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| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 04/02/2015 at 08:50 #68744 | |
Tallington
254 posts |
This report came from BBC news and teletext this morning: A commuter train has hit a vehicle at a level crossing north of New York City, killing at least seven and injuring 12. The train with 800 passengers on board hit the jeep Cherokee near Valhalla - about 20 miles from New York on Tuesday. The car driver and six on the train (including the train driver it is believed) were killed, New York Governor said. The car and front carriage of the train caught fire following the crash. Ken Last edited: 04/02/2015 at 08:57 by Tallington Reason: Amended Title Log in to reply |
| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 04/02/2015 at 10:28 #68756 | |
postal
5190 posts |
" said:This report came from BBC news and teletext this morning:Link here. Now includes additional information that the vehicle was reportedly hit by the barriers as they come down so was stopped on the running line while the vehicle driver inspected the damage. “In life, there is always someone out there, who won’t like you, for whatever reason, don’t let the insecurities in their lives affect yours.” – Rashida Rowe Log in to reply |
| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 04/02/2015 at 10:54 #68760 | |
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kbarber
1712 posts |
" said:" said:This report came from BBC news and teletext this morning:Link here. Now includes additional information that the vehicle was reportedly hit by the barriers as they come down so was stopped on the running line while the vehicle driver inspected the damage. I have often thought many motorists take their brain out when they get into their car. Until now I have always lacked proof... Sympathies & condolences to all the bereaved and injured. Log in to reply The following user said thank you: maxand |
| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 04/02/2015 at 12:50 #68772 | |
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Jersey_Mike
250 posts |
The dead on the train were most likely due to fire and smoke as the train did not derail, nor was the passenger space compromised by the impact. Post crossing accident fires have been a problem for decades since railcars aren't set up for the sort of quick evacuations that airliners are. Since the 1990's all new stock have been fitted with larger windows to facilitate both evacuation and removal of passengers on stretchers. From the photos it appears that the windows were removed, but passengers would still face a rather steep drop to the ground. It will be interesting to see how much time was available to the passengers to evacuate and how the evacuation unfolded. Log in to reply |
| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 05/02/2015 at 07:38 #68836 | |
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kbarber
1712 posts |
I think this supports the idea it's far better to prevent trains coming into contact with road vehicles in the first place than to strengthen them to withstand the impact.
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| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 05/02/2015 at 08:38 #68837 | |
KymriskaDraken
963 posts |
" said:I think this supports the idea it's far better to prevent trains coming into contact with road vehicles in the first place than to strengthen them to withstand the impact.I agree. Ban roads. Log in to reply |
| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 05/02/2015 at 12:00 #68847 | |
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Jersey_Mike
250 posts |
" said:I think this supports the idea it's far better to prevent trains coming into contact with road vehicles in the first place than to strengthen them to withstand the impact.You can't base your policies on rare events. These will likely be the only passenger rail fatalities anywhere in the country this year (I am not sure where were any last year). Spending money on almost anything else would be a better way to save lives, especially when that means getting people off the roads entirely thanks to increased mass transport options. Last edited: 05/02/2015 at 12:06 by Jersey_Mike Log in to reply |
| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 05/02/2015 at 12:39 #68852 | |
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Muzer
718 posts |
Hmm, would it really take long enough to die in a fire to evacuate a carriage of a train? I mean, you have the doors as well as the interconnecting door to the next carriage. Obviously it depends on how high the platforms normally are, I suppose it could be a problem if they're more like UK height...
Last edited: 05/02/2015 at 12:42 by Muzer Log in to reply |
| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 05/02/2015 at 17:56 #68875 | |
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Jersey_Mike
250 posts |
" said:Hmm, would it really take long enough to die in a fire to evacuate a carriage of a train? I mean, you have the doors as well as the interconnecting door to the next carriage. Obviously it depends on how high the platforms normally are, I suppose it could be a problem if they're more like UK height...I have since learned that the snowploughing SUV ramped up the third rail into the body of the train which caused some number of fatalities. It remains to be seen how many were killed by that vs smoke. Here are some statistics on the relative dangerousness of the crossing in question. http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/what-we-know-about-the-new-york-train-crash-site/ Log in to reply |
| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 05/02/2015 at 23:40 #68901 | |
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Muzer
718 posts |
Oof, yeah, that sounds rather nasty. Not good. EDIT: Just looked at that link, does it imply it's an automatic crossing right near a busy intersection? That sounds rather dangerous... I'm pretty sure such a thing would not be allowed here. Last edited: 05/02/2015 at 23:43 by Muzer Log in to reply |
| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 05/02/2015 at 23:47 #68903 | |
Steamer
3924 posts |
" said:" said:I'm guessing the fire was started by the third rail shorting out across something inside the train then?Hmm, would it really take long enough to die in a fire to evacuate a carriage of a train? I mean, you have the doors as well as the interconnecting door to the next carriage. Obviously it depends on how high the platforms normally are, I suppose it could be a problem if they're more like UK height...I have since learned that the snowploughing SUV ramped up the third rail into the body of the train which caused some number of fatalities. It remains to be seen how many were killed by that vs smoke. "Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q) Last edited: 05/02/2015 at 23:49 by Steamer Log in to reply |
| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 06/02/2015 at 00:05 #68905 | |
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Colourlight
117 posts |
I agree with you there KBarber and so does Network Rail. Crossing misuse is a serious problem, certainly in the UK and thealso the USA which is why Network Rail is in the middle of a project to close as many Road crossings as they can.
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| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 06/02/2015 at 00:09 #68906 | |
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Colourlight
117 posts |
" said:Hmm, would it really take long enough to die in a fire to evacuate a carriage of a train? I mean, you have the doors as well as the interconnecting door to the next carriage. Obviously it depends on how high the platforms normally are, I suppose it could be a problem if they're more like UK height... I agree with you there KBarber and so does Network Rail. Crossing misuse is a serious problem, certainly in the UK which is why Network Rail is in the middle of a project to close as many Road crossings as they can. Log in to reply |
| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 06/02/2015 at 06:25 #68915 | |
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Jersey_Mike
250 posts |
" said:Metro North is lucky as it only has 44 crossings in New York State out of about 150 total if crossings in Connecticut are included. Still, it would be impractical to close them all. Despite the nearby road junction, the crossing only has a 3% risk of a fatal accident per year compared with some crossings in the state that have 17 or 18% chances of fatal accidents per year. Of course most of the fatalities are the irresponsible road users so the involved governments so not see a need to punish the vast majority of responsible motorists by closing their preferred routes for the actions of a few. " said: Hmm, would it really take long enough to die in a fire to evacuate a carriage of a train? I mean, you have the doors as well as the interconnecting door to the next carriage. Obviously it depends on how high the platforms normally are, I suppose it could be a problem if they're more like UK height...Metro North uses 100% 48 inch high level platforms, so the cars do not have low level traps. People injured by the impact, either being thrown around or impaled by the third rail, would not have been able to escape. The third rail ran through the entire 85 foot length of the first car and into the second! Still, the increased crash worthiness of the rail vehicle did save lives. The engineer was able to assist in the evacuation of passengers after the impact and is credited for saving several lives. Photos show no compromise of the front operating vestibule. Here is a Google Earth link to the crossing involved. On one side is a traction power sub station, on the other is an intermediate automatic signaling location. The line uses cab signals without fixed wayside signals. The signaling logic is relay with a telecom wire bundle pole line and dates from the 1980's. https://www.google.com/maps/@41.08626,-73.788051,3a,71.8y,2.86h,88.37t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s9mi21rpUv_BvyX_JlSH3Mw!2e0?hl=en-US Here is some additional coverage on level crossing safety. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/06/nyregion/human-behavior-and-physics-hamper-rail-safety-systems.html Quote: To really make a difference, a detection system that alerts trains would need gates that come down two to three minutes before the train arrives, whereas typical crossing gates activate only 15 to 20 seconds before, said Rick Campbell, president of CTC Inc., a company that focuses on grade-crossing safety. Last edited: 06/02/2015 at 12:56 by Jersey_Mike Log in to reply |
| Breaking News - Crash on Level Crossing north of New York City 18/02/2015 at 20:31 #69316 | |
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Jersey_Mike
250 posts |
Since we are on the topic of safety I found this article that mentions how new electronic shifters are mucking about with the "traditional" gear shift order for automatic transmissions. https://autos.yahoo.com/news/unfamiliarity-gear-shift-lever-cause-tragedy-160000386.html Log in to reply |