Low Loader carrying 80072 crashes on M5
 

The low loader was taking 80072 home to the Llangollen Railway from the West Somerset Railway. Just ignore the reporter stating that it's a train weighing 20 tonnes (it's a locomotive weighing around 86 tons) - link here:

http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/6...l/story.html#1

The report suggests that the crash doesn't appear to have damaged the loco or caused any injuries, thankfully.

Tony

"It crashed into roadworks"? There is no sign of roadworks in the photo. The standards of reporting in UK newspapers makes one despair. The first rule of reporting is; GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT. The second rule is; Check and recheck your spelling. The press appear to have ditched both rules.

Yes it's not obvious from the photos exactly what's happened here!

Tony

How on earth can anyone tell from the photo exactly what happened ?

It is reported that for a as yet unknown reason the tractor unit was in a collision with the stop end of a temporary barrier the Highways Agency erect in order to protect the hard shoulder during roadworks, you can just make it out in the far distance near the blue truck.

80072 arrived safely at Llangollen yesterday and is now undergoing checks to make sure everything is where it should be etc.


Cheers John

Nobody hurt or killed that's the main thing.

Seems curious though. With 86 tonnes on the back I doubt the driver was leathering it! And surely such a load would have been escorted by police outriders?

I don't believe a police escort is required for the load, despite its weight. The length and width are the important things, and for this load they are within normal limits.

How on earth can anyone tell from the photo exactly what happened ?
__________________
Philip.

I think the clue is in the second photograph Philip which shows just where the driver lost his No Claims Bonus.
Stuart

Glad that the old girl didn't come to any harm, as it's one of my most photographed locos, i seem to have seen it everywhere I've been. I wouldn't like to speculate as to what happened, and certainly not from the photos.

I can't help but comment on the level of journalism though..........."This is the moment an historic 60-year-old train crashed"...... It isn't a train and, it wasn't a train crash, it was the truck that was transporting it that crashed and therefore a road traffic accident
The photo caption says "The 20 tonne train, an 80072 locomotive".........need I say more except that it becomes an "86 tonne train, an 80072 locomotive" in the article

Looks like they sent the kid on work experience to do the article KEN. He uses tonnes.
This loco weighed in at 88tons and 10cwt back in 1951 and probably still does.
Stuart.

The haulage companies don't use police escorts anymore except in extreme circumstances.

If an escort is needed for a difficult section of the journey the companies supply their own.

On this particular move they would have used one on the approach to Llangollen, and to help negotiate the unit into the yard as the trailer needs to be reversed down Abbey Road for the final quarter of a mile.

Cheers John

John, as you mention reversing the last quarter of a mile, is it normal practice to come along the A5 and then cross the river in the town. I always thought they would use the road through Trevor to avoid the bridge. I'd have thought negotiating a right turn at the lights to get to the bridge from the A5 would be too tight for something that big

It's always amazed me how they get things in and out of Llangollen, there doesn't seem to be enough room to swing a cat never mind a ginormous low loader with 80 tons on the back

I thought it was just me that has problems with the press getting things wrong, or simply altering news items or letters to read how THEY want it to.
:mad:

You might be surprised at how manouverable they are.
With the rear steer and radio link between the man on the back and the driver.
On the NYMR we have a similar reversing situation on the lane to the PW yard at Newbridge but a bit shorter at about 200 yards but the road through Pickering and then by the station can be a headache.

Rear wheel steer as Bryan states is the secret Ken, one day I will video a movement and send it to you.

Ken you are correct the road through Trevor is the usual route into Llan, the problems arise with access into the actual yard, the main problem is the churchyard wall this prevents a truck doing a left turn into the access road.
You can get the driver to drive past the entrance, reverse into the yard and onto the unloading line with no problems, but then if you drop the trailer and unload the loco there is not enough room between the shed wall and the track to get the tractor unit back on the trailer.

So what they do is approach Llan from Trevor then stop the traffic, swing left onto the bridge get the rear wheel steering kit out and reverse to the right down Abbey Road and drive into the yard.
Then there is enough space to drop the trailer, set up the ramp get the loco off and moved up the yard before putting the ramp back on the trailer coupling up the tractor unit and then reverse back out onto the road job done, invoice in the post, and see you next time you want something moving.

Cheers John

Thanks for that John, I hadn't thought about drawing onto the bridge and reversing off it to turn the truck when thinking about how they could reverse up Abbey Road.

The most painfull bit is no doubt the invoice in the post part of the operation

Not my video, but this is a good one showing the move of a class 14 diesel by the company we use to move 45337, when the unit is backed out of the lane after loading is interesting to watch, also 4.10 in shows the unit on the A1, the driver is doing a fair few knots!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qBnjbybjbo

Cheers John

Thanks for the link John, pretty amazing what can be done with these rear wheel steering trailers.