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The 1815 Philadelphia train accident occurred on 31 July 1815, in Philadelphia, County Durham, England, when an early experimental railway locomotive, Brunton's Mechanical Traveller, suffered a boiler explosion. This engine, also known as the Steam Horse, ran on four wheels but was pushed by mechanical feet. This was both the first recorded boiler explosion[1] and the first railway accident causing major loss of life with at least 13 people killed (sources differ).
The accident is not included in many texts because it was on an industrial waggonway or plateway, rather than a public railway. Nevertheless, it predated William Huskisson's fatal accident at Parkside by 15 years, and the death toll was not exceeded by any railway accident until 1842 worldwide (see Versailles rail accident), and 1861 in the UK (Clayton Tunnel). It also killed more people than any other UK railway boiler explosion of all time, though 26 were killed in a 1912 boiler explosion in San Antonio, USA.
Most boiler explosions caused severe mechanical damage but often only the locomotive crew suffered physically; however, Brunton's locomotive was surrounded at the time by a crowd of curious sightseers, who formed the majority of the victims. The first high-pressure steam locomotive, Trevithick'sPenydarren engine, had only appeared 11 years earlier in 1804, and engineering understanding of the forces and safety risks involved was still primitive.
ReferencesEdit
Hewison, Christian H. (1983). Locomotive Boiler Explosions. David and Charles. ISBN0-7153-8305-1.
^Hoorelbeke, Pol (10 May 2021). Process Safety: An Engineering Discipline. ISBN978-3-11-063213-2.
August 28, 2023
1815, philadelphia, train, accident, this, article, relies, largely, entirely, single, source, relevant, discussion, found, talk, page, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, citations, additional, sources, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, s. This article relies largely or entirely on a single source Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources Find sources 1815 Philadelphia train accident news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2023 The 1815 Philadelphia train accident occurred on 31 July 1815 in Philadelphia County Durham England when an early experimental railway locomotive Brunton s Mechanical Traveller suffered a boiler explosion This engine also known as the Steam Horse ran on four wheels but was pushed by mechanical feet This was both the first recorded boiler explosion 1 and the first railway accident causing major loss of life with at least 13 people killed sources differ 1815 Philadelphia train accidentBrunton s Mechanical TravellerDetailsDate31 July 1815 1815 07 31 LocationPhiladelphia County Durham England United KingdomCoordinates54 51 47 N 1 28 41 W 54 863 N 1 478 W 54 863 1 478Incident typeRailway accidentCauseBoiler explosionStatisticsDeaths13 16The accident is not included in many texts because it was on an industrial waggonway or plateway rather than a public railway Nevertheless it predated William Huskisson s fatal accident at Parkside by 15 years and the death toll was not exceeded by any railway accident until 1842 worldwide see Versailles rail accident and 1861 in the UK Clayton Tunnel It also killed more people than any other UK railway boiler explosion of all time though 26 were killed in a 1912 boiler explosion in San Antonio USA Most boiler explosions caused severe mechanical damage but often only the locomotive crew suffered physically however Brunton s locomotive was surrounded at the time by a crowd of curious sightseers who formed the majority of the victims The first high pressure steam locomotive Trevithick s Penydarren engine had only appeared 11 years earlier in 1804 and engineering understanding of the forces and safety risks involved was still primitive References EditHewison Christian H 1983 Locomotive Boiler Explosions David and Charles ISBN 0 7153 8305 1 Hoorelbeke Pol 10 May 2021 Process Safety An Engineering Discipline ISBN 978 3 11 063213 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1815 Philadelphia train accident amp oldid 1158976709, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
