Could this be more Amtrak ineptitude?
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/22/us/amtrak-cars-disconnected/index.html
243129Could this be more Amtrak ineptitude?
I don't think you can prevent that 100%, even with inpections. I believe the coupler failed.
There is also a story that a passenger stop the rear section by pulling an emergency brake. That would seem to indicate that the angle cock was closed.
In a car full of panicky passengers, you're going to get all kinds of reports. That someone pulled the emergency may be true, but I would think that the the cars were already in emergency. If not, wouldn't it take just a few seconds for the disconnected cars to crash into the forward section?
They smelled smoke--could that have been hot brakes?
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"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
From CNN:
"Following the separation, the train's safety systems functioned as designed and immediately stopped both sections of the train at a safe distance."
"Crane said two cars were added to the train when she boarded in Rensselaer, New York, and that she and her son were told to sit in the first of the additions.
243129From CNN: Amtrak on Thursday said Train 68 was operating with one locomotive and six passenger cars; the separation occurred between the first and second passenger cars. "Following the separation, the train's safety systems functioned as designed and immediately stopped both sections of the train at a safe distance." "Crane said two cars were added to the train when she boarded in Rensselaer, New York, and that she and her son were told to sit in the first of the additions. Crane's car was one of the two to break off." "She said she credits the man who pulled the emergency brake on the cars for the safety of everyone. She identified him as Reuben Clarke, a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. "He saved our lives tonight," Crane said. "Our car broke off from the rest of the train and was picking up speed. There was no Amtrak personnel in our car. Reuben calmly went into action and pulled the emergency brake at the front of the car." Given these statements it is virtually impossible to draw a conclusion but were I to venture a guess it would seem that employee error would be probable.
Guess there has never been a broken knuckle or a defective knuckle lock within a coupler.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACDGuess there has never been a broken knuckle or a defective knuckle lock within a coupler.
You cannot shake the sarcasm can you? I said "probable" and discounted nothing.
243129Crane's car was one of the two to break off." "She said she credits the man who pulled the emergency brake on the cars for the safety of everyone. She identified him as Reuben Clarke, a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. "He saved our lives tonight," Crane said. "Our car broke off from the rest of the train and was picking up speed. There was no Amtrak personnel in our car. Reuben calmly went into action and pulled the emergency brake at the front of the car." Given these statements it is virtually impossible to draw a conclusion but were I to venture a guess it would seem that employee error would be probable.
This does not make any sense to me because the air in the car keeps the brakes off the wheels it does not apply them. So therefore, if the air hose connection with the locomotive is broken then the air is lost via broken hose and the brakes are applied.
So from what I understand about an air cock if it is turned off the air doesn't pass through the rubber hose but remains in the pipe with the brakes still released? Then what would pulling the emergency brake do? Dump the air from the car reservoirs directly? Seems to me even with the air cocks closed at both ends of the train that without a resupply of air.......air pressure would still gradually drop via leaks.....and the brakes would apply at some point.
243129 BaltACD Guess there has never been a broken knuckle or a defective knuckle lock within a coupler. You cannot shake the sarcasm can you? I said "probable" and discounted nothing. prob·a·ble /ˈpräbəb(ə)l/ adjective adjective: probable 1. likely to be the case or to happen. "it is probable that the economic situation will deteriorate further" synonyms: likely, most likely, odds-on, expected, anticipated, predictable, foreseeable, ten to one;
BaltACD Guess there has never been a broken knuckle or a defective knuckle lock within a coupler.
Probable is probable - all possible failures are a part of probable.
We know no one employed by Amtrak since your retirement is up to your standards so everything that happens on Amtrak is a employee failure that your methods would have prevented.
BaltACDWe know no one employed by Amtrak since your retirement is up to your standards so everything that happens on Amtrak is a employee failure that your methods would have prevented.
Absolutely. Had you ever been in the field instead of tethered to a desk you would understand that.
243129 BaltACD We know no one employed by Amtrak since your retirement is up to your standards so everything that happens on Amtrak is a employee failure that your methods would have prevented. Absolutely. Had you ever been in the field instead of tethered to a desk you would understand that.
BaltACD We know no one employed by Amtrak since your retirement is up to your standards so everything that happens on Amtrak is a employee failure that your methods would have prevented.
Good Efficiency Testing weeds out your kind. Legend in your own mind. I've watched them come and go. There has never been a perfect employee in the history of rail transportation, and that includes you and me.
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