axle journal

The car's trucks lacked the then common axle journal boxes, with the bearings mounted on the ends of the axles outside the wheels.

These bearings are press fitted on the axle journal by heating the bearings at a temperature of 80 to 100 C in an induction furnace.

One of the four axle journals were found to have suffered water damage while on static display, but otherwise it was in reasonable condition despite not having been in steam for more than 30 years.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch were called in to conduct a preliminary examination into the incident, and found it to have been caused by the failure due to metal fatigue of an axle journal that had been welded several years previously (when the railway was under different management).