Re: Gtown Loop #12

From a strictly analytical standpoint, I will be interested to learn what happened. It is fairly unusual to blow out a rear cylinder head. Typically, it is the front head that goes if the piston rod breaks, the main rod breaks, or the crosshead key comes loose, allowing the piston to travel forward too far and with some authority. The back end is usually protected from failures of this type because everything is in compression going in that direction. A failure back there would most likely occur because of independent head failure. As Kelly pointed out, if there was latent damage from the previous breakdown, like a cracked head because of unusual stress on the guides, this might be a reason.

Since steam locomotives seem to make a career out of finding new and unusual ways to fail, this could be an educational opportunity for the industry. Hopefully the damage is not too severe and #12 can be repaired.

We have had a spate of mechanical boofoos at Strasburg this year, so I can sympathize with the folks at the Loop. I am not convinced that the locomotives don't sit around the enginehouse and talk about this stuff at night. I have given up any illusions of being the boss in a human - steam locomotive relationship.