Move along folks, nothing unusual here...

[The_Ghan]

...the LAST thing I'd do is sit on a railroad bridge two feet from live track. There's a really good reason why it's called the danger zone, and this incident demonstates that reason perfectly.

 

Mark,

 

As a kid I'd go down the pipeline from Oatley towards Como.  Back then there were no fences.  I'd sit on the pipe and watch the Tullochs and diesels pass.  I would sit right where the track veers left as you're heading north.  The pipe was about 10m away from the track, but it would still scare the living daylights out of me, especially when a Wollongong diesel passed.  The north-bound drivers would often toot the horn, I think some of them were used to me.  Certainly, no one ever came to move me on and I did it dozens of times ... that was thrill enough for me ... I agree with your comment above.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

 

PS:  Get ready for a piss-up JNSForum Sydney Members Dinner in late September, mate.  I'd love to catch up before I go to Japan in October.

[Mudkip Orange]

As an aside, there is a trip arm device on display at the Tokyo Metro Museum in Kasai, Tokyo.  Visited the other week, one of the more interesting things on display there.

 

NYC Subway uses these things extensively.

[marknewton]

I can't understand the need to feel like this is not something sad.Perhaps if it was someone you knew the words and thoughts would be a bit gentler.

 

Jeff, I believe we all acknowledge that this incident is sad, but the fact remains that it was completely avoidable. If the two girls hadn't been where they were during the derailment, they would not have been harmed. And no-one else is responsible for them being there.

 

As for gentle words, unfortunately I have been involved in too many fatalities over the years to be very sympathetic towards trespassers. If that make me callous, then so be it.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[The_Ghan]

Mark,

 

You probably saw the report on Sydney TV through the week.  The dangers just don't seem to get through to people.  Despite the explanations, the demonstrations, the facts and the physics, idiots still insist on trespassing.  My sympthaties extend to rail and emergency staff who have to pick up the pieces.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[linkey]

Just a few days ago, my train line was closed down cause we had 2 deaths in two days (one on the 12/9, the other on the 13/9). One was near the crossing at St. Albans Station while the second one was near Ginifer Station (the Ginifer Station is in St. Albans South about 3kms south of St. Albans Station on the Watergardens (Sydenham) Line which also affect regional train services to Bendigo, Swan Hill, Echuca, Kynton and Sunbury Services.

 

Investigations on the deaths have not been released, but the 13/9 incident was more of the person had trespassed and tried to cross over the tracks without watching. The Train line involved has been affected with other trespasser deaths as well and including suicide "jumpers" leaping off the platform as the train goes by.

 

I have been to one incident where a person has placed their vehicle on the track towards the path of the regional passenger train. The result the person in the vehicle and the vehicle itself was killed/destroyed to the point of not knowing what was what. (The bad things being Road Rescue accedited and going to these events)

 

About the two college girls being killed, they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. They should of known to not be hanging around there and it cost them their lives. The Train crew would not been able to stop their train in time even if they did see something before getting to the bridge. But that is real freaky about the coal wagons tipping over even though the locos were still upright.

[Guest ___]

I've sorta kept out on this thread becasue I knew the engineer involved in the Ellicott City incident. We had BS'ed on a few occasion during stops along the line. On top of that, the breaking news is part of my beat. Not only did I have to cover it for the wire service as a transport SME, but also got stuck between a rock and a hrad place because I was was given information that I was instructed by my bosses to with hold due to the pending investigation. Without breaking my NDA agreement, let's just say the facts are actually pretty self evident in this incident and the casual observant can draw a very realist conclusion as to what occurred in Elliott City.

[linkey]

I've sorta kept out on this thread becasue I knew the engineer involved in the Ellicott City incident. We had BS'ed on a few occasion during stops along the line. On top of that, the breaking news is part of my beat. Not only did I have to cover it for the wire service as a transport SME, but also got stuck between a rock and a hrad place because I was was given information that I was instructed by my bosses to with hold due to the pending investigation. Without breaking my NDA agreement, let's just say the facts are actually pretty self evident in this incident and the casual observant can draw a very realist conclusion as to what occurred in Elliott City.

 

That is why I hate about being a SME when it comes to certain areas as to events like this you have all the knowledge and then you get told from higher up that certain intel can not be given out due to action (either legal or investigation) is in progress. When I was called to the Car vs. Train near my area I was the SME for both railway and Emergency Service crews and got delegated to look after the transfer of passengers from the train to alternative transport (Buses) while keeping the passengers away from the destruction of the red vehicle that was spread out over the train line. Lucky for me was that I was well away from the media as they are vultures over here always wanting information about what happened at the wrong time.

[Guest ___]

It gets me in a tizzy all the time. Last time I got called up on this sorta deal with the big Metrorail incident we had a couple years back.  (Don't get me started on WMATA) It's not so much when the higher ups outside of my industry that starts telling those of us in the media (or rather our bosses) to shut up that annoys me so much as when it becomes a conflict of interest when you know people involved in the incident first hand.

[Jcarlton]

You know, it's amazing how many idiots seem to want to be in the running for a Darwin award.:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151249969303408&set=p.10151249969303408&type=1&relevant_count=1

These two were not the only idiots we saw sunday lollygagging all over the tracks.  See my CSX video post for how fast trains were running past.

Needless to say the same thing that happened at Ellicott could have happened here.

[Guest ___]

About two years ago I was at Harper's Ferry killing a day railfannig at the station. A few hours in, two high school girls (possibly college) and a baby in a hand carriage came up to the station, removed the baby from the basket and sat him/her down in the middle of the gauge at the edge of the station where the tracks open up to the bridge. T Here was less than three feet to the bridge, and sat the baby on the inside rail. as both girls stood back and started taking pictures with a couple cameras.

 

It would have taken very little for the baby to simply roll between the ties and off the bridge 40 feet down into the Potomac River, or even worse, the girls freak out as an east bound rounds the blind curve and through the station at 59mph, or a west bound comes out of the tunnel and on to the bridge at spree. The train would cover the bridge and be at the station within a few seconds. With the baby where it was, the girls standing back and being in the middle of a two track main, they would be unable to grab the child and clear the RoW.

 

I shouted over to them to get that baby off there, as an east bound innermodal had just called Pulp Mill was and was less than a minute out. They replied back to mind my own damn business. Annoyed, I knocked on the station door becasue it was a recently restored NPS facility and the ranger came out, and I think had them arrested from trespassing on the RoW. They both gave me a real snarky look just before the train blew for Bakerton Rd (about 1/5 mile from the blind curve) Not even 10 seconds passed before that train came through at speed.

 

Park Ranger told me after he brought the girls inside the station to be detained and after the Q-train passed that I probably saved the baby and possibly both the girl's lives who at that point were still protesting. Another railfan there told me I should have just let it be and let the train hit all three of them, noting the Darwin Award would have been properly award and that I cheated the Reaper of his prize for it.

 

To this day, I'm still amazed and annoyed by the sheer total lack of comon sense, or self preservation exhibited by people around the tracks and trains.