Tod Engine Heritage Park Update

[Rick Rowlands]

Even though my efforts to beautify Youngstown do not count because I am a conservative, I'll post a photo of the latest progress on the Tod enginehouse anyways.  We poured four more concrete piers yesterday, stel erection begins next week.

[Rick Rowlands]

Concrete is no problem.  When we get together we can talk more. 

[AllanY2525]

I have a property that desperately needs a new concrete driveway. and right
now I just dont have the time or the funds to do it.....but once Woodbine is finished
maybe we could talk about it more.  I have some other concrete work I need to
get to on the apartment building eventually.  I could recycle the old concrete as
fill for that project.

[rusty river]

Woodbine Ave. is not very far from our site.  If you should require assistance with any aspect of your project that you aren't comfortable with, or need an extra hand or perhaps a tool, let me know and perhaps I can help.  Its within driving distance for my backhoe as well.  But please don't tell irishbobcat, iwasthere or rusty river that I would do this as they think I am a dirty rotten conservative SOB and I would rather they continue having that misconception! 

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

Uncle Karl is smiling down at you, Rick.   

[irishbobcat]

Rick, you admit you are a dirty rotten conservative SOB......

So, don't put words into my mouth......

[Rick Rowlands]

I used 5,000 PSI concrete which is twice as strong as what is usually found in residential construction.  The usual curing time is 28 days but in my case I could fully load it after a week with no problems.  Concrete work is actually quite simple in principle, the big things to keep in mind are the proper placement of rebar and building the forms to withstand the pressure of the wet concrete.

My philosophy has been to purchase as much equipment and tools that I need for this project so as to save on rental costs and to allow work to proceed at my pace.  This is why we have a crawler crane and backhoe.  I picked up a gas powered tamper yesterday at Four Seasons, necessary for compacting soil and fill. When the construction project has concluded much of this equipment can be sold off again resulting in hopefully an overall zero dollar investment in the equipment.

Woodbine Ave. is not very far from our site.  If you should require assistance with any aspect of your project that you aren't comfortable with, or need an extra hand or perhaps a tool, let me know and perhaps I can help.  Its within driving distance for my backhoe as well.  But please don't tell irishbobcat, iwasthere or rusty river that I would do this as they think I am a dirty rotten conservative SOB and I would rather they continue having that misconception! 

[AllanY2525]

Yesterday volunteers of the Tod Engine Heritage park poured the first four concrete piers for the Tod Engine House building.  One of the volunteers came in from Maryland and stayed at the house with us for three days while we worked on the project.  We are well on our way to having the basic structure completed by winter if we stay on schedule.  I shot these two photos from the cab of the Insley crawler crane which we used to move the wet concrete in a bucket from the truck to the forms.

Using volunteers and our own equipment we accomplished for $2,500 what a contractor would have charged $10,000 to do. 

Amazing what can be done without a contractor when financial conditions require it, eh?  Most of
the work on my property on Woodbine was done by me and my friends for the same reasons.  I
shudder to think about what the renovations would have cost - had I used contractors for all of
the work.

How long does the concrete have to cure before you can put the load of the building on it?  I've
done some small projects with concrete (back porch steps and closing up the basement floor after
sewer and drain work) but I've never done a BIG project, ie anything actually structural - I had to
call in a contractor to do the basement pier footings in the house because local builiding codes
required it.

[Rick Rowlands]

Yes please do.  I would enjoy meeting you.  I'm at the Park every day except Sunday but be sure to call first as sometimes I leave for supplies, food, etc.  Our number is 330-272-4089. 

[AllanY2525]

Rick,

I think it's absolutely amazing... keep up the good work !



I'll be coming up to Youngstown again in a few days or so, to continue working
on the Woodbine Ave house.....I would love to come out and see the park and
take some photos while I am in town.


Allan

[Rick Rowlands]

Yesterday volunteers of the Tod Engine Heritage park poured the first four concrete piers for the Tod Engine House building.  One of the volunteers came in from Maryland and stayed at the house with us for three days while we worked on the project.  We are well on our way to having the basic structure completed by winter if we stay on schedule.  I shot these two photos from the cab of the Insley crawler crane which we used to move the wet concrete in a bucket from the truck to the forms.

Using volunteers and our own equipment we accomplished for $2,500 what a contractor would have charged $10,000 to do. 

PS NO government money is being used to fund this project.  We don't want it.

[sfc_oliver]

Hoorah

Wished I could be of some assistance.

[Rick Rowlands]

Since iwasthere has decided to start making personal attacks against me and the non profit organization that I have been involved with for the past fourteen years, I thought that it would be a good time to give this forum an update on the construction of the Tod Engine Heritage Park.

In 1996 when I was 22 I discovered the Tod Engine at North Star Steel Ohio.  Built in Youngstown in 1913 this 260 ton stationary steam engine drove a rolling mill at the YS&T Brier Hill Works for 65 years.  Tod engines were used in every steel plant in the Youngstown district and many retirees fondly remember these powerful beasts.  I recruited a group of volunteers and we dismantled and moved the engine to Girard for storage.  In 2000 I purchased property on Hubbard Road and started the long process of constructing a museum on that site to display the Tod Engine.  In 2008 I finally got the engine fully reassembled at the new site, only 11 years since it was taken apart.

Also that year we raised enough money to purchase a steel building from Shenango Steel Buildings Inc. in West Middlesex, PA and acquired an overhead crane built by Morgan Engineering in Alliance in 1892.  My vision for the Park is to display the engine in a building that closely approximates a steel mill building, and since just about every mill building had an overhead crane it was important to find one.  The fact that it was built a mere 25 miles away in Alliance was icing on the cake.

Last year we applied for the building permit, and it was granted earlier this month.  Just two days ago I finally started pouring concrete for the building's foundations, and it is my hope that I will be able to get the foundations poured and steelwork erected before winter comes along. 

This project is entirely volunteer run and funded by private contributions.  We have not used any government money in this project and it is not my intention to use any government money.   When completed the Tod Engine Heritage Park will become an exhibit of manufacturing in the Mahoning Valley.  We have been acquiring machinery, products and equipment made locally and these items will be displayed in our new building, along with the massive Tod Engine.  If you ever get the chance to come out to the east side and would like to see the park and the engine please email me at rick@todengine.org or call me at 330-272-4089. Our volunteers and myself are usually at the Park on Saturdays from noon until 5 pm.  2261 Hubbard Road, roughly across the street from the CCA prison.


This is the engine in 1995 when it was first discovered at North Star Steel Ohio.


Here I am standing next to the 20' flywheel shortly after the engine was reassembled. 


The Morgan overhead crane.  This crane was built in 1892-93 and had been in service for 115 years when we got it.  It was built only four years after the first electric overhead crane was built in the US.


This photo shows a crawler crane which we acquired earlier this year, repainted with the Youngstown Sheet & Tube logo.  It also shows our backhoe used in the construction of the park.  Both the backhoe and crane were rebuilt by me, the backhoe getting a rebuilt engine, new wheel bearings, seals and paint job and the crane got new track pins, new boom section fabricated, new clutch pads and numerous other little repairs.