Train Fire In Manchester

[Parabola]

'Firefighters battled a train fire on a bridge on the edge of Manchester city centre today.

Four fire engines were sent to the railway bridge on Wilburn Street, Salford, after the train's diesel engine compartment caught fire derailing it.'

Looks like it was a heritage run Class 47. Everyone's ok.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greate...

[W124Bob]

I know the driver ex mainline driver who retired and works for West Coast Railways on an as required basis.47 500 Great Western is the loco and was the trailing loco on a move of 5 empty Mk1 coaches from the TPE depot at Arwick(near the Eitehad)after the wheels on the coaches had been on the wheel lathe at the depot.Only the loco is derailed and fire damaged.Just hope he hasn't left the handbrake draging on the bogie which is on fire.Also thats the same end as the main fuel tank(internal)

[neilb62]

I hope it isn't dragging brakes as it's essential to drain the control air on the distributor on a 47 if it's being dragged, The Driver would be in trouble if this hasn't been done. Also a 47 has 2 internal fuel tanks. One at each end. These feed the auxiliary (former boiler water) tank underneath.

[Ali Chappussy]

Another take on it.

http://railwayherald.com/uknews/wcrc-47-damaged-in...

[neilb62]

There is a video of it passing Piccadilly a few minutes earlier. 47500 on the rear seems to be running smoothly with no unusual noises.
http://twitpic.com/bxtgqc

[Tony2or4]

Why would a fire in the engine compartment cause it to derail?

[shed driver]

Tony2or4 said:

Why would a fire in the engine compartment cause it to derail?

Maybe it derailed first and the fuel tanks ruptured?

SD

[Tony2or4]

Tony2or4 said:

Why would a fire in the engine compartment cause it to derail?

Re-reading the thread, the suggestion that the fire caused the derailment came from the remarks in quotations in the OP, but the news reports in the posted links suggest that the derailment came before the fire.

[truck71]

Stupid question probably, why would you have two loco's to move only half a dozen coaches?

[tight5]

top n tailed .

it saves a run round move ( detatch from the front and attatch to the rear when you get to the destination )
the driver ( normally ) shuts down the loco he's been driving , walks to the back one and fires it up .

also , can be if a loco breaks down , you've got a spare !

[truck71]

Ah gotcha, so they wouldn't both be running at the same time?

If you do want to have tandem power do you have to rely on two drivers synchronising or can one driver activate both loco's?

Slow day today...

[tight5]

Tandem - two drivers working the power but only the front one working the brake .

Multi - one driver working more than one loco . ( in top n tailed , would need a cable connecting both locos through the train )

Depends how they are working if the back one is shut down .

[W124Bob]

Immediate focus of the investigation is looking at was done regarding the turning of the wheel sets.The whole train had been for wheel turning at the Siemens depot at Ardwick(TPE base for their 185 fleet)The train left the depot and pottered through Piccadilly towards Ordsall lane following other traffic.Caution signals all the way,never got above 15mph and actually derailed on plain track.Trouble for West Coast Railways(and Siemens) is what else the RIAB will uncover they will certainly be looking at the maintainance records not just for 47500 but their whole fleet,as well other issues.

[spitfire-ian]

Just found some pictures of the loco now it's been moved on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/68628359@N04/84239683...

Not my pictures by the way.

[motomk]

spitfire-ian said:

Just found some pictures of the loco now it's been moved on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/68628359@N04/84239683...

Not my pictures by the way.

Just reading an issue of Practical Classics car magazine and they are supposed to be racing, sorry experimenting, between a Triumph Spitfire and a train called the "Oliver Cromwell", guessing that is a steam train. Unfortunately the Oliver Cromwell is not available so they end up "experimenting" against a substitute train which just happens to be this one 47500.
Whilst I am training, from when I was young! Can anyone tell me, were the 47 trains used on the Waterloo to Exeter line (33 maybe?) or the Taunton to Birmingham(Liverpool) line? I know it changed at Birmingham to a speedy electric thing.
Will they fix it?

[Ben Jk]

spitfire-ian said:

Just found some pictures of the loco now it's been moved on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/68628359@N04/84239683...

Not my pictures by the way.

In pic its at Museum Of Science & Industry in Manchester.

Judging by that Flickr account the owner needs to get a life! Trains I can sort of understand, but buses?!!!

Edited by Ben Jk on Tuesday 5th February 21:13

[davepoth]

motomk said:

Just reading an issue of Practical Classics car magazine and they are supposed to be racing, sorry experimenting, between a Triumph Spitfire and a train called the "Oliver Cromwell", guessing that is a steam train. Unfortunately the Oliver Cromwell is not available so they end up "experimenting" against a substitute train which just happens to be this one 47500.
Whilst I am training, from when I was young! Can anyone tell me, were the 47 trains used on the Waterloo to Exeter line (33 maybe?) or the Taunton to Birmingham(Liverpool) line? I know it changed at Birmingham to a speedy electric thing.
Will they fix it?

Might have been the Night Riviera sleeper out of Paddington, which ran 47s until the middle of the last decade.

[spitfire-ian]

Investigation report

http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/140...

[Ross1988]

spitfire-ian said:

Investigation report

http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/140...

Thanks for that, just done all about contact resistance and wheel profiling so was a very interesting read.

[W124Bob]

I know a couple of people who work for West Coast Railways, the loco will not be repaired and has already (sadly) been condemned, many parts salvaged so several other class 47 kept going but 47500 is no more!