1300

The RAIB has a requirement to be advised of

(My Italics)[/quote:iueiw7zw]
Thanks for the clarification Martin. However, I am sure you will agree that being advised of incidents and investigating incidents are two different scenarios.

 

The RAIB has a requirement to be advised of

(My Italics)[/quote:3nvhbw1f]
Thanks for the clarification Martin. However, I am sure you will agree that being advised of incidents and investigating incidents are two different scenarios.[/quote:3nvhbw1f]

HMRI have investigated the incident and Steam Railway quotes David Keay (HMRI) on the subject. I don't have a copy (sneak read in the local papershop) so can't quote what he said. IIRC, SR states that a report has been published and there are four recommendations which will be acted upon.

 

For a traction engine, no more than a standard car licence.

For a steam roller you need a group G entitlement, though you can drive on L plates with a car licence.

To steer, (something alien to you railway wallers), if the machine is on steel wheels, you dont even need a licence. On rubber, you do.

Insured for some freightening amount public liability incase the boiler pops, or you cover some old dear with smutts, and then your usual RTA carry on, just like your car.

I suspect the boiler inspection is similar, written scheme of examination, cold and hot inspections at no more than 14month intervals. Hydraulic every 10.

Remember a traction engine driver is the fireman and driver rolled into one. Usually on a road you do not know.

 

The 'problem' with road steam is that there is no legal requirement to undertake an exam other than a driving test should you require a class G, therefore anyone with enough money to buy a working traction engine can take one out with no previous experience of boiler management. The National Traction Engine Trust (NTET) does have a driving course and qualification but it is, so far, voluntary.

There have been some very dodgy incidents I have heard about in the road fraternity but thankfully most people involved have plenty of experience. Fusible plug trouble is far more common place on a road engine purely because of the sudden and severe gradient changes you can experience on roads. It does require a whole new way of thinking about things after years on a railway loco [-o<

 

Stan, have a look here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fusib ... view_3.jpg the fusible plug is only part threaded, the rest is plain and is the portion that protrudes into the water space above the crown, so no thread beyond the crown plate. Is that what your plugs were like?

 

The plugs I have are threaded end to end, however the plug holes are tapped to allow the lower part of the thread to engage correctly (ie although the top part is threaded the thread contact is not full depth as the plugs are tapered).
Great care is taken to ensure the plugs fit the platework correctly and of course they are removed annually for visual examination of not only the plug itself but the crown thickness too (its common for wastage to occur around the plug holes with many fireboxes having this area built up or "top hats" fitted).

Out of interest I wonder how many plugs are leaded incorrectly?

Thanks for posting the link Avonside 1563

Stan

 

Your statement on thread contact intrigues me. A tapered plug should go into a tapered tapped hole and give full thread engagement throughout. It should not be a BSP taper thread into a BSP parallel hole as with BS21 pipe fittings. If I've mis-interpreted, apologies.
Are your plugs Nabic fig 5's or your own design? A Nabic plug only has 6 threads @ 11tpi an a 5/8" upstand above this.

 

Had a read of the relevant piece in WHS earlier. 4 recommendations, but regarding maintenance, with mention in the article of "worn" injectors.

Either SR have got the emphasis wrong, or I would suggest HMRI have missed the point. If both injectors were to pack up on an engine (and we all know lifting injectors can be tempremental) , that in itself should not cause a dropped plug. Failure to react to the situation would.

 

Please explain?[/quote:2bnmf6a7]

I picked up on these two posts because they show that there are a lot of misconceptions about fusible plugs and what they do. Others have since posted correcting these misconceptions. The biggest of these is that a blown fusible plug will put the fire out. Think about it. What issues from the plug is steam, at a high temperature and thus superheated. It certainly isn't water. Blowing steam onto a fire cannot and will not put a fire out. Another misconception is that it will reduce the pressure in the boiler. A BR fusible plug has an internal hole of 5/8" dia. Safety valves on even the smallest 'main line' loco are 2" dia and much bigger on larger ones. Escaping steam from a 5/8" hole is like a drop in the ocean and will effectively do nothing to reduce steam pressure and lessent the load on the crown. The escaping steam from a fusible plug is simply a warning to the crew but, with a loco working hard it is quite possible that the noise of the escaping steam will not be heard above the general cacophony.[/quote:2bnmf6a7]

Well thankyou for putting me right.

 

Questions for the driver to answer, being in charge, would be:
1. Why was the assisting loco deemed unnecessary after running the rest of the day?
2. What is the max load for 1300 within operating rules?
3. How much water was in the tank on departure from Bury given that water subsequently needed at Ramsbottom?
4. What precautions were taken when venturing into the 'unknown' with small loco/large load ie was the loco driven cautiously or maintaining time at any cost?
5. Why was the decision taken to continue without rescue having experienced such a major failure?
Only the driver and to some degree the Responsible Officer for operations on the day can adequately answer these points to shed better light on what seems to have been a fiasco, narrowly avoiding a disaster.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

 

You should get a job with the HMRI. Given the fact that they have already conducted an investigation, no doubt, similar questions were asked by the investigating officer.

 

look forward to the public release then. Thanks for the kind career advice as well; retirement suits me though.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]