Vintage work crew photos

[Hoosiersmoker]

Correction, Detroit, Michigan. From the website MHUGL "Military History of the Upper Great Lakes":

"... During both world wars it was used as a shipping center that sent vehicles and weapons manufactured in Detroit to the fronts of the war. During World War II the fort housed Italian prisoners of war. During the Detroit riots the fort provided housing for families whose houses were destroyed.
Fort Wayne was one of the largest motor supply depots in World War II and additional buildings were constructed near the fort to warehouse the weapons and vehicles being sent the fronts of the war. Equipment was sent out on ship by the Detroit River or by the railroad that used to run next to the fort."

Likely myriad parts for the war effort went out through the Great Lakes.

[Jon]

Sandhogs and mucking machine in the Kensico-Hillview Tunnel. January 18, 1939.

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[IntheGroove]

Twin cylinder steam powered cable winch. Date and location unknown.

[Toolmaker51]

Twin cylinder steam powered cable winch. Date and location unknown.

!! A tapered wire rope sheave? New to me, that is certain.

[Ralphxyz]

re: tapered wire rope sheave, possible they needed to change the speed of the cable. Would the torque also change?

[Rikk]

re: tapered wire rope sheave, possible they needed to change the speed of the cable. Would the torque also change?

I wonder if it was to allow the steam engine to gain rpms/power? Similar to shifting gears in a car/truck. Once the load is in motion, the initial torque required lessens?

[Frank S]

re: tapered wire rope sheave, possible they needed to change the speed of the cable. Would the torque also change?

My theory would be they used the taper to cause the rope to lay flat as in an early attempt at the lebius wrap
going from the minor to the major diameters the speed torque and length differences between each wrap would be negligible
say if the minor was 40 inches and the major was 48 inches there would be only about 2 ft total change in length from the shortest to the longest wrap.
the total single layer full drum length would be around say 220 ft useable payout or take up. This would only work for a single layer drum wrap though

[suther51]

A type of capstan with a take up real out side the picture??
Eric

[hemmjo]

If the machine is designed to move a load, the load may vary as it is moved. An over head garage door for example, gets lighter as each panel transitions from the vertical track to the horizontal track. For the garage door, the varying load is compensated by the springs as they relax, at the top, the load is the least, and the springs are in their most relaxed position.

Perhaps this variable sized drum, is for some application with a similar requirement.

[Jon]

Working on a locomotive at the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad shops, Chicago, Illinois, 1942.

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