1994 Blue Peter incident

Hi all!

I'm doing a bit of background research into the 1994 wheelslip incident involving 60532.

Whilst I'm aware of the video on YouTube, what I can't find easily is any images of the subsequent damage to the locomotive / valve gear.
Does anyone have anything they would like to share?

Many thanks!

 

I would suggest contacting NELPG who were custodians of the engine at that time and carried out the rebuild.

Then you would receive info. which is officially shared rather than unofficially.
There could be quite a bit of info.

Good luck.

 

There were a lot of pictures of the damaged valve gear in a Steam Railway mag around that time. Sadly I think I got rid of my copy in a house move many years ago so can't help with which one.

 

http://flic.kr/p/6akB2G

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https://i.redd.it/omgiw3nhnvsf1.jpeg

A couple of photos found online.

 

Additional to what was visible one of the driving wheels shifted on its axle so had to be pressed off and refitted in the correct orientation.

 

I remember being in the second coach and the sound of the loco is something I'll never forget, most of the die hard enthusiasts in the front coach were close to tears,a very sad day .

 

I should like to mention massive slips like this were not uncommon ,and locos didn't fall to bits doing it. I think I've told this story before on Nat Pres. During the autumn/ winter of 1956/7 a friend of mine and I used to meet at our usual spotting place about 100 yards north of Kettering station to see the 6.47 pm Kettering - Toton. This was a 16A Nottingham 8F working. It was an easy job for a 8F with 60 empties or so although it crossed snake like, over from the road behind platform 5, the down fast, to the down slow road. Up 1 in 125 . We used to follow the train on our bikes on a parallel road to the line.Our extra interest began when Loddington started loading 27 ton iron tipplers for Corby. As the 6.47 was going that way it was decided to take these on that train. My diary for 1955 recalls that on 28th of October 48763 with 15 x27 tipplers and 65 empties stuck on the Hilly Hollies bridge, that's about 750 yards from the station. The train blocking all lines except the up slow. Delaying an up Manchester due in at 7.10pm.

The final slip was massive, the loco driving wheels glowed red in the dark, sparks from the chimney went sky high ,there was so much steam passing through the regulator valve that the only was to stop it was to wind up the reverser into mid gear.The weight of the train would pull the train backwards very slowly while the loco was slipping. After a short time a banker was summoned ,2F 58214 ..December 16th 48102 ,10x 27 tipplers 61 empties. 48050 banker. Jan 19 48111 stopped but driver restarted ,51 empty 14 iron ore. No more entries so I expect Loddington stopped loading for Corby.
I've also seen a 5x(Jub) a couple of times do this ,only in day light ,(no glowing driving wheels )the driver keen to make a flying start up the 1in 125 from Kettering ,went full regulator after only a few yards in starting , massive slips occurred.The only way was to put the loco'in mid gear to halt the slip.I remember on one of the occasions a 16 year old who had just started in the Signal and Telegraph Dept in his wisdom said "Mad Sod, there will be a long groove on the rails." Probably right, but in those days there was no inspection of the tracks or inspection of the loco'. Soon after it happed non stoppers would fly through at 60/70.
As for Blue Pete ,the loose driving wheel might be a clue. If it was, it's a good job it didn't happen at speed as more serious consequences could have happened.

 

A slip was not uncommon but was generally checked very quickly by the driver; once the wheels were slipping the adhesion between wheels and rail dropped off massively so so rail speed had to be regained before any attempt was made to reapply steam. But the high volume of steam passing through the regulator valve during a slip could act as though solid and prevent the regulator's being closed, so the flow rate had to be reduced by other means before this could be done, and winding into mid gear effectively did this. Some engines were notorious for doing this, the ex-LNWR Super Ds being high on the list and knocked out cylinder covers from water carry-over were far too common.

In the case of the A2 the slip was prolonged, at least 30 seconds, and the rotational speed high, I've heard this reached an equivalent of 147 m.p.h. (I don't know how this was established). The story is that the driver was indeed unable to close the regulator but did apparently wind the reverser into mid gear but failed to engage the catch so it spun under gravity back down into full forward gear. I've got some doubts on this as there is no such indication in the video sequence but we'll probably never know.

()

Prolonged bouts of slipping, while unusual, are far from unknown and 6229 suffered such a bout at Dent for 29 seconds. The video shows that the engine wasn't damaged and after inspection, got the train away. It also shows the damage to the rail head.

There are many cases on YouTube of engines losing their feet, especially Pacifics, and the A2 was probably just unlucky.

()

 

There is also this clip of 45407........

 

Listing to the sound on the video wether accurate or not it sounds like to me as if the driver started off on large valve of the regulater,the loco slipped ,he shut off but not enough to get on the small valve ,tried again ,and again .Then shut of completley to stop ,Why the cylinder cocks came open is any one guess.To start a heavy train in my upinion its long cut off and small valve on the regulater,far more contol.
The LNWR Ds known as Wesses at Kettering had a massive amount of adeshien ,there was only one semi regular run when I came on the scene ,that was a South Wales to Corby slack train via Bletchley ,Northampton and Wellingboro ,a 1E Blethley working .It was booked to change engines at Wellingboro' , a 8F would work tender first to Corby ,then work a Corby -London tube train.The Corby London on a Saturday was often cancled so the D worked thro to Corby .That was okay if the driver did.nt stop for water in Kettering station.He then had to climb 6 miles of 1in 125/35 with 50/60load of slack from a dead stand .It was usualy to much for the 0-8-0 ,they would come to a stand about 700 yards from Kettering station .They never slipped just stopped.Had it been raining on the way up from S/Wales the weight of the train woulds increase some what. Some drivers who had been caught out before did'nt stop for water ,and took a run at it ,I could hear them coming several miles away,two long two short puffs. Most of the videos seen here are of greasy rail slips ,not heavy load slips.

 

The reason why the reverser slipped is well documented.
It had a catch to lock it in position, and the driver had already been warned that driving with the reverser not locked, was asking for trouble.
The fact he started off from Durham, with the reverser not locked, caused the runaway reverser to full forward, and the devastating damage.
Subsequently, all drivers were trained on how to use the A2 reverser / ratchet regulator.

Hope this helps.