Look at that curve. No way it can be taken at 80mph.
Posted on 12/19/2017 4:07:00 AM PST by servo1969
An Amtrak train that derailed Monday during its inaugural ride on a new line in Washington state was traveling at 80 mph in a 30 mph zone, the National Transportation Safety Board said, citing data recorder information.
Bella Dinh-Zarr, an NTSB board member, said at a news conference late Monday that information from the data recorder in the rear locomotive provided information about the train’s speed.
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A track chart prepared by the Washington State Department of Transportation shows the maximum speed drops from 79 mph to 30 mph for passenger trains just before the tracks curve to cross Interstate 5, which is where the train went off the tracks.
An Amtrak train derailed south of Seattle early Monday, causing "injuries and casualties," according to officials. (Washington State Patrol Trooper Brooke Bova) The chart, dated Feb. 7, was submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration in anticipation of the start of passenger service along a new bypass route that shaves off 10 minutes for the trip between Seattle and Portland, Ore.
Kimberly Reason with Sound Transit, the Seattle-area transit agency that owns the tracks, said speed signs are posted 2 miles before the speed zone changes and just before the speed zone approaching the curve.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Doing 80 in a 30 thru a curve is plenty reason to derail.
Unlikely a conspiracy would apply independently at exactly the same place & time.
AMTRAK didn’t “set up” a high speed passenger route. AMTRAK is contracted to operate the trains. The equipment and road beds are property of Washington State. They are the ones that contracted for the construction of the new bypass route.
Who paid for the project? Federal taxpayers? State, local?
Look at that curve. No way it can be taken at 80mph.
you are most probably correct.
Along came the FFV, the swiftest on the line
Running o’er the C&O road just 20 minutes behind
Running into Seville headquarters on the line
Receiving their strict orders from the station just behind
Running into Hampton, the engineer was there
George Allen was his name, with curling golden hair
His fireman, Jack Dixon, was standing by his side
Awaiting for strict orders while in the cab to ride
Georgie’s mother came to him with a bucket on her arm
Saying, my darling son, be careful how you run
For many a man has lost his life in trying to make lost time
And if you run your engine right you’ll get there just on time
Mother, I know your advice is good and later I’ll take heed
I think my engine is all right, I’m sure that she will speed
O’er this road I need to go at the rate of a cannonball
And when I blow for the stockyard gate I’m sure they’ll hear my call
Up the road she darted, against the rocks she crashed
Upside-down the engine turned, poor Georgie’s breast it smashed
His head was against the firebox door, the flames were rolling high
I’m glad I was born for an engineer, on the C&O road to die
The doctor said to Georgie, my darling boy, be still
Your life may yet be saved if it is God’s blessed will
Oh, no, said Georgie, that will not do, I want to die so free
I want to die for the engine I love, one hundred and forty-three
The doctor said to Georgie, your life cannot be saved
Murdered upon the railroad and laid in a lonesome grave
His face was covered up with blood, his eyes you could not see
And the very last words poor Georgie said was nearer, my God, to Thee
I’ll take “affirmative action hire” for $1000, please.
...
Small planes have autopilot.
Cars are self driving.
There’s no good reason why such technology isn’t on trains for safety purposes. One would think that it would be an easier implementation.
Most of the money came from the Federal Railway Administration. Washington State requested the funds to build that portion of the route.
No geofences that can automatically limit speeds where needed?
Someone is missing a bet!
It’s not my place to run the train.
The whistle I can’t blow.
It’s not my place to say how far.
The train’s allowed to go.
It’s not my place to shoot off steam.
Nor even clang the bell.
But let the damn thing jump the track.
And see who catches hell.
There is, it is called Positive Train Control. All railroads are mandated to install the system. It is very expensive and the railroads have hedged on the completion of the system for years. If PTC had been installed, it would have probably prevented the derailment from happening.
But I'd expect the engine to have flipped over from the centrifugal force.
I do not see that in the pictures.
Look like it just went straight...
So federal taxpayers got screwed to the tune of nine figures because some locals wanted to shave ten minutes off the trip. And now we can add lives lost and others harmed to the butcher’s bill.
Track went left. Lead locomotive went straight. Things might have been better if the train cars followed the loco, but some must have stayed on the tracks. Also having a rear loco didn’t help, because that thing caused the accordion.
Since it was the inaugural run on that track, it’s possible the driver wasn’t aware of the coming curve. And since when does a train have to rely on speed signs anyway? One would think the train would have autopilot that would automatically slow down the train on that section of the track.......
See post 13.
See post 13.
One unloaded boxcar doing 80 at that turn could easily flip, taking the rest of the train with it.
There is, it is called Positive Train Control. All railroads are mandated to install the system. It is very expensive and the railroads have hedged on the completion of the system for years. If PTC had been installed, it would have probably prevented the derailment from happening.
...
Thanks. I don’t understand why it’s so expensive when such systems for cars and airplanes are priced in the thousands or even hundreds, and they aren’t on tracks.
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