Handbrakes in the NRM

Visited york on Friday and got talking to a young explainer after the turntable demonstraton and was shocked to learn that many of the engines where stood without handbrakes on is there any truth to this and surely it's a highley unsafe practice that shouldn't occour

 

Just think of the number of people killed each week at the NRM due to this unsafe practice. :smt100

You will find that most locos are left without the handbrakes on, but then one of the wheels will have a chock around it. The hall is also fairly level, it is not like you are going to lean on EVENING STAR and watch it roll away! The only (12" to the foot)engine you could consider rolling away by hand would be LIVINGSTON THOMPSON and that is unlikely (This loco had two sets of wheels chocked.)

I think you are getting excited about nothing...

 

Also having handbrakes applied can cause extra strain and pressures on the vehicles, so it is kinder to them (such as the Stirling Single) to leave the brakes off. Remember, this is a museum, not an operating railway, and we treat the objects sometimes a little differently. Also all staff moving stuff are qualified shunters and drivers, so no risks are taken. We know what we're doing and aren't idiots.

At Locomotion where there is a falling gradient on part of the site (outside the building) we employ handbrakes on serviceable vehicles and lockable scotches to make sure that none of our "locals" can set vehicles away out of hours.

 

Cos it ain't there! Lol \/

 

](*,) It must have rolled away when someone leaned on it ](*,)

Yes forgot it went to Steam at Swindon #-o

Ok Replace EVENING STAR with something else big and heavy that is there :-$

 

How about the fabulas KF-7 that no-body likes or see the point of. :evil: (I like it BTW)

 

Locos & vehicles are secured using chocks in mainline yards & depots all over the country every day. It is a perfectly safe practice. How do you think you secure a loco if the handbrake is U/S or if you need to have it "off" in order to adjust brakes?

 

Did I read somewhere that they reckoned that a man could push along the last 2 Duchesses (not both together - that would be silly) on the flat as the bearings were that good!

This really is an all time low for this forum, have some people got nothing better to do than get all would up about totally pointless issues. I am sure that the NRM are delighted that someone has raised this dreadful safety oversight - bet they have never considered it!!!

 

The loud well educated voice of reason and extensive railway experience/knowledge speaks out again............ ](*,)

 

Well its been nearly two months since the Original Post - probably time to call an end to a question now answered!

Whatever your opinion of Rough Shunter while he did make a statement and suggest that the policy was wrong some membersanswered him and explained the situation. He will then have learned something and that can only be a good thing.

The stupidest question is the one you don't ask. Resist the temptation to jump on these comments if you have nothing of value to give.