictures, whatever. I get my toolbag out of the trunk (always keep it with me) and start wandering the yard. You get to go with me. I can't name all the cars but I've never been in a yard with this much 30's to 50's stuff in my life. Before you all get wet and gooey inside and start making travel plans with your truck and trailer, here's fair warning. This is a MN junkyard and this stuff has been sitting in the weather, the weeds and grass for decades and after they had driven the salted highways we have here very winter. You may find what your looking for if you need 40's car parts but there will be rust and dents. With that said, it's an impressive vista of old iron that I doubt you can find in very many places anymore. Its astonishing really and I'm so glad I stopped..









Snaggletooth...




Love the gauge set up in here...


Weather eye knob?


Rambler American dash is cool as hell...

[hgs_notes]

A 69 Chevy truck really stood out to me personally. It is basically the same rare color combo I used on my own, turquoise/turquoise. Too bad it was so picked over.


Right down to the seat cover.


Bird home...











Another Jeep FC cab...


Hmmm, 71 Chevelle




More stuff...









Rustang section...


More...




Back to a short focus on Chevy/GMC trucks...




And last, but definitely not least. 57 Chevy on the hill overlooking the place...


It was fun strolling through history but I had an appointment I was already late for. I will definitely be back here someday.