Woman steals train, crashes it into a house.

[CaptOblivious]

I thought this was an Onion article when I first saw it…

 

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/01/15/cleaning-woman-steals-train-crashes-it-into-house/

 

(image from article)

[Densha]

From all countries I didn't expect something like this to happen in Sweden. I can't describe what I think about it, it's just crazy stuff. Who on earth steals a train?

[KenS]

But did she steal it, or did she just bump the controls and panic?

 

Presumably there's a way to lock it down, but perhaps someone forgot to do so.

 

It's kind of hard to believe that she'd think she could go for a joyride on the train she was working on, and nobody would notice or figure out it was her. Then again, people can be terribly dumb at times. Maybe she did think she could take it for a spin and bring it back before anyone noticed.

 

It's not, however, the first time I've heard of someone stealing a train.  There was an incident about 25 years ago on one of the railroads where I was railfaning where someone apparently climbed into an idling locomotive that had had it's throttle handle removed, and either used a wrench or his own throttle handle, and sent the loco off on a long trip, until the railroad was able to derail it.  I don't think they ever caught the guy, and it might have been simply vandalism (there was a strike going on at the time), or a joyride where he jumped in mid-trip. 

 

I'd heard about it from others who were around at the time, although I don't think anyone I knew actually saw it.  But googling around I found an article about it:

 

http://new.yankeemagazine.com/article/runaway-train

 

While they called it a runaway, the people I talked to a few years after it happened were convinced it was deliberate, either theft or vandalism because of the removed handle, although that isn't mentioned in the article.

 

Edit: fixed typo.

Edited January 16, 2013 by KenS

[marknewton]

It does seem odd. Our EMUs have a key which locks the master controller in isolate when removed, and a brake valve isolating cock to cut out the brake stand. Depending on the type of train, there's either individual spring parking brake valves in each motor car, or a trainlined parking brake control. Providing the train has been secured properly when it is stabled, there's not much chance of someone unauthorised taking it. Most EMU stock I've seen around the world has similar control, brake and stabling equipment.

 

Having said that, and without knowing anything at all about how these Swedish EMUs are equipped, I can imagine a couple of scenarios that seem more likely to me than the cleaning lady deciding to go for a test drive.

 

One is that she accidentally released the parking brake, and didn't know how to re-apply it. According to the article she was employed by a contractor, so she probably knew nothing at all about how a train works. The other is that the train was not properly secured when it was stabled. I've known of similar incidents where the crew forgot to apply the park brake, and once the air bled away the train simply rolled off on it's own. This may have been the case here, and the poor woman was just along for the ride...

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[westfalen]

On our trains in Brisbane the only 'key' is the reverser handle which is locked in the electrical locker that is opened by the same key that opens the cab doors which out of necessity the cleaners have to gain access to the trains. It would be possible for a cleaner that has watched a driver key in and pump up the air to do something similar here, but he/she wouldn't get any further than the catch points at the exits of the yard.

[bill937ca]

The reply from Arriva is that its not difficult to operate a train.  This may be true, but there is usually something like a reverser handle that would impede the average person.

 

http://www.roundnews.com/world/europe/955-stockholm-woman-steals-and-crashes-train.html

[bikkuri bahn]

Feel for the the poor sod who lives in that place- that's a nice house.

[Ochanomizu]

Nobody injured + square windows + Sweden = Volvo.

 

Of course, I am joking. :laughing4:

[marknewton]

Feel for the the poor sod who lives in that place- that's a nice house.

 

And so close to public transport! 

[marknewton]

On our trains in Brisbane the only 'key' is the reverser handle...

 

 

...he/she wouldn't get any further than the catch points at the exits of the yard.

 

Our old single-deck EMUs had the same arrangement of a removable reverser handle - which also was a great bottle-opener!

 

Same with our yards, either the catchpoints or derails would get you, which is why I suspect there is more to this story than is being told.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

 

 

[Kitayama]

The cleaner didn't steal the train. She started it by accident (exactly how is not revealed yet) and didn't know how to stop it. The train was left with the driving key in place, the switches were set towards the line etc. So once the train started to move, it moved 1.5 km until the end of the line...and a bit further. You can read more here: http://www.thelocal.se/45692/20130118/

 

The traffic authority, SL, who owns the train and the infrastrcuture, and the traffic operator, Arriva, will have a lot to explain. Not only how it could happen, but also their way of accusing the cleaner for theft without any evidence.

 

Off topic... If you ever get to the site where this happend, I can recommend the coffe place in the old station building. I and my wife have taken a tea break there many times!

[marknewton]

The reply from Arriva is that its not difficult to operate a train...

 

Those of us who do it for a living might disagree.

 

"However, Hedenius explained that just about anyone can drive a train because it is not complicated."

 

Typical bullshit from a typical corporate PR flack. What he should have said was that their procedures were so poor a runaway was only a matter of time.

 

He added that the internet has provided an avenue for people to learn things quickly just by observation.

 

He's a complete and utter wanker. I haven't noticed many "how to drive a Swedish EMU" videos on the internet lately.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

Edited January 19, 2013 by marknewton

[marknewton]

The cleaner didn't steal the train. She started it by accident (exactly how is not revealed yet) and didn't know how to stop it. The train was left with the driving key in place, the switches were set towards the line etc. So once the train started to move, it moved 1.5 km until the end of the line...and a bit further.

 

Which is pretty much what I thought must have happened.

 

The traffic authority, SL, who owns the train and the infrastrcuture, and the traffic operator, Arriva, will have a lot to explain. Not only how it could happen, but also their way of accusing the cleaner for theft without any evidence.

 

"I made clear from the beginning that all scenarios were possible. It’s unfortunate that she was depicted as a thief, and I’m truly sad about that," Tomas Hedenius, a spokesman for Arriva, told The Local.

 

What a wanker this bloke comes across as.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

Edited January 19, 2013 by marknewton