slightly O.T. (a short movie on Inrail) - but everyone should see it a

[gyuri_ft]

Idiots are not only in the U.S. or Europe - in India, too:

http://www.livevideo.com/video/FE05D5FB76A...fast-train.aspx

N.B.: there is an overpass (for the cars) and an other one for the people and passengers. Still, lazyness and stupidity rules. Look at the running clock of the video clip. It takes about 4 seconds for an Indian train (India is a country less associated with high-speed rail!) to appear from nowhere and turn into a minor hurricane. The lady in pink sari did not know, but a mere 3 sec made a difference for her to stay alive or not.

 

[George Harris]

Know anything about what line this is on or the train name/number?

Indian Railways is not really that slow, either. I think a lot of the pasenger trains, and they run more than any other country in the world, move at 100 to 120 km/h (60 to 75 mph) and some some trains on some lines at up to 160 km/h (100 mph)

 

[AmtrakWPK]

It certainly looked like it was near the top end of that speed range, for sure. Phew!

 

[gyuri_ft]

Know anything about what line this is on or the train name/number?
Indian Railways is not really that slow, either. I think a lot of the pasenger trains, and they run more than any other country in the world, move at 100 to 120 km/h (60 to 75 mph) and some some trains on some lines at up to 160 km/h (100 mph)

A guy from Poland on a German forum identified the train as Shatabdi express. Most Shatabdi express uses older Indian-style cars and runs ca. 120 km/h or 75 mph. I looked and indeed, he was right. But this train has newer American-style (called "T1" in USSR/China/NKorea) profile, derived from streamliner design. AFAIK only one train in India has "Streamliner" cars: the New Delhi - Bhopal Shatabdi. That (and only that) particular Shatabdi runs with 150 km/h or somewhat over 90 mph.

As far as speed - nothing on the rails in any country should be underrated. Back in 1982, 1983 and 1986 I did clock the Mongolian/Russian joint "No.6" sustaining in the area of Barabinsk (West Siberia) 120 km/h for a duration of several hours. A "lazy" Mongolian or NK train (no one assiaciates Mongloia or NKorea with high speed) is pretty deadly in that area: 35 yards/second.

It means - little math:

10 seconds = 350 yard distance, the victim does not even see a dot.

6 seconds = 210 yards: distance of two full-blown soccer fields. The victim sees a dot is coming.

3 seconds = 105 yards, one soccer field distance: it looks like an electric enginr being in the front, otherwise not much of danger is felt

0 seconds = the victim is reduced into sub-atomic particles.

At average it takes >3 seconds to cross the rails.

The terrible truth is, this math is not even remotely valid with Acela, most of Germany, Japan, any rail track of France. :blink:

There the time threshold between "victim sees a dot coming" and "victim is a sub-atomic particle" is 3 seconds. :huh:

 

[Steve4031]

I once had an operation Lifesaver guy do a presentation for my students at the high school I worked at. He had a video of somebody actualy getting hit by a Metraa train. You could see the body flying like a mannequin. Again, it was somebody who was i too much of a hurry. I bet that lady in India crapped a log!!

 

[gyuri_ft]

I once had an operation Lifesaver guy do a presentation for my students at the high school I worked at. He had a video of somebody actualy getting hit by a Metraa train. You could see the body flying like a mannequin. Again, it was somebody who was i too much of a hurry. I bet that lady in India crapped a log!!

There is a Polish video demoing an average European (Fiat? Lada?) car versus a single M62 Diesel. The diesel unit is going at barely 25 mph. It is a single loco. At the moment it hits the car, the driver hits the brakes. The loco stops from 25 mph to zero after 80 yards. After these 80 yards there is no space left in the car to survive.



This crash test is fictious because there is rarely a lone M62 unit (very common general purpose mainline diesel locomotive anywhere east of Germany) going at only 25 mph.

 

[Guest]

I once had an operation Lifesaver guy do a presentation for my students at the high school I worked at. He had a video of somebody actualy getting hit by a Metraa train. You could see the body flying like a mannequin. Again, it was somebody who was i too much of a hurry. I bet that lady in India crapped a log!!

This video?

At around 5:53 p.m. on August 26, 1991, Mary T. Wojtyla, 41, of Chicago, was walking with her lawyer across the tracks at the Fairview Avenue grade crossing in Downers Grove, directly in front of a westbound train which was stopped at the Metra station. Apparently distracted by ongoing divorce proceedings, she crossed the center track and was struck by a westbound Burlington Northern EMD E9 pulling a "Racetrack" express train, estimated to be traveling at 60 miles per hour. Wojtyla was killed instantly; her lawyer saw the oncoming train and was not struck. The accident delayed between 12,000 and 15,000 commuters on the Burlington Northern line for more than an hour. Trains were further delayed when Downers Grove police ordered the engineer to back up the train in order to re-enact the incident. According to an account in the Downers Grove Reporter, "the engineer was so seriously affected by the re-enactment, where he had to pass by the dead body still on the tracks, he was unable to continue and had to be relieved of his duties." A railfan captured Wojtyla being stuck by the train.

 

[Steve4031]

I once had an operation Lifesaver guy do a presentation for my students at the high school I worked at. He had a video of somebody actualy getting hit by a Metraa train. You could see the body flying like a mannequin. Again, it was somebody who was i too much of a hurry. I bet that lady in India crapped a log!!

This video?

At around 5:53 p.m. on August 26, 1991, Mary T. Wojtyla, 41, of Chicago, was walking with her lawyer across the tracks at the Fairview Avenue grade crossing in Downers Grove, directly in front of a westbound train which was stopped at the Metra station. Apparently distracted by ongoing divorce proceedings, she crossed the center track and was struck by a westbound Burlington Northern EMD E9 pulling a "Racetrack" express train, estimated to be traveling at 60 miles per hour. Wojtyla was killed instantly; her lawyer saw the oncoming train and was not struck. The accident delayed between 12,000 and 15,000 commuters on the Burlington Northern line for more than an hour. Trains were further delayed when Downers Grove police ordered the engineer to back up the train in order to re-enact the incident. According to an account in the Downers Grove Reporter, "the engineer was so seriously affected by the re-enactment, where he had to pass by the dead body still on the tracks, he was unable to continue and had to be relieved of his duties." A railfan captured Wojtyla being stuck by the train.

Yep,

That was it.

 

[AmtrakFan]

The reason this Railfan was out was that he photographing/videoing the Final Days of the BN E-Units. Yup I remember the E's.