That time 491 almost killed me. | Stories From the Shop Ep. 2

[@KidarWolf]

Tonnage first, safety last, should only ever apply in video games. Glad 491 didn't take you out of this world, and instead taught you, and the museum, a critical lesson on always taking your time and doing things right.

[@thunderturbine8860]

Right on mate. Rushing will only cause more problems if anything

[@ryank1273]

Agreed. If a machine tries to take your head off, while you are working on it, you are most likely doing something wrong

[@YourLocalRailfan]

Tonnage first safety last uphill slow downhill fast! -NS ceos

[@ryank1273]

@@YourLocalRailfan Starts humming "Wreck of the Old 97" at mach Jesus.

[@Spudstered]

@@ryank1273 "HE WAS GOIN DOWN THE MOUNTAIN, MAKIN 90 MILES 'N HOUR. WHEN A WHISTLE BROKE INTO A SCREAAAM, HE WAS FOUND IN THE WRECK, WITH HIS HAND ON THE THROTTLE, SCALDED TO DEATH BY THE STEAM" type stuff

[@DerpyPossum]

*Peaches wasn't feeling too peachy that day...*

[@thegamingtako9779]

Limes

[@KidarWolf]

[@Chainstorm]

LIME THAT MAN!

[@RustyRailsProductions]

[@gingie5246]

[@LongIslandRailfanner]

491 really embraced her inner Yandere that day. Giving a new meaning to if I cant have you no one can....

[@Idaho-Cowboy]

Look, I'm not saying someone should do an Anime Waifu art of Peaches, I'm just saying I'm not opposed to the idea.

[@LongIslandRailfanner]

​@@Idaho-Cowboy this is why I tell myself that I have a unhealthy obsession with the Denver and Rio Grande Western and I need to touch grass AND ALOT OF IT

[@LongIslandRailfanner]

@@Idaho-Cowboy also I can't draw that well

[@southernohiorailroaderYT]

​@Idaho-Cowboy cowboy wants a anime peaches picture 😂 don't let him lie to you

[@LordNavala]

491 just wanted to show you, if you don't treat her right she'll knock your block clean off. Glad you're ok Hyce.

[@shockwavegaming5907]

As soon as he said “Tiny missile” I knew exactly where this was going. Machines like these are fascinating and incredible, but you can’t get complacent with them. They hold enormous power and can give you an unexpected surprise that can quickly turn for the worst. I’m glad you were alright in this case, praise to the safety culture and practices of the museum.

[@TrainBandit]

As my dad has told me many times, it's good to have a healthy fear of a machine.

[@Idaho-Cowboy]

RGS: Hauling Uranium DRGW: Launching Missiles

[@unrelatedshark]

documentary title idea "Narrow Gauge: Fucking Wild"

[@Tank245]

Once upon a time I was firing up the 25 with another individual. I was sitting on the tender sand box and he was manipulating the fire. well, the fire went out while he was messing with it because it got choked out from the smoke he was making. And right about the time I said "Hey your fire went ou....." the fire backdrafted. It sounded like a cannon going off in the shop and it shot a ball of fire out through the oil buring firebox door porthole, hitting me in the face and knocking the back of my head into the rivet line on the oil bunker of the tender giving me a little concussion. It was exciting to say the least!

[@Mildcat743]

Holy shit. Flashback is no joke my man, especially through such a narrow opening. Glad you made it out okay.

[@shikashi18]

In summery: When the old railroaders say "The rules of the rails are written WITH and in blood." Hyce got his own 'soft' reminder of the true meaning of those words. Thankfully all that he got was a ringing in the ear.

[@Frisco1355]

That piece of metal was probably going significantly over the speed of sound. I can’t imagine that velocity.

[@TheLtVoss]

The acceleration is way more insane

[@Frisco1355]

@@TheLtVoss Yeah. In only a few inches (from the surface of the boiler to near Hyce’s face) It was already going at potentially supersonic speed. Crazy.

[@Shroge]

Hyce casually stealing pieces of trains

[@jasper2185]

HEHE

[@weylinwest9505]

Pieces of trains casually wizzing you by at Mach 5.

[@BeerDone]

I think he earned this one.

[@Hyce777]

Well it was the scrap bin or my desk, so my desk it was. lol

[@nerodcs3087]

rules are written in blood....or eardrums.

[@catmungo4500]

Nice one 😂

[@Dannyedelman4231]

Or both

[@Depressed_cat1]

I’m 15, learning to become an electrician, and I will be working with fatally high voltage, always always always check your surroundings, but I’m glad your alright Hyce, now 491 is like “REMEMBER THAT TIME I ALMOST KILLED YA?! Sorry about that but I’m still gonna fuck with ya!”

[@slycooper1001]

one rule i know of is when working with any high voltage devices is keep one hand behind you. don't make a human circuit. if you are connecting a voltmeter, up use one hand and connect it then use the same hand to connect to the other end. there is a interesting story from mikeburnfire during the campfire story pipeline/avulsion of zach being lazy while working with high voltage. zach is still alive but he hurt himself.

[@BeefTechnology]

You should ask kAN to do the math and find the speed at which it flew out and maybe how loud the explosion was

[@highball5550]

I was thinking the same thing about the calculations! I’m curious about how fast that thing rocketed across the shop.

[@BeefTechnology]

@@highball5550 I suspect it actually hit something in a stall further than stall 5 and bounced back, judging by the fact that the explosion was so powerful

[@sambrown6426]

@@BeefTechnology Their roundhouse only has 5 stalls though.

[@highball5550]

@@BeefTechnology the roundhouse at the museum has 5 stalls and I recall Mark mentioning he found it against the wall meaning it flew from one side of the shop to the other which is terrifying if you think about it. That said, I agree with you that it may have ricocheted off of something. In fact that crossed my mind. Was anything else damaged in the shop apart from the part and poor Mark’s hearing?

[@BeefTechnology]

@@highball5550 He did not say anything about it hitting the back wall, he didn't even mention a wall in the entire video. That made me think the roundhouse would be a but bigger, like 7 or 8 stalls or something

[@akaBoG]

I was putting together an old desk that had been donated to CRRM for use in the main office. While driving a screw into place the tool slipped and flew towards me. I reached uo, felt my face and looked at my hands. They were bloody. Thought I put an eye out. It was pretty close. Hit the edge of my orbital socket. Got a nice cut but it was a shocker.

[@Hyce777]

Yowza! That's no good either.

[@matthewisaacks6963]

@@Hyce777 it was way too close.....freaked me out and made me re-think safety.

[@lillian6023]

I deal with 480v appliances in kitchens. I trust my coworkers to turn off a breaker so I can safely work on the equipment but I always verify that there is no power on any leg with a meter. I'd rather go home to my chickens than to a hospital.

[@peregrina7701]

I saw a guy hook himself up to sixty amps from the power company once whilst messing with the main breaker for an apartment (I was in the celebrated role of Lamp-post). That was a small domestic service and it threw him across the room. I might or might not have poked the tester in his front pocket and said things. Glad you're double checking everything 😊

[@MFKR696]

"Trust, but verify"

[@mrchom]

This is a big example of where rushing a job ends up causing chaos and taking way more time than sticking to your guns and being safe. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Hopefully 491 doesn't have another vengeful fit near you, or anyone else, in future Hyce!

[@chriswitmer9754]

“Take Two and Think it through”. My first boss used to drive that into our heads and this many years later it still echos in my head before I do anything that has a hint of a hazard.

[@JAdg75oo00]

Damn, if there is a patron saint of railroading he was sure on your side hyce, I'm glad your still here, also I'm pritty sure peaches is really, really, really sorry 🙂

[@spooge1oh1]

I learned that same lesson on always checking on things myself before doing the maintenance. Dangerous things are always dangerous.

[@catmungo4500]

We need a "we die like men" shirt

[@Clockmeister20]

Thank you for sharing. I can personally understand that shock and how dangerous that was. My family farms and I've been helping my dad for a long time. Sometimes things happen, then there's other times where you can prevent the injury by checking everything before moving along. I remember quite a few times w were working and something either fell, blew, or just plain broke where it had a high chance of killing someone. I think one of the most dangerous jobs that all farmers do and understand on a regular basis is clean out bins. A grain bin stores your grain from the harvest in the fall to the spring where the markets are better. Now, when it comes to unloading all the way, we get them to where the grain no longer gravity falls down the slide gate and the auger a the bottom of the bin. That's when we go in, carrying and heavy electric motor and auger. The auger has a rod on the bottom side where it pivots on a bracket right above the slide gate. The unloading auger is still running when we do this because as we're moving around, we're shifting the grain to where it falls in the pit. Shut off the auger, plugs the pit and can't get the sweep auger in position. It's simple to slip and catch your arm or leg in this spinning blade of death. Yes, there is a safety bar down there below the slide gate but it's still easy to slide right past that. After getting the auger in position and sliding the motor on top and tightening the belt, we turn it on. This sweep auger only has a back plate that the bearings are mounted to. Do your best not to slip and fall head first over top of this thing. As I said before, this motor is electric. How do we get electricity inside those bins? There's no plugs inside there. That's a HUGE safety hazard. there is always a chance of dust explosions. A dust explosion is where a spark ignites the flammable dust and, of course, makes a big fire ball. This isn't a once and done deal. We're in there, dust flying all around, dust stuck to the walls, dust down beneath the floor you're walking on. The first explosion ignites the dust currently in the air. Big fire ball. The first explosion isn't as bad as the second. After the first finishes, there is still some little spark somewhere. The first shakes all the dust off the walls and stirs the dust down below, causing the second explosion. That second explosion blows the top off so to say. If you hear the first, you run, and don't dare to go near that bin for quite some time. That's just a few of those dangers in that specific area. (Props to the person who read this lengthy wordy thing all the way through) I'm a clockmaker too. I've had springs let loose, go flying somewhere, or come straight back at me. No major incidents on that yet, thankfully. It can still send you to the hospital in an instant but not near as dangerous as the farm work, or in Hyce's instance, the museum. I work for a machine shop where we rebuild hydraulic cylinders also. Of course, many things can easily happen there too.

[@LaLaLand.Germany]

I have a theory about tinnitus: sometimes patients get relief by engineering the fiiii sound, the engineered sound cancels out the sound in Your head. Maybe it helps? I can only imagine the level of suffer for a music guy with hearing troubles. Thanks for sharing, for having such problems You´ve got a ton of humor left.

[@snodyalso]

I had a near-death experience at work last year. One second I was thinking about it being Friday and hanging out with friends after work, the next I was calling my wife crying thankful to be alive after almost being crushed to death. I was exhausted and wasn't thinking as clearly or safely as I should have been and I almost paid for a dumb mistake with my life. Safety first. I was reminded that day that If you're exhausted, it's ok to give yourself time to rest so you can come back thinking clearly later. No job is worth your life.

[@SternLX]

It's almost like 491 was like: "Hey dummy, you forget something? Hello? You're about to mess around and find out sonny." 😄 On the subject of Safety, as a Truck driver, this is why we "Pre and Post-Trip" every - single - time. The one time you don't is when equipment fails while you're on the road... and you're not the only one on the road.

[@F-Man]

Had a moment at an indoor gun range one day when I had an issue with my earplugs. Someone in the port next to me was firing a rifle chambered in 7.62mm, and I knew all about it. I couldn’t hear out of my right ear for about 3 days. Thankfully I’ve got no lasting effects from that, but I feel like that was probably my one chance to get away with being unprotected around super loud things like that. Glad that *you* are okay! This story definitely caught my attention!

[@myrlstone8904]

You’re a lucky guy. Many many years ago, I was passing some time in a hospital bed. Sharing the room was an elderly gentleman, who had spent a lifetime working in the local D&H shops in Oneonta, Ny. Needless to say for many days, I was all ears. I still remember a story much like yours, however his coworker was not so lucky. A plug was driven clean through his body, followed up with scalding steam. Railroading was a hazardous occupation. My great grandfather was permanently disabled with a brain injury as a result of being hit in the head with a piece of steel while working on a section crew. (1920s) Safety measures were minimal in the early days. Rules written in blood.

[@Predaking900]

I feel like this kind of story comes up more often when more steam trains were used but it sounds scary. At least u didn’t use a steam train motto. Up hill slow down hill fast tonnage first safety last

[@mafarnz]

A really good reminder for someone just about to start her railroad career. Always pause and check. It’s easier to learn a good safety attitude at the beginning rather than correct bad habits later! Glad you make it that day.

[@kholdanstaalstorm6881]

Before watching: Nothing is going to disturb me: ✔ Got drinks: ✔ Got chips: ✔ Got candy: ✔ Ready, make it so! Afterwards: That was wild, even though I've heard this before it hasn't stopped making my neck hairs stand up and my spine tingling when imagining the events as Hyce delivers his story so well! As an electrician that has been in a lot of different situations and economic fields, I can wholeheartedly stand behind the conclusions made in this video. When the personnel's safety isn't taken care of and you cannot improve that situation, that's when you GTFO. Safety first should be paramount, because things can be replaced but there's no reward for ruining your life or worse. If you see a dangerous situation possibly happening, intervene. If a dangerous situation is happening, help if you have an exit strategy. A ship hull was delivered to a shipyard in my country for outfitting, but the foreign shipyard had errors to correct so they sent a team to fix it. Only 2 of the 40 could communicate with the local workers. Red flag 🚩 They didn't know local safety procedures, available equipment or how they could get help. Red flag 🚩 A welder was ordered into a tank that had been sealed while in transit and was just opened for access. He went in the man hole with his gear, but he was seen collapsing as he got a bit in. The closest colleague of him saw it and ran in to help but collapsed too after getting the first one a little closer to the opening. Another came after the 2nd, got 2nd little closer before he collapsed too. The 4th guy was yanked from the opening on his way in by the locals, they tossed a O2/CO2 personal meter into the tank and it went off. Yard rescue came with oxygen equipment, went in and pulled the 3 guys out. Every effort was made to save them, but 1 was DOA, while the 2 other lingered but succumbed to the gas exposure. 3 lives lost because of poor communication, training, knowledge about available equipment and bad management. It's noble to help your fellow humans, but not at the expense of your life in the process. In dangerous situations, don't just act instinctively but think about the possible reasons and try to mitigate your exposure if possible. They only needed to sign out a O2/CO2 personal meter, at no cost, just return it when you're done. Safety is paramount, in every level and organization with no exceptions.

[@KnapfordMaster98]

You surviving is one of the top moments of the decade, so glad your still here to teach and entertain.

[@d455ave]

I've thought about this a bit... maybe a bit too much... The sketch shown in this video adds to what I am thinking. For the trapped water to build enough steam pressure to blow the cap nut off, the water had to be trapped by the rust in the threads, long ago. Draining the boiler wouldn't have removed that trapped water.

[@TrustyRusty05]

I remember the first time I heard this on a stream and I remember thinking how funny it was and thankful I was that you were okay after this incident

[@peregrina7701]

I've heard this story in a couple of streams but happy it has its own video with some more detail. Such an important lesson to share and I'm very glad you're here to tell the story, put your hand up, and take credit for a mistake. Sorry about the tinnitus - ugh! Thank you for the video. Let us take care of ourselves (and each other). :)

[@cadetkohr5508]

At my CAP squadron (NM-012) we have a saying: It's not safety first, it's safety always. And that is something I've lived by since I had an incident that could've been easily prevented if I was being safe. Glad you turned out ok! Machines are incredible things but you can never be complacent, I learned that with my 2012 Sienna. Story Time: I was fixing the valve timing, since the shop I took her to didn't do it right and I wasn't going to drive the half hour back with the fear of her blowing up on me, so I elected to do it myself. I planned to replace the belts anyways since they looked like shit, so I had a whole set ready for when they started failing on me. I was starting to tighten the belt when it snapped on my and cut both my forehead and my left arm. I was bleeding profusely and probably would've passed out if it weren't for the tourniquet I had for an upcoming SAR-EX. I'm glad that the belt snapped where it did though, since I wasn't wearing anything that even protected my eyes, so I could've ended up blind. Thankfully the cuts weren't deep enough for me to need serious medical attention, but I still have the scars to remind me...

[@BazilRat]

Daaaaamn! "Terrifying" doesn't come close, that would have been like a small cannon shell...

[@patricksheary2219]

Mark, each time you tell this story I’m mortified and I echo everyone by saying glad you didn’t prematurely go to the great roundhouse in the sky! But cheers to a safety culture of today that is so important. Like you mentioned, it has happily evolved for the better over the years not only in RR preservation but also in historic preservation construction which is one of my curatorial duties in the museum I work. Lanyards are a good thing and so too is maintaining four points of contact when climbing gigantic scaffolding. Just to mention a couple of safety points. I applaud both the CRRM and the museum I work for who champion this safety culture. Professor, thanks for dedicating a tutorial episode to safety; so incredibly important and your story dramatically illustrates the point! Cheers to you and the fab CRRM shop crew!

[@mcb187]

I have learned that you don’t mess with several things over my life. You don’t mess with high voltage capacitors, springs, and pressurized systems. They may seem harmless enough, but one wrong move… lights out. Really glad you are OK, and glad you and the museum learned a lesson from this

[@NowhereMan260]

God saved your life that day. The constant ringing sounds so upsetting, and still being a musician your strong man. Glad your still here with us, made one of the best train channels out there!

[@Dan_Gyros]

This is both utterly hilarious and absolutely terrifying at the same time

[@TheOneTrueDragonKing]

Safety first, ALWAYS. This was QUITE a mistake, and I'm sure you've never done anything like that again. Glad you learned the lesson, Hyce. I'm glad you're still here, and for the love of all things good common sense, STAY SAFE. Safety: In the end, it's always YOUR OWN responsibility. Nobody else's. So don't get complacent, and don't get arrogant. ALWAYS verify things and ALWAYS follow procedure BY THE BOOK. NO SHORTCUTS! Be alert and for the love of living, DON'T RUSH! Even though it's called a "rush job", if you rush it, things like this happen. You never know when a mistake like this will result in an injury or death. Yours or others. That's what people should be taking away from this video, and I hope they do. The steam preservation industry is small enough as it is; we don't need casualties or fatalities taking anyone away from us. Especially people named Mark Huber, aka Hyce. Edit: Also, if you see someone doing something they shouldn't, you should intervene. That includes those who are untrained civilians not involved in the industry. Saving lives is important to all, and safety is a team effort.

[@trainz123m]

There is a post cast/ KZbin channel I watch called “well there is your problem” at the end of each episode, they do a segment called “safety 3rd” your story can definitely be part of that. Thank goodness you live

[@stormworksgamer922]

Can u send me a link to that channel

[@andrewreynolds4949]

Thank you for not killing our favorite railroad KZbinr, Peaches

[@gdrriley420]

I work on supercomputers which often means lots of contractors unfamiliar with our site filled with high voltage and water. Even as an intern I was told you can and must stop work if anyone is being unsafe. Thankfully I’ve not had to yet

[@Zyo117]

Talking about climbing up the engine with the bell reminds me of my work, painting outside. We'll be at the top of a 20 or 40 foorlt ladder and jump the ladder to the side to paint underneath where the ladder touches the wall. We obviously don't like people watching us lol, that's how you fuck up. As soon as eyes are on you, something happens.

[@TwinLitz2]

Hi hyce! I’m volunteering at the Northwest railway museum on 13 August for the second time! Also, I never knew that you had history like that with 491! Love your channel this is the only channel I’ve watched for months now, and you always brighten my day.

[@yukonxl5723]

I have a theory as to why the cap flew off. So, since the flexibolt was at the bottom where there was almost always water, when it would move slightly from the uneven heating of the medal, the seal between the top of the bolt and the actual medal pressure vessile wasn't quite perfect at sealing water. So, over time, water from the boiler would seep into the cap to the point of it being almost completely filled with water (There also might have been some sort of manufacturing defect or the Grande messed smth up accedentally to make it not seal properly). After sitting for 50 years the seal between the boiler and the top of the bolt rusted shut from the water, perfectly sealing a little pocket water into that tiny medal space of the cap. Thus, when you went to go heat it up, the water flashed to steam, and the pressure increased to the point of failure and the cap flew off at supersonic speeds, nearly killing you.

[@MrDoctorCrow]

Speaking as a bird man on the internet, I've seen firsthand two grizzly hand injuries due to people not following lockout/tagout. One was a similar steel missile with residual compressed air, another guy had a hand caught in a moving conveyor. The first guy had several broken bones in his hand and eventually returned to work. The other never did.

[@fsj197811]

You can see the look of nostalgia on your face every time you look at that cap. Good story, thanks for sharing.

[@thunderturbine8860]

Glad that you're doing OK despite that accident that took place at the museum. I agree with the points you made definitely. You gotta take care of yourself first and foremost, the people around you, next, the environment that you're working in. I always like to think of it like, if a certain task is going to take a set amount of time, it will only get completed in that set timeframe. Rushing over anything will not make things faster and expediting things, usually compromises safety

[@michaelimbesi2314]

Given that the pressure inside the staybolt managed to blow the cap off, it’s probably a safe guess that the pressure in there was well in excess of the boiler’s MAWP.

[@captainjonna1034]

thank you sharing that Hyce, takes a decent human being to put their hands up and admit to their mistakes and then to share that as warning to others its very humble of you, glad it shocked you and made you improve safety alot, made you realise your own mortality I bet that played on your mind for while, sometimes it takes that much for us humans to realise that life is precious and easily lost, so anyone out there espically who work for corporations don't let anyone rush you in a job that has potential dangers, be brave and call out bad safety conduct its just not worth dying for.........I nearly died for working 6 days a week for 6 months on end all for sake of sercuring a minimum wage job due to exhaustion and being to agreeable by taking extra shifts and mental health issues with racing thoughts, cos i nearly hit by a car going 40 mph for the sake of setting a good impression to secure a contract, never done something so stupid in my life walking to work on 9 hours of sleep in three days.

[@slanderedstone]

Thank god you lived to tell the tale, because if you hadn’t we wouldn’t have all the fun things you have brought to the table over these last few years!

[@daviddryden8088]

So what you're saying is, when the museum almost had it's first fatality with a kid and a large piece of metal in his head, they tightened up the "Saftey First" rule. Consider yourself blessed you only have tinnitus instead of slobbering out your baby food when they feed you. Great story and excellent advice for the next time I find myself prying off stay bolts.

[@captainkrazee7726]

Ahh, a Hyce story classic. Edit: New Thumbnail looks good

[@Hyce777]

I managed to forget to put the thumbnail I made on the video the first go around, lol!

[@thomasdecker7631]

Having spent almost my entire working life with machine tools in one way or another, and much of that with automatic screw machines (one of the more cantankerous devices known to man), i came to realize that the times I got hurt (fortunately usually a few stitches) were the times I had lost my temper with a machine. Lose your temper, stop thinking and look out. It comes back to bite you every time.

[@Xposer8242]

I have always heard and repeated on occasion the saying "complacency kills". Great warning of that saying and glad your still here making content.

[@Odin029]

"The water flashed to steam and it had nowhere to go", as a plumber who has heated things that didn't need to be heated let me tell you, steam ALWAYS finds somewhere to go... even if you don't want it to go there.

[@RotaryTurbo]

A food processing plant my dad did mechanical maintenance for (now retired) used to use steam heat years ago. Crazy pipe pressures. They would check for leaks with broom handles. You'd wave the handle by the pipe, and if you found a pinhole leak it'd cut the handle in half.

[@thecoloradokid1758]

It's stories like these that both intrigues and terrifies me about the power of steam. Glad to see you're still kicking Hyce! Hope to work with these locos some time in the future

[@railwayjade]

Something I've learned (and luckily have not had an accident) is we are not cool for taking shortcuts. Just because one can do something doesn't mean you should (like jump out the carriage to the ground). There was a time I was a trainee fireman, I had to go change the points, the driver never stopped, just slowed down, climbed down the fireman's side and ran ahead of the loco. The ground was very uneven and I fell in front of the loco (being a steam loco, and on the fireman's side, the driver would not have seen me). I have never gotten up so quickly in my life before that or ever since. Another time, as a trainee guard, the train was on a curve and getting ready to go back to the main site, they sent me around to check all the doors are closed (swing doors), did my check and on the way back they forgot about me (and we had no radios), had to run along the moving train, jump up and climb through a window as the doors were locked. Let's keep safety in mind!

[@thetowndrunk988]

As soon as you said you were taking the torch to em, I pretty much figured out what happened to that nut…… Glad you’re still around. You’re right- steam is no joke. It’s turned water heaters into missiles

[@GrantDolanMusic]

That story scared me the first time you told it, but man even with know everything was going to be ok, the fact that it’s that deformed and it was right next to you when it went off makes me shiver. It could have been so much worse. Glad everyone is ok.

[@danieldoesdumbstuff]

“Extruded my face” made me laugh way too much more than it should have

[@nathanielnau1700]

I work at a landscape construction company and I wish my boss would learn exactly what you were talking about in this video

[@rus0004]

After accidentally deliberately involving myself in a small gas explosion, I regretfully know about permanent tinnitus in the right ear. Glad you're alright big fella.

[@TrainNerd97]

Wow! Just Wow, Hyce! This story was a jaw dropper in how you worded it! I LOVED it! Best of all, this story PERFECTLY proves that EVEN A TRAIN can teach you a lesson in safety being on top priority and first ALWAYS!

[@gammadown54]

A boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (bleve) Considered one of the most dangerous kinds of explosions Vary lucky and glad your safe

[@Madhuntr]

i had a bit of a similar experience as an apprentice in a truck shop. we did the exhaust check ( sorry dont know the correct term for it in english. it´s the thing where you check how much oxygen is left if any in the exhaust gases to see if the engine runs properly) in germany we rev up the old ones after warming them up and the computer takes the data. The mechanic was sitting in the cab of the Truck and revving the engine while i was checking the data on the screen right next to the cab. mind you we have cabovers in germany so i was basically also right next to the engine. during this process we thought that the engine sounded a bit weird during rev up but couldnt really pinpoint it to something. it was a 12Liter engine and during the last rev up for the test. something clanged and suddenly something shot right between me and the computer right into the wall. The wall had tiles and the thing embedded itself into the tiles and somehow got stuck there, not hard since i pulled it out later pretty easy. But it was the damn piston rod that came flying out of the engine because the piston got stuck SIDEWAYS, learned that while tacking apart the engine later. The damn thing nearly got me. But since my Autism was a bit more pronounced back then with Asspergers, i didnt really care. I just looked at the Mechanic and asked him, you think thats normal?? While kinda laughing, i didnt even realise at the time what could have happened and just continued on with my day. Only years later it really came to me what could have really happened. But im still laughing about it ^^

[@kornaros96]

It's a way of dealing with near death experience, and general unpleasant situations. Laugh at it.

[@Madhuntr]

@@kornaros96 this wasnt this Kind of laugh. Believe me. I wasnt normal back then. I genuinely laughed about it. Like i said. It didnt really occur to me what happened kn this moment. Only years later i realised it.

[@kornaros96]

@@Madhuntr no one is normal. Some abnormalities are well hidden.

[@Madhuntr]

@@kornaros96 can´t argue with that

[@puppy2ful]

You are right about safety. No job is worth your life. I work in ems and scene safety is number one on our list.

[@kollinspencer847]

we are glad your still here today :)

[@osageorangegaming5128]

Yeah, steam can be some powerful stuff, and personal safety is always a must. I think you ought to get that cap put in some sorta picture frame and have a caption with it that says "491 reminds you to practice safety every day!"

[@dovos8572]

i had a "fun" thing 2 days ago. in short someone forgot to put the valve pin into a high pressure connector for a pressure sensor and just screwed on the sensor. on that line are 15 - 40 bar pressure with over 5kg refrigerent inside of it. now if we hadn't cought this by chance we would have send out something that could have easily killed a service worker years later when he had to change out said sensor. if the sensor itself wouldn't kill him by shooting out in a similar way like in hyces story, then it would be the refrigerent that would freeze him solid.

[@yommish]

Glad to hear the safety culture has improved

[@112-DavidL]

Safety moto around the shop I used to work in: "See a hazard, speak the hazard, report the hazard, eliminate / protect against the hazard" it was our 1 cardinal rule

[@seankaiser2505]

This sounds like a good story for a Well There’s Your Problem’s “safety third” segment that they do at the end of each of their podcasts.

[@musclecat1005]

I was thinking the exact same thing. Hyce really did shake hands with danger.

[@crazypickles8235]

Thank you for finally posting the full story, Hyce! I am ever increasingly wanting to come visit the shop and meet one of my railroading heroes in person! I love the channel and as always your content is great! Please keep these stories coming!

[@SodorTrain1225]

I'm sure 491 didn’t mean to do that, but all the same, that sounds TERRIFYING.

[@ColtonRMagby]

At least you didn't go deaf in both ears permanently. If you had gone on a ride in the XF-84H Thunderscreech, you would be unable to hear anything because its propeller produces over 200 DECIBLES of sound.

[@sambrown6426]

I believe that's because the prop was spinning so fast that it's tips were going supersonic even at idle, meaning it was constantly producing tiny sonic booms whenever it was running.

[@ColtonRMagby]

@@sambrown6426 There was no throttle. The engine was running wide open all the time. The blades had to be at the pitch setting to move the most air and go the fastest. That position generated 900 sonic booms PER SECOND!

[@sambrown6426]

@@ColtonRMagby Thank you for the info and correction, I do seem to recall that now, thanks.

[@ColtonRMagby]

@@sambrown6426 Good thing I watched the video The Fat Electrician did on it.

[@sambrown6426]

@@ColtonRMagby That name does sound familiar, actually. I'll have to go check it out.

[@ThunderboltSirenStudios]

After many years of my grandpa being a door gunner on a helicopter during the Vietnam war, he now had a permanent ringing sound if both of his ears. But if his ears are ringing in different pitches

[@alwaysbearded1]

Glad you survived. Sorry to hear about your tinnitus. I was born with hearing loss in both ears and only hear well with one with a hearing aid. Because of this I've suffered from tinnitus on and off. What is very irritating is when you essentially deaf ear (can't hear anything below about 95 dbA now) starts ringing. A bit of cognitive dissonance. I have learned that I can make that ear play simple songs. It is all in the cognitive part of hearing. The brain is an amazing thing. My brain enjoys your channel. Thanks for the content.

[@Whitestar-line]

Someone made 491 angry

[@carterputnam4229]

Safety first, second, and last! I’m a welder and in a matter of fact, looking to get into the Colorado Railroad Museum myself haha then I came across this channel, Hyce, I wanted to see if the museum was hiring welders or even some sort of maintenance guy! Lol

[@Hyce777]

Not at the moment; we don't really tend to have enough consistent work to keep a welder around full time, but keep your ears open!

[@lordsherifftakari4127]

at some point I would anticipate that someone will recreate 491 in 7.5" Gauge and call you out to Train Mountain to drive your baby around the biggest Model Railroad out there.

[@MeowtainDew]

Holy moly, you made a steam cannon complete with cast iron shot. Those civil war reenactors have nothing on your experience.

[@AgentWest]

Time to math. You said "planned on heating to cherry red, but did not get that hot", so let's guesstimate 600* C. Hard to find a "pressure V temp" chart that goes that hot, and the highest i found was showing 10MPa @ 400C. Something something square root and pressure goes ballistic with higher temps, so let's say 20 MPa (2900 psi) for ease of use. That is roughly 1/10th of what a black powder cannon makes, or slightly less than a 12ga shotgun shell. I'm glad it missed you! [Disclaimer: sleep deprived math/info; may or may not be accurate. If latter, please correct.]

[@bruceyelen3198]

A perfect example of “trust but verify “

[@catmungo4500]

Young hyce= we die like men

[@MRrailaway]

The loudest sound I've ever heard was an airbag burst from a full truck, but I can't imagine how loud this must have been for you. In my case my colleague was standing next to it and had a ring in his ear for at least two months, I was lucky to be in the cabin.

[@czechgop7631]

Did you mean like the air bag that lifts the tractors 5th wheel?

[@gideonstupke2257]

That must have been terrifying! Had a grandfather that worked for the PRR somewhere along the bloodline. I've heard stories handed down

[@phroogo...]

imagine just being in the shops and all of a sudden you hear loud bang, followed by a faint "oh sh*t"

[@TheLilram2100]

No wonder you have such a love/hate relationship with her 😬

[@alansloan7784]

Thank God you were spared, Hyce. Sorry to learn that you're dealing with hearing loss in one ear, but I'm thankful that you're still with us. Stay safe on the job, please.

[@True_NOON]

Shook hands with danger, and lady luck was watchin

[@steamtrainrollon2060]

2:45 this right here made me think when I was taking off a nipple of a percussion shotgun it won’t come out so I have to use a bit ton of force to take it off and a special oil too. It was not fun and the gun was not even fireable. That ruined my day.

[@sirrliv]

Ah yes, in the days of the Great Stromboli

[@bluescrew3124]

Strom, the pinnacle of ineptitude… Permanent damage = Coming for you, Strom. Coming for you. Coming for you.

[@Hyce777]

Aye... that has most of what to do with the, "get it done NOW", bad safety culture, and the reason we were inspecting the caps for the first time 2 years into the engine's new service... ugh. Unfortunately really showing that part of the story off really only serves to punch down and make the museum look worse, as far as a video goes. Thankfully those days are long gone. :)

[@bluescrew3124]

@@Hyce777 Long gone. Hooray!

[@sirrliv]

@@Hyce777 It can be lamentable, but it's important to remember the bad old days of the past as part of emphasizing how much things have improved and as a reminder to those who follow of what we never want to regress to again. "We've made those mistakes, we've learned from them and gotten better, we're not making those mistakes again."

[@west_side_9]

He started his career with a bang

[@Zyo117]

As soon as you said missile I knew what happened. Fun fact, but you ever notice those cylindrical bulges on the back of a tractor-trailer? That's the air brake spring assembly, and if the cap goes, that spring is so tight it will fly over a quarter mile. I seriously don't like being behind those.

[@kupferbergbahn7952]

Must've been a shaky lesson to learn, for you and the museum. I can't believe that thing bounced all the way over to stall 5 just from that pressure! I'm glad that no one learnt it the hard way, if you know what I mean.

[@jaydut]

40 seconds in, I know this story. What a blast and you tell so well.

[@44R0Ndin]

IDK if "they" say it like this, but *I* do. "If you don't take care of yourself first, you won't be there when it's time to take care of those you care about". This applies to all things, not just physical safety, but (critically) mental health as well. If my heart is filled with anxiety, I won't be able to focus on the things that matter to myself, or to those that I care about. Mental hygiene is a thing just like physical hygiene is. If something keeps bothering you but you have no power to change it, the right thing (and the difficult thing) is to try to stop thinking about it. If something keeps bothering you but it doesn't have any power to change the life of you, your friends, or your family, then once again, the right thing to do is to try to stop thinking about it. This can mean a lot of things. Sometimes it's as simple as uninstalling Twitter from your smartphone. Sometimes it's not as easy, if you have a friend that won't stop bringing up a subject that you have painful memories about, and you've explained to them that it hurts you to talk about it, and they keep bringing it up anyways, that's probably someone you need to take a good hard look at the pros and cons of keeping them your friend (or not), because they're consistently crossing a boundary you clearly set with them. Boundaries exist between friends, between strangers, and between yourself and your thoughts. It is important to always respect them, and make sure you get clearance to cross them when needed, BEFORE you actually cross those borders. That's a harder thing to do than many are capable of. For me, most of the way I stay a lot less stressed than I would otherwise be is that I just try to not watch the news. Not much on there aside from reasons to be worried about things you don't have a reasonable chance of changing anyways, and most people are fairly quick to come to a decision about the elections. Right now the elections (in November, more than 6 months away) are all that's running unless some tragedy that is probably already resolved gets a slot to run. So the news is just a source of stress, nothing more than that. I watch about 5 minutes of it in the morning, and that's all I see of it all day. And I'm a lot less stressed than when I watched the news more than I do now. Mental stress is also provably linked to physical medical maladies, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and ulcers. So reducing your mental stress helps your physical health too!

[@thunderturbine8860]

@Hyce That must've been scary. For an explosion to go off so close to you. Sucks that you have an issue with your ear. Double in fact triple checking things is absolutely critical to avoid accidents from taking place

[@jonreams6090]

Make sure you go home tonight. Make sure your friend gets home tonight. A few times I called the brass to task over safety issues.