The Steam Explosion That Destroyed a Fair 🚂 The 2001 Tragedy in Medina County 🚂 History in the Dark
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- Опубликовано: 5 мар 2022
- On July 29, 2001, a 1918 110HP traction engine was being taken to the Medina County Fairgrounds in Ohio, USA. Suddenly, the engine exploded and killed a total of five people as well as injuring over fifty more. This is the story.
🚂 Further reading 🚂
medina-gazette.com/news/26694....
www.farmcollector.com/steam-e...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tractio...
🚂Train footage credited to -
• 2001 tractor explosion
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#tractionengine #steam #explosion
That engine was driving by the owner to the fair grounds from his farm over 6 miles away down the road. Remember him pulling through the parking lot and parking in the show area. Looking at my buddy both of us saying "I can't believe he drove that here!" Thankfully my buddy and I decided to go to the concession stand for food and that's when the explosion happened.
I am a resident of Medina County, OH, and Clifford Kovacik was actually my neighbor at the time of the incident. I was only six at the time of the explosion, so I barely remember the details, but as mentioned else where the video of the Case 110 on the road was taken only minutes before the engine exploded. The version I've heard, relayed to me by several members of the antique tractor community (of which I am apart, owning my own threshing machine) is the operator was distracted from operating the engine by law enforcement officers who unpleased with the engine being operated on the road. The story goes after their discussion, the operator got back in the engine, started to move it, and realized the water had gone too low. By that point it was too late; the water sloshed into the crown sheet, and the mighty Case 110 exploded, reeking the havoc shown in the photographs and leaving a mark on the antique engine hobby that persists to this day.
I live down in Richland county, and this is the story that I heard as to what caused it to rupture. My Mom was a park officer at the time when it happened, so she had police force friends all over the state. Nonetheless, still a very terrible sad incident.
I knew Clifford and some of the others as well. I remember when Clifford bought the engine and when it got to the shop. Stories abound and theories of what happened and why. One thing I am positive of is the police that day pestered and distracted him and the others. Accidents happen often and the tragic ones normally have at least three major mistakes. I believe had the police not been so distracting and in the moment pushy things would have been different that day. Perhaps Clifford should have kept the engine as a pretty static display but they had been plowing with it earlier with no issues.
He didn't just start to move it, he drove on to the fairgrounds and parked it, the pressure relief vent screaming for all its worth. (Eye witness's reported) That's where it blew up only a moment later.
This is what the heard at the time also, I live in Michigan a local guy testied as a professional witness in the court cases that followed
@@tigerseye73 the safety valve was tested afterward and failed to open at 200 psi, even though it was set to open at 125 psi. I also have a hard time believing that law enforcement kept them distracted long enough to go from a safe water level to nothing over the crown sheet. Even if they had, when they turned back to the engine, the very first thing that should have been looked at was the water level. Upon seeing no water in the glass, the fire should have been raked/put out and pressure bled off. With 75% of the boiler plate thickness gone, the boiler should have never been fired in the first place.
I have been involved with steam equipment for over fifty years, mainly rail, standard gauge and miniature, there are three things that should be understood, (1) know & understand what you are dealing with (2) inspect, inspect, inspect, (3) never assume. A steam boiler is a bomb once it's in steam, the water level in the boiler is the most important item that requires your full attention, therefore the water sight glass must be maintained and regularly checked for correct operation.
To ensure the boiler remains safe to operate the following is also required, boiler washouts & routine boiler inspections by a qualified person, correct feed water treatment, this will prevent damage to the inner heating surfaces of the boiler, inspect/replace fusible plugs at every inspection.
same here. as a spectator. It's common knowledge only a boiler engineer or a steam engineer is allowed to operate steam engines. Also those annual inspections are the cause of steam remaining an abandoned propulsion. While the available energy is unmatched before nuclear, the cost of maintenance is overwhelming when a boiler needs tubes replaced. It's not for the private individual since farmers and taxi drivers avoid maintenance, which is catastrophic
My cousin owns the 1915 steam tractor which was once owned by our great-grandfather. He did a total overhaul of it in the late 90's and early 2000's.
@@dx1450 I have associates, steam engineers. Even inspection is a thing a novice need avoid. I know I would have made mistakes during inspection which would have been a split tube in one example. I thought the tube was in great cond. but after being shown the fault it made a weakness the length of exposed tube with no swelling. Inside the boiler. F that I'm outa there
I used to attend steam thresher events and I simply enjoyed the experience. The operators were highly professional at the time. If there was any issues they didn’t hesitate to assist another if need be. At the time all were familiar with the consequences of improper operation. If an operator had to leave to get something there was someone nearby to monitor the conditions of the boiler. I remember an incident where a new person getting water for the event disappeared for a while. At a certain point one of the engines began traveling to the water wagon. He began asking where the guy was while he looked at his tank. As time elapsed the tone started to get more urgent. It reached a point where an operator began to prepare to start transferring water himself. That’s when he reappeared and there was a lot of people wanting to know where he’d been. I don’t know how close it was but I could sense that they weren’t too far from dumping the fire box. Anyone who hasn’t experienced or heard of boiler explosions doesn’t understand the seriousness and the consequences of one. A train or boat steam engineer has to be taught for a year or two before they’re allowed to operate one alone. When they were operating frequently there was basically a fraternity that would teach the younger ones. For the most part those days are gone.
Kevin Stonerock,, 'mostly gone'??? As a boy in 1969-70-71, my Dad and Granddad on my Dad's side were big admirers of the old steam loco's and we used to chase them in our family cars, and eventually video'd them with 8mm home cameras and then VHS recorders. I have been a mechanical journeyman now for 30 years at a company in the midwest that has many industrial trades, and still to this day, steam boilers are regarded very carefully and tended very studiously. They always have been very serious business.
I'm 56 now. And watching this world degrade. I wonder where they're all going to turn when men who have carried the country on their backs, are all dying off and all that's left are these entitled basement dwellers who play video games and live off their parents and don't even have a clue how to light a pilot on a gas water heater or figure out how to change their brake pads.....
Part of me wants to ask about regulatory entities whose sole purpose is to protect people from their own stupidity,,, and the other part of me looks at the oval office RIGHT NOW,,, and I shut the heck right up.....
My Granddad had a WWI biplane that he cropdusted with and might have used to woo my grandmother based on old pictures I've seen.... I have considered building a replica of that old Waco and naturally, putting better power in it with more modern technology,,, but, I know I would get it going and just HAVE to sneak it out for a flight.... and living in the world today, I already know what kind of shytte I would be in,,, if I didn't pay the exorbitant fees necessary for even the lowest form of pilot's license....
Even just 100 years ago we were so much freer as a country. Today we are conscripted to fulfilling the legacy of George Orwell's '1984'.
I live in Exeter, Devon but grew up in Eastleigh, near Southampton, that has been an important railway junction and sidings for generations. I've read about boiler explosions, especially in the earlier steam trains, where sometimes the metallurgy had meant an explosion after xx operating hours would be practically guaranteed. As they say, safety laws are written in blood
In the UK, engines have to undergo a pressure test every 14 months, and a full inspection every 10 years. As a regular attendee of engine fairs, I hope that keeps us safe.
Here in Wisconsin, we do inspections every year. Hydro, ultrasound, visual, understeam. We are doing an ultrasound on a 25hp Minneapolis right now that was built in 1915.
It varies by location in the U.S. I had a steam car for 12 years. No formal inspection was required. It fell below the hp and evaporating surface limits for inspection. You can be sure that I educated myself and kept that machine in top order. The consequences of a lax attitude are severe. I have never met a single steam operator that didn’t take the responsibility seriously. We’ll never know what that operator was thinking, but I wager that you won’t find many like him in the ranks of preservation steam operators and engineers.
Hi, in the UK it is actually every 12 months. Interestingly the 14 months was stipulated so that inspections on boilers that ran factories could be carried out at the Easter shutdown, the traditional time. As Easter is so moveable legislation was written to accommodate this, hence the 14 months.
Scheduled inspections don't prevent unsafe operation or ensure that no damage or wear has occurred in between inspections. I'm all for them but they are a picture in time and a failure months after an inspection is still a failure.
@@wheressteve I totally agree, but regular inspections do weed out the worst of the problems. Re. cars, I have an MOT tester friend, some cars may have done 80,000 miles in a year (between tests), others like mine, only about 1500 miles. And some of the sh*t he sees!!
There's a lot to digest here, but I want to clarify something in particular. This accident is primarily caused by operator error. I will not argue that the state of maintenance on this boiler is beyond unacceptable. A simple ultrasonic thickness check by any boiler inspector would reveal that this boiler should never be put into service, regardless if it's out in public. HOWEVER, the lack of the operator's awareness of the water level (among a host of other oversights) caused this accident. A brand new boiler with perfect construction will almost certainly explode if operated in this same manner. The fusible plug that you mention is located at the back of the crown sheet since most low-water events occur with the engine 'nose down'. The right FRONT section of Kovacik's crown sheet was found discolored, leading investigators to believe it was the section left uncovered and the first to fail. The traction engine was likely sitting in a position that allowed the right front to be highest and first exposed above the water line. This indicates that the water level was beyond low, leading to a localized hot spot and crown sheet failure. This man had no business operating ANY boiler. ALL PRESSURE VESSELS ARE DANGEROUS.
Come on, it was entirely the cop's fault for stopping him.
/sarc
Agree I teach basic boiler and compressor safety. Either one poorly maintained and or poorly operated/regulated are KILLERS! It's one thing to operate this equipment on one's own property. But to DRIVE it on public roads to a fair operating as it is in the shape it was in (and with all due respect to the dead) an incompetent operator is a gross failure of protection of the public good. This equipment should have been hauled to the fair COLD and stayed COLD until hauled back to the owner's farm . Unforgivable failure of the public trust!
@@j81851 just having it in a back yard/shop running is dangerous and probably can damage or injuries/kill the neighbours next door more so if its in suburbia where everyone else is closer together.
the UK might have it right to register as car's/MOT as i have been reading education on operating individual different models would be hard as there not standardised on construction/control's ect. so that part might not work out so well to have a operating license system
My dad ran and maintained a massive boiler at a textile factory, and I remember I'd go see him at work and was just amazed at how big it was.
@@nicke1903 i have done pretty much done the same thing as your dad but not in a textile industry
Yes by all means im okay with backyard HP power and heating boiler's but they can't just be unlicensed/unlimited as it has killed people before so having rules and enforcement saves lives in the community and welfare ect. . yes some people aren't cut out for operation of dangerous equipment like dry-steaming power as my background has taught me or they lose respect for it and it gets the better of them as a aircraft say don't get fly home syndrome it will kill you one day
I live in Medina County and I remember when this tragic event occurred. We don't talk about it much these days but we NEVER forget.
Hello neighbor.
Hello from another Medina county resident. I worked with Allan's son kevin at what used to be super kmart. From what I understand Allan was the operator. I went to his dad's funeral. It was really sad. I still run into Kevin from time to time or talk to him on Facebook. He is a really nice guy.
I read the long report...not only was the crown sheet 087 "thick ,and stay bolts rusted away,,but the owner had done weld repairs to rusted off crown stay bolts,and welded in a plain plug to replace the fusible plug .....he fullly knew the dangerous condition of the boiler....
I grew up around an old guy that had all kinds of steam engine tractors and he always told me they could be very dangerous and you always had to keep an eye on the gauges. It was fun to watch him get them going, unbelievable machines,
I was three when this happened. I still go to this fair every year and camp the whole week. My uncle was the head of the medina Life Support Team at the time of this tragic event. I always loved tractors and I really wanted to see the machines pulling into their display spots and my dad wanted my mom and I to meet him at the community center at the south end of the grounds to eat. Had the situation been any different, my mom and I wouldn't be here today. Last year we had a 20 year anniversary memorial ceremony and heard from some family members of those who lost their lives.
Bro u good
this is why here in the uk along with our cars having to have yearly inspections, our steam traction engines are road registered like a car and under go boiler inspections to be allowed to run them
In the US each state regulates them as boilers. Same thing just don't normally move. Keep the inspections up, all ok, don't pay attention whilst running one, doesn't matter.
@@JamesAllmond
Yeah well Ohio doesn't have annual vehicle inspections ,I lived there,I remember when this happened, and I've seen the wrecks they drive.
I noticed this train of thought did extrapolate over to other types of machinery also.
In the UK, annual boiler test, and a thorough overhaul every 10 years, for anything with a boiler.
@@MrTheHillfolk I've seen junk pile cars driven in states and countries with mandatory vehicle inspections too. The vehicle inspections are a joke.
This is offroad use for demo. Like tractors, no inspection needed. Should you try to register for commercial use, insurance purpose, or road it would have an inspection. Living in Birmingham and having grown up around these my whole life we have never had an inspection on a unit except for commercial use where we needed insurance.
Not saying it wasn't stupid to run a 100 year traction engine down the road or at a crowded event but again, we don't inspect our tractors to rundown the road between fields or in town for service either.
The photos of the blown up Case really hurt. I love tractors and I have a huge soft for steam tractors (In the US it's usually not "traction engine".) I go to about five tractor shows every year most have a few steam tractors in attendance, I never really realized that my life is in the operator's hands. A lot of steam tractors were restored in the 60's and 70's, so many of them need rebuilt, but don't. In the 1920's a huge steam engine blew up around our farm and killed 5 or 6 people.
"I never really realized' 'Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, Son' Thanks to Animal House.
@Wheatcraft Yet here you are.
I work with boilers in my profession and they, along with high voltage and ceilings that are high enough to require fall protection but not high enough for an arrest device to work, give me the most bad vibes.
I have several friends, (steam engine owner/ operators) who were on site when this happened,
A. The owner and his son had just recently acquired this engine
B. They were not well versed in steam operations
C.This engine had not passed any inspections in years
D The new owner KNEW all this at the time he purchased it.
And apparently, they plowed their Farmland with the damned thing in Spring of that year.
Recipe for disaster.
Always 👏 keep 👏 an 👏 eye 👏 on 👏 the 👏 water 👏 gauge 👏 glass 👏
I went to a steam school, and they told us that the sight glass had been gunked up with scale, so it was reading right at the time of the explosion. That's why steam engines have trycocks to make sure that the sight glass is reading correctly
I agree steam is no thing to be taken lightly
yes
ye
Best tip in the world I own one myself and just got back from a rally x
This incident has been beaten into the ground for the past 22 years, to the point that it's a sore subject. The engine did suffer a low water event. The quoted inspectors do make some correct remarks about the over- all condition of the unit, but they also have other negative assumptions about historic steam exhibits in general, so in my opinion they tend to have a rather negative opinion in their conclusions. Basically it comes down to the fact that it's operator error, both in the operation of the unit and the fact that the operator ignored the over all unsafe condition of the unit, and continued to operate the unit in public. As for the fuse plug, no it wasn't welded over, the one in the unit was deteriorated to the point that the material in the core was pure corrosion and thus not meltable. Again it all goes back to the operator's responsibility to safely operate and maintain the unit in a safe manner and condition, poor bugger failed his duty miserably and people around him paid dearly. These big engines are very costly to own and operate, no poor boys can afford one. The last restored 110 Case sold on auction for around 400K, The fellow that had the one in the incident did have resources to afford one and indeed spent considerable money on this unit. He was warned by many fellow engine men of the poor state of his unit but failed to understand the danger of live steam, he was more impressed with new paint and the prestige of owning such a desirable unit. As a result the entire steam community has been negatively affected, we all pay the price for the mistakes of one careless individual.
I think it's pretty forgotten today, outside that particular niche of collectors it affected directly. I have family in Ohio and they don't even remember this happened.
@@furripupau except that many steam shows were cancelled as a result.. or steam exhibits excluded from manmy county fairs in ohio.. steam shows used to be a fixture in many of the fairs.. the owner / operators i met were always anal about their engines.. many were themselves or their fathers / grandfathers retired railroaders who had an utmost respect for the power and awe of steam.. as well as the knowledge to operate and maintain their equipment. I come from a background of working on low pressure steam HVAC boilers, but the knowledge I gained from steam engineers at shows was vast.. I know nothing about the owner of this engine that blew up. but a low water event is a rookie mistake pure and simple.. a self regulating body and bringing any engine to a fair or other public event cold might be something to think about.. fortunately the historic railroads are well maintained and inspected..
@@eldoradoboy It is a similar issue with airshows. After the 2012 (I think) crash in Shoreham in the UK, a lot of airshow plans were scaled back. The fear of an off-aerodrome crash and subsequent litigation is now a big factor.
My friend turned this engine away from his show because he knew it was unsafe and he would not hydro test the unit, it was a matter of time unfortunately
Anyway it go incorrect maintenance. Not the steam engine fault. Operator fault.
It's said Ma-die-na in Medina. I was there when it happened. I was about 100 feet away when the explosion happened. Knocked me to the ground. After the explosion the city shut down all steam engines from running on the fair grounds. They had to be trailer home. No live steam. I believe that if showing steam engines they can't run the engines, no live steam, only static displays. There is a small garden where it happened.
Just proves it again. Non maintained vehicles of any kind can be deadly
Getting pulled over by a cop and boiling off all your water during the traffic stop doesn’t help.
Uh-huh. Well-maintained vehicles of all kinds can be and are deadly. Driving a brand new car down the road is exceedingly more dangerous than attending a local fair. Driving to the store is far, far more dangerous than flying across the country. But no one ever seems to get upset and call for regulations because...reasons.
@@FS2K4Pilot So the fusible plug would blow (comparatively) safely, except that it was corroded shut. So not the cop's fault at all.
@@lusoverse8710 Number one, I didn’t say the cop was at fault. Number two, a fusible plug is not a substitute for maintaining the proper water level. The most important safety indicator on a boiler is the sight glass.
@@FS2K4Pilot The fusible plug is just as important..
I was a cop in Medina County at the time and I've read several posts that blame the police for "pestering him" and taking his attention away from the machine. The reason the police stopped him, was because the road he was driving on had just been repaved that same morning and the steel wheels and cleats completely destroyed it. They followed him into the fairgrounds, spoke to him for a bit and had just finished speaking with him when it exploded. Both officers were severely burned but both survived. It should have never been on the road in the first place.
That road wouldve been repaved two or threee time already. Im sure that was worth the lives of 5 people. Thanks for keeping the community safe.
So the police are at fault? The owner of this thing is in hell from where no man can ever return. Praise the lord bla bla bla...
harrycallahan8573, WOW! Police "Pestering Him' and taking his attention away from the machine?? That tractor was a bomb waiting to explode. "It should have never been on the road in the first place." It should have never been fired in the first place. I hate to think of what would have happened if the boiler exploded while in transit. Isn't it mind numbing when people make idiotic and ridiculous comments for something they are totally clueless about?? It is bad enough those fools think they know, what is worse is that others read the idiotic comment and thing the idiot knows what he is talking about and join in on the ridiculous comment.
1) The 0.375 thick metal was only 0.080 inch thick and should have been replaced years earlier before it was 25% less than when it was installed. for the exact reason that they can and do explode. I would have even sued him to resurface the road but since he is dead, taxpayers have to foot the bill. Even a hot water tank with a faulty safety valve can and has launched through 2 floors, the ceiling of the 2nd floor, then the roof.
2) Welding the soft plug that melts if too hot or blows out if over pressurized is the contributing factor for the explosion.
The tragedy could have been avoided. ALL states need to have inspection requirements to have the permit/license to use and operate the tractors, and have the permit/license revoked or expired if not maintained properly. I am all for freedom and liberty keeping the government out of my life, but there are some things that need to be inspected and permitted or licensed. And if they cannot afford the license and/or maintenance, then they should sell the tractor to someone that can afford the cost to replace the deteriorated firebox. If they do not want to sell it, then it MUST be a static display tractor. Five people needlessly died, and many others were needlessly injured.
@@davidwilliams7723 Didn't you read that the road was just paved that morning?? The asphalt hadn't cooled completely or cured. The road needed repaved even though it was not even a full day old when the tractor cleats damaged the road. And if he wanted to tram the tractor on the roads, Amish in my region wrap tire tread around the steel wheels to prevent road damages of their tractors, which are diesel powered. driving heavy machinery from location to location and cross roads or drive on the roads, have a crew of about 8 or 10 to throw down used tire casings that cannot be reused, and once driven over, are picked up and moved in front of the tractor in the rows of tires, so the road is not damaged.
@@cncpreferred848 you could see this in a different form in some of this video's B Roll, rubber pads between the cleats on the steel wheels and the one pair of caterpillar tracks.
I used to work with a guy that had been a State boiler inspector and he told accounts of a residential water heater exploding and practically destroying the residence. Vessel explosions resulting from compressible gases are extremely disastrous.
Seen pictures of residential water heaters that blasted thru the floor and roof, people dont check anything and the safety valve is plugged, or capped because it drips.
Mythbusters demonstrated this launched a waterheated alegetly like 500FT into the air.
7:35 you give the crown sheet thickness as .375 thousandths of a foot. Perhaps you mean .375" or 3/8 of an inch.
INCH, please correct.
I would also point out that it isn't "point three hundred and seventy five thousandths" of anything. It should have been "three hundred and seventy five thousandths of an inch" (no "point") or "point three seventy five of an inch."
All credibility just dropped to zero when he claims it was originally 4-1/2” thick, that’s what .375 of a foot is.
0.000375' = 0.0045"
bretty thin
The letter “I” in Medina is pronounced “eye”, not “ee”.
“Med-eye-na”.
He's giving it the Saudi Arabian pronunciation. I'm from Wooster myself, so I'm used to names being mispronounced.
@@ricdintino9502 I know. I’m from Cleveland. Don’t forget about Lima, too.
Carrollton here
Parma
@@FS2K4Pilot and Berlin
Steam is an incredibly dangerous state of water. On June 3, 1918, there was an explosion of the boiler in the
Hopkins, Michigan Creamery. The building was completely wiped out with the exception of its
smokestack. Three young men lost their lives.
Steam is such a menace. In addition to the pressure, the scalding hot water will just melt your skin right off. When I was a kid I had a toy steam engine with a boiler the size of a coke can. And even that thing scared me.
@@castirondude that toy is my favorite and have a steam powered train, its awesome
It's not so much the steam, it's the superheated water that is contained in the boiler. Steam itself is relatively benign, explosion happens when superheated water goes quickly from it's liquid state to gas (steam) state.
Almost all boiler explosions are the results of letting the water get too low and then adding water. Even if the water gets too low, the boiler will be damaged, but the explosion won't happen as long as you don't add water. The correct procedure for a boiler that is found to have too low of water level is to shut the fire down, bleed off pressure, and put the boiler out of service until it can be inspected and/or repaired.
@@tudwortyjmcguern5689 yes this was mounted on a platform. The boiler had some kind of plating so it wouldn't rust so it was quite safe.
@@m16ty What do you make of the 6:19 ".375 thousanths of a foot" , I don't know what she means there. 0.375 inches seems more reasonable, that's 3/8" which would be a standard size even today
I was there and saw this happen. I still get the chills at the sound of a steam tractor and stay clear.
You saw that explosion?! That's scary as hell. BTW, that video of the traction engine, minutes before it exploded, is just creepy.
I imagine the laws have changed since I was a kid, and this doesn't really have to do with steam traction engines, but you didn't need a driver's license or a license on the vehicle to drive a farm tractor or even a 2 axle farm truck on the highway in some States. At the time they didn't even require the slow moving triangles to be displayed.
During the days of the steamboats, typical boiler explosions were caused by the engineer blocking the pressure valve to develop higher pressure and increase the power transmitted to the paddle wheel. This put a higher pressure stress on the boiler, and if the seams were weak or the walls of the boiler were deteriorating from age, then boom. Once the boiler exploded, usually the furnace ruptured, spreading fire to the steamboat's wooden structure.
In the case of this tractor explosion, as stated, the pressure relief system was welded shut, turning the machine into a ticking time bomb.
A relative in my adoptive family was a Major General in the army Civil war era, he was in charge of returning troops being loaded onto the Sultana ship. The ships' boiler had to have repairs done which delayed departure,once finished the ship took off severely overloaded, so much so the decks were sagging- the captain was paid by the head to transport the troops and told the Major General that everything was OK, but it wasnt- shortly after heading down the river the boiler exploded killing hundreds, and many more died either burned or drowned. WIkipedia has page about it, the shoddy repair on the boiler is what did it in.
i@@HobbyOrganist
@HobbyOrganist
Sultana was actually going up river from Vicksburg, where a boiler inspector had inspected a bulge in one of the ship's boilers. He had declared the boiler unseaworthy until a proper repair could be made. Unwilling to take the necessary time and lose the manifest of over 2000 released Union soldiers, the ship's captain (who was a part owner of Sultana) and chief engineer had persuaded a boiler mechanic to hammer down the bulge and install a temporary repair doubler riveted over the damaged area. The idea was to effect a proper repair by replacing boiler plates after the run up north was finished. The boiler inspector was furious and refused to sign off the repair, citing that it was grossly inadequate. The ship was fired up, loaded, and departed Vicksburg the next day. This was an illegal act, as the boiler was still unseaworthy. In the middle of the second night, the overloaded vessel, working all four boilers to the limit against the strong current of the flooding Mississippi, had made it to a point north of Memghis near some islands called Pickney's Hen and Chickens. That's where the faulty boiler exploded. The two boilers next to it were damaged so badly that they also exploded. Sultana's deck and superstructure were blown to splinters, and the wooden ship caught fire. The burning hulk finally drifted to the Arkansas bank and burned to the waterline. I believe about 1167 people died, making the Sultana Steam Explosion the second worst maritime disaster in World History after the Titanic, and the worst in US History.
The wreck of Sultana was left to decay on the bank. Eventually buried under layers of mud and silt, the river has shifted eastward now, and the remains of Sultana, one of the largest of the great Mississippi steamboats, are believed to be under a field next to the river in Arkansas.
Here in the UK things like traction engines fall under the same legislation as a giant steam boiler in a factory - that means you must have annual inspections by qualified personnel to be able to run it.
Even applies to 1/4 and 1/2 scale models of traction engines.
I'm a big 'don't want the government up in my business' type too, but some things (like steam boilers) have such dire consequences if things go wrong that legislation is essential.
A steam boiler is a pressure vessel so potentially a bomb if it structually fails.
I remember this. Our fairground is located in a small NW Ohio town. Being surrounded by agriculture, we always had a large area of the old steam-powered equipment on display and running. I can still smell the wood and coal burning. After this happened, there is a ban on operating the equipment. Now it's just on display during the fair.
I live about 1500ft from my local Farm Museum, and I have been going to the Steam Show since the early 90's. I never really gave a thought as to the possibility of being killed while enjoying the show...
Wow...I remember this like it was yesterday. I live about ten miles from the fairgrounds and was good friends with one of the people killed in the explosion. Sad.
I was there with my then wife and 4 month old infant. My coworker, his wife and their year old daughter had met us there. fortunately, we had left the area with the tractor engines about 10 minutes before the explosion. Both our wives were freaking out and our babies screaming after it happened. We did stick around and went to my coworkers house because he lived in Medina and my wife and I lived in Parma. My daughter is now a 21 year old adult and has absolutely no recollection of it as you can well imagine. but that’s one day of my life I will never forget.
Great video, I live 20 minutes or so from the site of the accident. I goto gun shows at the Medina County Fairgrounds.
Medina is pronounced Me Die Na by the locals.
I go to a tractor show every year and I know the steam traction engines are well maintained
How do you "know:" that unless you are personally involved at a PROFESSIONAL level (the opinions of amateurs are worthless by nature) in their inspection and maintenance and hold a boiler operators license? Nice people operating clean machinery is not more or less than that.
@@Comm0utone of the guys is a professional boiler repair man
Except the ones that are not!
I live only mins from the fairgrounds. Family friends with the guys involved and the fire department I am on was there treating all the victims. Such a unfortunate accident. It will never be forgotten. I fortunately was at my grandpas birthday party if I wasn't I may not be here today.
I am one of the survivors of this! I literally was on a steam engine next to the one that blew up.
I was a US Navy Boiler Technician for twenty years and a civilian boiler operator for another ten years. I retired from active duty just one month before this happened. I still think that a full reconstruction of the boiler and a US Coast Guard styled re-certification of the boiler and its supporting auxiliaries should be done if this machine is to operated around the public. I am guessing that this boiler operated at around 95-125psi with a steam temperature of about 450 F. That's basically a bomb folks. It's a miracle that the outcome wasn't worse. I love seeing these old machines in an operational state and I hope that something like this will never happen again.
Couple of not so fun fun facts. Pretty sure the footage on the road is literally minutes before the explosion. Notice there is a police cruiser behind the tractor on the road and see the time /date stamp. Next I believe that one if not two of the victims are the Sheriffs deputies following. It was suggested at the time that the deputies distracted the operator which led to the accident. The Sherriff deputies where not impressed with the machine being operated on the road because it was damaging the roadway and they stopped him in the fair ground . I think I remember the machine was being backed into its spot at the fair when the explosion happened. It was suggested that the dry crown sheet then got the fatal splash of water when it was moved . Last thing to say is that the "i" in Medina is pronounced long. I just found your videos and they are very good
@darkness this is what i heard too. Dam cop wouldnt let him get to the water source. It was normally moved on a trailer, which wasnt available, so he just drove it to the fair
I have to agree the interference of the police didn't help especially considering the stretch of road they were using was horribly rough so much so a driver didn't have to slow down for the RR tracks by the asphalt plant, which is almost next the fairgrounds, you couldn't hurt 🤕 it even with that machine.
@@tomreisinger6220 I thought I remembered that the road had just been resurfaced and that was some of their issue with it being driven? long time ago and I wasn't there
@@deme7063 possibly the asphalt portion beyond the city limits, which was redone recently and the concrete portion has been redone in the last 3yrs, but before that the concrete stretch along with lake road was horrendous, couldn't be to many tickets issued there.
I was driving my family to the fair, and we heard the explosion. Good point on having these machines certified.
I was there personally knew the owner's of the engine too. Still to this day I'll never forget about this tragedy. Father and son both lost their lives while many others including good friends were covered in boiling water and oil .
@@TugIronChief Lubricating oil and likely Bunker Fuel Oil from the exploded Traction Engine.
There were a few articles on this in the Iron Man Album , a mag dedicated to steam traction engines and history , one exert from pennsylvania estimated that it blew with 5,000,000 foot pounds of force , but what i really got from it this guy had no bisiness with this engine ,
My dad was a boiler inspector for the State of California. He came home with pictures of boiler explosions that shocked me as a kid back in the 1960's. He wouldn't screw around or take short cuts during his inspections. At one Catholic school, there was a boiler that had mechanical ''gags'' installed on the boiler's safety valves. They were rusted and had been there a while. Gags are used only for testing and are immediately to be removed. The safety valves had pictures of saints next to them for ''protection''. Holy smokes, my dad came unglued and shut the facility down immediately. Mother Superior was mad as a wet hen at him. He didn't care and told her that an explosion would kill quite a few kids. Steam is not to be messed around with.
This was an excellent video that I can relate to. I used to attend a steam show every year in the south hills outside of Pittsburgh. That came to an end after this unfortunate accident. The news reported that the steam tractor blew up, but I never knew what led up to the explosion. The steam show I’m referring to was excellent and a great way to spend the day. My sympathy to the families that were affected that day.
My grandfather was a steam boiler operator at a paper mill in Upstate NY in the early 1900s (Oct1, 1913). His brother came into the mill to see his brother allegedly to celebrate his recent engagement. It was rumored but unproven that there was alcohol involved and the operator was not watching the boiler as was his job. The cylinder head on the boiler gave way and filled the room with steam. One was killed outright and the other died an hour later after being taken to a hospital. Others escaped injury.
The story starts well before the Medina fair. He had brought the engine to the Tri State show in Kansas and they inspected it before he could fire and told him the boiler was too far gone to operate the engine in the state of Kansas. Then at the Ohio show, the story goes he had the engine running off the grounds and was starting to get to a low water condition with no water left in the bunkers. He started to head back to the fairgrounds to take on water but was stopped by the police or for a parade or something like that. By the time they let him go and he got back on the fairgrounds it was too late. RIP to the dead. Thankfully many people learned a lot from this accident and it has changed the way many states operate historical boilers.
Ohioan here, and I acually live quite close to the Medina County fairgrounds. Acually been there plenty of times. Had no idea something like this happened there
There's a monument to it near the north west entrance.
Yes it sucked. Allan Kimble was a co workers dad. Kevin is his name we worked together at what use to be super Kmart . I went to his dad's funeral it was really sad. Kevin is a really nice guy and to see him in such bad emotional state broke my heart.
I lived one block away when it happened it shook my house and windows so hard i was told it overheated because a medina cop pulled it over for damaging the fresh asphalt and it's pronounced mud eye na
As a steam traction engine operator
They are very difficult to maintain (at least in aus where things rust to oblivion) and are very costly to operate (again in Australia)
However in Australia there are many laws regarding them as they are legally a road vehicle and (you would be hard pressed to find someone who knows this) you need a current driver's licence and a steam operation degree to drive one even on private property
I operate one also. Due to my modest income, mine is a one foot long Mamod. Pretty little thing, runs great.
Rust is a big problem everywhere I know of. FWIW
Lot of misinformation being spread here. I own and operate steam traction engines in two states (Tennessee and Oklahoma) and can tell you MOST states do require annual inspections. Even in the few states that don’t, a lot of the shows that feature these engines have their own inspections and if the inspectors there say you can’t run, you DON’T. After the Medina incident, a lot of states re-examined their inspection procedures and started requiring training for their operators. In some ways the Medina tragedy was the worst nightmare of the steam community in the US, but it did make a lot of people take a more safety conscious approach to their old machinery. Ohio, where the explosion happened, now requires state inspections and requires operators to have training before they will let them loose on a steam engine.
I just want to say you would be hard pressed to find someone that works harder to follow their passion that someone who runs one of these old engines. They’re not easy to run, or inexpensive to run, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to operate one and show people what it could do when it was new over a hundred years ago.
These old engines pose a dangerous environment anytime you are around them. I was raised around these engines and I understand the dangers that are are associated with being around them. You have to respect being next to a 100 year old machine and understand the consequences of staying close to that machine. I have lost close friends that were too close to one of these machines, but they are beautiful and need to be respected.
Hey Darkness the Curse, I was wondering if you thought of doing a podcast.
OK, so in the UK, every boiler be it road or rail or ship, has to have insurance. As for inspections, there is slight variation, so for the purpose of this I'll stick with road steam. The boiler has to be inspected by a qualified boiler inspector from the insurance company and passed off, this is done once dry to inspect for damage and subject to that, once in steam. Only after the boiler inspector has been satisfied can the boiler be commissioned into service. This also applies after any remedial work has been done. This is a legal requirement. Frankly the fact that America is so blasé with boiler safety from a regulations point if view is astounding. This incident is actually fairly well known in the UK. As for the crown sheet failure, its not really over pressure that causes the sheet to fail by itself, when the crown, or any part of the inner box becomes exposed, the plate will rapidly heat up, this will set up differential expansion of the plate where it is exposed. which will cause buckling of the plate and potentially shear the stays. In addition it'll start to soften, this can cause a quilting effect if only exposed for a short time, this is where the plate bulges between the stays. In the extream, like this incident, the plate heats up and softens to the point that it can no longer contain the pressure acting in it and will rip away from the stays and the whole sheet will rupture.
I know the UK has more regulation than the US but they had a low water incident on a narrow gauge railway after this and it could have gone really bad too. They dropped the fire but didn’t put water in which probably saved them. The problem is that steam engines rely on a person to maintain adequate water in the boiler and that isn’t fail-safe unfortunately. That means that regulation won’t in itself prevent this.
My father had planned to take me to see the steam tractors that day, but I wasn't feeling good so we stayed home.
Since we’re off the rails subject wise… there is an NTSB report of a cruise ship boiler explosion. It was docked at the time. Seems the boiler had small leaks from cracks. Metal such as brass or lead had been hammered in to seal the leaks. It finally let go. Killed some crewmen. They think the cracks were from repeatedly heating the boiler too quickly.
I live in a rural area in Canada and see these on occasion, definitely something that needs to be respected. Lots of pressure and lots of weight. I'll stick to diesel tractors from the 40s and 50s myself lol.
I LIVED THERE! Not at the time, but I did see a small blurb about this on a timeline of Medina's history on the Library wall.
It is also pronounced Meh-Dine-Ah
If this is the incident I remember, a State Trooper had found "some fault" with license or registration and had arrested the owner/driver Pleas fell of deaf ignorant ears and the trooper WOULD NOT ALLOW HIM TO TEND THE ENGINE. That's why the water dropped below the crown sheet and caused the explosion. The trooper was also one of those killed.
I’ve talked to someone who was a subject matter expert for the investigation. Apparently, the police never even talked to him. There are so many rumors about this particular incident going around it’s insane.
None of what you have written is true. I was there.
@@alvon911 Apparently you did not read what posted about this incident verified by several members of the antique tractor community who were there. Said the same thing I said.
The steam tractor blew up, because the fuzz wouldnt allow him to inject water into the boiler, the owner was killed. Others in attendance of the event saw what the officer had done, some had even argued with him according to newspaper articles.
I see that I already posted here but there is something I missed. So far as steam engines go the operation of the railroad engine and traction engine essentially run the same. In almost ALL of the steam engine explosions whether traction, rail, or stationary it boils down to poor or improper maintenance or operator error.
A good video, impressive! July 30th, 2001 I was eating dinner I watched a.b.c. world news 1-day after the case steam traction engine exploded in Medina, Ohio. My dad and 2-uncles were preparing for our show in Chilton, W.I. a few weeks away and told our steam engineers to have safety inspections on their boilers- they passed.
The fusible plugs on the crown sheet are made of metal with a lower melting point than that of iron. If the crown sheet is exposed to steam and begins to heat up the plugs melt before the crown goes plastic, and blow out directly into the fire, dowsing the fire with saturated steam putting it out. With the plug ports welded shut the crown sheet overheated, went plastic (softened) and blew out all at once. This can turn the boiler into a rocket, launching it off the frame and killing the crew instantly.
I believe this accident is why we stopped seeing traction motors at our annual antique tractor shows. I can only imagine that the owners of said farm equipment couldn't afford the annual inspections even if they were voluntary.
Since it is probably classified as a tractor all you need is a high vis orange triangle to use on the road.
Hi darkness. Uk fan here.
I find it saddening that the US lacks behind in steam regulations. I know that here in the UK traction engines are subject to the same guildline boiler wise as railway locomotives. And the miniture steam engines in particular (from my experience) are subject to a yearly live steam test to ensure all systems function as they should and I two yearly hydraulic test to twice working pressure to ensure boiler integrity. As for licencing if the engine is to be taken on roads it needs the same documentation as a car. Registration tax insurance ect.
Keep doing what you do.
Boiler inspections for farm and factory equipment are determined state by state. At the time of this accident, Ohio had very nearly no oversight on such boilers. They have of course corrected this situation.
in NY, 2 inspections are required every year- an internal inspection with the boiler dry and opened up for visual, and an external inspection with it in steam.
@@renegadeoflife87 in Britain we also have the 10 year overhaul. The boiler must be thoroughly overhauled every 10 years. It is tested when complete again, and if it passes, it gets a "10 year ticket" so it can run for another 10 years, as long as it keeps passing its annual tests.
The idiot who had the tractor was kicked out of 2 major shows before Medina for letting water get low and not taking proper care of it.
My great grandparents had one out at the farm. It was used for their sawmill. Sadly, it was lost in a fire.
There's whole books of government regulations for steam locomotives that go back to just about to the beginning of using them. Steam traction aer almost the same as steam locomotives as far as overall theory goes. Steam was used in all kinds of construction equipment like the litteral steam shovel. These boilers need the same inspections that stationary and locomotive boilers receive, and probably more frequently. Even small gauge hobby railroad steam engines have boiler inspections on a regular basis.
About the time of this explosion there was a boiler explosion on a steam locomotive on a heritage railroad in Pennsylvania. Although crew members in the engine cab were badly injured, fusible plugs on the locomotive minimized the rupture and protected the passengers. After that incident, and knowing what happened in Medina, individuals in the heritage railroad industry decided to get ahead of the situation and voluntarily worked with government officials to develop uniform maintenance and overhaul requirements for heritage steam locomotives.
Scary to think that I had ridden behind that engine just a few years before the incident.
Wow. I can't imagine the disaster if that engine didn't have fusible plugs.@@lunhil12
My Grandfather was tough on keeping the crown sheet covered with with water....watch the sight glass. Welding in a pin to replace the fusible plug....inexcusable!!!
He was stopped by the police, and the police would not let back on the machine to add more water.
Thats why i'm happy i live in europe and especially in the Netherlands. We are (with Germany) one of the most strict on boiler inspections. In the netherlands we've got a tug where the boiler was thin on a joint, got inspected again and placed out of order immediately. She now sails again with an new boiler (luckily). Thus, such jokes as in the usa on boiler repairs aren't allowed here :)
Most of the steam traction engines at the Medina county fair were being run by little kids steaming corn when I was there. I was not even a little surprised that this tragedy happened. It's a shame. Those engines were one of the most interesting displays at the fair.
In Germany it is not the job of the state to monitor the safety of machines and cars. The state only determines how often security must be monitored and who is licensed to do so. Usually TÜV does this, but there are two other industry organizations that are allowed to do this. Without a stamp from these organizations, no one is allowed to continue operating or risk having to justify themselves in court.
But there are also cases where the TÜV itself ends up in court because it checked sloppily. That gets really expensive and gives bad reviews for the TÜV.
But in most cases this ensures that bad accidents are prevented.
In Germany, everything is more defined as to how things should be done. That gives serenity if everyone sticks to it.
I the owner/operator used to show this engine at my home show in Minnesota. He moved it out of state after it could no longer pass the required Minnesota inspection.
If the top of the firebox had been an inch thick, red hot and then doused with water......the boiler would have exploded. Likely, if the soft plugs had been functional, the steam flash was fast enough that it still would have exploded.
The crown sheet never would have gotten red hot if the fuseable plug had worked correctly. It’s main purpose is to use steam pressure to displace the oxygen in the firebox. Tin melts at 450 degrees, well below the temperature iron starts to weaken at.
6:23 It's not .375 thousandths of a foot, it's .375 thousandths of an inch. Thats a big difference...
Our town's name is pronounced as "Meh-Die-Nah." There is a railine near by for dropping off rail car loads of limestone at the nearby construction supply yard. I was almost at the explosion, but was in the library, instead, a mile away, and had not heard the big bang.
I go to the steam thrashers reunion, in Rolag MN. Every few yrs. There they have a parade twice a day, one at 10 am and the other at 2pm, where they drive about 20 of these beast up main street. They have wooden bleacher seats on one side. The last time I was there the MC mentioned that a well know participant was not there that yr because the skin was getting too thin on the boiler and it was undergoing a rebuild. Glad that family was on top of the inspection and rebuild, being, we the spectators are only about 10 to 14 feet away from them as they chug by.
Really wanted to watch video this guy wore me out in 4 minutes
In the UK all pressure vessels are required to be insured. The insurer is required to inspect them on a maximum 14 month cycle, in practice, yearly. Steam boilers require this in two parts, cold and stripped down for internal inspection and in steam. Traction engines also require additional checks.
The reduction in shell thickness would have been picked up long before it reached a dangerous level, probably years before.
As a Ohioan, that's not how you say Medina.
90% or more of the boiler explosions are from the water level getting too low
Couple of items. I’m the retired former general manager of a tourist railroad that operates a steam locomotive. I’m also a farmer and am very much familiar with steam traction engines being operated at county fairs and other such exhibitions. The safety issues as to the operation of a steam boiler are exactly the same. In this state ALL steam engines, other than those operated by non-insular railroads are required to be inspected by a state certified inspector before they are allowed to be operated regardless of public or private ownership or location of operation. I don’t remember the required frequency of inspections. This covers steam traction engines, full scale insular railroads, stationary steam engines, small scale “live steam” locomotives etc. Rairoads regardless of scale, that meet the definition of non-insular under CFR-2011-title 4 ss234.3 are regulated and inspected by the Federal Railroad Administration. States have no domain over those operations. There’s plenty of blame to go around with this incident. An unqualified operator not able or unwilling to do the required necessary maintenance and repairs and State of Ohio sticking its head in the sand and not having a strong state legally enforceable inspection system.
Him being delayed or hassled by police that is entirely understandable! I know of no state or other geographic locality that will allow any heavy equipment with steel wheels with lugs or steel bar treads to be operated on public roadways because they can quickly do thousands of dollars of damage to those roadways. At our fairs or other shows the traction engines or the large gas engine tractors with steel wheels are always required to be hauled to those locations on trailers. Usually takes a semi-tractor with a low boy trailer. Doesn’t matter if it’s one mile or 100 miles. The only exception could be if the engine was being moved across a street from one lot to another when rubber tires or other protection for the road surface can be put down just the same as construction companies do when moving bulldozers of other steel tracked equipment across public roads. Been there, done that!
Even hindsight is not 20/20 on this one. I was there with my 49 Dodge, which I still own. A tragic accident. We didn't learn of the severity of the situation until after we left the show.
I don't know how big traction engine groups are elsewhere in the US, but here in Oregon I'm thankful we have the steam up with lots of traction engines running as well as a small model railroad that offers free rides😊
Oh, and there's is also one of the last operational steam-powered sawmills
The state is not only responsible for the lack of oversight but also that the hwy patrol detained the tractor on the road for nearly an hour! Revenuers going to revenue FTP
I remember hearing about this a few years after it happened.
There’s some technical inaccuracies with this video…
That sucks I remember people at Steam school talking about it
Did anyone else notice the date on the video of the traction engine that went bang? It's the day of the explosion...
My cousin has a 1915 Baker steam tractor which belonged to our great-grandfather who purchased it new. I remember riding on it back in the 70's when we'd go to the antique tractor show when my uncle owned it. In the 90's, my cousin did a complete and total overhaul of the tractor so it should be safe to operate for a good long while. It now looks like it's brand new. Now that my cousin is getting up there in years, I wonder what will happen with this old steam tractor.
Sad story. I saw my crown sheet photo I took of Santa Maria Valley #21, now in Astoria Oregon. Dont worry we replaced the whole firebox. one spot on the side was less than 1/16 of a inch. ultrasound didnt even show it. it was in the middle of the forest of staybolts. On a brighter note I was in the doubleheader of the twoooo and the 25. I visited Milwaukee boiler works and saw the 2 boiler upsidedown with no firebox, Skip was replacing most of the throat sheet. federal rules lot different than state
I remember when this happened. Shocking since I have been to many engine shows in Pennsylvania and then wondered how dangerous these things are in their advanced age. I know that steam boats and launches have to have a US Coast Guard inspection and certificate in order to operate. I’m all for regular inspections and permits to operate steam powered equipment, especially in a public setting.
Potentially dangerous, but not so much if people follow strict protocol. In the UK safety is taken very seriously (a boiler test every year in UK, with a major overhaul every 10 years). Also the steam fraternity know how to handle their engines and how to avoid situations that could lead to a boiler explosion. It's not just due to age; a new boiler could blow up if handled wrongly.
@@crazyleyland5106 Thanks for your response! Folks in the UK tend to be more thorough with their protocols, especially with vintage machines!
As others have said the UK is more thorough than the US with steam inspections. The smallest is still a potential bomb when in steam. Such conclusions came at a cost in broken bodies. A US standard postage stamp is just under one square inch. A boiler will have the pressure of 130 - 170 pounds pressing against each square inch of plate. A steam tractor restoration can be ruinously expensive, even for a rich man if the boiler is found to need major surgery. I mean beyond the point at which it is cheaper to roll & rivet an entirely new boiler. It doesn't stop some people doing it if the tractor was a experimental type or a sole surviving example.
Methinks the guy might have been unaware of local regulations regarding inspections. A careful buyer would ask to see when it was last inspected & the vendor would never be offended by the question. It shows diligence on the part of the buyer. Is the boiler still 'in-ticket' & is a hydraulic test due? In the UK you would.
The beauty of a hydraulic test is that it is done with cold water and an external pump. All orifices in the boiler are blanked off with plates. A failure only leaves a puddle of water.
That cop at the showground bears a measure of blame. You would have to be a complete d**k not to allow the engine to be tended to while it was stopped or allow it to be driven to the nearest fire-hydrant to refill the water tank.
I'm utterly unsurprised a farmer welded the fusible plugs shut. I work in a machine shop, and used to work in one that was in a small town. A lot of guys that grew up on farms have a "good enough, who cares what the manual says" attitude to mechanical stuff, and sometimes that's great and it's what you need to keep things running. Other times, that manual says to do things a certain way for a damned good reason.
I watched life flight copters coming into University Hospital in Cleveland after. They were circling waiting to land. Unbelievable site.
When a crownsheet overheats, it becomes weak and fails due to being too weak. When reading over the old ICC reports of steam locomotive boiler explosions, the water level has been well below the crown on steam locomotives (15"-18" below the crown) so the crown would be high and dry and able to get really hot and weak. Water sloshing over a bare crown can help keep it cool and syphons keep water flowing over parts of the crown when the boiler has low water. It takes time for all that metal to heat up and become weak. I haven't seen anything in old reports that supports the idea that water will flash into steam in the boiler and over-pressurize the boiler - but that weakened crown is pushed off the stays and and with the large rupture in the boiler, the pressure drops and then the water in the boiler (which is only kept in the liquid state due to the pressure in the boiler) flashes into steam due to the superhot water compared to the drop in pressure.
Due to the thin spot on the crown, the operating pressure should have been around 45 psi, yet it was operating way above that. With the sheet being around 0.087" thick, the crownstay in that area would only be holding onto 1 thread (they are 12 threads per inch) and that could have stripped the thread and overloaded the other bolts, which could have also stripped.
It is unfortunate that the owner killed other people due to the poor condition of the boiler that he was choosing to fire/run. It was on the owner to make sure it was in a safe condition. I had talked with the PA boiler inspector and people who knew him over the years and some of the people who knew him claimed that he didn't know the poor condition of the boiler (he should have as it was his responsibility) while others said he knew it was not in good condition, "but it had not failed so thought it was safe."
I remember when this happened my younger cousins were there that day and sitting on a bench about 50 feet away with their grandparents and the engine pulled up and as it did someone in a van pulled up between them and the engine and it went to back up and that is when it blew up so the van shielded my cousins they only had burns from falling material thankfully
I think the traction engines should definitely be included in the FRA’s regulations about steam locomotives sure it’s not a piece of railroad equipment but still the 31 service day inspections should be required on these locomotives
7:58 it’s so weird to see the engine and cliff litteraly the same day of his death and the tractors demise
I was taking a walk with a friend that day...all I saw were helicopters..ALOT of helicopters...we realized they were all life-flight choppers..running easy to west and back....all day...I told my friend I felt sick to my stomach because something very very bad happened for that many choppers to be making that many runs. The next day...it was on the news...I felt even more sick.....r.i.p.
The stated crown sheet thickness reported in this story I believe is in error. Having just read the source story for this video, the thickness as stated in the article is "0.375' ". That would be .375 feet or 4.5 inches thick. Unrealistic. The crown sheet standard thickness would actually be 0.375 inches or 3/8 of an inch. But 0.087 inches thickness is still too thin for this application.
This incident pretty much ended any active steam displays in the mid west for the next two years. Eventually most of the states brought amateur boiler operations under state inspection standards. Everyone had to have their steam equipment tested if they were to be certify to steam up that equipment again. This affected not just steam traction engines, but amusement park rides that had live steam and also hobbyists that had scale steam engines they ran in their own yard. As you may imagine, men skilled in maintaining these engines were in very short supply at the time. Now, 20 years later, the steam operators have gathered and have been teaching younger people how to care for these engines properly, including the welding skills to repair older boilers.
Yeah, read the original report and not that typo'ed article. It was a 3/8" crown sheet. Not 3/8'.