'The Capital Christmas Express'. 23rd November

Sounds a fairly standard Bulleid clank. Those modern BFB wheels do act as soundboards to the usual rod noises.
In the video, '67 does sound a bit off beat, but then again, it was going downhill at the time!

 

That clanking sound is nothing new for 34067, it is barely heard when she passes below in this clip (from 1:48 into video), but listen to the final return working at 2:25 onwards in the video (this is in November 2011), you hear the clanking more than the train.


I'm not going to put the reasons for Saturday in any direction, but she always seems to be pulling 11 coaches plus a class 37/47 diesel as well, A train weight far more than a BB/WC did in the 50s. Probably more than an MN did in those days.

 

Doesn't the earlier design of big end have a locking ring which was replaced by BR with the four nuts.

 

Well said David! Lets just wait and see what the inspections that will inevitably follow throw up. I'm shuddering just thinking what could so easily have happened.

 

35019 FRENCH LINE CGT

3/5/11 EXETER CENTRAL TO WATERLOO 171
This was 35019’s debut but forward movement was not smooth initially but this eventually cleared but on the decent of Honition bank towards Seaton Junction, 35019 suffered a severe fracture of its connecting rods causing the loco to derail and topple over blocking the down line where 34107 was heading the down 1030pm Waterloo to Exeter. 34107 hit the derailed loco at low speed. It was impossible for 35019 to move under its own power and so was condemned on the spot. After the loco was removed and the coal cleared from the down main line, 34107 continued to Exeter Central

A little bit of light relief perhaps. I run a massive railway based on steam in the 60's and from my notes (these are the actual notes from the run) the connecting rod snapped and dug itself into the ballast whereby the locomotive not only derailed but toppled over. It is ironic, in that this is exactly what could have happened to Tangmere on Saturday. Thank God that it happened to an 00 Hornby Merchant Navy and not the real thing. In my incident, Blandford Forum came to the rescue.

 

I have always feared mainline steam would end with a serious accident causing fatalities directly the result of mechanical failure on a steam loco its quite frightening to realize how close we came to this let us all hope the inquiry concludes its an isolated incident unlikely to happen again and we can move on

 

Indeed, you become attuned to each individual locomotive and the noises that it makes. When you hear something above the normal noise you pick it up quickly but that depends where the noise is coming from and how easily you can hear it. What's obvious on the platform when an engine goes past directly in line with the listener's head may not be so easy to hear sat back in the cab with all the additional noise that the cab encloses.

 

Yes, a very worrying prospect indeed. If it is any consolation, 46211 Queen Maud has just arrival at Liverpool on the down Red Rose, without incident just 3 minutes late.

Seriously though, it is amazing how an 00 module can replicate what could have happened on the Tangmere's run, i.e. dug into the ballast, derailed the locomotive and turned over. Come to think of it, on National Geo, they often use model to re-inact a plane crash to see if any clues can be gained. Spooky.

Anyway, it's D368 on the Red Rose tomorrow. Boooooo!

 

I would like to believe the quality of metal used on a mainline steam locomotive may be appropriately strengthened to a standard higher than a model railway locomotive.

Whilst doom mongers predict a fatal gory end to mainline steam, god forbid that has happened once already, but overseas, in a country which continues to operate mainline steam.
Germany has had a fair share of mainline fatalities, including the high profile Dampfspektacle in 2010, but are taken in reasoned perspective, not shot gun hysteria.

Mainline steam dodged a bullet, but not a fatal shot, but so does each and every mainline trip, the risk begins before you light the fire, until after the engine is put back in the shed, each and every trip.

 

As I said further up, the method of traction has nothing to do with it. No-one has banned diesels or electrics despite serious accidents causing fatalities.

 

So did anyone get a video of the Failing Connecting Rod on 34067?
Thanks
Andy

 

Quite, the type of loco/component and operator is what's under scrutiny, A Swindon or Crewe connecting rod attached to it's relevant loco is a somewhat different design.

 

Your point is well made but by all accounts there are those in NR who would be rid of steam on the national network and this incident must seem like manna from heaven. Hopefully wiser counsel will prevail.

 

Here's an image of the bolted type of big end. I don't know but guess that they are locked by a shared tab washer

 

Woulden't that be illegal under open access rules ?, it would be hard to justify banning say a Riley Black Five with a bulletproof reliability record which is a world away from the type in question.

 

When the rules don't suit the play you want - you just change the rules. I'm sure if NR really wanted to do it they could.

Looking at it from the perspective of the present it's hard to justify how a steam locomotive should have a "right" to be running on Network Rail at all. Steam is more of a guest. It is incredible how it is still able to run on the network in 2013 despite it's special requirements, relatively poor performance, low speed and the occasional mishaps. In 1968 they thought it was the end for ever, so we really should be grateful for what we have now. Steam needs to tread softly!

I could already tell you the users who will denounce me as a "traitor to steam" and claim that I'm "working for Network Rail" or a "troll" because of this post! But the fact is that times have moved on and so has Britain's railways. As time goes on things can only get harder for those who give so much time and effort in keeping it going.

I can only say on page 13 an official report will have to be released soon or the forum may run out of space!

 

I have been on the footplate of a WC - 34108 between Brockenhurst and Christchurch in 1967 - and know that footplates can be noisy BUT the noise displayed on the video of 34067's passage through Winchfield was sufficiently loud that I was surprised that no -one on the footplate heard it. If they did - and I presume that question will be raised in the forthcoming investigation(s) - I am curious asto what action the footplate crew took in response - hence my initial posting.

That said it's no use discussing pro and cons of actions taken until the full report is made public.

 

Afraid I can't agree with that, in a day and age where the rulebook says the network is open to all, you'd be unable to remove traction or operators without good reason, if I was operating say an A4 with DBS and NR tried to tell me I coulden't operate because a Spam Can run by another operator caused problems, I doubt they'd have a leg to stand on when challenged.

The whole "we're lucky to have this and that" to me seems to be a hangover from BR days, seeing as they owned everything, they could dictate how they wanted and if you didn't like it, tough, today under NR and a whole load of companies, no one cane dictate in that fashion without justifiable reasons, there might be justifiable reason to stop Bullieds and Carnforth maintained loco's until the cause is found and appropriate action taken, but anything beyond that has no reasonable justification and I'm sure would be rightly challenged by those who run steam but played no part in the events at Winchfield.

The issue is many people, ignorant of what the reality is, seem to view steam as effectively one large class that all behaves the same, the truth as we all know is anything but, you woulden't compare a class 20 to a HST, so why throw everything else in with a Bulleid with some broken rods ?.

I'm sure NR will consider these things properly than get caught up in ill informed hysteria, witness one TOC that is still operating currently, despite being involved in the Stafford class 47 SPAD incident (look it up for the full horrific details, I could be here for some time listing all the wrong doing from that one).