Rail Accident Report: low water level in boiler

[John Ashworth]

Attached (and available online at http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cf ... rklees.pdf) is a report from the UK Rail Accident Investigation Board into an incident on a narrow-gauge heritage railway where the firebox was damaged due to low water level. The locomotive dropped a fusible plug but the driver didn't notice and didn't drop the fire. It makes interesting reading for anyone operating steam locomotives, and some of the observations about heritage railways might also be relevant outside UK.

[Brendon Anderson]

It seems very odd that the driver was not aware that a fusible plug dropped??

[John Ashworth]

Hence the RAIB calling into question the training procedure for new drivers...

[Brendon Anderson]

I see that the level of training was questioned in the report, but anyone who has been anywhere near a loco when a plug drops will know that the release of steam is very violent and will extinguish any fire in the box.

Maybe the type of fusible plug is somehow different to the SAR spec...