Newbie - quick question on Steam Engine Yard creep

Hi All,

I wanted to ask the forum if anyone has heard of incidents in yards where a poorly attended steam locomotive has started to "creep" on its own? Reason I am asking is my grandfather was a mechanic on the Erie and worked routinely with steam engines. He loved to tell my mom the story of an engine plowing into his parked car one day as it had started to creep on it's own while it was being brought to full steam. Is that far-fetched or in the realm of possibility?

Thanks for any insight!

Brendan

Sorry, can't give you any informative details or references, but I think it is in the realm of possibility. Steam locomotives were regularly "shut down" (throttle closed, brakes set, engineer off duty) hot: with maybe not the full operating steam pressure in the boiler, but more than enough steam to move the locomotive. (Bringing a large volume of water in the boiler up to boiling point would be time consuming and expensive -- think of the fuel you'd have to burn! -- so this made good sense: if the locomotive was wanted the next day, getting it ready for operation would be much easier and quicker.). If the throttle wasn't perfectly shut (think about how hard you have to turn a tap to keep it from dripping!), st3am could leak into the pipes carrying steam to the cylinders. Not much steam, so you wouldn't get a dramatic start-up, but sometimes enough to get the locomotive moving, slowly. ... At a guess, there would have been fine print somewhere in the rule book about putting wheel chocks down to prevent... embarrassment... but I think incidents like the one your grandfather told about did happen from time to time.

It could happen. Incidentally, if loss of brake pressure was a contributing factor, it could happen today.

IIRC, wheel chocks [as mentioned] were used also I have seen with current operations, chain will be thrown over rail and secured. Reverse lever in center too. Very good possibility of steam cut throttles leaking by. Cylinder cocks open may help too.

We were taught that no locomotive should ever be left unattended without the reversing lever in its centre position, as well as throttle and all steam cocks closed (but there is the possibility of leaks here), handbrake on, and if being left for any length of time, wheel chocks in place.

And I should have added ensuring there is plenty of water in the boiler, as a general safety measure not connected with whether the loco will move or not.

There is a book called Vanishing Markers, which was written by a guy who worked as a brakeman for B&M in the late 1940s. In the book there is a chapter about a fictional run from Boston, to Portland. When talking about passing by Reading Highlands roundhouse, he said that his grandfather had been a night watchman in that house. One early morning he started building up steam in the locomotives, in preparation for the morning commuter runs. One engine apparently had a leaking throttle valve, and she ran away into the turntable pit. He went on to say that a string of relief engines were sent out since none of the other power could get out.