Steam threshers are relatively small and most of the time the only person around the firebox doors is the operator. The threshing crew will be thirty or so feet away on the other end of the belt, so whether they got hurt in an explosion or not would depend on where the thresher, shingle mill, sawmill, etc. was sitting.
The Medina thresher's owners appeared not to understand much about what they were doing, since the police officer who was killed had come up to ask them to get off the pavement. Those cleated steel tires can do some damage to asphalt on a hot day. Not knowing that seems to have been a symptom of the bigger disease, which was well-intentioned but ignorant operation.

In the fall after Medina, every thresher at the Stumptown show had its fresh boiler inspection certificate in evidence. They were not yet required, but the fact that the club cared enough to have a state inspector look at everything that would be on exhibit said a lot to me. I've had a Stumptown membership every since.

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Here's an example of a comprehensive report on the firebox collapse of an LMS Pacific in the UK - the fusible plugs had dropped, yet the problem with the locomotive was not recognised until the firebox crown collapsed. http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docume ... on1948.pdf

Dear Mr. Anderson

Could you lead me to the place where the FRA requires this?

Thanks

Robby Peartree

49 CFR 230.59

If boilers are equipped with fusible plugs, the plugs shall be removed and cleaned of scale each time the boiler is washed but not less frequently than during every 31 service day inspection. Their removal shall be noted on the FRA Form No. 1 or FRA Form No. 3. (See appendix B of this part.)

A section calling for the condition of fusible plugs is provided on Form 1 (31 and 92 Day Inspection form) and Form 3 (Annual Inspection From).

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I take it that's directed at me? No, you both are wrong. Politics wasn't "thrown in", the subject matter is political at its heart and no effective conversation can exclude it. The social dynamics (politics) figured primarily into the accident. As Dave says, the best education is "booming", drawing a wide variety of experience, studying a diversity of views and distinguishing the best. Gettysburg was a case of the opposite: an "echo chamber". My point of choosing a recent and well known example is to prove how common this is. It was from a political campaign because that's all that's on the news lately. The debate incident didn't happen merely because they were a political party. It happened because internally, they had a broken process that listened to their echo chamber instead of seeking accurate data. That is a concern for all of us because it can happen to any of us.

Now if you believe any man who says one word edgewise about the Republicans must therefore be a foaming Democrat... and if you proclaim that person has declared his political leanings... and if you ascribe motive to that... well, that is just more of the same broken way of handling data. Quite in vogue in American politics lately, but that's no excuse.

As far as those who might seek "credibility", it would be tragically vain to believe "everyone on this board thinks like me". They are in for a real shock. In fact, it is rather unlikely that any other person on the forum thinks quite like you.

Very likely written by an official to justify his company's refusal to use them, when the real reason was the potential for road failures. The argument goes that without fusible plugs, if the crew catches their error before they blow themselves to Kingdom come, the engine is still serviceable and can complete the run, Whereas, if fusible plugs let go, they have to send out another engine and deal with the delay. Typical management thinking of the era, if we flog the employees often enough they won't dare forget the water.

I'll admit, given the poor maintenance in general found at the Gettysburg after the accident, it's not likely the plugs would have been maintained any better.... but if the engine would have had them, they MIGHT have worked. It's like the old joke about they guy praying to win the lottery... God says, "Meet me half way, buy a ticket." There is absolutely NO possibility the plugs will work if they aren't there.

About the Medina incident... I seem to recall seeing a report on the boiler survey after the accident. Aside from the defective fusible plugs, I seem to recall that, whatever the original design thickness of the traction engine crown sheet was, the wastage was so bad that the sheet was less than 3/16" thick in spots, and showed evidence of weld build-up around the staybolts, presumably to get more material to tap. IIRC, the calculated MAWP of the wasted sheet was only 50 or 60 PSI, so its entirely possible it let loose for other reasons with water still covering the sheet. Since the only person who would have known, if he was even paying attention while distracted arguing with the police officer, is dead, so we'll never know.

Actually, I don't much care for fusible plugs either. Not only do they evolve to ever higher melting temperatures or clog with scale and not work if the water gets low, they also have a tendency to blow without a low water event as a precipitating cause. Technology that is used to reduce idiot related problems can't be as unreliable as idiots themselves or you gain nothing but a false sense of security.

I'd rather KNOW there's a good team on board taking responsibility and doing things right because they know the right things to do and have the maturity to make good judgements and take the safe course of action. I also KNOW how the washout schedule was set through water testing programs, and that it is working, and that the shop forces maintain the water level indicating devices properly during washouts, verified through frequent daily testing.

Not everybody is capable of doing the job, some can learn, some never will, and the privilege of getting the job isn't a right. With so few of us active, especially full time (and constant experience is the only path to true expertise) there's no longer a margin for hiding and covering for incompetent staff. We need to police ourselves, and be careful who we trust.

dave

This year, June 16, 2020 will mark the 25th anniversary of #1278's crown sheet failure back in 1995. Can't believe it has been nearly that long ago.