Amtrak VS 'large' truck

[stlouielady]

Amtrak 302, on the way from St Louis to Chicago, struck a large truck obstructing the tracks this morning. A few injuries reported. One of the local channels showed what looked like the remnants of a garbage truck. The news is still being gathered, but, here's the latest about it Amtrak VS truck

 

[nyxlily]

Yesterday on the Cresent, it was Amtrak vs. small station wagon (just blocked, though, no striking). The station wagon won: took over an hour to remove it from the tracks.

 

[Shawn]

Service Alert: Service Restoration Plan between Chicago and St. Louis

January 15, 2009

2:30 pm CT

The Union Pacific Railroad route used by Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle Amtrak trains in Central Illinois will reopen for the restoration of service, after being closed following a road crossing incident on Thursday, January 15.

At about 9:05 am, Amtrak Lincoln Service Train 302 was involved in a collision with a large truck obstructing the tracks at Cisco Road, north of Carlnville, Ill. The marked public crossing is equipped with warning lights and bells.

No serious injuries were reported to the 38 passengers aboard the northbound train operating from St. Louis to Chicago. Four passengers and one Amtrak employee were taken to an area hospital to be treated and released.

The locomotive was damaged and a set of wheels lost contact with the tracks, but the four-car train remained upright and coupled. Passengers were taken to Carlinville High School and were transported to their destination by chartered motorcoaches, which also represented the train at all other stops.

Amtrak appreciates the assistance from Macoupin County emergency responders and others.

Lincoln Service

Northbound Train 306 from St. Louis and southbound Trains 305 & 307 from Chicago will operate on January 15.

The normal four daily Lincoln Service round-trips are expected on Friday, January 16.

Texas Eagle

The Texas Eagle, Trains 21/421 & 22/422, which ordinarily operates between Chicago and San Antonio via St. Louis, will originate and terminate in St. Louis, with chartered motorcoaches representing the train north of St. Louis and making all stops between Chicago and St. Louis, on January 15.

Normal Texas Eagle operations are expected on Friday, January 16.

Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.

 

[PetalumaLoco]

It would be a lot easier on our engines if they just mounted a howitzer in the nose, clearing the track and avoiding an expensive collision.

 

[RRrich]

It would be a lot easier on our engines if they just mounted a howitzer in the nose, clearing the track and avoiding an expensive collision.

How about maybe a pointy Cow Catcher type thing to push the idjits off to the side without damage to the Amtrak engine.

What would the FRA regs relating to a howitzer look like - I don't want to think about them!

 

[MattW]

Or just build giant sweeper mechanisms at each crossing designed to sweep everything off the tracks and rated to handle a max-size highway load filled to bursting with depleted uranium!

(if you didn't notice I'm only [half] kidding)

 

[amtrakwolverine]

get a giant airbag for the front of the loco that inflates before impacted with the vehicle. it was on smash lab on the discovery channel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQvTo_Q-xPk

foward to the 34 second mark

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

How about grade separating more crossings? I'd love to see anyone who thinks grade separating railroad tracks is too expensive show up at a public hearing for the plans for a new highway and argue that fully grade separating the highway from other roads is too expensive, and cheaper construction plans should be used instead.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

get a giant airbag for the front of the loco that inflates before impacted with the vehicle. it was on smash lab on the discovery channel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQvTo_Q-xPk

foward to the 34 second mark

Which car would you rather be in? the one getting pushed gently for a half mile? Or the one that gets dumped end over end.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

I'm not sure the "pushed gently" is an accurate description of going from zero to the locomotive's velocity in 0.1 seconds, especially if the train is traveling at, say, 60mph. With the mass of the locomotive, compared to that of the car, it is the equivalent of the car being dropped on it's side from high enough to hit steel-reinforced concrete at 60mph. Or of a fly-swatter hitting a fly on the wall. The trains in the video were traveling pretty slowly. If you have seen the aftermath of train-vs-road vehicles at a train speed of 60 or so, with various-sized chunks of, say, a large semi-tractor and trailer littered over a four or five acre area, to the point that identification of what sort of vehicle it used to be is rather difficult, "pushed gently" is a phrase that does NOT come to mind.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

get a giant airbag for the front of the loco that inflates before impacted with the vehicle. it was on smash lab on the discovery channel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQvTo_Q-xPk

foward to the 34 second mark

Which car would you rather be in? the one getting pushed gently for a half mile? Or the one that gets dumped end over end.

it didn't work they way they wanted. if you watched the FULL 1 hour show on discovery. they had problems with the valves not releasing at the right time so the air bag didn't deflate fast enough so the car bounced off.

 

[jmbgeg]

Amtrak 302, on the way from St Louis to Chicago, struck a large truck obstructing the tracks this morning. A few injuries reported. One of the local channels showed what looked like the remnants of a garbage truck. The news is still being gathered, but, here's the latest about it Amtrak VS truck

This may be partially off topic, but states should adopt statutes that provide the same sanctions for driving around railroad crossing cross-arms as for DUI's. Both drunk drivers and those who think they can beat a train roll the dice. It is not a traffic infraction. What the penalties should be for crossings without cross-arms where the vehicle driver is either guilty of inattention or trying to beat the train are another debate.

 

[GG-1]

I'm not sure the "pushed gently" is an accurate description of going from zero to the locomotive's velocity in 0.1 seconds, especially if the train is traveling at, say, 60mph. With the mass of the locomotive, compared to that of the car, it is the equivalent of the car being dropped on it's side from high enough to hit steel-reinforced concrete at 60mph. Or of a fly-swatter hitting a fly on the wall. The trains in the video were traveling pretty slowly. If you have seen the aftermath of train-vs-road vehicles at a train speed of 60 or so, with various-sized chunks of, say, a large semi-tractor and trailer littered over a four or five acre area, to the point that identification of what sort of vehicle it used to be is rather difficult, "pushed gently" is a phrase that does NOT come to mind.

Aloha

A few years ago I worked with a movie effects crew that rigged various explosives to dramatize a safety commercial of a train/van collision. The collision speed was 30 mph. The crew was so startled by the real damage they never fired the effects so the commercial was shown without effects.

 

[karl]

Amtrak 302, on the way from St Louis to Chicago, struck a large truck obstructing the tracks this morning. A few injuries reported. One of the local channels showed what looked like the remnants of a garbage truck. The news is still being gathered, but, here's the latest about it Amtrak VS truck

This may be partially off topic, but states should adopt statutes that provide the same sanctions for driving around railroad crossing cross-arms as for DUI's. Both drunk drivers and those who think they can beat a train roll the dice. It is not a traffic infraction. What the penalties should be for crossings without cross-arms where the vehicle driver is either guilty of inattention or trying to beat the train are another debate.

At least photo enforce... Especially if the railroads were allowed to install/operate the cameras.

 

[transit54]

Amtrak 302, on the way from St Louis to Chicago, struck a large truck obstructing the tracks this morning. A few injuries reported. One of the local channels showed what looked like the remnants of a garbage truck. The news is still being gathered, but, here's the latest about it Amtrak VS truck

This may be partially off topic, but states should adopt statutes that provide the same sanctions for driving around railroad crossing cross-arms as for DUI's. Both drunk drivers and those who think they can beat a train roll the dice. It is not a traffic infraction. What the penalties should be for crossings without cross-arms where the vehicle driver is either guilty of inattention or trying to beat the train are another debate.

At least photo enforce... Especially if the railroads were allowed to install/operate the cameras.

I believe Illinois is doing just that:

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2006/05...be862764727.txt

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

This may be partially off topic, but states should adopt statutes that provide the same sanctions for driving around railroad crossing cross-arms as for DUI's. Both drunk drivers and those who think they can beat a train roll the dice. It is not a traffic infraction. What the penalties should be for crossings without cross-arms where the vehicle driver is either guilty of inattention or trying to beat the train are another debate.

Someone who is severely impaired by alcohol is putting people outside their automobile at risk if they drive. As far as I can tell, a driver who gets in the way of a train is only putting the occupants of that automobile at significant risk.

I'm also not sure installing a device that will check the breath of someone who has a track record of doing dangerous things at railroad crossings to make sure that person hasn't been drinking makes any real economic sense in terms of dollars spent per life saved.