Britain's Most Dangerous Rail Freight

Greetings! :D
At the very kind suggestion of Brian O' Mahony, this week's video will be taking a look at the history of the most dangerous items of goods ever transported on Britain's railways throughout the years, this roundup including corrosive acids, explosives, petrochemicals and spent nuclear fuels.
All video content and images in this production have been provided with permission wherever possible. While I endeavour to ensure that all accreditations properly name the original creator, some of my sources do not list them as they are usually provided by other, unrelated KZbinrs. Therefore, if I have mistakenly put the accreditation of 'Unknown', and you are aware of the original creator, please send me a personal message at my Gmail (this is more effective than comments as I am often unable to read all of them): [e-mail]
The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.
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Thanks again, everyone, and enjoy! :D
References:
- Mike Smith at International Good Guys (and his respective sources)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)

[@haroldpearson6025]

My late father drove munitions trains in WW2. Other problems included being bombed and wondering if bridges were still in place when traveling in the dark. He came over a bridge early one morning to find a parachute mine swinging from the girders. Train crews and railway staff get very little credit for their part in WW2.

[@generalsquirrel9548]

That could have been pretty dangerous and sometimes scary. Seeing a bomb just hanging there. Me: remembers clip of a british lad just carrying an aircraft 10 or 50 or 100kg(roughly guested) bomb

[@josephturner4047]

When learning protection regulations when I was a guard, the instructor asked what steps should be taken if your derailed train includes hydrocyanic acid. My mate said, bloody big ones.

[@midnightteapot5633]

We did similar when I was in shunters school and they asked us what we should do if there was a derailment involving liquid petroleum gas tanks and anyone was injured in the vicinity. Lay him down comfortably and give him a smoke.

[@benlaskowski357]

Priceless!!

[@hannahranga]

That reminds me of this quote from John Drury Clark in reference to dealing with chlorine trifluoride >the operator is confronted with the problem of coping with a metal-fluorine fire. For dealing with this situation, I have always recommended a good pair of running shoes.

[@roberthollingsworth3569]

that made my day.

[@kavorkaa]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Quasihamster]

Passengers remain the most dangerous goods on the network. A mere five minute delay can cause some of them to explode.

[@calmeilles]

Munitions and explosive trains immediately made me think of the once huge Royal Arsenal railways in Woolwich and Plumstead. Now gone to redevelopment of course and frustrating to research as map makers left military installations as blank areas.

[@connormclernon26]

Look for Soviet maps. They had those military installations marked accurately

[@johnking1381]

@@connormclernon26 good call

[@johnmurrell3175]

There are probably maps in the National Archives - there are certainly maps of the railway systems on military airfields such as Farnborough. For sites in Kent there ares ome very good German Aerial Photographs from WW2 in Google Earth. The RAF post war survey ones of the rest of the country are much lower quality !

[@vornamenachname727]

@@connormclernon26 Now where did you learn that? map men map men map map map men men

[@connormclernon26]

@@vornamenachname727 Yup

[@countottovanshanoo822]

The four most dangerous loads, aka "the four ooh nasty's", which were the only loads where the guard and drive should *not* walk towards each other after an incident were : HCN (Hydro Cyanic Acid), Octel (the 'lead' in leaded pertrol), O11MY Military explosive and nuclear flasks. Apart from barrier wagon requirements gunpowder vans had no special regulations.

[@ProfSimonHolland]

interesting

[@johnmurrell3175]

Not quite true the London Transport Executive rule book for 1933 has rule 240 with special instructions about Gunpowder Wagons - this includes such things as the need for the Staff to wear 'Magazine Boots' when working in the wagons as well as instructing that the only things that may be carried in Gunpowder Wagons is Gunpowder and the Magazine Boots.

[@johnmasters504]

The HNC smelt like almonds according to my BR Driver instructor at March Depot

[@KryoNaut]

@@johnmasters504 that's just cyanide he was smelling. Not the greatest thing to smell

[@stevenjlovelace]

I lived in a town with a large railyard as a kid (Dupo, Illinois), and in addition to fire drills and tornado drills at my school, we had hazardous material drills in case there was a derailment.

[@TheRolandS69]

It is amazing that the line was usable by Freight after 18 hours and passenger services the next day, following the explosion. That would take so much longer these days.

[@TonboIV]

Well, people were willing to take a lot of risks during wartime which the wouldn't have done otherwise.

[@davidjones332]

It was mostly rebuilt by 100 US Army Engineers -there are photos of black GIs using bulldozers and other heavy plant. It was probably a doddle compared to what they would have to do after D-Day.

[@andreww2098]

There was a War on you know! can't have delays!

[@millomweb]

It'd take longer than 18 hours to get the paperwork ready - to be signed off at next month's meeting.

[@macbomb]

Tetraethyllead is used in LEADED petrol not jet fuel. Turbine motors do not need anti knock additives.

[@EmperorJake]

Avgas, for piston propeller planes, still contains lead

[@sjaakmcd1804]

Hi macbomb, Tetraethyllead is still used in ppm for jet fuel used in some turboprop engines and turbojet engines but not in turbofan engines so based on the numbers of types of engine in use you are 95% correct which is an A+

[@jonathanbaker3307]

Said like someone who has never had a jittery engine at 33,000 feet

[@thomaskramer2266]

@@sjaakmcd1804 You are wrong, Tetraethyllead is and was only used for Piston engines. Lead or any other metal does Attack the Turbines.

[@sjaakmcd1804]

@@thomaskramer2266 ? er no

[@Mariazellerbahn]

10:30 Nothing ever seems to be said about the crew of the 47 that uncoupled the front portion of his train to get the locomotive and three wagons clear of the tunnel fire. Gimbert and Nightall got recognised for a similar act but not this crew.

[@GC-rf2st]

I lived next to London International Freight Terminal in the early 1980’s, there was always a Nuclear Container parked on and off in a siding just over the road. No one took any notice of it until the Train Crash test when some ner do well got excited and started a campaign to get it moved, yet no one again took any notice of the BOC Oxygen trailer that often parked on the 90degree bend on the entrance to our estate/Blackwall tunnel rat run overnight, one misjudged corner by a motorist and boom!

[@sercosean]

Many years ago I worked a train from Willesden to hoo jct and was running late so I got to dartford during the morning peak. The on duty railman at crayford spotted smoke from a wagon that was five from the rear and contacted Dartford. The signaller stopped me in platform 4 which was nigh on under his box to tell me, well looking at the tops list it was a 1.1 blast hazard (the gulf war was happening, and it was destined to be unloaded by Gurkhas and transferred to ridham dock, private as others wouldn’t touch it) well ‘This is a Rail Dangerous Goods Emergency’ I require etc the poor signalman ‘your under my box’ his boxers might have need evacuation as well, not often a train driver gets one on a signalman, needless to say it was handled in a professional way, hot axle box, and a bucket of water done the trick. I made sure it cooled down and CW inspected it and shunted out the way into the sidings near the box! Made overtime that day 😂

[@jtveg]

Such a fascinating subject. 3:15 I had never heard of a _"fireless locomotive"_ that only ran on compressed air. Thanks so much for sharing. 😎👌🏼

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

(3:28) I'm pretty sure none ever ran on "compressed steam", as steam would quickly condense, causing the reservoir to collapse under atmospheric pressure.

[@jtveg]

@@Milosz_Ostrow Indeed you are correct. I didn't notice he said _"compressed air or stem"_ Steam would definitely have the possibility of going lower than atmospheric pressure once it cooled down and condensed back into water.

[@blackthorne57]

​@@jtveg Many fireless locomotives use high pressure steam (compressed steam). Some also use compressed air. In Cuba I have seen fireless locos recharged by steam generated by the sugar mill boilers. The design and shape of the pressure vessel (steam reservoir) is such that it does not collapse as the steam is used. I beleive there are few fireless steam locos still in use in Germany.

[@jtveg]

@@blackthorne57 Thanks for the information. 😉👌🏻

[@AnubhabKundu]

National Rail Museum in New Delhi has a fireless loco preserved.

[@Xantec]

the flask used in the test is on display at Heysham power station. total damage: one (slightly) bent fin and some chipped paint!

[@johndavies9270]

An excellent video; I loved it - why? because of all those wonderful historic steam train clips! Aberdare, Bulldog, Dean Goods, you managed to get some really rare motive power included. I understand, from the Atlantic Press book 'Railways & War, Vol 1,' that there was a munitions train disaster during WW1, somewhere in the Manchester area. Although the book showed a photo of the wreckage in a devastated yard they were unable to give more details because of a security embargo still being in force nearly 100 years later. In 1915 the Silvertown disaster also had a possible railway 'connection'; the barrels of crude TNT were regularly carried in open wagons from the north, and it wasn't unknown for these to arrive broken. It is possible - although unprovable - that 'foreign bodies' either accidentally or deliberately introduced into one or more of these casks led to the fire which caused the explosion. And you also have the short wartime film, "Shunter Black's Night Off", which is quite a decent little dramatisation of an actual Blitz incident.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

The Eccles rail crash of 1984 did not involve LPG but fuel oil. And LPG wasn't the most dangerous cargo, that was HCN from Seal Sands, Teesside. These trains had 2 PXA barrier wagons attach end of the rake of tank wagons.

[@tommytrinder.1226]

Also Eccles is Salford,not Manchester.

[@johnnyplayz920]

My grandpa remembers seeing coal and oil trains while working in the factory in Europe in 1956, he can remember a time where if the train car if it was bashed into a siding the area would need to be evacuated and needed to be inspected via mandatory inspections. One accident he can remember was when a worker was smoking and threw his cigarette while the tanker was draining oil and the tanker caught fire and blew up the tanker and fuel pump. (The worker also died at the scene)

[@toy1606]

9:19 Graham Farish...the model company?? I'm pretty sure they only make miniature, N-gauge versions of the 100T tanks but I'm willing to be corrected! lol

[@damianoandreaarrigoni4401]

Dude, I google searched Graham Farish and I got a link to a p-n site, are we sure it is written like that?

[@SilverGear_]

You're right. Graham Farish is an N scale manufacturer that just so happens to make models of the same TEA wagons, rather than the real full size things. I'm sure it's some kind of misunderstanding

[@SilverGear_]

@@damianoandreaarrigoni4401 I can assure you that is most definitely how it is spelled. How on earth the search engine connected a model company name to adult content is beyond my understanding, but might have been influenced by your previous searches? ;)

[@macjim]

Yes, Graham Farish make n gauge rolling stock…

[@toy1606]

Thanks guys…I am aware they make N gauge models. 🙄🤣 I meant corrected if a company under the same name had in-fact made full size rolling stock…and no the recently named Class 60 doesn’t count. ☺️. Suppose no one actually corrected though…just affirmed. I’ll scuttle back under my rock now 🤣

[@stephenpegum9776]

I was particularly interested in the section that mentioned the carriage of both LNG & LPG by rail. Back in the early 80's I worked for a US/Norwegian company that owned a fleet of LNG & LPG carriers. They were basically huge floating vacuum flasks but cost something like US$500M each to build ! 😎

[@mikearmstrong8483]

That's a UK thing for you. Here in "the colonies", marking a rail car with the word "gunpowder" would be like painting the side with a giant target and the phrase "Railroad will pay $1,000 to anyone that hits the bullseye".

[@Sacto1654]

I think here in the USA, the shipment of dangerous goods is highly regulated in recent years given Southern Pacifc's chequered history of such goods transport (Roseville yard bomb explosions in 1973, 1991 Dunsmuir metam sodium leak and the Ventura hydrazine leak in the same year).

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

@@Sacto1654 yes, there are internationally standardized hazmat placards that are placed on containers, tankers, etc. to help fire departments and workers know what precautions to take when dealing with these materials.

[@graemejwsmith]

Tetra Ethyl Lead is used in Gasoline/Petrol based piston engine aviation fuels. Not "Jet Fuel" which is kerosene based.

[@leifvejby8023]

And it was used in petrol for cars until banned in 2000?

[@fartingfury]

I heard that the 100LL (100-octane low lead) avgas for piston aero engines has four times the lead of the old leaded petrol for cars. Madness... But it is sold in tiny quantities (relatively speaking) so I guess it's not that big of a deal.

[@zopEnglandzip]

@@fartingfury despite having to pick the lead out of the plugs at every service on the lower compression engines you are right, it's an irrelevant quantity in the grand scheme of things but it's going to get banned eventually and cripple the GA fleet as the alternatives being offered are no good.

[@graemejwsmith]

@@fartingfury I think automotive leaded fuel was running about 8 grams of TTL per US Gallon (0.8 of an Imperial Gallon) compared to current 100LL at 2 grams per US Gallon. Simple Summary (its a lot more complex than this): The problem of entirely eliminating lead from Aviation gasoline has always been the much longer design life of aviation certified engines. With cars - the engines rolled through pretty quickly - 10-15 years or so. And if the engines started to detonate for lack of lead - the timing could be retarded and some power lost. With CERTIFIED aviation piston engines - they can last upwards of 50 years with overhauls so just getting rid of lead is not that simple. Retarding timing also doesn't work as too much power is lost - and there are other factors that make engines detonate at altitude that TTL cures. Even harmonizing on just 100LL from a range of 80 / 100 / 115 and 145 octane aviation fuels was a headache. Getting a "one size fits all" - "drop in" replacement was tough. The good news is that in the summer of 2021 GAMI announced a certificated "drop in" aviation gasoline that does not contain lead. Adoption is expected over the next few years. Interestingly one of the last plants in the world producing TTL is in the UK (there are none in North America). Maybe Ruairidh will be able to produce a "last load out of TTL" video when it happens - though as he points out - it's probably going by truck at this point.

[@leifvejby8023]

@@fartingfury That is about right. The Low Lead is only when compared to 130 and 150 octane.

[@fhwolthuis]

Very interesting again! BTW the dangerous goods in the lorry at 14:03 is молоко, or milk 😁😉

[@smorris12]

Let me drop 1000 gallons of milk on you and see if you still think it's not dangerous... 😉

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

Milk is dangerous for the cows: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5SxaIZ9fNR2hKs

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

@@smorris12 Milk is dangerous for the cows: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5SxaIZ9fNR2hKs

[@damianoandreaarrigoni4401]

Bruh, I think he should have looked it up!

[@MrSvenovitch]

The droogs might get ravenous though. Very dangerous. ;-)

[@spottydog4477]

9:19 Graham Farish the model company NEVER made 100T tanks wagons LOL

[@alanrobertson9790]

Not 1:1 scale anyhow!

[@cooperised]

That made me laugh too!

[@billmmckelvie5188]

I don't think he realised either!

[@stewartellinson8846]

I'm sure the ones they made were about 5cm long.....

[@macjim]

We have one of those gunpowder vans at the railway... The Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, a Caledonian railway one and we have a ‘fireless’ locomotive too.

[@BigGoucho]

Have you opened back up yet? Ive never been and I need to make the trip.

[@macjim]

@@BigGoucho yes, been running for a while now…

[@millomweb]

Where's the fireless loco from ?

[@grahamsawyer831]

good lord that summit tunnel fire looks impressive. 150ft flames from the vent shafts, stonework turned to glass. wish I'd seen that!!

[@herseem]

and if I remember correctly, the original cause was slack maintenance. Update: Oops, I was misremembering it, it must have been another derailment I was thinking of. I've just been reading the official report

[@grahamsawyer831]

@@herseem amazing how 99% of these kind of incidents are caused by want of maintenance, yet it still seems to be the first area to save money (perhaps second to retaining competent staff). if you haven't already, check out the CSB video reports from the USA; some real shockers there!

[@herseem]

@@grahamsawyer831 yes, I agree, but on this occasion it appears to have been regarded as a failure that would have been difficult to prevent or spot, if you read the full report

[@Vokabre]

14:02 Narration: "Presented a far safer means of transporting these deadly goods" Video: A lorry saying "milk".

[@millomweb]

From the milchman - #carry on spying?

[@highdownmartin]

Lethal stuff. If you’re lactose intolerant

[@kaasmeester5903]

Moving dangerous goods in milk trucks has the advantage that people will stop worrying about it... or they will duck & cover whenever the milkman pulls into the street. That's a Russian truck though (unless that footage is an outtake from 'a Clockwork Orange'), and they have a history of doing that sort of thing. The KGB used paddy wagons disguised as bread vans...

[@millomweb]

@@kaasmeester5903 The one I heard (not Russian related) related to crates of 'tractor parts'. Ammo probably included (but not batteries ;) ) I'm just going to the shop for a pack of Sten guns for my Massey Furguson.

[@millomweb]

@@kaasmeester5903 It's not too bad if it's milk trucks. If it's labelled as Pasteurised milk, run a miile !

[@1951GL]

Excellent video. An old driver in the 1960s told me the biggest issue in the 2WW was the movement of shells and bombs in ammo trains. The shortage of heavy freight locos often meant a Class 2 loco being used where a Class 6 was needed. These were hazardous on downward curves where the unfiitted train would push the Class 2 beyond its braking capacity. Any application of the brake caused sparks from the wheels, with all the danger that implies. Not the case at Soham - the accident there remains a mystery.

[@davidjones332]

It's not a complete mystery. The enquiry found that the wagon that caught fire had previously carried a cargo of bulk sulphur, the tarpaulin over the bomb-load was not roped down over the wagon sides as it should have been, and the most likely cause was a spark from the engine igniting sulphur powder on the floor of the wagon.

[@goldstraw360]

Another great video, thanks. However, as far as I know, BOC was never referred to as 'Bock' - whenever it was in the news during the 70s as I grew up, it was always referred to by its initials.

[@millomweb]

Yes. British Oxygen Co.

[@denisohbrien]

Yep always heard it referred to as b . o . c. by anyone in any trade ive dealt with.

[@andysedgley]

It's funny that. Usually people go for the easiest and quickest abbreviations. Yet BOC was never called "boc", always Bee Oh Sea.

[@goldstraw360]

@@andysedgley And the TUC was never 'Tuck' either! :)

[@millomweb]

@@andysedgley Eye sea eye.

[@ricolasroc5890]

Really interesting video! Thank you. Coincidentally, when at Junior school I was taught by a Miss Gilbert who was the driver in the video's daughter. She was very proud of him!

[@nicholasfitzsimmons7311]

Boom? Yes. I fix. In modern days there were so many health and safety things that would stop 'hazardous' materials.

[@joebryant5722]

Blimey, everything up and running again in 24hrs!!!! after that. That is incredible. Imagine anything on the railways today being sorted that quick1:)))))

[@jamessimms415]

You’d be surprised. Since the seven (soon to be six, sadly) Class I railroad’s no longer have organic wreck & salvage assets any more, there are three major (& many smaller ones) companies that move wrecked freight cars & repair tracks. Unless it’s in a highly remote area, or a ton of wrecked cars, or highly hazardous materials cooking off; a rail line can cleared & running in 24 hours if need be. Rail companies get in there to inspect & determine a cause while the wreckage is being cleared away. The main line suffered a derailment South of where I live, was up & running w/in 24 hours; but w/slow orders in the area. Amtrak suffered a 24 hour delay but that’s it. Contractors clear it away & cut up the wrecked cars more leisurely.

[@shanesimmons3784]

Speaking of ordnance trains and disasters, I found out that there was a very significant one here in California, at the Roseville Yard (near Sacramento), then owned by Southern Pacific, in April 1973. A train carrying munitions bound for the Vietnam War caught fire, then exploded over a period of two days, causing massive damage to the yard. A total of 18 boxcars exploded, but there were no fatalities, fortunately. If you do a search for "Roseville Yard Explosion" here on KZbin, you can find some rather dramatic footage of it. The Roseville Yard, formally the J.R. Davis yard, is the largest classification yard in the Western US.

[@chrisst8922]

Good job it didn't explode and cause massive damage anywhere else.

[@toomanyuserids]

My mother drove munitions trucks around a training base in the US Midwest during 43-45. My Dad was wrenching on P-38s, how they met.

[@hadrionics2755]

Apparently a while ago a train carrying spent nuclear fuel crashed into a lorry at a level crossing without barriers. Luckily, the train was moving slowly and nobody was hurt, pretty sure the locos returned to service afterwards.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

The barrier wagons on oil trains were only required when conveying Class A cargoes (mainly petrol) to keep the loaded wagons away from the steam locomotive or the flames of the oil lamps marking the rear of the train. Diesel and electric hauled services didn't need such wagons at the head of the train unless a reversal was needed. These wagons remained in service until electric train lamps were introduced. It wasn't just short wheelbase wagons that were used as barrier wagons, long wheelbase wagons like redundant ale pallet wagons were also used. Reach wagons were also left at the terminals. On Teesside 3 Class 03s were flame proofed for use at the Shell refinery on the south bank of the River Tees.

[@odinnln5694]

The Soham accident was apparenlty caused by using a wagon previously used to carry Sulphur. The Sulphur caught fire and triggered the explosion.

[@daystatesniper01]

I truly enjoyed this upload and the vintage films with it , many thanks

[@jackryan6858]

I saw a gun powder van, from the former North Eastern Railway, merged into the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923, under the Railways Act, 1921. LNER & GWR are my two favourite railways of Great Britain! I admire LMS's CME, William Stanier, though and one of his greatest locomotive designs, the LMS Stanier 8F heavy goods loco, of the London, Midlands and Scottish Railway. But for express locomotives powered by Steam, was the LNER Class A1 and A3s, designed by Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley, then Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway!

[@russellbrown7028]

Does anyone recall the 100 mph test collision they staged back in the 1980's to prove the safety of railed nuclear flasks? The flasks fared OK. Not much left of the locomotive, though.

[@michaelhunt4445]

Yes, it's on here somewhere.

[@russellbrown7028]

@@michaelhunt4445 We should be due for another such stunt soon. Presumably if the equipment is to be scrapped anyway, it hardly matters if components are spread about somewhat following the impact. Some years ago, the Royal Australian Navy staged quite a good demonstration involving a decommissioned (and unmanned) warship being hit by a single torpedo launched from one of our submarines. The ship broke in half and sank in minutes which certainly confirmed the efficacy of our submarines and torpedoes, but probably did not improve naval recruitment.

[@JohnAshworth2023]

@@michaelhunt4445 Yes, at around 15:50 in the video.

[@kungfuwitcher7621]

Best video yet 👍 Very informative and a subject that was surprisingly vey interesting. Keep up the good work 😊

[@LolLol-xy4rh]

Great work as always

[@wotireckon]

Fantastic and fascinating video. Thank you!

[@johnmurrell3175]

I believe that various chemical warfare materials were transferred by railways in the UK during and probably after WW2. Places such as the Lord's Bridge Chemical Weapon filling facility were rail linked.

[@MrJacksonBollock]

Lots of hairsplitting comments, all ignoring the fine work Mr MacVeigh has produced for us, that was very very interesting! If you're all so knowledgable, make your own videos!

[@azuma892]

9:19 Did you say 'Graham Farish'? The Bachmann N gauge brand? I am so confused.

[@emmajacobs5575]

I noticed that too! I think the actual liquid oxygen tank wagon builders were Charles Roberts & Co of Horbury

[@thedukeofbork3147]

Some cargoes are so dangerous you only want to transport them in small amounts...

[@azuma892]

Lol nice one.

[@jamessimms415]

In the US, one non-tank car freight car between the locomotives & oil tank cars; usually a hopper car filled w/sand. My understanding that may increase to five non-tank car freight cars. Since US railroads no longer use cabooses (unless it’s a ‘special’ move like oversized ‘high & wide’ cargo), shipping companies have their own to oversee specialized moves using the companies specialized rail cars. Shipments of spent nuclear fuel rods from nuclear power plants also have cabooses w/appropriate security inside.

[@jamessimms415]

There are numerous instances where freight cars loaded w/ammo bound for Vietnam back in the day. The most infamous being the Roseville, CA Southern Pacific incident & another shortly before that. It’s become much safer since, & not uncommon to see entire trains of military equipment pass by.

[@nilo70]

Thank you Sir , for a very interesting history lesson !

[@User-3O3]

Very interesting. Great work. Subscribed.

[@MrPete1x]

Excellent video and spoken so clearly. Thank you

[@GlalGamingPanda]

Very enjoyable video. Love your work 👍

[@jkirk888]

Fascinating, thank you.

[@brianomahony5913]

Thank you for the acknowledgment. Keep up the brilliant videos! :)

[@kelleysimonds5945]

Very well done, educational and, interesting. Thank you!

[@Dyynamo]

I worked many DG trains on the railway as a driver including Nuclear Waste and HCN. Interesting times.

[@peebee143]

Some glorious little video clips within that.

[@PatGilliland]

Fascinating - thanks

[@thomassell4962]

Superb as always 👍

[@iandavis4419]

An excellent presentation - typically thorough research from RM

[@restojon1]

Really enjoyed this video, I learned so much that I didn't know. I certainly didn't know about the origins of DRS and you covered so much ground in your video. Purely in the spirit of wanting to share knowledge, I'm learning Russian at the moment and the tanker truck you chose to feature with the Cyrillic writing on says "Milk". Hazardous to the Lactose Intolerant, for sure 😉. I hope that this comes across as intended and hopefully can raise a smile in the process as you consider that most hazardous of liquids, milk or молоко

[@deltavee2]

Unless it is Russian milk, of course. Who knows what they're bulking it up with as their economy starts disintegrating more and more? According to a Russian poster cream has already dropped from 85% to 75% fats then down to 65% with prices going up steadily for the three different grades.

[@tonyduncan9852]

Very good. Thanks.

[@a_random_jonny6424]

With that ammo train explosion I'm pretty sure that at Dereham Station at the Mid Norfolk Railway they have the signal box from there and you can see the shrapnel marks all over it

[@TonboIV]

Meanwhile, in Factorio: Oil? Isn't that just normal cargo? Sulphuric acid? Just put it in a tanker car. Artillery shells? Park them over there next to the oil train. Nuclear waste? Look, why are we having this conversation?

[@ukmusichero]

I think the two heroes of the Soham disaster, have, (or had), their names on a pair of HST's... I hope they get transferred to newer stock when the time comes.

[@mickd6942]

Class 86 electric loco’s carried their names before that

[@james.black981]

Another sensational and very informative video. Keep it up. 🇭🇲👍

[@Robslondon]

Brilliant video Ruairidh

[@lapiswake6583]

For oil trains, only Class A fuels (like kerosene or petrol) needed the barrier vehicles, and would be stone or silver coloured tank wagons. Class B fuels like diesel had a higher flash point so there was less risk, so didn't need barrier vehicles (as per the clip with double heading steamers on an oil train). The rules changed in the 70s I believe, since the distance between the front cab of a diesel and the first tanker would be enough to protect the driver, along with diesels and electrics having much less exhaust than steamers so much less likely to cause fires in the loads.

[@Red_wine]

3:28 I don't live far from the Midland Railway - Butterley and I wondered where I had seen that before.

[@oXbarnesXo]

Just an FYI, Sandbach in Cheshire is (Sand-Batch). Also the home of "The Salt line" that would run alongside the WCML through Alsager, Church Lawton, through Alsager Engine Shed then South to connect at Stoke. Is a Very Intresting old line.

[@millomweb]

He's off with a few pronunciations 'ethyl' doesn't match any of the three recognised ones !

[@oXbarnesXo]

@@millomweb Yeah but he's still an amazing Content creator. These videos are amazing.

[@ogjk]

Great vid on British rail hazmat. 12:30 TEL is used for regular AVGAS as far as I know though kerosene jet fuel does not containe TEL. Hopefully they can come out with new AVGAS soon that does not contain lead soon.

[@axelBr1]

The problem is that the engines need the lead for lubrication of the valves, certainly used to be the case of car engines, but all those engines have long gone. Aero engines technology is way behind that of cars, as described here kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZyUhYR9gJigkKs

[@stevie-ray2020]

Thanks from here in Oz! Plenty of information I wasn't aware of! Much better safety-record than the United States & other countries!

[@a4onkiller]

Another great video

[@AllensTrains]

Interesting video. That's a very tragic story of how the loco crew had lost their lives towing a burning wagon away from the rest of the train! A "consist" is an Americanism that is called a "train formation" in British English. You should say "the wagon's place in the formation". A consist generally means a fixed train formation and is commonly called a multiple unit in BR passenger train parlance. Thanks for uploading.

[@countottovanshanoo822]

Block trains and passenger trains were made up of fixed 'Sets' of wagons/coaches (inc units), obviously with substitutions for maintenance etc, other trains were just 'trains'. The guard would have the Tops List, aka Train List, itemising the wagons (not coaches there were no TOPS list for passenger trains issued). This 'consist' terminology has come from the train spotter/model railway enthusiasts and is not real-world, it just sounds supposedly cool/knowledgeable. Just as I ever heard the term 'loco' used, it as always 'engine' or, in more formal occasions 'locomotive'. Rant over :-)

[@StaxRail]

@@countottovanshanoo822 I think a lot of it is down to the fact that 'consist' is a lot faster to say than 'train formation', especially when trainspotting with friends. Pretty sure it's usually just referred to as 'formation' with most TOCs these days

[@countottovanshanoo822]

@@StaxRail Just saying 'train' is even easier ;-)

[@AllensTrains]

@@countottovanshanoo822 "Consist" is an official term in USA Railroad parlance. Hornby has used it in their DCC documentation, presumably with an eye to the American market. Bachmann is an American firm anyway

[@millomweb]

Can I pick your brains too on a 'rake' of wagons ? I've heard it before but I'd much prefer a 'train' of wagons - for obvious reasons :)

[@weaselworm8681]

Good job. Good flow. Good voice.

[@ericthelan2188]

The reason that barrier wagons were marshalled between the engine and the flammable goods wagons was to ensure that any sparks emmited by the engine were cold enough if they landed on the flammable goods wagon so as not to cause an issue. Have a look at the WW2 Soham explosion to see what can happen if a dangerous load wagon (bombs) catches fire

[@1952TonyC]

Great video. Thank you for showing it. I was especially intrigued to see a couple of shots at Southam Road and Harbury station. They are very rare.

[@markhonea2461]

Now that was perfectly interesting. 👍

[@whyjnot420]

I find that bit about using compressed air for a locomotive engine to be rather fascinating. I have long been aware of similar propulsion used in some torpedoes (which give the stereotypical white bubble trail), I haven't heard of it being used for something of such weight. I am not one who scoffs at compressed air either. For instance I have a couple of break barrel pellet guns and the more powerful of the two has around 2/3 the energy of a .22 short at the muzzle (it uses a .177" projectile). Not like that is a powerful firearm round, but that much energy coming from a relatively cheap air rifle does impress me. (only a single pump of the barrel as well) About the closest thing I have seen in terms of power, must be the so-called "dynamite guns" that were trialed around the turn of the 20th century. Simply put they are battleship grade pneumatic guns.

[@TheTrainspotterFromTauranga]

This reminds me of the LPG tank wagons I've seen a couple of times here in New Zealand. I don't recall ever seeing any other type of hazmat wagon, though.

[@GSimpsonOAM]

The small quantities and timing for bottle changes means road transport used.

[@DanielsPolitics1]

I suspect that for NZ most hazardous goods are either landed on the coast close to the coastal city they are used in or are not shipped in large enough shipments to be worth arranging rail movement. There are major ports in Auckland and Wellington so most of your population and industry is too close to a major port to justify using rail. Absent special industrial cargoes (and explosives), which I assume would be based near a port in NZ, the main hazardous loads would be fuels, and I assume those go by road tanker to the interior. In the UK we only really ship fuel by rail because we have oil fields and a large domestic refining industry, so we get inbalances where, say, a crude which tends to produce gas oil is landed on one coast and is needed for heavy industry on the other. We then ship the gas oil in rail tankers. I assume NZ just imports the right fuels to the right ports to serve the right populations

[@neville132bbk]

Doing your level4 stay-home railway research ..what better use of time.

[@Colonel_Blimp]

@@DanielsPolitics1 you may think that. The only hazardous freight Kiwirail doesn’t handle is Class1.1 explosives. It was quite normal to have a sheaf of hazardous documents attached to my work order. Retired driver.

[@sjaakmcd1804]

awesome, thank you

[@bourbon4912]

Should have added that I found this an interesting video. Thanks a lot!

[@phtby1635]

Good video enjoyed it

[@roberthuron9160]

Ref;HazMat,and brakes,one glaring omission was the non-use of power brakes on Gunpowder vans,and heavy High and Wide wagons! Those wagons,being hand braked,just cried out,as an accident looking for a place to happen! With all the heavy gradients,throughout Britain,you would think that a regulation would have been put out by the Board of Trade,prohibiting non- power braked stock,for HazMat service! That alone,would have saved a few lives,but who benefitted from those lacks,and where was Parliament?? To my knowledge,just on the hours of service laws,Britain,as usual,was 40 years behind the colonies,and the US,and they wonder why the accidents pile up! Thank you for a very interesting,and educational video 📹, and you might also read L.T.C.Rolt,and O.S.Nock's books on Railway accidents,worth reading,as they cover WW1,and WW2! Thank you,again,you got my attention!! Thanks!!! 🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂

[@LMS5935]

15:53 rip D199

[@trekaddict]

3:41 Okay, if that isn't the inspiration for Thomas, I'm eating my keyboard.

[@SilverGear_]

Better start nibbling those keys, mate

[@IndustrialParrot2816]

um the inspiration for thomas is a different loco that looks even more like him an LBSCR E2 0-6-0T

[@o.m.b.demolitionenterprise5398]

Not at all

[@LMS5935]

@@SilverGear_ better start chewing better get some salt that make it taste better

[@ARG0T]

Dude...

[@Rimuru.Tempest]

Very interesting

[@codyhilton1750]

Very interesting on GB railway system.

[@rocksreynolds3642]

Since the 1960's rail and road vehicles containing hazardous goods should carry an orange panel with a four digit UN identification number to allow the fire service to identify the material and the hazards involved with the material carried by the wagon or vehicle. In the USA the code is on a coloured diamond. A rare sight on British railways now. Only petroleum fuels (which you refer to as LPG in your film) and nuclear materials tend to be seen since the mid 00's with occasional tank containers of acetic acid and ethanol both related to food and beverage production.

[@andysedgley]

Due to the unusual placement of pauses, the narration suggests that the 2 June 1944 incident occurred as the train "approached Soham station for unexplained reasons". 🙄

[@johnwinterburn8132]

Our farm at dudley northumberland had a siding for gun powder wagons to be unloaded and had a magazine in one of the field with ash heaps round it

[@masonaxenty4869]

In the U.S. we just shove a boxcar or a closed hopper car between an oil train and the locomotives, no need for dedicated barriers

[@spankflaps1365]

“After the Soham explosion in 1944 the line was repaired and reopened after 18 hours”. I’ve known that same line be closed for longer periods in the modern era, due to leaves on the track.

[@user_unknown1488]

maximum respect for the filmographer known as 'Unknown' for providing a lot of these clips x x x

[@millomweb]

9:05 "For Liquid Oxygen, the Brin's Oxygen Company, Ltd, or BOC, " "B.O.C." ( not 'bock') is the British Oxygen Co and has been since 1906 - but was formrly 'Brin's'. Link in my reply.

[@coloradostrong]

Where is the link?

[@davidfuller581]

Hang on a second, TEL is an anti-knock agent for gasoline/petrol, not for jet fuel. Turbines don't need anti-knock agents.

[@BlindingLight]

Imagine the stress that would come with being the crew on one of these trains

[@YukariAkiyamaTanks]

Sometimes here in the u.s you will see an occasional military train and its very interesting to see whats on said train

[@robertwyness2464]

Fun Fact!! The solid rocket fuel for the Nasa space shuttle launch when traveling had trains that said 'Do Not Hump!' but people don't care thinking it's funny to slam the train cars around! Additional fun fact!!! The USA used to move radioactive waste in a train safely but people would block the train so they now use Tractor trainers on public roads!!

[@LeslieGilpinRailways]

Gunpowder was not carried by rail purely for the army or navy. It's general use meant it was supplied for shipping to the colonies, construction contractors and private munitions manufacturers. Also carried in specially designed wagons, as stipulated by the railway clearing house owned by both the gunpowder manufacturers and the railway companies themselves.

[@mickd6942]

Several notable explosions when the canals carried gun powder too , only two miles from my home a powder mill was blown out of existence in the eighteen hundreds

[@Steve211Ucdhihifvshi]

TEL was also used in leaded fuel for many, many years in pump or vehicle fuel.

[@pdsnpsnldlqnop3330]

Graham Farish made prototypes???