Amtrak Train Derails in Missouri After Hitting Dump Truck

03GTGreen

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Aug 1, 2007
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Why are there no autodecoupling device nowadays upon derailments?

Are trains really that fucking ancient?

We know at least the front car is going off the track, maybe a few more. Make the coupler breakaway and those cars derail and let the other ones fly by and if course lock the brakes.
Look at the first pic bruh. Wouldn't matter since there's no rail. Ironically enough the engines appear to still be on the rail. It's whatever got caught underneath after impact that removed the ties/rail that caused the derailment.
 

DanJ

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I’ve been through there on those tracks. Amtrak is good for 90mph at that spot. It is in the middle of nowhere and some people are saying the crossing being at a 45 degree angle didn’t help. Like the article says it’s a crossing that doesn’t have gates or lights. That train looks huge but really it doesn’t weigh much being only 8 cars and a motor. I run similar sets at 70 and you don’t really hear or see them until they’re right on top of you. I’m guessing that truck had a bill burr breakdown, or got stuck on the tracks and by the time they saw it and dumped the air brakes it was too late. I’ve never been 90 but the difference between 60 and 70 with how fast things come up is significant.
 
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DanJ

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Depending on the situation, I would imagine this engineer hit the train dynamic brakes and was gradually/incrementally applying the air brakes to full tilt (so as not to upset the apple cart), to at least make an effort to scrub some speed, but I'm sure impact was gonna happen regardless.

This is all correct but passenger equipment is a little different. I’d have to confirm with my buddy at Amtrak, but it uses a blended brake system and you really don’t have independent control of the dynamics. Even if you do and I don’t remember as it’s been a few months, you shouldn’t use the dynamic alone because bunching the cars into the motor like that with no brakes set on the cars would be jolting for the passengers. As they set the air and put the throttle to idle the dynamics kick in proportionately to the amount of air set. Some guys don’t use the blended brakes at all to keep the slack between the couplers in a stretched state for a smoother ride.

I can say for certain that if they saw a dump truck on the track going 90 they just dumped the emergency brakes and hit the floor. Maybe something will come out that shows they didn’t act fast enough, it’s too soon to tell. The locomotive has a front facing camera and I’m sure an inward one as well. Whether or not NTSB will release that footage I don’t know. Too many variables to say for sure, but 90mph on a little 900 ton rocket ship like that shit can go south fast.
 

Lord Tin Foilhat

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Kinda like all those Mr. Bults (MBI) drivers. They all think they're driving race cars...

Anyway, they did confirm the train was doing 89 mph 1/4 mile away from the crossing, they hit the horn, brakes and speed had dropped to 87 MPH by the time impact was made.
looks like the brakes didnt do anything in that short of distance :rofl:
 
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