VGN 800

[NW Mailing List]

Ken,
 
Go ahead and submit your article. I would love to read it.
 
Greg Harrod
============================
 
In a message dated 3/9/2011 1:36:28 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org writes:

Thanks  to Harry for his detailed report. I thought I might add a few 
things.  


Coming up on April 1, will be the 70th anniversary of the 800 blowing up  
at Stewartsville, Virginia about 5:20 AM.   


This tragedy killed all three crew members, Engineer John Dudding, 46,  
Fireman Mead Brown, 25 and head brakeman Hollie Harrision, 26, less than a  
week short of his 27th birthday. It would be hoped that all three died  
instantly, as they were thrown great distances and dismembered by the violence  of 
the explosion.


While the Federal Investigators pinned the cause on a worn and pitted  
injector nozzle, causing the injector to fail. They also pulled a large  
quantity of cinders, coal and mud dredged out of the tender tank, which could  
easily have caused the valve to the injector to have stopped up. The injector  
had been reported as problematic in a number of inspection reports both at  
Victoria and at Roanoke in the months prior to the explosion, but apparently  
tested fine at Roanoke early in the morning of April 1, 1941.


Of course, we'll never know exactly why the crew allowed the water to get  
so low in the boiler. It could have been inexperience, as Harry pointed out, 
 Brown had only hired out on the Virginian about 6 months previously, the 
crew  could have been tired or not paying attention. Another accident with 
less  dramatic consequences a few years ago on the Gettysburg Railroad, found 
that  the water glass could have had some debris in it giving a false 
indication of  water in the gauge when there was none. One of the photos shows the 
water  column and glass, relatively intact I am certain the investigators 
checked it,  but the violence of the explosion could have dislodged any 
debris in the  line.


I've written a rather lengthy story on the 800's fateful trip, if there  is 
any interest, I'll submit it for the Arrow.


Ken Miller


 
On Mar 6, 2011, at 8:17 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:



I've not  stayed abreast of everything. What led to its  explosion?



Kim
Huntsville

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