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Locomotive Cabs, and Crew Safety in Collisions

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[quote user="zugmann"] I think we need someone with a background in physics to take a look at this wreck before we say the crash posts weren't up to the job.  I can't even begin to imagine how the forces at work played out... <div style="clear:both;"></div> [/quote] I would certainly like to hear from somebody with a background in physics to say what happened, but I don't have all day.  Seriously though, I'll bet there will be lots of people with physics and engineering backgrounds poring over the results of this wreck; and probably lots of people with backgrounds in law too.  It would not surprise me if this type of scenario of hitting long flat cars, loaded as these were, was overlooked in the development of the crashworthiness of these locomotives.  I predict that the crash performance of the locomotive in this collision will be big news on several fronts. I doubt many people will look at those photos and not conclude that the collision posts failed to do their job.  Although it does depend on what their job was.  There is no question in my mind that the locomotive frame is strong enough to transmit enough force into that work train to buckle its cars rather than buckle the locomotive frame.  The collision posts are intended to extend that locomotive frame strength upwards to a point above the coupler line.  They utterly failed to do that.
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