Engineer's Nightmare

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

May 27, 2007 | 01:29 AM

#16

Ford_Six

Hotshot

Joined: Oct 2002

Posts: 18,488

Likes: 22

From: The Big, Oregon

Not a whole lot, really. The train the film was shot from was going a bit quick through an approach block (yellow over red signals), and the other one overshot it's stop, although the first should have only been doing 15-25 depending on the line-

Last edited by Ford_Six; May 27, 2007 at 01:35 AM.

May 27, 2007 | 10:26 AM

#17

Frankenbiker

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Jan 2007

Posts: 1,741

Likes: 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by NumberDummy

There was a staged two locomotive head on back in the 1890's. It was filmed by Edison. One of Scott Joplin's first Ragtime tunes was named for the event = "The Great Crush Collision."

You can read about this crash here:

http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasRai...h-at-Crush.htm

It was just south of the town of West, Texas.

-blaine

May 27, 2007 | 10:52 AM

#18

NumberDummy

Ford Parts Specialist

Joined: Nov 2006

Posts: 88,826

Likes: 787

From: Simi Valley, CA

Thanks for the link..interesting.

Scott Joplin's "Great Crush Collision" is available on a CD with some of his other Rags. The pianist is Joshua Rifkin.

There's a sheet music book available with everything Joplin composed except his Ragtime Opera "Treemonisha."

In 1938, Paramount Studios bought the recently defunct Virginia & Truckee RR. Cecil B. DeMille used the engines and rolling stock in his 1939 film: Union Pacific. There were several deliberate wrecks.

Not to be outdone, MGM bought another Nevada based line, the recently defunct Tidewater & Tonopah RR. What they used this for, dunno.

Some of the engines and rolling stock were later purchased by Walt Disney and Walter Knott.

May 27, 2007 | 10:52 PM

#19

Nitramjr

Postmaster

Joined: Aug 2004

Posts: 4,004

Likes: 1

From: North of Boston MA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford_Six

The train the film was shot from was going a bit quick through an approach block (yellow over red signals), and the other one overshot it's stop, although the first should have only been doing 15-25 depending on the line-

I think the fault would probably be 100% the fault of the train that went past the clear point for that turnout.

How do you know the moving train was going too fast without knowing the line speed for the track and the number (angle) of the turnout? I couldn't tell from the video what number the frog was but there are some high speed turnouts that would allow a freight train to take the diverging move at 30-40 mph.

It's also tough to tell from the video if the replay is in realtime or if it is accelerated.

One thing for sure, it must suck coming around a curve to see headlights like that.....

May 27, 2007 | 11:59 PM

#20

Ford_Six

Hotshot

Joined: Oct 2002

Posts: 18,488

Likes: 22

From: The Big, Oregon

Depending on the road, a train in an approach block is limited to ~25mph. That was about 45. I'm not saying the other engineer wasn't at fault, and the wreck was probably a lot less than it would have been had the train been going slower (direct head on).

May 28, 2007 | 07:40 AM

#21

Nitramjr

Postmaster

Joined: Aug 2004

Posts: 4,004

Likes: 1

From: North of Boston MA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford_Six

Not trying to beat a dead horse or anything bt the video was edited (there are breaks in it) so it is impossible to say what the last signal before the crash showed.

Either way, it was lots of damage all because the stopped train went an extra 2 or 3 feet.

May 28, 2007 | 11:22 AM

#22

BEECHBM69

Thread Starter

Senior User

Joined: May 2006

Posts: 150

Likes: 0

From: Virginia Beach

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford_Six

Actually from what I was told, the train that ran the red (southbound) was going 22 at the point of impact and the other (northbound) was going 38. The engineer on the northbound had it in run 8 trying to beat it instead of big holing it and bailing off. That would be a hard call to make.

Dan

May 28, 2007 | 12:42 PM

#23

Ford_Six

Hotshot

Joined: Oct 2002

Posts: 18,488

Likes: 22

From: The Big, Oregon

Right before the train went over the crossing, about 5seconds into the film, there is a signal- yellow over red. Now again, different roads, different rules, but that generally is an approach signal.