Trains aren't deadly

[DanTheBanjoman]

0rsN5hDBOAM

[FordGT90Concept]

That looks rehearsed. If she were suicidal, she would have dove in front of it just before it came. Instead, she went in and laid down a few seconds in advance.

I think she was looking for an adrenaline rush.

[DaMulta]

If she did it in front of me, and was about the same size. Well I would have too man up and just test my luck myself!

[Chris]

Wow...this lady has balls of steel.

[1Kurgan1]

Wow...this lady has balls of steel.

Really, where are these balls?

That is crazy though, I mean yeah it's mostly going to be safe there, but as with a moving vehicle what if a rock gets thrown up, i nthat tight of an area it could flat out kill someone.

[sheps999]

Wow...this lady has ovaries of steel.

Fixed.

[3991v]

Trains aren't deadly - the impact is =0

[Triprift]

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[sheps999]

Trains aren't deadly - the impact is =0
Exactly. Speed doesn't kill, it's the coming-to-a-sudden-stop that kills :p

[FordGT90Concept]

I'd hate to be the engineer on that train. He has to decide whether to slow down/stop when seeing people standing close to the tracks and once someone approaches the track like they're suicidal, he has to throw on the brakes which usually involves a crapload of sand (add additional friction under the drive wheels), sparks (from sand getting slid/crushed), heat (from dynamic breaking), and nothing else you want to be anywhere close to.

I wonder if it is just a person, they don't even bother trying to stop. It won't damage the train and there's nothing they can do about it. With vehicles, they have to stop to prevent from damaging the rails which can lead to a derailment.

[El Fiendo]

I'd hate to be the engineer on that train. He has to decide whether to slow down/stop when seeing people standing close to the tracks and once someone approaches the track like they're suicidal, he has to throw on the brakes which usually involves a crapload of sand (add additional friction under the drive wheels), sparks (from sand getting slid/crushed), heat (from dynamic breaking), and nothing else you want to be anywhere close to.

I wonder if it is just a person, they don't even bother trying to stop. It won't damage the train and there's nothing they can do about it. With vehicles, they have to stop to prevent from damaging the rails which can lead to a derailment.


This isn't quite right. I've got two close friends who are engineers with one of Canada's two freight railways, and I was looking (and still am) at joining them. As such I've studied up on it a fair bit. By the time they can see the obstruction: car; animal; person; or otherwise; it is their training to blow the horn repeatedly and speed up. They are to attempt to power through any obstruction, and they need the extra speed to do it. Most of the time a derailment can cost many more lives than what is getting impacted. Most trains are carrying tons of dangerous chemicals like chlorine, for instance. If there was a derailment and breach of just 1 car within my city's limits along any of the tracks, half the city of 1 million would perish within hours. The engineers and conductors would never be able to stop in time once they see the obstruction, and tossing on the brakes on full lockup guarantees derailment. It's not pretty, but its triage essentially.

The same, I'd imagine, is true for the passenger train in this video. The amount of people riding the train outweighs the suicidal person or vehicle on the track. If the locomotive is anywhere near similar to a freight locomotive it will weigh around 30-35 tons per axle, with the average 4-axle locomotive around 125 tons and a 6-axle locomotive around 200 tons. Being they are roughly the same size I don't see this number varying too much. To send 125-200 tons, which is only the locomotive not the particular load its hauling, skidding along any tracks of any sort is going to cause derailment as well.

[FordGT90Concept]

It really all depends on their current velocity. If they aren't moving too fast, they can safely stop but if they are moving at a good clip, there's really nothing they can do except get on the horn.

I can't believe they recommend speeding up. The faster the train is moving, the more likely it is to jump track and the more cars that will be effected by the impact. For instance, if you manage to get your speed down to under 10 MPH, the three engines up front might jump the rail but it is not too likely for any of the other cars to do anything (engines absorbed the impact). The faster you go, the more engines/cars it will take to absorb the impact.

[El Fiendo]

True, it does depend on speed. Which is also part of the reason trains are limited in city limits. The average freight train is about 1 to 1¼ miles in length (90 to 120 rail cars). When it's moving at 55 miles an hour, it can take a mile or more to stop after the locomotive engineer fully applies the emergency brake. An 8-car passenger train moving at 80 miles an hour needs about a mile to stop.

The reason they say speed up is it means more kinetic energy and the more explosive force it hits the vehicle with to clear debris. From what I understand, the only danger cars and trucks and buses pose to the locomotive is debris getting under and derailing the train off the tracks. Remember, a single engine weights between 120-200 tons. A 1 ton truck or 30 ton tractor (semi truck without trailer) won't really pose too much threat. As long as they aren't approaching into a corner, apply the steam.

I believe I read somewhere that a 15000 ton coal train moving at 55 MPH has the same kinetic energy as a small atomic bomb.

[FordGT90Concept]

The reason they say speed up is it means more kinetic energy and the more explosive force it hits the vehicle with to clear debris. From what I understand, the only danger cars and trucks and buses pose to the locomotive is debris getting under and derailing the train off the tracks. Remember, a single engine weights between 120-200 tons. A 1 ton truck or 30 ton tractor (semi truck without trailer) won't really pose too much threat. As long as they aren't approaching into a corner, apply the steam.
Ah, I was thinking something bigger than the train for some reason (like a concrete wall or another train). If it is just a vehicle, yeah, that would make sense.