Flying Scotsman - blowback? 23rd December 2018

https://twitter.com/i/status/1076922806284288000

I don't know whether the above link and vid works but on another forum there has been speculation about a recent blowback incident involving Flying Scotsman.

Would anyone like to comment?

Cheers,

Julian

 

The light from the fire is reflected off the steam in and around the cab. It's not a blowback. The only "incident" was the idiot photographers all over the track.

 

Looks like perfectly normal reflection of the fire while the fire hole doors are open on steam above the cab, just like the last time somebody started blow-back rumours on here (Tangmere wasn't it?)

Steven

 

Agreed!
Ray.

 

Their is no way that is a blow back !

 

I'm sure there have been other similar videos labelled blowback, but which are just a reflection from the open firehole doors on the steam above the engine.

See for example this video, from 1 minute onwards.



Tom

 

It’s rampant speculation and hysteria like that on twitter and then spreading it here that does such a disservice to our industry.

 

.

 

I think a sodium platform lamp had its part to play in that one too.

I'm not sure that having the speculation posted on here and immediately rubbished does a great deal of harm...

 

I dunno Jim, it’s hardly professional behaviour.

There’s been a few instances recently where members of the industry should have been quiet, IMO, and waited for reports/statements or said nothing at all.

We need as an industry to get more professional and stop thinking of this in terms of a model railway. It’s working on a real railway.

Claims as per the above could have wide ranging ramifications if groups like the ORR or RAIB got involved. We are talking loss of industry, loss of jobs, worst case scenarios.

More to the point, reputational value, once lost, is hard to win back.

 

This phenomenon has been done to death on here numerous times over the years, I recall an example with Leander being subject to much discussion along with the various examples stated above, as for 'Would anyone like to comment?' short of someone on here actually being on the footplate not sure any comments of relevance could be obtained.

It it had been a blow back, god help the crew and I would imagine it would have been all over the mainstream media, let alone on here.

 

Best ignored IMO.

 

As @GWR4707 says, if it had happened it would have been all over the papers and the RAIB would have already instigated an investigation.

 

Rubbish.

 

All the idiot who started the Twitter rumour had to do was to look at the run on RTT. Was the train brought to a stand, no, did it lose any time from an incident, no so no blowback QED. I really can’t see the point of starting this thread at all.

 

Indeed...nor giving the matter wings with the mock outrage and prophesies of doom!

 

You're entitled to hold a view.

I speak from a position of observing that we have had in the past decade a number of preventable failures on the main line, which have caused delay minutes, damage to the permanent way, lineside and other issues.

If we now introduce potential injury or loss of life due to our activities, do you not think that the authorities which monitor us will take appropriate action?

I am not doom mongering, I am stating a fact. We are under the microscope, as an industry. Heritage steam, in order to be viable on the mainline, has to change and has to adapt. Our members and our supporters have to understand that the working railway, though we have allies in high places, is by and large becoming more difficult to operate on and our position of relative safety with regards delay minutes and compensation, may not always be this way.

Anything which can have the potential to damage our reputation, is damaging for all of us that wish to operate on the mainline.

All I am asking is that when we share, comment and post on things such as this, that we are mindful of the perception of our industry.

If that's rubbish to you, so be it. Bigger picture at work for me.

 

What are you rambling on about ? what 'fact' are you stating ? what damage to whose reputation ?

Are you talking about the idiot trespassing on the line ?

I still think it's rubbish and that you are just rambling on for the sake of it.

Hells teeth, all this because some clown put a video clip on social media of a locomotive with the firehole door open.

 

You have entirely missed the point I am making Victor. Perhaps you should go back and read more carefully.

 

I am no locomotive fireman but it can't be a blowback because there is no reason for it to happen there. Clearly the exhaust is coming out of the chimney with no issue so it sucks the fire towards the tubes. From what I understand blowbacks occur when air goes into the chimney, down the tubes and blows the fire out into the cab, typically when the train goes into a tunnel and the chimney top is close to the roof of the tunnel so the exhaust has more difficultly escaping. It is why the crew close the firedoors and put on the blower before entering a tunnel to prevent any blowback.
The only other time it can occur is if there is some issue where a tube blows or something similar to push the flames out into the cab.