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But the system is 100 years old and we cannot possibly make it safe.
No, tunnels or overpasses are impossible to design.
Valhalla didn't exist 100 years ago.
We only BOUGHT the system.
It USED to be a cemetery.
But the system is 100 years old and we cannot possibly make it safe.
No, tunnels or overpasses are impossible to design.
Valhalla didn't exist 100 years ago.
We only BOUGHT the system so we are not responsible for accidents or safety measures.
It USED to be a cemetery.
Quote:
from the legally allowed 50mph before impact
For someone who is going to criticize me for not re-searching who owned the railroad 100 years ago, and the history of Valhalla, NY, you seem to have been asleep at the CURRENT information wheel.
Time and time again the NTSB said the speed limit was 60 and the train was going 58 before it hit the brakes. I assumed the NTSD would know.
Quote:
Data recorders also show the Metro-North Railroad train's engineer hit the
emergency brakes and sounded the horn as the train bore down on the Valhalla
crossing, traveling 58 mph in a 60 mph zone, National Transportation Safety
Board Vice Chairman Robert Sumwalt said Thursday.
The speed at the time of impact a half minute after brakes were applied is completely irrelevant other than it was enough to kill the driver and train passengers and destroy its a few hundred feet of its own third rail.
A reasonable standard for safety is that if a train engineer sees an obstacle in from of him he should be able to stop in time (ladies and gentlemen of the jury.) I find it hard to believe that 30 seconds is not nearly enough time to even come close to stopping one of these trains in an emergency.
Just wait and see what the MTA will have to settle on its dead passengers. The proof of the pudding will be in the PAYING. All any of the families need is a reasonably competent lawyer.
Let's set the speed limit for everything on the ground say 30MPH so that vehicles/trains can be stopped safely just in case someone is walking in the middle of freeway or someone stops the vehicle in the middle of the train tracks to check if everything is OK with vehicle's exterior. We can set the speed limit after dark say 10mph.
But the system is 100 years old and we cannot possibly make it safe.
No, tunnels or overpasses are impossible to design.
Valhalla didn't exist 100 years ago.
We only BOUGHT the system so we are not responsible for accidents or safety measures.
It USED to be a cemetery.
For someone who is going to criticize me for not re-searching who owned the railroad 100 years ago, and the history of Valhalla, NY, you seem to have been asleep at the CURRENT information wheel.
Time and time again the NTSB said the speed limit was 60 and the train was going 58 before it hit the brakes. I assumed the NTSD would know.
The speed at the time of impact a half minute after brakes were applied is completely irrelevant other than it was enough to kill the driver and train passengers and destroy its a few hundred feet of its own third rail.
A reasonable standard for safety is that if a train engineer sees an obstacle in from of him he should be able to stop in time (ladies and gentlemen of the jury.) I find it hard to believe that 30 seconds is not nearly enough time to even come close to stopping one of these trains in an emergency.
Just wait and see what the MTA will have to settle on its dead passengers. The proof of the pudding will be in the PAYING. All any of the families need is a reasonably competent lawyer.
Well, this particular engineer didn't have thirty seconds notice, but I don't know exactly how long it takes to brake/stop a train. It would be good to find out. Probably depends on the size of the train, how fast it's going, etc., but there's got to be some sort of range. However, I don't think it would ever be possible to stop one of those things on a dime when something is suddenly directly in front of you that wasn't there a second ago. You wouldn't be able to do that in a car, either. I was on a commuter train once when a woman committed suicide by jumping in front of it. Similar to this event, the engineer braked hard as soon as he saw her in front of him, but we still went down the tracks a little ways before it came to a complete stop.
I agree--no matter what, the MTA will be sued, and victims/victims' families will be paid. The Brody woman was apparently well-to-do, and I'm sure she had chunky insurance on that Mercedes, but it can't be anywhere near enough to pay out millions to multiple parties. The MTA has to have tons of liability insurance.
Until this happened, I had no idea that there was third-rail electrification on non-subway-type trains. Here in Jersey, the trains that run on electricity (we have some diesel lines) are powered by overhead wires. That whole third-rail thing is a creepy aspect to this story, and that will definitely be a focus in the lawsuits.
Last edited by Mightyqueen801; 02-07-2015 at 09:08 AM..
Until this happened, I had no idea that there was third-rail electrification on non-subway-type trains. Here in Jersey, the trains that run on electricity (we have some diesel lines) are powered by overhead wires. That whole third-rail thing is a creepy aspect to this story, and that will definitely be a focus in the lawsuits.
In Connecticut there's a transition, from Grand Central to I think Stamford it's third rail and then after that to New Haven is overhead cables. The train operator flips a switch and some equipment extends from the top of the roof
That whole third-rail thing is a creepy aspect to this story, and that will definitely be a focus in the lawsuits.
Until someone gets electrocuted stepping on the tracks or by severed wire. Agree with others who have stated that rail systems cannot be built to please everyone or protect from ever act of idiocy.
Until someone gets electrocuted stepping on the tracks or by severed wire. Agree with others who have stated that rail systems cannot be built to please everyone or protect from ever act of idiocy.
Not sure how that's a response to what you quoted from my post. Explain?
Not sure how that's a response to what you quoted from my post. Explain?
Don't you know the purpose of the 3rd rail? It's there so electric power cannot be severed in case of accident, blizzard, hurricanes, etc. OH wires can be severed and pose a higher risk of accidental electrocution (and lawsuits).
Don't you know the purpose of the 3rd rail? It's there so electric power cannot be severed in case of accident, blizzard, hurricanes, etc. OH wires can be severed and pose a higher risk of accidental electrocution (and lawsuits).
Yes, of course I know the purpose of the 3rd rail. I've been commuting for more than 35 years!
I am not trying to argue anything with you. I was just asking how:
"Until someone gets electrocuted stepping on the tracks or by severed wire. Agree with others who have stated that rail systems cannot be built to please everyone or protect from ever act of idiocy."
was a logical response to: "That whole third-rail thing is a creepy aspect to this story, and that will definitely be a focus in the lawsuits."
It's like saying "The sky is blue today" and someone responding with "But the dog needs a bath!" The response has no relation to the first statement.
To clarify, we were talking about lawsuits and the MTA being sued, and my remark was about the third rail coming up into the rail car and killing/maiming passengers. It is a creepy/freaky aspect to the whole story. And it will, of course, be fuel for a lawsuit against the MTA.
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Explain?
