Re: Disasters

John West Wrote:
=======================================================
> I still remember the boom when the 497 blew the
> cylinder head. That really reverberated off the
> hills. Greg's trips definitely offer the
> unexpected.
>
> JBWX

...you should have been sitting on top of it.

What happened was the steel key holding the piston rod into the crosshead had worked loose when we were plowing snow with 497. Heading up the first hill out of town I'd hear this loud BANG BANG. Then it would stop. Then a couple of minutes later it would do the same thing. By time I'd get my head out the window it would stop. Quite a mystery. As we came off Lobato Trestle and opened 497 up wide, I saw the steel key shoot off into the weeds and immediately knew what was about to happen. Just about the time I slammed the throttle closed, there was a big bang.

Game over.

The piston rod was coming loose in the tapered fit in the crosshead, moving ahead and getting caught by the key, then it would reseat itself into the crosshead with a loud bang and run a little bit before coming loose again. There is a cotter pin through the key on the backside to keep it from flying out. It failed.


As long as Scholl doesn't come to WV, we're safe.