Steam in level-crossing crash

[APW]

On the Swanage Railway:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/6764095.stm

[madhattie]

'including a party of twenty people with the driver and foreman in the engine room.'

How many!

You have to wonder if the driver was slightly distracted.

[mow]

I would be surprised if 20 people could fit inside the cab of a Standard 4mt tank, particularly if it was running. However, this could be a challenge for students as an alternative to a phone box.

[gwrmad]

With or without the fire?

[jules]

I always think it's a shame the media in general can't be a bit more accurate when reporting matters rail-related.

For example, any fule know a steam engine doesn't have an "engine room" and certainly not one capable of containing 20 people! It leaves me wondering just what was going on though ....

Reporters generally just show their ignorance - they have no gist of what the correct railway terminologies are that would actually make sense.

The Evening Post is always "at it" hopelessly confusing "train" with "locomotive" and stating "signals were red, or at stop". This dangerously confuses rail with road terminology in the public's mind and as we all know, the two don't mix.

Your average TV or newspaper hack wouldn't recognise a locomotive if one hit them!

[horace]

Obviously the beeb read this web site for info, the article has now been corrected. 30 to 50 passengers including a party of 20 and the driver and fireman in the CAB.
And there was expecting to see another beeb gaf.

[jules]

Yes I spotted it had been corrected too. I thought I was suffering from delusions, as it was corrected within minutes of my last post. RSS I guess?

Orwellian or what? Still, at least it's now giving somewhat more accurate info. These sort of incidents do nothing to help the railway preservation movement and inaccurate reporting helps even less.