Steam Trains Sometimes Have Bad Days 🚂 The Explosion of C&O 3020 🚂 History in the Dark

[@JoshKilen]

my grandpa told me three rules when operating any model or full size steam engine or locomotive, 1. check the water, 2 check the water, 3. and check the water.

[@willdunham6724]

Did he mention checking the water?

[@florjanbrudar692]

@@willdunham6724 Absolutely perfect comment to reply to with the reference.

[@fanofeverything30465]

I hope he didn't forget checking the water

[@Rediipandaii]

OK did he mention to check the water

[@SteamCheese1]

Yeah... but did he check the water?

[@Nightmare_52]

A blown up engine looks absolutely terrifying, like a giant metal spider beast erupts from the boiler

[@danthebluetank6636]

Ya especially if your a ttte fan…you can see where that goes

[@Nightmare_52]

had to stop reading sodor fallout because of it such things, gave me nightmares

[@robertjohnhergertjr.7189]

Looks like train version of scp flesh that hates or Cthulhu almost

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

Boiler explosions are one reason steam locomotives should be cut up for scrap. Another reason is burning of fossil fuels and global warning/climate change due to the emission of carbon dioxide greenhouse gases in coal smoke.

[@Nightmare_52]

Bruh, steam trains were miles away from the most dangerous vehicle compared to many others, your beloved electronic trains? Where do you think that power comes from? Thats right, lots of coal powerplants that burn way more coal than a steam engine could. Diesels? Ever heard of nitrogen oxides? Way more dangerous than steam engine smoke because essentially its just a fire heating some water, meanwhile diesels spray toxic fumes all the time which are more polluting than steam, educate yourself before spewing nonsense

[@alexwright6038]

It is usually the fireman's job to control the water level in the boiler, not the driver. The only reason I can think that the crew would not want to add water is the water would cool down the boiler and reduce the pressure. Adding more coal to the fire would temporarily reduce the heat and if they stopped on the bank it would be difficult to start again.

[@HistoryintheDark]

Great point

[@PowerTrain611]

This was my thought process as well. It's the only logical explanation I can think of.

[@dariusz078]

In ohayo accident they were going uphill. Crown sheet even more exposed out of the water despite gauges showing correct level. They coul have been ok with water level on the glass gauges at the back of locomotive while in front it was dry.

[@sirrliv]

Some accounts I've read regarding 3020's explosion suggest that deliberately allowing the water level to drop dangerously low was a technique crews would sometimes use to coax a little extra power out of the boiler for a short period, which would make sense considering the train was starting to climb a hill at the time of the explosion. Obviously on this occasion the gamble didn't pay off.

[@anzaca1]

Yes, that was a common thing to do. Experienced crews could do this routinely without issue, because they knew exactly how far they could push things without it being dangerous. Casey Jones for example was very good at this.

[@cnjgp7]

Exactly. Due to the shape of the boiler barrel, there's more water surface to turn to steam when the water level is lower, allowing a faster buildup of steam.. more power. In this situation where they need everything the engineer can give, it would have been a noticeable amount. The downside to this technique is... obvious now. On a side note, in today's world of tourist trains, there is zero reason to do this. Aside from the obvious safety concern, none of the preserved engines need to work hard enough to warrant this practice.

[@AutismTakesOn]

Regarding the crash at Crush, William Crush was actually concerned about a boiler explosion occurring, and expressed his concern to the railway, but some engineers from the company assured him that the boilers were unlikely to explode, and that the idea was safe.

[@PowerTrain611]

How wrong he was...

[@williamclarke4510]

I think a photographer was injured by flying metal.

[@saltbombcreations8336]

@@williamclarke4510blinded in one eye by a piece of flying metal

[@steveboguslawski114]

The comments from Gary Bensman are correct. Failure of the crown sheet due to overheating caused the explosion. What happens is a rapid chain reaction of events, culminating in the explosion. Before failure the boiler contains a mix of water and steam at a particular pressure and temperature. The 3020 was designed to operate at a pressure of 265 pounds per square inch. This means 265 PSI above atmospheric pressure, or about 280 PSI absolute. At 280 PSI water boils at about 411 degrees Fahrenheit. The hot gases produced in the firebox are in the vicinity of 1500 degrees F, which is more than enough to weaken steel. The water around the firebox keeps it from overheating. But if the water level drops below the top of the crown sheet a hot spot quickly develops. The hot steel will lose strength as the temperature increases, and it will begin to deform or eventually tear apart. The size of the tear compared to the size of the boiler is critical. A large enough hole will allow the boiler pressure to drop suddenly, which produces a catastrophic failure. All the water in the boiler which was liquid at 411 degrees, and 280 PSi, will attempt to flash into steam when the pressure drops. Steam takes up 1600 times more volume than water. The rapid production of this much steam is like a bomb going off.

[@meteorgemini8796]

So not entirely sure how accurate this is, but think I heard that engineers would sometimes run on lower water when they ran on inclines with heavy trains in an attempt to produce more steam more quickly.

[@gamerfan8445]

That is true

[@johnathanedwards9054]

The way I understand it, engineers of the era would run on low water levels to increase steam volume in the boiler to assist in steep grade climbing. The theory was that the higher volume of steam would prevent stalling on the grade.

[@the_retag]

@@johnathanedwards9054 no. If anything, they didn't want fresh water cooling the boiler. The water in the boiler is actually a lot hotter than normal boiling temperature due to the pressure, so slightly less pressure in a hot full boiler yields loads of steam

[@paulnicholson1906]

The problem is that going uphill you are using steam to move the train and steam to add water. There is a temptation to underfed water to keep the pressure up as adding water reduces it. Adding coal doesn’t add pressure right away, it has to light and burn so it isn’t instantaneous. This is the temptation to guard against as underfeeding water can lead to disaster.

[@swordkirbyfilms7747]

I know of 4 Steam locomotive classes called T1. The Reading T1 (4-8-4), Pennsylvania Railroad T1 (4-4-4-4), the Boston and Maine T1 (2-8-4), and the Chesapeake and Ohio T1 (2-10-4). New York Central also had an electric locomotive named the T1 as if it was not confusing enough.

[@carribob1992]

Add the North Eastern Railway T1 (Originally class X before it was reclassified under the LNER classification system) 4-8-0T which were used for shunting coal wagons in the various goods yards of the North East, these lasted until 1961.

[@musewolfman]

Similar to the military and 'M1.' That's a designation for a rifle, a carbine, two types of bayonet, a tank, and others.

[@rearspeaker6364]

haven't seen an electric locomotive blow up!

[@alexwest2573]

@@musewolfman the M1 helmet too

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

And add the Adams class T1 0-4-4 tank engines of the London and South Western Railway. In their case, the class number was derived from the batch number allocated by the erecting shops.

[@Kboyer36]

I love the use of the music from Railroad Tycoon 2 in your videos. Used to play that game all the time growing up.

[@HistoryintheDark]

Same here!

[@WesleyHarcourtSTEAMandMORE]

What you called "firetubes" or "smoke tubes" in that C&O photo are actually superheater tubes. You can tell by the little u-bends in the ends of them. They're for the steam going from the throttle to the cylinders to get heated up more and dried out. They come from the throttle to a header at the front of the boiler in the smoke box, go through larger firetubes and then return to another header before going to the cylinders. The reason they're all blown out the front is because of the force of the released steam shoving them out the direction they were inserted. Nice video btw.

[@Jameskenomis3]

I don’t know how I just now found this channel …instead of a long time ago, but I absolutely love it.

[@nataliegardner3122]

With respect, a 'rush of water' or filling a boiler which is over heated or dry DOES NOT cause an explosion. It has been demonstrated that water hitting a red hot crownsheet results in an instant reduction in pressure. I suggest you look up the Manchester Steam Users Association papers.

[@tamworthtrainnut285]

Basically without water in the boiler of a steam train, it turns into a portable bomb on wheels

[@Sunglass_Man]

Congrats on 1k subs!

[@HistoryintheDark]

Thanks!

[@speedbirdoneone]

"Don't tell me what to do" attitude. Stubbornness. That attitude is why aviation has implemented Cockpit resource management.

[@florjanbrudar692]

Aviation? This is a steam train video.

[@NJPurling]

The most recent locomotive explosions in the UK were during WW2 in US Army Transportation Corps 2-8-0s . Crownsheet failures all of them & one was in a tunnel. The crew got cooked. The reason was found to be down to a stuck water valve that could make the boiler water gauge give a false reading.

[@CarlCJV]

I don’t think that the USATC runs in the UK. USATC stands for US Army Transportation Corps. I could just be dumb, *BUT* maybe if they DID do a run in the UK was because the UK and US were allies, and maybe they were hauling weapons to a port to be imported to the USA. I don’t have a massive brain, but i think i still have an IQ of around 60?

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

@@CarlCJV No, you're OK there, Carl. Technically, no, the USATC didn't operate in the UK, but their engines did. The 'Big Jims' and 'USA tanks' were actually built to fit both our and European loading gauges, and were loaned, if that's the right word, to the British Railways (yes, the term was in use from about 1935) to shift tonnage in the build up to D Day, after which they were shipped to France.They were used in general service. One got into serious trouble at Derby, due to excessive 'slogger' in the axleboxes - two sets of driving wheels went one way on a diamond crossing, and two sets went the other way........ The engines were promptly taken out of service until some decent bearings were fitted....... There were a few other problems with the (very) basic design, but in Europe they gave long, very valuable service far beyond their designed shelf life. In fact some were still actively at work until the mid 1970s. Build 'em big, cheap and tough, and they rewarded us. And we loved them enough, over here, to preserve several of both types.

[@warhawkjah]

That happened just south of Chillicothe, Ohio.

[@frankwurth5375]

The original report on this incident was posted on the internet before. The deceased engineer was well known for running super low water on hard pulls, he even had a nickname relating to low water so and so. He believed that he got more power with a low water level in the boiler, but on the slight grade the crown sheet was seriously dry, when water splashes over a super heated crown sheet it basically flashes over to steam instantly and the pressure violently increases starting the failure. I believe it was also his last run before retirement.

[@joshualap401]

Going out with a bang!

[@brianthom-dp5vc]

I agree . All those splayed out pipes does look terrifying! B.

[@alanrogers7090]

The C & O T-1 No. 3020 exploded in 1948 near Chillicothe, Ohio killing the engineer, fireman and 1st brakeman. The explanation was low water which caused the crown sheet to fail. It was reported, by the1st brakeman, (before he died of his burns), that he had repeatedly told the engineer that the water was too low. The engineer basically told the brakeman to, "f#&* off". Maybe the engineer was suicidal. Possibly a bad marriage, or his girlfriend kicked him out, or he just found out that he had cancer. Who knows. A similar situation happened in Portland, Oregon with an airliner when the flight engineer told the captain that they were low on fuel and he should land, "like now" Instead of listening to him, the captain started to argue with the flight engineer about the situation, "when I want your opinion, I'll give it to you." The airliner crashed into the suburbs, out of fuel. The entire conversation was on the black boxes, so authorities knew what had happened. After this crash, cockpit procedures were changed so that any input from the rest of the crew was taken into account by the captain, and the fate of the aircraft and lives aboard were not completely at the whim of the pilot-in-charge. It's called cooperation, not "I'm the boss and you'll do what I say, or else", which was how many airline captains acted in those days. They felt that they had worked themselves into the "top slot" and were now entitled. Those people are now part of a TEAM. The famous saying is, "There is no "I" in team."

[@BenJaguar237]

this is giving me flashbacks to sudrian conflict

[@VertishaftProductions]

If I knew that the water was to low and no one was doing anything about it, you bet your behinds I'm jumping off the train.

[@terranengineer8877]

Your pronunciation for the MKT line is correct we call it the "Kay-tee" trail in Missouri since its rehabilitation into a cross state bike trail

[@Eric_Hutton.1980]

As Jeremy Clarkson would say, "That's not gone well."

[@franklinburton8537]

I hate to say it but there’s a fair bit of info that is wrong. #1 a glass being at 1/2 or lower is not bad. The water needs to stay in the glass but the locomotives like their water at different levels even locomotives in the same glass our k-37 493 likes a mostly full glass but our k-28’s like about 1/4-1/3. #2 the crown sheet having no water for anytime causes issues. Ok yes a crown sheet without water is an issue but I’ve seen it plenty of times where a novice fireman or owner of a scale locomotive Carries the water a bit low then hits a down grade and the water falls to the front and they loose a bit of water on the crown. Now the scale locos not as much of an issue as they will be on level track soon enough and the injectors are generally really fast so not a problem for longer down grades. Full size yes that becomes more of an issue but the crown being exposed for a few seconds isn’t a massive problem is it good hell no but it’s not going to immediately cause a boiler explosion. #3 maybe I miss understood when you were talking about the smoke box sheet failing generally a smoke box sheet fails due to poor maintenance and boiler washing not an explosion or rapid pressure loss near the fire box again maybe a mis understanding but the info did seem a bit off

[@wolfiepawzz]

I actually have a VHS of 'train catastrophes' and one of the first things it opens up on is when they would have two steam locomotives crash into each other for amusements. They talked about how the drivers leapt out during their crashes. Lots of other neat info, but yeah, this reminded me of that and what was talked about.

[@holsteinsanddiesels7758]

The crush deal was a great idea. Cmon man.

[@bcgrittner]

“Floyd, how much pressure we running?” “I don’t know, Charlie, the needle’s up where there ain’t no numbers “ “Oh, Lord, I better whistle some of this off!” (Doctor) “Don’t you have a safety valve?” (Floyd)”That’s my lunchbox”

[@davidjones332]

Why would they not repair this locomotive? A boiler explosion will very rarely seriously damage the frame and running gear, and the boiler itself is a part which would normally be replaced anyway at intervals of ten years or so. Railway workshops were geared up to do this on a regular basis.

[@cncpreferred848]

WOW! I know what happened to the C&O 3020 T-1 locomotive. I have been a railroad buff since I was very little (I will give a bit of a story when I was only 5 years old at the end of this). I talked with a gentleman at the Youngwood Railroad Museum in SW PA in the early 90's. I will just call him Mr B. since he passed away decades ago and I can't get his permission to use his name here. He worked for Pennsylvania Railroad, then the Penn Central Railroad. He was in his early 60's age at that time. First, you said it was on an .18% (point one eight) Percent grade, which is next to nothing - only inches rise over 100 feet section of rail. The grade I was told is a 1.8% which is 1.8 feet rise per 100 feet distance which is about 21 5/8 inches rise per 100 feet. Not much for a car, but a locomotive pulling thousands of tons of weight is getting to be the upper range limit of grade railroad companies try to limit grades, which is a target of 2% maximum, though some grades can be and are steeper than that, but not as efficient because on long grades additional locomotives would be needed just for the one single grade rise over what could be a short 10 mile run, or a run of a couple hundred miles. When all grades are below the 2% grade or the grade is very short, one locomotive can be sufficient. It is a huge savings to have only 1 locomotive vs the cost of two locomotives and two crews, just for one additional locomotive needed for the steeper grade. This information is relevant to what happened. The engineer was hesitating to add water. At the 1.8% grade, the locomotive would be slow at best. Adding water on the grade or just prior to the grade would slow the locomotive even more, and sometimes the train would come-to-a-stop/stall until the water temperature and pressure got back up to temperature and pressure needed to pull the grade. If the train is late, it was frowned upon by the management, and the engineer was blamed, and sometimes punished for being late. So, the engineer delayed adding water trying to keep to the schedule.. If the crown sheet was exposed and water added, there would be a rapid steam pressure rise and the pressure from the flash steam to the point the locomotive would explode. In the case of the 3020, that is exactly what happened. Repair the locomotive?? Yes. The boiler tubes are only in place with friction. When new pipes are installed, the pipes are swedged (expanded to be snug in the hole it was passed through). So, in certain conditions, the pipes are blown out of their location at one end or the other, usually out the front when the crown sheet is exposed and water is added causing the flash steam. I am not familiar with the physics of why this happens to go into detail, but maybe someone knows. When I was only 5 years old: Growing up, a spur line, Radabaugh siding, ran past the family property, and from that spur line, was another spur line, the West Newton line, that turned left 90 degrees and split the property in two sections. It was a working farm until about 1950's of about 120 acres. The spur line of the main line running past the house was busy. On the mainline through Greensburg Pa, there were tunnels. Any oversize loads had to divert to the Radabaugh spur line past the house (about 250 feet from the house) and divert to another spur line which connected to the main line on the other side of Greensburg. The spur line off the side line sometimes trains would park to allow another train to pass. One day I was to go to the neighbors much closer to the tracks to borrow something, I cannot remember what, and big as life a train was on the West Newton line waiting for another train to pass. Well, being so close to the train, (about 100 feet away), I simply walked up to the train and talked with the train crew. They invited me into the caboose and gave me some chocolate chip cookies. For me, this was great!! To my mother wondering why I didn't make it to the neighbors, Well, the train crew heard my mother and the neighbor yelling my name, and replied to them that I was there with the train crew. I still couldn't understand why I got into so much trouble, It was only for about 10 minutes maybe 15 minutes. I was forbidden to get any closer than the 100 feet distance the neighbors house was from the tracks. This is a bit long winded, but packed with a lot of needed explanations and information. I hope this helps understand the 3020 explosion, and an entertaining short story (maybe even boring to you) of one of my first memories that I still remember.

[@kevwebb2637]

Actually, 6 T1s if you include Reading's T1 and T1 Motor(that S1-motor used to be called), and T1b-motor(current version) of the NYC.

[@kimpatz2189]

Wondering why the locomotive was repaired? Apparently the boiler can be replaced much more easily than the running gear. With the single photo alone, the locomotive stayed on its wheels. It didnt derail. This meant that the running gears are intact and any damage to it can be fixed cheaply. At that time, boiler barrels are much more cheaper to build than the running gears.

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

Also, the shops would always have a couple of spare boilers in hand, ready for just such an emergency. Quick swop.

[@jkaugust3586]

Kay Tee is correct, which happens to coincide to the pronunciation of the letters, "K" and "T", the initials of the Kansas Texas Railroad

[@kittty2005]

@ 14:10 HE SUFFERED FROM CHRONIC DEPRESSION and killed himself and the others, he said to the fireman ef you I'll see you in hell and then boom. Only my opinion this is not based on fact.

[@williamclarke4510]

The engineer was in charge, but he probably wasn't a responsible person.

[@Puckoon2002]

If they are positioned properly the bottom of the Gauge Glass should above the level of the Crown Sheet, so if you can see water in the glass the crown is covered. I can remember reading in a book, can't remember which one though, which said that the older "Salter" safety valves, the ones with a lever out the back, the drivers would regularly hang a weight on the lever to get extra pressure out of the boiler... Another instance was caused by the overhauled Ross "pop" safety valves where they had been reassembled by an apprentice, somehow he managed to assemble the internal mechanism upside down, so as the pressure built up, instead of lifting to release the pressure, they were forced closed, tighter and tighter...

[@mihaelalaber2084]

Talk about the J94 tank engine that nearly toppled down the enbankment at a colliery

[@Willysmb44]

Per the C&O Historical Society, this happened near Chillicothe, OH in 1948. Those tubes are from the superheater

[@SteamKing2022]

Some crews would intentionally run with low water to allow for more steam in the 'steam space' in the upper part of the boiler barrel. As many have commented, that gamble didn't pay off this day. I believe it was 1943(?). Other examples of locomotives equipped with feedwater heating systems have shown that the valves for adding water were both on the engineer's side of the cab, and the fireman's duty was simply to keep the fire in check while the engineer had full control (or lack thereof, in this instance) for the water level in his locomotive's boiler. Since then, many surviving locomotives, especially those reserviced for mainline or tourist operation, have been modified to have the fireman also in charge of keeping water levels satisfactory.

[@christophercripps7639]

The river boat Sultana blew up in 1865 killing at least 1,000. Locomotives, traction engines & early steam ships all had fire tube a/k/a smoke tube boilers. While pressures are typically 200-300 psi the boiler holds vastly more water (than similar power water tube boilers) if the pressure vessel (boiler) is breeched all of it vaporizes. (In contrast WW II USN ships -carriers, fast battleships and late model cruisers & destroyers - had 600 psi water-tube boilers in major ships.)

[@danthebluetank6636]

Wait so I have a question… I have an Oc named Patrick who is a Caledonian 812 and one day he pushed himself over his regular speed and went 100mph…would that count as boiler explosion risk?

[@MoonlightFox]

I'm surprised that they don't constantly pump water from the bottom of the boiler over the crown plate to avoid that.

[@andyharman3022]

I was wondering that, too. A spray bar that continuously sprays water on the crown sheet in case it gets uncovered due to low water level.

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

Something you didn't mention in regard to safety valves is that early, "Salter" valves could be manually adjusted by the driver, tightening the nut which controlled when they lifted....... (Remember the tallow-pot on Best Friend of Charleston?) Presumably deliberately running 'low water' was the successor to that clever practice. American engines had another, inbuilt problem compared with British or European ones, in that the boiler formed the main load dragging component of the locomotive, rather than the relatively light bar frames. That meant it was subject to many more running stresses, and sometimes caused other courses to give way. Don't forget Rhymney Railway No 97, an 0-6-2 saddle tank which blew up 'on shed' after a major overhaul. The fitter had remade the safety valves back to front, so instead of pushing them open, it was forcing them shut......

[@ClarissaPacker]

The locomotive is puking it's guts out. To little water in the boiler & when fresh is added & tuched the hot 🔥 box that creates sudden excess pressure kaboom a hot scalding steam bath very deadly

[@drg473]

Mabey a reason he didn't put more water in could be the one of the injectors that put water in faster uses more steam and he might have wanted to keep all the steam he could so he don't stall the train and than back all the way back for some time than restart up the grade.

[@natasyanaia5363]

Congrats on 100k

[@waywithwords3632]

American *type. Not class. The type of the locomotive is derived from its wheel arrangement. The 4-4-0 is typically known as the American type (or sometimes even the American 8 wheeler). The name of the type usually comes from whoever created it first. A couple examples would be the pacific type and the Santa fe type. There were a couple pacific types before it got its name, but it was a new Zealand pacific type that got its name. The Santa Fe type (2-10-2) got its name from the Santa fe railroad creating the first 2-10-2 type locomotive. So, locomotives like the DRG Br45 and the Chinese railway QJ class are referred to as Santa Fe types, even though they have no correlation with the Santa Fe Railroad.

[@Judge_Judy]

i suspect they were trying to save time..didnt want to lose momentum by adding water till they finished the climb

[@leeross5633]

That would be the fireman's job to add water

[@gregsmith1719]

Definitely the engineer -- Suicidal? Problems at home? Drunk? Drugs? We may never know. Where is Colombo?

[@illinoiscentralrailroadfan6015]

Each railroad had there own designation for locomotive types

[@wisteela]

That was an incredibly long and heavy train.

[@calvinthedestroyer]

Beginning of your video is rough, just too much padding. But later on you started staying on point. Good video over all

[@teamidris]

How far into the gradient? Maybe they ran it low so the water would cover the fire box as the front was raised as it climbed. I can imagine a loco going along the flat with a red hot steel interior and the water comes back and super heated steam shreds it. * isn’t there a lead plug in the crown plate, or is that a later safety thing?

[@cnjgp7]

You're thinking of "fusible plugs". I don't know when these safety devices first started appearing, but to this day there's no requirement to use them. Anyway, it's a plug threaded into the crown sheet with a metal interior that melts under 500 degrees, a little hotter than pressurized boiler water, but cooler than when the crown sheet would be cherry hot or structurally unstable. The theory is the plug melts before the crown sheet, steam exhausts into the firebox, extinguishing the fire and/or warning the crew, hopefully without burning them from the exhausting steam. Still better than a catastrophic boiler failure.

[@teamidris]

@@cnjgp7 some alloy I guess then. At those temperatures I expect it would light a fire that was out?

[@cnjgp7]

@@teamidris I'm not sure I understand the question about lighting a fire. The fusible part of the plug is maybe 1/2" diameter max (it's been awhile since I held one in my hand), so not enough to light something on fire, but rather the exhausting steam from above the crown sheet would put out the fire in the firebox below the crown sheet (again, in theory - I'd never want to test that!).

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

The Crash at Crush wasn't the first spectacle crash. At least one had been done previously in New York - without the boilers exploding. Unfortunately, the MKT engineers were unable to ensure the same result. IIRC it was less that the public didn't think Crush had done anything wrong and more that he was re-hired on the sly because despite people being pissed about the explosion... the crash still got the MKT lots of publicity and attention, so it was a net gain for them. And pretty sure that "the Katie" is indeed said with a long "a", because it's derived from the second and third letters of the railroad's initials: KT

[@OldIronVideo]

The cp 1278 has a modified firebox that saved the life's of the crew it is now on display at the age of steam roundhouse

[@rearspeaker6364]

surprised that its even on display. to my knowledge it's the only boiler failure where the crew survived.

[@hirisk761]

@@rearspeaker6364 the boiler didn't fail. the firebox overheated and had a fishmouth failure.

[@rearspeaker6364]

@@hirisk761 the crownsheet on the boiler partially failed, its still a boiler failure. It's the design that saved the crew and passengers that day.

[@williamclarke4510]

Someone who used to fire the 1278 inspected the engine after the incident and said " The engine's boiler failure was due to years of neglect." The incident was due to structural failure, not low water causing the crown sheet to overheat.

[@BMMEC6000]

The “firetubes’s” technical name is flues I believe

[@ZakRas]

5:17 Would do you mean "used to"? I fail to see any problem with such an activity.

[@Bearthedancingman]

Interesting tidbit. The most modern designs for steam powered vehicles use one of two types of "water-tube" steam sources. Either a 'water-tube boiler', or a 'steam-generator'. Water-tube boilers are similar to traditional fire-tube boilers but with water inside the pipes and hot gasses around the pipes instead of water around the pipes and hot gasses inside the pipes. The advantages of water-tube or generator types is that there isn't a crown sheet. Also they use high pressure pumps to circulate the water & steam constantly to prevent hot-spots. Water tube types don't explode. But they can burst. Bursting however is far less likely to do damage or injure or kill someone because they burst in one direction like a vent. However, there are cases of water tube kinds bursting and shooting a jet of steam and killing someone. The Doble steam cars use high pressure water tube system that is probably the most advanced steam system ever made for transportation use (excepting for atomic-powered ships). The many expensive attempts to use modern steam generators with small (under 600hp) steam turbines have all been failures. Steam turbines don't work at low power levels and are very inefficient below 90% power. Attempts at the land speed record (rail speed record is different) have almost always used overly complex systems and been failures. Anyway. I'm rambling.

[@Zombiehunter2_0]

You brought down the T-1, now get ready for the BOOM!

[@BMMEC6000]

Actually the Reading Railroad had a T1 steamer too

[@DS75921]

railroads in the us are private and they determine what the class designations are for each locomotive owned. that is how you can have 3 different engines for different railroads with the same class identifiers.

[@Railman1225]

ya know, one of the weirdest things about this is that it looked so strange, that it was actually turned into an SCP. don't remember what it was, but hey, guess that's how weird it was

[@ilikecheeseilikecheese727]

Basically to get the picture so to speak is when a steam locomotive has a boiler explosions it’s boiler pipes fly forward due to the firebox heat and pressure And if ur wondering if it’s repairable it can just difficult and expensive

[@johnfenton3699]

The repair would have been simple enough - just drop a new boiler onto the loco frame, job done. The pipes that have been blown forward appear to be the superheater, all of which is attached at the smokebox end and then runs inside special, large diameter, smoke pipes called 'flues'. There is nothing to secure them at the firebox end so, if you have an explosion in the firebox, they will be blown out of their flues ...

[@Thunderbolt_1000T]

4:51 that’s in a cursed train vid for some reason

[@wordcarr8750]

Ref: 11:45 => Here's what doesn't make sense about the the BRAKEMAN (who lived long enough to tell his story): I know this about steam locomotives: there are always TWO individuals in the cab operating the locomotive: 1) The ENGINEER (who, in the USA, sits on the right side of the cab, looking from the cab toward the front of the locomotive) and the FIREMA N who sits on the left side of the cab, looking toward the front of the locomotive). It is the FIREMAN (not the ENGINEER) who is in charge of the boiler's water supply, as well as the fuel supply to the firebox. So the rightful person to blame for a 'low water' situation in the boiler is the FIREMAN, not the ENGINEER.

[@wasatchrangerailway6921]

Today they use SOFT PLUGS that melt when there is no water over the crown sheet. The water drops down onto the fire extinguishing it. The crew surviving it is questionable!!!

[@yambo59]

Ive also seen this pic attributed to a massive allegheny 2-6-6-6 explosion

[@kristophermobley6592]

Not that I like the idea of purposefully colliding trains, but I understand the why people came to watch these events. People still watch demo derbies, myself included, and hey it's a chance to watch something that is rarely seen, two locomotives colliding with explosive results.

[@wofa187]

9:25 Don't forget the Reading T1s

[@TheOneTrueDragonKing]

Whenever I'm operating a steam engine in simulation, I never let the water level in the boiler drop below 100%.

[@PowerTrain611]

How far do you get like that before your cylinders prime and blow up, or you run out of steam? There is such a thing as too much water in the boiler too. If the water level is too high, water gets into the throttle and the drypipe, sending water into the pistons. water doesn't compress, so the cylinders bust open. Hence why steam locomotives open cylinder cocks to drain condensation when starting to move. Either that will happen or you will just run out of steam because there's water where steam should be, leaving no space for steam to generate.

[@TheOneTrueDragonKing]

@@PowerTrain611 Key word is simulation, not reality. I'm not a locomotive engineer IRL, just in video games.

[@PowerTrain611]

@@TheOneTrueDragonKing Not much of a simulation then... what's the fun in that? XD

[@TheOneTrueDragonKing]

@@PowerTrain611 Well, it's Trainz or even Train Simulator, so... The main bit of fun in Trainz is building routes and with Train Simulator, running the engines. It's forgiving on the high end, so long as you keep the low end from occurring. TS is more realistic than Trainz when it comes to running trains, but creating routes is far easier in Trainz. I used to love Surveyor. Then I took a Discord Content Creators' Server to the knee.

[@PowerTrain611]

@@TheOneTrueDragonKing Aha, that explains it. Trainz is good fun for building, but it definitely always has been more suited for model railroad enthusiasts. I always loved the detail people put into their routes.

[@radriand]

Steam locomotives, just like kittens, are a lot messier on the inside.

[@solar_9878]

actually if u have watched Thomas and friends the great race you would know: without safety valves train goes BOOOM

[@gamerfan8445]

Can you do a video on C&O 1642. The biggest stream locomotive to exploded

[@OldIronVideo]

There are actually 4 T1s the reading has some

[@GordonClare]

Thank you so much for fregona what engine it was That fact bothered me to

[@GrantJohnston-dr9rt]

Boilers invariably explode upwards!

[@tobycaunt9257]

@4.45 hello spicy spaghetti

[@eliotreader8220]

its the fireman's job to keep the correct water level and the right steam pressure inside the boiler not the engineer.

[@Devil-on9qh]

The CP Railway have it's own T1

[@entity-bl5og]

Actually, it is quite simple why the engineer didn't give more water. When water enters the boiler steam generation is reduced, as the water is, you know, colder, and they were going on an incline. Also, the way to repair an exploded boiler is very simple. Replacing it with one that hasn't exploded. But still, didn't that man have the slightest hint of q self preservation instinct?

[@roterakaten636]

Remeber folks. Grease is a cheap pre maintenance, water is good and lets not forget that fire is hot.

[@southernohiorailroaderYT]

and after this explosion many locomotive had this picture in there cabs.

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

Indian steam locomotives on one major road all bore a plate in the cab bearing the message "Remember Abermule - check your tablet". It was a reference to a head on crash in central Wales, where a driver never checked his single line token (or his boards) and took a train into an already occupied section. A young Indian railway engineer was apprenticed to the Welsh line's works at the time; involved in the clear up, the incident made such an impression on him that he never forgot it, and ensured, on going home, that none of his men did either.

[@katiehogan7398]

Actually there is 4 T-1 RDG 4-8-4, C & O, CB&Q, & PRR 4-4-4-4

[@guarddog0079]

As a rail enthusiast, I can say that they just kinda did

[@Oliver-kv2mm]

She caught The Katy left me a mule to ride.

[@jasonduncan69]

May 12, 1948 outside of Chillicothe Ohio.

[@phoenixprime24]

I’d say any engineer Worth his steam should know to put water in the boiler.

[@jacksonpugh6423]

4 different T1s there is also Reading T1s

[@Lucky4wd4840]

NO TV Radio or WEB back then!

[@minbannister3625]

Ego, nobody tells ME what to do.

[@dieselteen0770]

We can all agree that CP 1278 didn’t derail and drive into a lake

[@geoffreylee5199]

2-10-4 are called a Selkirk by CPR

[@freetolook3727]

"You had one job to do..."

[@TheRealKennedy]

Ah yes, forbidden spaghetti

[@marcthesaddletankprod9777]

the date of 3020 boiler blew up was 1947

[@TheStammzilla]

When you Cthulhu your locomotive!

[@mr_memez617]

I wonder what would happen if like say for instance you put in too much cole what would happen???🤨

[@HistoryintheDark]

That’s pretty hard to do since the firebox can only hold so much coal. Generally, unless you somehow smother the fire, you get more heat and as long as there’s plenty of water it won’t be a problem for the locomotive. Might make the crew a little overheated, though, at worst.

[@steamrailwilly]

This may be my dumb opinion, but I think the reason why the engineer ignored the brakeman might have been due to the fact that the water level is the fireman’s responsibility.

[@williamclarke4510]

Well, he should have been looking at the f'ng water glass by himself and not have to be told to look at it by someone else.

[@williamclarke4510]

The engineer is in charge of the fireman.

[@mamarussellthepie3995]

Diesel prime movers explode too lol