INCIDENT AT GROSMONT – Tuesday 15 November 2011

I have renamed the thread to reflect the latest post.

 

Thanks Stephen - that should silence the rumour machine.

 

I feel your pain NYMR. A very similar but more serious accident on a preserved line befell me many years ago. It still haunts my dreams.

 

Done their home work, not! Apart from Being NYMR the photo is totally out of place to the article, wrong stock, wrong loco and out of ticket and I doubt there was much snow around.

 

Does it matter?

 

Some of the LNERCA officials were able to have a look at 43567 last Saturday, and I think it is fair to say that we were very pleasantly surprised by what we found. As I've reported earlier, there was only very minor damage to the body -a small piece of torn canvas and some scratched varnish from scraping by a tree. The fact that the wooden body is able to flex probably saved it from worse damage. Most of the damage seems to be in the area between the bogie and battery boxes, with some bending of the angle trussing and and centre longitudinal girders, but it looks as though it should all be capable of being straightened rather than replaced. It will be quite a big job, though, as I think it is generally agreed that the body will need to be lifted off the frames, both to imrove access and avoid the risk of it being set on fire whilst straightening and welding works are in progress. That will be time consuming but not technically challenging, this coach had its body lifted when it was restored. The derailed bogie is in quite a state, but may be repairable; if not, we have pointed the NYMR in the direction of a spare pair. Other damaged components may be available in the LNER spares collection - we knew they'd come in handy one day!

There's no evidence of any damage at all to Gresley TTO 56856 which was coupled to 43567, apart from the fact that the buckeyes are jammed.

Talk of 43567's demise has been greatly overexaggerated! We fully expect the repair to be put in hand before too long, probably with an external contractor so as not to disrupt the NYMR's winter work programme, as soon as details are sorted out with the railway's insurers.

 

That's excellent news. Says a lot about the quality of the LNER workmanship/design.

Richard

 

That is SUCH good news! Let's hope its recovery will be swift!

Foxy

 

Could this be used as a good example for the ORR when they explore the possibily of operating certain wooden bodied vehicles on the national network again?

 

I believe the main point that has rendered the ORR open to wooden bodied vehicles being allowed out was the effectiveness of TPWS, thereby massively reducing the risk of a collision between trains. Let's face it, if this accident had occurred at 75mph the teaks would have been totalled.

 

Shouldn't stop them going out onto the Esk Valley line though, where the speed limit apart from the Grosmont-Battersby) is more or less the same as the NYMR. Most railway vehicles involved in an accident at 75mph would be totalled! We think that f 43567 had been a Mk 1 it would have fared worse because there is no flexibility in a steel body.

 

Absolutely. I'm not suggesting that letting wooden bodied or framed vehicles onto the main line is a bad idea. Interesting that a Mk1 may have come off worse.

 

Buckeye couplings (fitted to LNER, SR and Pullman, but not GW or LMS stock) helps with end-on collisions, by preventing telescoping. It's interesting reading "Red for Danger" where this point is re-iterated on several occasions.

Tom

 

This incident involved two teak coaches that were buckeyed together. One of the buckeyes was fitted with lower shelf brackets (required for main line running, but fitted in this case just because it was what was available when a buckeye was replaced) and it is felt that this may have had a beneficial effect as well.

 

Rolt also talks about Steel body coaches. Only when both steel body and buckeyes are combined as in the case of mark's 1 do you have a much safeer coach.

 

Re: INCIDENT AT GROSMONT – Tuesday 15 November 2011

The HRA have released an urgent safety advice notice to all member railways regarding handbrakes following the Grosmont incident.

View attachment Urgent Safety Alert - 111121 - NYMR - Handbrake linkages.pdf

 

I am confused - the safety notice suggests that this is of particular importance to those railways operating Gresley stock, but was it not the Mk1s that actually ran away, the Gresleys being, as it were, the victims?

 

No. You've been listening to the rumour mill. All five vehicles were coupled together.

The notice may refer to Gresley van handbrakes where it is difficult to inspect this bit but the same can be applied to a lot of other van brakes. Well worth checking rather than working on the principle that it won't happen to us.