News Wire: Terrorist group promotes home-made derail

[Brian Schmidt]

WASHINGTON — These step-by-step instructions, design guidelines, and templates look like any from a how-to-magazine. Then you realize it's a how-to derailment instruction guide courtesy of Al Qaeda. According to the Washington, D.C.-based Midd...

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2017/08/14-terrorist-rail

[Murphy Siding]

     They were just hoping that social media would pick it up, make a big deal out of it, and do their work for them. It worked. You fell for it hook, line and sinker.

[schlimm]

Murphy Siding

     They were just hoping that social media would pick it up, make a big deal out of it, and do their work for them. It worked. You fell for it hook, line and sinker.

 

True, the source, the Middle East Media Research Institute, has a reputation for inaccurate translations and bias, since it seems to still function as a media outlet for the Mossad, its original purpose: "In its research, the institute puts emphasis on the continuing relevance of Zionism to the Jewish people and to the state of Israel."

[Euclid]

 

In general, I think the idea of using trains for terrorism is over-rated in terms of effectiveness.  Sure they have the potential for massive damage by derailment or collision.  But focusing this for a high death toll would be a major problem that makes the whole idea impractical.  

 

[ruderunner]

Euclid

 

In general, I think the idea of using trains for terrorism is over-rated in terms of effectiveness.  Sure they have the potential for massive damage by derailment or collision.  But focusing this for a high death toll would be a major problem that makes the whole idea impractical.  

 

 

think public transportation not mainline freight.

[Murphy Siding]

Euclid

 

In general, I think the idea of using trains for terrorism is over-rated in terms of effectiveness.  Sure they have the potential for massive damage by derailment or collision.  But focusing this for a high death toll would be a major problem that makes the whole idea impractical.  

 

 

 Thank you for that thoughtful insight on the effectiveness of terrorist actions. One of the biggies for terrorists has always been to try and install fear in the minds of their adversaries. Social media is like a gift to people trying to whip up fear.

[MikeF90]

Murphy Siding

One of the biggies for terrorists has always been to try and install fear in the minds of their adversaries. Social media is like a gift to people trying to whip up fear.Devil

Not to mention right leaning, fear baiting media outlets like FNC and the Washington Times.

@Euclid is helpful for pointing out a key difference between terrorism and sabotage. We have to be more alert for incompetent reporting than either.

[schlimm]

Euclid

 

In general, I think the idea of using trains for terrorism is over-rated in terms of effectiveness.  Sure they have the potential for massive damage by derailment or collision.  But focusing this for a high death toll would be a major problem that makes the whole idea impractical.  

 

 

Take out/tie up one bridge or tunnel on the NEC and the damage to the economy would be huge.

[Firelock76]

Schlimm's got a point.  I can think of a lot of ways a terrorist or group of the same could cause a lot of disruption in this society, but not necessarily a lot of deaths.  Chaos, consternation, and fear would be good enough.

But they won't get any ideas from me.

[Euclid]

schlimm

 

Euclid

 

In general, I think the idea of using trains for terrorism is over-rated in terms of effectiveness.  Sure they have the potential for massive damage by derailment or collision.  But focusing this for a high death toll would be a major problem that makes the whole idea impractical.  

 

 

 

 

 

Take out/tie up one bridge or tunnel on the NEC and the damage to the economy would be huge.

 

Bridges and tunnels can get tied up without any noticeable effect on the economy.  Taking one out would be more of an effect, but causing a derailment is not likely to destroy a tunnel or a large enough bridge to take a long time to replace.  Derailing a train can produce a lot of destructive effect, but the hard part would be focusing it on the target.

A team of demolition experts might take out a big bridge, but amateur lone wolfs running around with portable derails in their backpacks are not going to get the job done. 

I think it is an idea that sounds effective because it is easy to imagine massive damage caused in train wrecks. 

[Deggesty]

Yes, derailing a freight inside a tunnel can delay other traffic quite a bit. 

Twenty-eight years ago, my wife and I were going from Los Angeles to Seattle (in a bedroom), We left Klamath Falls on time, and as we were enjoying breakfast in the diner, we stopped by Upper Klamath Lake--but not so we could admire the lake, for after  few minutes, we backed back into Klamath Falls, where the passengers were told that a freight had been derailed in one of the tunnels ahead. After sitting for some time, we proceeded to Chemult, where we sat for more than an hour, and then proceeded to a pass track which is rather isolated from everything but the railroad. About dinner time, we began moving again, for the line was at last clear. 

We had no idea how late we were when we arrived in Eugene or any other place (the berth was so comfortable) until we arrived in Seattle ten hours late.

[Miningman]

Deggesty- I see what's going on here. 28 years ago, Private bedroom, with the wife,  "so comfortable", ten hours late and didn't know..had no idea! Well well.

[CandOforprogress2]

Its harder to derail a train then one might think. See this WW2 training film-

 

[Jimmy_Braum]

Normally I hang out over in the Model Railroader forums, but I saw this pop up/.

 I just hope this doesn't affect us railfans.  Then again, most crews on the Wheeling and Lake Erie East End know what I look like....as do quite a few NS crews.