Steam Ban due to fire risk (updates)

Reading David Wardales book, The Red Devil, a lot of work was done in South Africa putting steam into the ash pan, mainly in connection with the GPCS, but it also had the effect of damping the ash. Could not something like this be used solely to damp the ash/cinders down or has it already been tried?

 

Some locos have ashpan sprays and also better designed grates and ash pan combinations. Really useful when containment is critically important. If the LE movement of 44932 really was ashpan and if the fire at Exminster today was ashpan again, I think the point is made. In instances like this NR doesn't care how a fire may have happened it's the fact that it's happened that matters. That's the whole area that locomotive operators should look at dispassionately. I'm not talking about grounding particular locos - just a 'horses for courses' approach. When the going is soft you can use them all. When it's firm you use those that are least risk. Pragmatism.

 

When we move into the season of demonstrably dry weather, and the timing of this does vary but you can see it coming, then that's when to think carefully about the locomotives. On the basis of yesterday and today, 44932 cannot be trusted on its own at present so don't use it or use it in tandem with a diesel as has had to happen. Ditto for any other locomotive with similar risks. What Network Rail could do is go down their list of TOPS nos. and mark the card for each one. They won't do that of course and why should they? But it's now blindingly obvious that our fleet of heritage locomotives all have the capacity to cause problems but some are clearly more problematic than others. So the steam movement should stop using them or not let them out in dry weather without a diesel. Yes, it will upset any individual owner whose locomotive is affected but at least NR would see the steam movement behaving proactively rather than waiting till their wrists are slapped.

 

I think the term you are looking for is 'Changeable'.

 

1976 ?

 

My point about the weather and the issue with steam is that by the time something happens - i.e. a lineside fire - to cause NR to take some action, it's been pretty obvious from the previous week's weather and the short term forecast that a problem is looming. What happens is that everyone ignores what is blindingly obvious rather than take a voluntary pre-emptive step, tell the punters that it's going to happen, and thereby avoid or at least minimise the problem escalating. There is evidence that NR can be pragmatic as did not Braunton demonstrate today it could run solo over a similar route with no issues, unlike 44932? One difference in this particular case may simply be the fact that 25 years separate when they were (re)built.

To decide not to run steam trips in the hottest/driest periods is one answer. Or use only those locomotives that can be trusted and partner those that can't with a diesel. (That line saves you reading #200!)