one-sided blast would result, which would soon wear a hole in the chimney; also, the boiler would not “steam” properly. The fitting of the smokebox door—of which the hinges must be exactly level and strong enough to prevent the door from sagging—together with the fixing of the blower and blower pipe, complete the work in the smokebox.
Meanwhile other men are engaged in fixing the boiler clothing, cab, and splashers. For the clothing, which is essential to reduce the radiation losses from the boiler, the materials in use were formerly boards of yellow pine wood painted with fire resisting asbestos paint. Now felt sheets, asbestos mattresses, or special blocks of magnesia cut to fit the contour of the boiler are generally used. They are secured to a light framework of angle irons and strips fastened round the boiler, and finally covered with thin steel or planished iron sheets screwed on to this framework. The splashers and cab sides are bolted to the platforms, the front plate of the cab resting upon the top of the firebox shell.
Wheels and Springs. The engine is now wheeled. The finished wheels on their axles have already come in from the wheel shop, and are run on to the rails of the pit over which the engine is being built. They remain at the end of the pit until required, the axleboxes having meanwhile been bedded to the journals as previously described. The engine is lifted by the overhead crane, and
