My first thought was acetylene. Nasty.
Agreed. Yes acetylene has a carbon-carbon triple bond and even in pure oxygen tends to burn very smokily. Propane/butane etc burn a lot cleaner.
If it was acetylene then it creates a lot of smoke but not much heat when burned in air. Mix it with pure oxygen though and it'll literally melt steel.
I can't see anything obvious. Where?
Where the dark patch is....it was directly over the fire though the patch might have been caused by the smoke.
Ah, it’s not very clear in the photo! There’s a darker patch, and also some red discolouration on the rails (visible in the photo, but might be mistaken for the light reflecting).
Why do Network Rail allow workshops that use quite a few flammable substances in these arches?
Given that Network Rail sold the spaces in the arches on several years ago l'm not sure that they have any control now.
You may be right but l'm not wholly sure. Neither the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee nor the National Audit Office were overly impressed though....
www.nao.org.uk
I’m pretty sure looking at the age of the sign of the premises and historical Streetview images I’d say even when they were under direct control they would have been there. Given the number of already vacant arches there across the railway perhaps the thought is that they can’t afford to be too picky, especially that it seems in my experience a significant number of the railway arches in South London at least seem to be car garages of various types.
www.standard.co.uk
I could see the dark patch, but assumed that was more sooting than necessarily damage.
That's also true north of the river. Many of the occupants of the arches at Forest Gate, Leytonstone and Leyton under the elevated stretch of the line between Barking and Gospel Oak are car servicing companies.
Do any of them have sprinklers?
