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Asbestos in steam locomotives

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SWTH

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Do you mean locomotives currently in existence?

Asbestos lagging was used extensively around boilers and cylinders up until the late 1960's. No working steam loco that I am aware of in the UK still has any asbestos lagging, though several non-working locos retain their asbestos. The Isle of Man Steam Railway for example has a Beyer-Peacock 2-4-0T in a hermetically sealed section of their sheds because it contains asbestos.
 

oddiesjack

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As well as boiler/cylinder lagging, there is graphited asbestos used in stuffing glands and also for mudhole/manhole door joints, It was also widely used in sheet material used for making steam-tight joints and it not unreasonable to expect that some of this may still be encountered. Whilst it is now illegal to sell asbestos-based products for the above purposes, I do not believe it is illegal to use it (for example if you have the materials in stock).
 

markindurham

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The presence of asbestos is one of the reasons why it's unlikely that 46235 "City of Birmingham" will be released from the "Think Tank" in Birmingham any time soon, I understand.
 
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