Very much looking forward to seeing this return to the mainline... No, not the Pacer tour, that's already SOLD OUT...
"On Wednesday 30th August 2023 a major milestone was achieved with our Boilershop carrying out the official out of frames steam test on 60532 Blue Peter's Boiler, witnessed and passed off by our boiler inspector.
After an extensive overhaul, the boiler was slowly brought round to its full working pressure of 250psi and will now be fitted with insulation lagging and the outer cladding before being refitted to the frames.
Massive congratulations to our entire Boilershop team, Production Manager Mark O'Brien, Divisional Manager Richard Watkins and everybody involved."
Blue Peter hasn't been on the main line for over 20 years now, but can you imagine window hanging in the first carriage for this back in 1994???!
"During an unscheduled stop at Durham station the inexperienced footplate crew overfilled the boiler. As the train departed south across Durham viaduct an initial slip was poorly controlled by the driver, who then reopened the regulator too early, probably worried about stalling on the bank up to Relly Mill. The force of the initial slip caused the boiler to prime, carrying water over into the regulator valve and jamming it open. This allowed passage of steam through to the cylinders, perpetuating the slip and accelerating the driving wheels. When the driver attempted to wind the reversing gear back into mid-position to halt the slip, the force of the boiler spun it into full-forward position, and
the driving wheels reached a rotational speed of 140 mph before the cylinder heads blew off and the motion disintegrated...."
inter-city.co.uk
news.sky.com
