Railroad Thread

[J]

This video comes from an on-board locomotive camera. These are very useful in grade crossing accidents litigation where a plaintiff's attorney neglects to mention in court that their client drove around downed gates, etc. The horn was use was typical of that when approaching crossings. The windstorm blew a few empty covered hoppers at the front of the train off the track. When this happened it separated the train line (the air brake system which includes, among other things rubber hose couplings between each car). This caused the brakes on the entire train to "go into emergency" and the locomotives at the front promptly stopped. Most of the weight of the remaining part of the train was now at the rear which, lead by the derailed tank, car kept moving and ran into the stopped locomotives.

[Half Bottle]

Wow, it's true: a tornado does sound EXACTLY like a freight train.

[supersean]

Wow, it's true: a tornado does sound EXACTLY like a freight train.

Or does a freight train sound EXACTLY like a tornado?

[Digger]

The same video was posted at one of the weather boards. They say it was this tornado depicted in the video:http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... n%26sa%3DG

Next to last aerial photo shows derailed train cars, and next to the last paragraph of the narrative describes the derailment.

[Digger]

This video comes from an on-board locomotive camera. These are very useful in grade crossing accidents litigation where a plaintiff's attorney neglects to mention in court that their client drove around downed gates, etc.

A question regarding that--what would you expect to see from the camera that took that video? Or is there just one pointing each direction on each locomotive?

[J]

A question regarding that--what would you expect to see from the camera that took that video? Or is there just one pointing each direction on each locomotive?

The cameras are mounted on a large percentage of the locomotive fleet and often are left running even when the locomotive is not operating as the lead unit (as in the case of the tornado video).

The following link shows the view when the locomotive is in the lead. In this case you are riding a locomotive operating on a single track that is slowing to go into a siding at Kismet, California to pass an opposing train. The first signal you see is "yellow over yellow" meaning the train is to reduce speed but is cleared past the next signal. The scrubbing sounds heard at the beginning are caused by the wheel flanges sliding along the rail. The microphone is located down in the nose of the locomotive and the sounds are louder than would be heard by the crew. As the train nears the siding the opposing train comes in to view. You can hear the air brake exhaust as the engineer is slowing the train. The first indication of trouble is that the opposing train's bright headlights are still on - normal practice is to dim the lights unless there is a crossing in the area. At about 40 seconds you can see the next signal changes from "red over green" or medium clear to "red over red" or stop. This is because the opposing train failed to stop at its red signal and rolled past the insulated joint and is now approaching the "fouling point" where it could strike the other train. You can also see the crew jumping off their locomotive seconds before impact. I have not seen an accident report for this incident but assume the crew of the opposing train was inattentive and failed to follow their signals. Locomotives have event recorders as do many local signal installations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mus8xOs2rWk

[supersean]

A question regarding that--what would you expect to see from the camera that took that video? Or is there just one pointing each direction on each locomotive?

The cameras are mounted on a large percentage of the locomotive fleet and often are left running even when the locomotive is not operating as the lead unit (as in the case of the tornado video).

The following link shows the view when the locomotive is in the lead. In this case you are riding a locomotive operating on a single track that is slowing to go into a siding at Kismet, California to pass an opposing train. The first signal you see is "yellow over yellow" meaning the train is to reduce speed but is cleared past the next signal. The scrubbing sounds heard at the beginning are caused by the wheel flanges sliding along the rail. The microphone is located down in the nose of the locomotive and the sounds are louder than would be heard by the crew. As the train nears the siding the opposing train comes in to view. You can hear the air brake exhaust as the engineer is slowing the train. The first indication of trouble is that the opposing train's bright headlights are still on - normal practice is to dim the lights unless there is a crossing in the area. At about 40 seconds you can see the next signal changes from "red over green" or medium clear to "red over red" or stop. This is because the opposing train failed to stop at its red signal and rolled past the insulated joint and is now approaching the "fouling point" where it could strike the other train. You can also see the crew jumping off their locomotive seconds before impact. I have not seen an accident report for this incident but assume the crew of the opposing train was inattentive and failed to follow their signals. Locomotives have event recorders as do many local signal installations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mus8xOs2rWk

What happens to "inattentive" conductors other than losing their job?

[ZeroAltitude]

What happens to "inattentive" conductors other than losing their job?

Depends on what side of the cab they're sitting in ...

[Giles]

This is because the opposing train failed to stop at its red signal and rolled past the insulated joint and is now approaching the "fouling point" where it could strike the other train. You can also see the crew jumping off their locomotive seconds before impact.

[Digger]

Thanks, J.

After watching the tornado video, I ended up looking for and watching a whole bunch of train wreck videos on YouTube, including the one you linked to. Talk about an "Oh Shit" moment...

[J]

Police May Crack Down on Popular Tradition
For close to 30 years, bar patrons have assembled on a certain day in Southern California to display their assets to passing Amtrak trains. Complaints by the nanny set have caused police to prohibit parking in the area and to threaten arrests. The next "big day" is July 11.

http://www.moonamtrak.org/

[J]

Here's a video clip of an 18,000-foot (maybe 5,500 meter) double-stack train that recently operated into Los Angeles. To spread out the motive power 9 high-horsepower locomotives were spread throughout the train. Positioning them all at the front would have resulted in the rear locomotive simply breaking the knuckle on the lead car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm4c0vIre9M

[Peminu]

I can tell you that:

1) NAFTA is working.
2) I believe that more than one container should have been loded with Coke (not the diet kind).
3) Trains are running faster than sniffing dogs on this border!

[Giles]

[Not_Karl]

An interesting result of last week inundations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgdWvIUKFII

[J]

Nice. Normal procedure with a diesel electric is to limit speed to 5 mph or less when water is on top of the rail and not travel at all if the water is 3 inches or more above the rail. I wonder how long that locomotive continued to operate prior to some painful electricl problems.

[Peter_K]

I wonder how long that locomotive continued to operate prior to some painful electricl problems.

The horn seems to be working just fine. Then again, it most likely is made from the same material that the gong inside your car that tells you that you are not backled up. Whether air, road or rail, for some reason the most annoying peaces of equipment seem to be made from indestructible materials.

[3WE]

I wonder how long that locomotive continued to operate prior to some painful electricl problems.

Would it not tolerate that OK?

I know that was a serious dousing and that doing that routinely would probably cause problems.

BUT trains operate in heavy rain and fog, I would imagine that non-insulated parts routinely get wet from rain and humidity, and that insulated parts would shed the water ok?

[Giles]

Nice photos Giles.

[Verbal]

Nice photos Giles.

no

[Not_Karl]

Nice photos Giles.

Indeed!!.

[Giles]

thanks verbal-van_half_bottle-not_karl!

[J]

The following video from 1938 provides an interesting perspective on the operation and maintenance of the New York Central Railroad's famed Hudson locomotive. Here is a photo of one of them for reference.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1_ywPGz ... =geosearch

[3WE]

The following video from 1938 provides an interesting perspective on the operation and maintenance of the New York Central Railroad's famed Hudson locomotive. Here is a photo of one of them for reference.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1_ywPGz ... =geosearch

Cheap composite fly-by-wire crackerbox...not.

[J]

To quote the caption of the following photograph; "One of these things is not like the others." See if you can spot the difference.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=339226