| Community Response |
Locomotive Details |
Location/Date of Photo |
 | | Views: 7,053 Favorited: 8 | | Since added on March 20, 2009 | |
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» British Rail (more..)
» Class 46 (more..) |
» Manchester VictoriaStation
» Manchester, United Kingdom (more..)
» April, 1980 |
| Locomotive No./Train ID |
Photographer |
» 46 009 (more..)
» Unknown |
» Graham Williams (more..)
» Contact Photographer · Photographer Profile |
| Remarks & Notes |
| An old shot from 1980. Class 46 no. 46 009 waits for its next duty by the East Signal Box at Manchester Victoria Station. This loco gained fame and notoriety four years later on 17th July 1984 when it took part in a dramatic demonstration. The Central Electricity Generating Board wanted to reassure the public about the safety of nuclear flasks being transported by rail around the UK. They devised a public demonstration staged to dispel fears that a flask could not survive the impact of a rail crash. 46 009, which was redundant by this time, was coupled to four Mk 1 coaches and sent along the Old Dalby Test Track without a driver. An overturned wagon was placed across the track with a nuclear flask directly in the path of the train. The train collided with the wagon and flask at 90mph. A spectacular crash took place with the loco and coaches completely destroyed. The loco’s power unit was even thrown out. The flask survived intact and no leaks occurred. Although pressurized, the flask had no radioactive material in it at the time of the demonstration. Extensive grandstands were erected for the invited guests and members of the press to watch the crash at close quarters. For more info have a look on the internet as many photos and videos are available to watch. You really shouldn’t miss it! |
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Photo Comments (2) |
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