vrbass wrote:
>
> And the cause, as I understand
> it, was not an uninspected boiler but rather an operator who was chatting with
> security guards (one of whom was killed in the explosion) instead of watching
> his water glass. Even recently inspected boilers will explode if not handled in
> the proper manner.
>
It was a combination of factors(/me has read the official report). As I
recall, the boiler was unsafe. It was made out of 3/8" plate, and in
some places was below .030" thick. Several stay-bolts had rusted
through, a few had less than 1 and 1/2 thread engagement. The boiler
was a disaster waiting to happen. This situation was exacerbated by the
fact that he had driven the engine to the fairgrounds, instead of
trailering it. Now, this was a Case 50, one of the largest engines Case
built, and had steel wheels with cleats. You are most EMPHATICALLY not
allowed to run these things on public roads, they chew up roads like a
blender. At some point, the police had found out about him running the
engine on the roads and managed to catch up with him at the
fairgrounds. By this time, the boiler was good and hot, and low on
water. While the officers where discussing his choice of transportation
with the operator, the engine exploded. Really, it was a combination of
poor boiler condition and a number of serious mistakes. There wasn't
actually one single cause.
