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mrdmk

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38. (I posted this on another thread) The Proceeding would not have happend in the U.S.A.

Thu Jul 11, 2013, 09:13 PM

Jul 2013

link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_brake_%28rail%29

Railway air brake

<snip>
An air brake is a conveyance braking system actuated by compressed air. Modern trains rely upon a fail-safe air brake system that is based upon a design patented by George Westinghouse on March 5, 1868. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) was subsequently organized to manufacture and sell Westinghouse's invention. In various forms, it has been nearly universally adopted.

The Westinghouse system uses air pressure to charge air reservoirs (tanks) on each car. Full air pressure signals each car to release the brakes. A reduction or loss of air pressure signals each car to apply its brakes, using the compressed air in its reservoirs.
<end of snip>

This is very weird at best, trains cross back and forth between Canada and the U.S.A. all of the time. Why have different air braking standardized by the Department of Transportation (DOT)?

Why completely abandon a crippled train on the hill? Who is the idiot who made this decision?

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41 replies

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Quebec train set too few brakes, engineer �under police control� [View all] jpak Jul 2013 OP

Such a tragedy... deurbano Jul 2013 #1

"rail operators are given considerable leeway"---the regs remind me of oil & gas industry regs wordpix Jul 2013 #2

what an awful tragedy. LittleGirl Jul 2013 #3

In addition to the loss of life, BlueToTheBone Jul 2013 #4

Oh yeah, it's a goddamn mess. AtheistCrusader Jul 2013 #5

Holy Crap! BlueToTheBone Jul 2013 #7

72 tanker cars. AtheistCrusader Jul 2013 #8

Oh how horrible! BlueToTheBone Jul 2013 #11

I'm guessing some will never be found NickB79 Jul 2013 #41

Scapegoat: Acquired AtheistCrusader Jul 2013 #6

They tried first to pin it on volunteer firemen Thor_MN Jul 2013 #9

indeed. fuck Ed Burkhardt. I stand with Tom Harding cali Jul 2013 #29

Harding may have made a mistake, but AtheistCrusader Jul 2013 #30

yes. and that's if he made a mistake. I stand with Tom Harding. cali Jul 2013 #31

Correct me if I'm wrong... TheBlackAdder Jul 2013 #10

Amen to that! 7962 Jul 2013 #14

1) Apparantly HooptieWagon Jul 2013 #15

The average railcar is 75 feet long, plus hookups. 80 feet x 75 cars = 6,000 feet. Over 1 mile. nt TheBlackAdder Jul 2013 #17

75' too long. 50 or 60 might be about right. And your right, my mental math went south. HooptieWagon Jul 2013 #19

Varies, but most seem to be 60-63 feet long, thus about 2 football fields short of a mile happyslug Jul 2013 #35

For many years... HooptieWagon Jul 2013 #36

As an addition... TheBlackAdder Jul 2013 #16

There are two air pressure systems. HooptieWagon Jul 2013 #20

Were they unionized? Seems to me this would be an issue a union would have plenty to say about. silvershadow Jul 2013 #12

Yes - United Steelworkers. However... GliderGuider Jul 2013 #25

Well, then looks like the union knew best. nt silvershadow Jul 2013 #33

And anyone walking the tracks can release the hand brakes. bahrbearian Jul 2013 #13

That could be. HooptieWagon Jul 2013 #18

Until the engineer admits fault or facts show he is responsible, what the comapny says is pure crap. snagglepuss Jul 2013 #21

EVEN IF he made a mistake the working conditions made it not only possible, but likely. AtheistCrusader Jul 2013 #32

Ok - 1 guy is going to set handbrakes on over 70 cars? ConcernedCanuk Jul 2013 #22

No, only a number of them need to be set. The real issue is... GliderGuider Jul 2013 #24

Shouldn't be a concern of the engineer ConcernedCanuk Jul 2013 #26

I'm pretty sure we'll see some significant regulatory changes as a result of this. nt GliderGuider Jul 2013 #27

(I posted this on another thread) The Proceeding would not have happend in the U.S.A. mrdmk Jul 2013 #38

The train was left on the incline because it was crippled, it was parked there so the snagglepuss Jul 2013 #40

More on the track incline, union representation and the single-operator issue. GliderGuider Jul 2013 #23

Bullshit. This makes me furious. That's the accusation of the vile pig Burkhardt cali Jul 2013 #28

scape goat mtasselin Jul 2013 #34

Oh, FUCK THIS FUCKING BULLSHIT! Brickbat Jul 2013 #37

+100 nt GliderGuider Jul 2013 #39