On June 16, 1995, the firebox crownsheet of Gettysburg Passenger Services, Inc., steam locomotive 1278 failed while the locomotive was pulling a six-car excursion train about 15 mph near Gardners, Pennsylvania. The failure resulted in an instantaneous release (explosion) of steam through the firebox door and into the locomotive cab, seriously burning the engineer and the two firemen. This accident illustrates the hazards that are always present in the operation of steam locomotives. The Safety Board is concerned that these hazards may be becoming more significant because Federal regulatory controls are outdated and because expertise in operating and maintaining steam locomotives is diminishing steadily.
National Transportation Safety Board Special Investigation Report: Steam Locomotive Firebox Explosion on the Gettysburg Railroad Near Gardners, Pennsylvania, June 16, 1995
1996
68 pages
Report
No indication
English
Engineering Index Backfile | 1901
Locomotive firebox proportions
Engineering Index Backfile | 1916
|Engineering Index Backfile | 1903
|Engineering Index Backfile | 1897
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