Re: Rotaries Question

In Jim Ehrenburger's Twilight on the RGS series is a copy of the ICC report confirming the boiler explosion. If I remember the crown was burned several inches below it's highest point before it let go. I have also seen pics taken shortly after the incident where the rear of the body had been torn loose from the frame and was dropped down to the ground. In a boiler explosion the force is directed out through the firebox door and down through the grates. In addition it blows forward out through the tubes blowing the smokebox door off and tearing up everything in front of it. I believe the front of the frame broke which is why there is a huge chain holding the front cowl up. The dynamics of a boiler explosion are many and not all end up with the boiler going into orbit. I recall reading about C&S #70 dropping its crownsheet in Golden in the 1930's. It made a big mess but no one got killed. The fireman was up on the tender taking water and the engineer was either on the ground or on his side of the deckless cab. I have another report of a locomotive which dropped it's crown sheet and blew up on an AZ logging line. The only casualties were 3 men riding on the pilot beam who got killed when the smokebox door came off.