Major Train Wreck in Canada :(

Jesus.

 

I just saw an overhead view of downtown there. Unbelievable. Reports say the engineer wasn't on board and it came loose while parked.

 

oh man, this is horrible!!

 

This makes me really mad , because our rail system has been budget cutted to the point of this now.

 

Wow. condolences to all involved.

 

The safety systems in North American railroad systems pale to what the Europeans have, and in some cases had since 1936, such as the German indusi and sifa systems (protection against operator falling asleep and automatic enforcement of read lights, and either one of these things would have stopped a runaway train like this one).

 

Yikes!

 

Rumour has it that the Company the owns the train is in the habit of buying old trains that no one else wants and using them. Could have been a factor in it. Rail needs more safety regulation, more so when it involves the movement of fossil fuels.

lowsound

 

Horrific accident. My thoughts go to those involved.

In the UK, our equivalents were the GWR ATC, then AWS & now it's TPWS. However, they're not infallible.

If the brakes are defective (& there are several ways of achieving that with a Westinghouse system), no amount of automatic features can stop the thing if it gets away.

I suspect that any investigation will centre on this (as well as the Driver's actions prior to booking off), as this might have resulted in the destruction of brake pressure. If it wasn't inspected after that event that's another matter altogether…

See above, the systems aren't infallible - none of them are. All it takes is a freak set of circumstances to render them useless. Whilst a lot can be done by way of protective automatic systems, the two biggest threats to safety are a complacent attitude and/or a random & unforeseen event. Put the two together & it can result in a nightmare scenario.

Not beyond the realms of possibility. In the UK we've seen what happens when a regime of planned & preventive maintenance is superseded by one of emergency repairs, as happened at Hatfield in 2000.

In the UK, accidents are investigated first by the RAIB, who determine what (if anything) could have been done to prevent it. They then pass their findings on to the ORR who have the power to shut operators down if they deem it necessary. This covers all rail operators, including heritage & tourist railways.

P.

 

My heart goes out to those who lost loved one's, family or friends.
Fishheadjoe

 

I wouldn't be surprised if turned out that this was caused by eco-terrorists:

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/2534696268001

 

I don't believe a thing that comes from Sun News, even more so in this case.

lowsound

 

Some people have a hard time accepting opinons that differ than theirs...

 

I read (daily) Globe & Mail, National Post (right wing), and The Huffington Post (Centrist). I also read MacLean's. I think my news reading is rather well balanced.

lowsound

 

Well, that was interesting… can't say I care much for the guy's mad anchorman skillz, but there you go.

I'm not convinced it's a valid strand of enquiry based on what little we know - it's a big step from chaining yourself to a fence to the level of deliberate sabotage that's being suggested.

My money is lying elsewhere. A completely inadvertent & ostensibly logical action that had horrific & unforeseen consequences.

Wait for the Black Box data. If the loco was indeed shut down, that'll be timestamped & will give a very precise idea of who did what.

Still, all this speculation & conspiracy theorising doesn't help the victims, or their families & friends. Whatever the cause, there's people not coming home that ought to be. May those that lost their lives rest in peace & may those left behind get some kind of closure.

 

I should do the research... but I wonder if it still makes economic sense to transport fuel, or other flammable, or otherwise toxic chemicals by train, as opposed to plane. I want to say that it makes more sense to do it all by rail. There aren't a lot of options. I don't want to come off as "deal with it," but there are some things that have to go by rail. I want to see numbers that say transport by train is much more dangerous. And, if it is, I want to know about the costs.

I feel for the dead. I would hate to die, or have my family/friends die from something preventable, but sometimes it's economics, and many companies simply play the numbers and are ready for accidents like this. I don't know if it'll change. I don't doubt SOME changes will be made. I HOPE there will be changes. But it's just a numbers game for those "in charge."

Aim sure someone or something takes the blame. Then it just goes on and on. This will not stop anything.