... inexperienced footplate crew overfilled the boiler ... 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.
The driver suffered major injury to his arms, as a result of the screw reversing lever whipping around ...
Blue Peter had screw-operated manual reversing gear? Would the problem not have escalated with power reverse gear?
