Hiawatha Pete
Hiawatha Pete's JournalSecretary Pete: "I don't know where Tucker Carlson was when they were trying to dismantle the EPA"
Youtube video link:
And from the NYT: "The Trump Administration Rolled Back More Than 100 Environmental Rules. Here’s the Full List"
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html
An overlooked factor driving the proposed rollout of ECP brakes: PTC & increased train frequency
Although the NTSB has indicated that the train in the Ohio derailment was travelling within allowable speed limits and that a lack of ECP brakes was not the root cause ( https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217675069 )
PTC or Positive Train Control - implemented during the Obama admin -
is intended to prevent derailments due to other factors:
From the FRA website:
https://railroads.dot.gov/research-development/program-areas/train-control/ptc/positive-train-control-ptc
"Positive Train Control (PTC) systems are designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments, incursions into established work zones, and movements of trains through switches left in the wrong position. "
So how does this tie in to ECP brakes?
Without getting into the nitty gritty technical details, Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) braking (with the application & release of brakes being controlled by an electric signal as opposed to an air signal in a brake pipe) allows for somewhat more convenient interface with PTC during the installation phase of PTC.
From https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267600084_Increasing_US_Freight_Rail_Network_Capacity_With_ECP_Braking_and_PTC_Systems
"Growth in U.S. rail freight demand, especially for intermodal and coal, is leading to capacity constraints on key corridors. The costs of building new rail lines are often prohibitive, and the industry needs to find other solutions for increasing capacity.
Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) braking combined with new Positive Train Control (PTC) systems have the potential to double the traffic density on existing double-track rail corridors,
as well as increase average network speeds. This has the potential to support the projected increase in rail traffic over the next 20 years, without needing significant additions to track infrastructure. Implementation of ECP and PTC is challenging, and will require close cooperation between railroads, car owners, shippers, railroad suppliers, and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)."
(emphasis mine)
The twist: It would be ironic if Trump meddling in the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) - supposedly meant to assuage the concern of some freight railroads & railcar owners about the cost of rolling out ECP brakes (which could well have been shared the way grade-crossing eliminations are under the Biden Infrastructure Bill)- actually ended up limiting the industry's capacity.
(Disclaimer- I haven't seen any studies on this which I could quote, so no citations available so far on this last point.)
Reference: S. 1451 (IS) - Railroad Advancement of Innovation and Leadership with Safety Act
https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-115s1451is
Is the Trump admin bill that specifically called for the Federal Railroad Administration to use "performance-based" regulation & effectively nullified the ECP brake rule
NTSB Preliminary Report RRD23MR005 Norfolk Southern Railway Train Derailment
Reposted from LBN as per recommendation from forum hosts:Source: National Transportation Safety Board
https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/RRD23MR005%20East%20Palestine%20OH%20Prelim.pdf
Issued: February 23, 2023
"On February 3, 2023, about 8:54 p.m. local time, eastbound Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) general merchandise freight train 32N derailed 38 railcars on main track 1 of the NS Fort Wayne Line of the Keystone Division in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailed equipment included 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited
Train 32N was traveling about 47 mph at the time of the derailment, which was less than the maximum authorized timetable speed of 50 mph.
Train 32N was operating with a dynamic brake application as the train passed a wayside defect detector on the east side of Palestine, Ohio, at milepost (MP) 49.81.
The wayside defect detector, or hot bearing detector (HBD), transmitted a critical audible alarm message instructing the crew to slow and stop the train to inspect a hot axle. The train engineer increased the dynamic brake application to further slow and stop the train.
During this deceleration, an automatic emergency brake application initiated, and train 32N came to a stop.
On the Fort Wayne Line of the Keystone Division, NS has equipped their rail network with HBD systems to assess the temperature conditions of wheel bearings while en route. The function of the HBD is to detect overheated bearings and provide audible real-time warnings to train crews. Train 32N passed three HBD systems on its trip before the derailment. At MP 79.9, the suspect bearing from the 23rd car had a recorded temperature of 38F above ambient temperature. When train 32N passed the next HBD, at MP 69.01, the bearing's recorded temperature was 103F above
ambient.
The third HBD, at MP 49.81, recorded the suspect bearing's temperature at 253F above ambient.
NS has established the following HBD alarm thresholds (above ambient temperature) and criteria for bearings:
Between 170F and 200F, warm bearing (non-critical); stop and inspect
A difference between bearings on the same axle greater than or equal to 115F (non-critical); stop and inspect
Greater than 200F (critical); set out railcar"
Read more: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/RRD23MR005%20East%20Palestine%20OH%20Prelim.pdf
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Key points & takeaways in the NTSB preliminary report:
1) The train was operating within allowable speed limits (paragraph 1 above)
__________________________________
2) The train was operating in dynamic braking mode (paragraph 2 above). Dynamic braking is an additional braking system over & above the airbrakes and involves the use of the electric traction motors on a diesel-electric locomotive to slow the train.
In many cases dynamic braking alone will just about hold back what tonnage a locomotive can pull, with conventional airbrakes being "blended-in" at lower speeds to bring the train to a complete stop.
Furthermore, the NTSB Chair has issued a statement indicating that the use of conventional airbrakes was not the root cause of the derailment:
(Per my prior post at: https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143035850 )
__________________________________
3) The rail car that initiated the derailment had an overheated wheel bearing (paragraphs 3 & 4 above)
A device that can play a role in preventing derailments is the wayside hot-box detector. It uses infrared sensors to detect bearings, axles or other components of a rail car that are overheating, then uses radio signals to flag rail crews of any overheated components.
Train 32N passed three HBD systems on its trip before the derailment, and these hotbox detectors appeared to be working.
At Mile 79.9, the suspect bearing from the 23rd car had a recorded temperature of 38F above ambient temperature.
At Mile 69.01, the bearing's recorded temperature was 103F above ambient.
At Mile 49.81, the HBD recorded the suspect bearing's temperature at 253F above ambient.
Between 170F and 200F above ambient temperature the rules state for the crew to stop and inspect the train and greater than 200F the crew must uncouple the defective railcar from the rest of the train.
As per the operating rules, the bearing temperature threshold that would invoke stopping the train and remedial action by the crew was not reached until Mile 49.81 - right at the east side of Palestine, Ohio
__________________________________
4) The report also indicates that the partners in the investigation include:
The FRA,
Norfolk Southern Railway,
Trinity Industries Leasing Company,
and GATX Corporation among others.
In most cases, the companies that own the railcars are the ones responsible for railcar safety inspections. Norfolk Southern does not own the railcars but owns the locomotives & right of way.
____________________________________
Summary:
The root cause of the derailment was not brakes, but an overheated bearing on one of the railcars owned by a third party.
The wayside sensors appeared to be working correctly and the crew following the operating rules
The NTSB investigation is still ongoing and will be up to them to determine whether the 3rd-party railcar owners, &/or Norfolk Southern & other parties bear - or share - in the responsibility.
It will also be up to them & the FRA to determine if required, and recommend & enforce, any changes to the operating rules such as lowering the temperature threshold (recorded by the hotbox detectors) at which to stop a train
NTSB Preliminary Report RRD23MR005 Norfolk Southern Railway Train Derailment
Source: National Transportation Safety Board
Issued: February 23, 2023
On February 3, 2023, about 8:54 p.m. local time, eastbound Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) general merchandise freight train 32N derailed 38 railcars on main track 1 of the NS Fort Wayne Line of the Keystone Division in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailed equipment included 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited
Train 32N was traveling about 47 mph at the time of the derailment, which was less than the maximum authorized timetable speed of 50 mph.
Train 32N was operating with a dynamic brake application as the train passed a wayside defect detector on the east side of Palestine, Ohio, at milepost (MP) 49.81.
The wayside defect detector, or hot bearing detector (HBD), transmitted a critical audible alarm message instructing the crew to slow and stop the train to inspect a hot axle. The train engineer increased the dynamic brake application to further slow and stop the train.
During this deceleration, an automatic emergency brake application initiated, and train 32N came to a stop.
On the Fort Wayne Line of the Keystone Division, NS has equipped their rail network with HBD systems to assess the temperature conditions of wheel bearings while en route. The function of the HBD is to detect overheated bearings and provide audible real-time warnings to train crews. Train 32N passed three HBD systems on its trip before the derailment. At MP 79.9, the suspect bearing from the 23rd car had a recorded temperature of 38F above ambient temperature. When train 32N passed the next HBD, at MP 69.01, the bearing's recorded temperature was 103F above
ambient.
The third HBD, at MP 49.81, recorded the suspect bearing's temperature at 253F above ambient.
NS has established the following HBD alarm thresholds (above ambient temperature) and criteria for bearings:
Between 170F and 200F, warm bearing (non-critical); stop and inspect
A difference between bearings on the same axle greater than or equal to 115F (non-critical); stop and inspect
Greater than 200F (critical); set out railcar
Read more: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/RRD23MR005%20East%20Palestine%20OH%20Prelim.pdf
Key points & takeaways in the NTSB preliminary report:
1) The train was operating within allowable speed limits (paragraph 1 above)
__________________________________
2) The train was operating in dynamic braking mode (paragraph 2 above). Dynamic braking is an additional braking system over & above the airbrakes and involves the use of the electric traction motors on a diesel-electric locomotive to slow the train.
In many cases dynamic braking alone will just about hold back what tonnage a locomotive can pull, with conventional airbrakes being "blended-in" at lower speeds to bring the train to a complete stop.
Furthermore, the NTSB Chair has issued a statement indicating that the use of conventional airbrakes was not the root cause of the derailment:
(Per my prior post at: https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143035850 )
__________________________________
3) The rail car that initiated the derailment had an overheated wheel bearing (paragraphs 3 & 4 above)
A device that can play a role in preventing derailments is the wayside hot-box detector. It uses infrared sensors to detect bearings, axles or other components of a rail car that are overheating, then uses radio signals to flag rail crews of any overheated components.
Train 32N passed three HBD systems on its trip before the derailment, and these hotbox detectors appeared to be working.
At Mile 79.9, the suspect bearing from the 23rd car had a recorded temperature of 38F above ambient temperature.
At Mile 69.01, the bearing's recorded temperature was 103F above ambient.
At Mile 49.81, the HBD recorded the suspect bearing's temperature at 253F above ambient.
Between 170F and 200F above ambient temperature the rules state for the crew to stop and inspect the train and greater than 200F the crew must uncouple the defective railcar from the rest of the train.
As per the operating rules, the bearing temperature threshold that would invoke stopping the train and remedial action by the crew was not reached until Mile 49.81 - right at the east side of Palestine, Ohio
__________________________________
4) The report also indicates that the partners in the investigation include:
The FRA,
Norfolk Southern Railway,
Trinity Industries Leasing Company,
and GATX Corporation among others.
In most cases, the companies that own the railcars are the ones responsible for railcar safety inspections. Norfolk Southern does not own the railcars but owns the locomotives & right of way.
____________________________________
Summary:
The root cause of the derailment was not brakes, but an overheated bearing on one of the railcars owned by a third party.
The wayside sensors appeared to be working correctly and the crew following the operating rules
The NTSB investigation is still ongoing and will be up to them to determine whether the 3rd-party railcar owners, &/or Norfolk Southern & other parties bear - or share - in the responsibility.
It will also be up to them & the FRA to determine if required, and recommend & enforce, any changes to the operating rules such as lowering the temperature threshold (recorded by the hotbox detectors) at which to stop a train
Contrary to RW claims, Secretary Pete Buttigieg did not tie EP brake rule to Ohio derailment
Secretary Pete Buttigieg's statement was part of a much larger generalization on what the Biden Administration has been working on & looking at going forward in the area of freight rail safety:
link to twitter thread:
https://twitter.com/SecretaryPete/status/1625628590850117633?s=20
These are just some of the excerpts:
-snip-
"In the wake of the East Palestine derailment and its impact on hundreds of residents, we’re seeing lots of newfound or renewed (and welcome) interest in our work on rail safety, so I wanted to share more about what we’ve been doing in this area:
In June we announced $120 million in grants to help improve railway safety
The infrastructure law created a new program that provides $3 billion dedicated to eliminating at-grade rail crossings to reduce crashes and save lives. We will announce awards for the first round of projects this summer.
Our priority is to prevent transportation incidents, but when they do occur and hazardous material is involved, we want first responders to be prepared. We recently awarded $32.4 M in grants to strengthen local efforts to respond to hazmat incidents.
We’re constrained by law on some areas of rail regulation (like the braking rule withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018 because of a law passed by Congress in 2015), but we are using the powers we do have to keep people safe.
-snip-
Nowhere in the thread did the Transport Secretary state that a lack of EP brakes were the cause of the derailment.
However, as is par for the course, RW media has simply taken one statement in a very large address completely out of context for their manufactured outrage, which began even before the very first facts about the derailment started coming in.
Ohio train derailment: NTSB chair issues 'plea to those spreading misinformation'
Source: ABC News
The head of the National Transportation Safety Board said the agency "is working vigorously to understand what caused" the Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
In a rare series of posts on Twitter on Thursday evening, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy issued "a message to the community" as well as "a plea to those spreading misinformation."
She added: "Nothing...nothing is more important than accuracy at a moment like this, which is why the NTSB is deliberate in our approach to investigations. Credibility is ESSENTIAL to our lifesaving mission. The NTSB process WORKS.
The NTSB chair addressed speculation that a rule on electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) breaks -- if implemented -- would have prevented the train derailment, which she said was "FALSE."
"The ECP braking rule would've applied ONLY to HIGH HAZARD FLAMMABLE TRAINS. The train that derailed in East Palestine was a MIXED FREIGHT TRAIN containing only 3 placarded Class 3 flammable liquids cars," she tweeted. "This means even if the rule had gone into effect, this train wouldn't have had ECP brakes."
Finally, Homendy urged members of the public to let her agency lead the investigation.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/ohio-train-derailment-ntsb-chair-issues-plea-spreading/story?id=97281671
Further to my prior posts at:
2015 EP brake rule, as proposed, would not have been applicable to Ohio train:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217656721
So called 'antiquated' brakes - also used on school buses & trucks -was not cause of Ohio derailment
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217645420
2015 EP brake rule, as proposed, would not have been applicable to Ohio train
While the concerns about corporate greed being a contributing factor are still very much valid,
it's disappointing how so many news sources still miss the mark - In all likelihood brakes were not the root cause of the derailment, ie were not what caused the cars to leave the rails.
Firstly, regulations: the EP (electro-pneumatic) brake rule as proposed in 2015 was applicable to unit trains, ie trains with 70+ hazmat cars and would not have been applicable to this train
source: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-05-08/pdf/2015-10670.pdf
Not that the rule couldn't be expanded, though.
Second, technical:
Thu Feb 16 From: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/norfolk-southern-eliminated-key-maintenance-role-in-derailment-region-union-says
-snip- "A device that can play a role in preventing derailments is the wayside hot-box detector. It uses infrared sensors to detect bearings, axles or other components of a rail car that are overheating, then uses radio signals to flag rail crews of any overheated components.
The rail car that initiated the derailment had an overheated wheel bearing, according to a Tuesday report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB is still investigating the cause of the derailment and will publish a preliminary report in two weeks.
Wayside hot-box detectors are typically placed every 25 miles along a railroad, according to a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) report. Their use has contributed to a 59% decrease in train accidents caused by axle- and bearing-related factors since 1990, according to a 2017 Association of American Railroads study.
Declining head counts have led to these mechanisms receiving less preventative maintenance, according to an official from the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen union" -snip-
Finally, because failure of a wayside device could well have been involved, it appears the NTSB has investigated & ruled out sabotage, though the investigation is still ongoing: "The cause of the derailment is still under investigation, but DeWine said there is no indication of sabotage":
https://www.lancasterfarming.com/farming-news/livestock/ohio-train-derailment-little-threat-to-livestock-people/article_98889dbe-ac9b-11ed-9315-2717325eadb0.html
So called 'antiquated' brakes - also used on school buses & trucks -was not cause of Ohio derailment
According to latest reports & wikipedia, it appears the root cause of the derailment was not the brakes, but rather an axle on one of the railcars:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Ohio_train_derailment
That "antiquated" brake system some refer to is the very same airbrake system (designed by George Westinghouse) that is used on schoolbuses & trucks around the world to this day, and is not unique to any one railway.
It is designed to be "failsafe" in that a loss of air, or cars becoming separated due to a derailment, will automatically cause brakes to apply.
The system, being air-operated, has something known as a propagation delay where the brakes at the rear of the train take longer to apply than the brakes at the front.
This is why the idea of an Electro-pnuematic braking system is being floated by some, at least for trains that contain dangerous goods. An EP system uses an electric signal instead of an airbrake pipe to signal the brakes to apply, and the advantage of this system is that the brakes apply immediately throughout the train with no propagation delay, shortening the braking distance - which could help in a situation where emergency braking is required such as a derailment.
EP brakes are currently in use on many modern passenger trains such as Amtrak's Cities Sprinter locomotives as well as other systems around the world.
One of the barriers to implementing an EP system for freight trains (if the authorities at the FRA, Office of the Transport Secretary, ect were to decide that is the best course of action) is the fact that railways like Norfolk Southern do not own the cars, those are owned by the online industries (eg Georgia Pacific, Dow ect).
That being said, barriers can be overcome and any identified safety-related shortcomings in industry practices can be fixed with proper legislation, oversight - and if necessary, funding, in the case of any mandated new equipment.
PS- On an unrelated note, the airbrake system (whether EP or Westinghouse air-type) is not the only braking system on the trains. Every diesel electric locomotive has dynamic braking (or electric braking) in which the 4000HP of the locomotive is converted into braking power by turning the electric traction motors that move the train into wheel-driven generators that, similar to engine braking on a truck, work to hold back the train. It's the same electric braking system used in hybrid cars.
PPS - Since the root cause appears to be axle-related, any investigation/inquiry will need to determine who is responsible for performing the required safety inspections (the lineside industry that own the cars or the RR's that operate them) as well as any required changes in inspection frequencies &/or methods.
I'm glad to see TFG gone by any legal means - but the Kochs can still FOAD
I'm glad to see TFG gone by any legal means...and that includes having him sent packing by a Koch funded primary opponent.
But Koch dark money lobbies such as the Fraser institute are trying to overturn Canada's universal healthcare system in favour of a private model;
https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/2023/01/25/follow-the-money-on-private-health-care-threat.html
This Canadian is one of millions who will celebrate the day when the Koch fuckers and their lackey's - the Fraser Institute - are run out of town (and Canada) on a rail.
Koch can eat shit & die.
When. Are. Liberals. Dems. Going. To. Start. Suing. For. Harassment. Defamation. Intimidation. Ect?
Never mind, for the moment, the bigger picture of the FBI not pressing charges for the human trafficking of asylum seekers. Never mind MF45 not being charged for hate speech when he started spouting the birther lies against Pres. Obama for starters, plus far worse ones that I will not utter here.
We are witnessing - in real time right before our eyes - criminal acts of harassment, intimidation & defamation against people, in this case against public officials.
Trafficking asylum seekers to the VP's home at Christmas?
Clearly a case of criminal harassment.
Spouting lies & hate speech against the 44th President of the United States?
Clearly a case of defamation.
I could go on...
The Sandy Hook families had the right idea WRT to Alex Jones. It's way past time for elected leaders to do the same.
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