Metro-North train derails in the Bronx

[Kaido]

Update: 4 dead, 67 injured. Operator said brakes didn't work.

Developing...

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/01/travel/new-york-train-derails/index.html

Photo:

https://twitter.com/SheldonDutes4NY/status/407135212565299200

Video:

https://vine.co/v/hPFuj2IMUbK

Dang

 

[PottedMeat]

lucky i guess it derailed on a sunday morning

 

[Pardus]

was the conductor sending a tweet?

 

[dbk]

Apparently it happened earlier in the year too

 

[K1052]

Apparently it happened earlier in the year too

That was a low speed derailment of a CSX freight run from the waste transfer station at Oak Point. Cars just came off the rails but still were upright in the rail bed.

Given the distance the MNRR cars are from the tracks the train was pretty clearly going too fast for the curve for whatever reason. Should have been going much slower to make it's scheduled stop at Spuyten Duyvil station just past the wreck site.

 

[mmntech]

Looks a lot like a derailment that happened here last year. In that case, the train hit a switch going well over twice the posted limit.

 

[LegendKiller]

One of the older metro north trains. Those things are pieces of shit and smell like it to. I rode them for over 4 years and they smell horrible. Certain cars had soft spots in the floor b/c they had rotted/rusted out. The new ones can't come fast enough.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I've ridden that train before.

 

[K1052]

One of the older metro north trains. Those things are pieces of shit and smell like it to. I rode them for over 4 years and they smell horrible. Certain cars had soft spots in the floor b/c they had rotted/rusted out. The new ones can't come fast enough.

These look like Shoreliner IIs which entered service in the early in the late 80s and were rebuilt a few years ago. I assume you were probably riding M2s which should have been replaced 10 years ago.

 

[LegendKiller]

These look like Shoreliner IIs which entered service in the early in the late 80s and were rebuilt a few years ago. I assume you were probably riding M2s which should have been replaced 10 years ago.

Ahh, you are correct. I saw one picture and thought it was the M2s. The boxier ones, like these, were much better. Maybe you know why they seemed to be retiring those (boxier ones) when they brought the new trains online before they were retiring the M2s.

 

[K1052]

Ahh, you are correct. I saw one picture and thought it was the M2s. The boxier ones, like these, were much better. Maybe you know why they seemed to be retiring those (boxier ones) when they brought the new trains online before they were retiring the M2s.

I know they retired a couple series of coaches (deemed too expensive to upgrade/repair) a while back but I think most of that is a result of MNRR and ConnDOT just shifting rolling stock around as they started to receive new EMUs.

 

[Pardus]

NTSB: Train was traveling 82 mph before it derailed on a 30 mph curve

 

[K1052]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/02/us/new-york-train-derails/index.html

Took the 30mph curve in the low 80s. Kind of amazing more people weren't killed.

Speed on the Hudson Line north of the turn is limited to 70mph. First data indicates throttle and brake inputs weren't made until seconds before the derailment, if it is accurate.

 

[NFS4]

NTSB: Train was traveling 82 mph before it derailed on a 30 mph curve

 

[Ruptga]

I'd be considering a trip to Honduras if I were that train's driver. Whatever they did or didn't do, things are looking very bad for them.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Yep, doesn't sound good for the operator/driver/engineer. The timing doesn't add up for him/her...

I got a bad feeling that he/she may have been texting or similar and wasn't paying attention. I don't know that for a fact, but something had his attention and it doesn't appear to be driving the train...


Brian

 

[uhohs]

 

[Dari]

80mph? I didn't think those trains could go that fast

 

[who?]

The driver says he zoned out. I wonder if he has ADD or ADHD.

 

[PowerYoga]

All these derailments seem to be human error in some way shape or form. Don't they have stuff that forcibly slow a train down if they detect you doing 80 when a turn is coming up? It's not like the rails have traffic to deal with, force the trains to slow down to 30 when it's making that turn.

 

[ultimatebob]

All these derailments seem to be human error in some way shape or form. Don't they have stuff that forcibly slow a train down if they detect you doing 80 when a turn is coming up? It's not like the rails have traffic to deal with, force the trains to slow down to 30 when it's making that turn.

If not, you know that they will soon! I look forward to the Metro North fare increase to pay for the system.

 

[PowerYoga]

If not, you know that they will soon! I look forward to the Metro North fare increase to pay for the system.

It's more likely they'll just continue having accidents and killing people.

 

[ultimatebob]

It's more likely they'll just continue having accidents and killing people.

Nah... the upcoming lawsuits are going to be expensive enough to get the MTA's attention.

 

[seepy83]

A coworker I was talking to earlier was saying that there was a big project scheduled a few years ago for Metro North to go fully automated, and they had a plan in place, but decided that it was too expensive to retro-fit all of the equipment and backed out of it. I don't remember any of that, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Either way...with modern tech, it doesn't seem like there would be much reason to not have acceleration and braking of rail cars fully automated. But that's very much an outsider perspective...I doubt many people here have ever worked as a train conductor.

 

[RockinZ28]

A coworker I was talking to earlier was saying that there was a big project scheduled a few years ago for Metro North to go fully automated, and they had a plan in place, but decided that it was too expensive to retro-fit all of the equipment and backed out of it. I don't remember any of that, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Either way...with modern tech, it doesn't seem like there would be much reason to not have acceleration and braking of rail cars fully automated. But that's very much an outsider perspective...I doubt many people here have ever worked as a train conductor.

I've been there in the cab with conductors performing tests on one of the Metro expansion lines in Los Angeles. They do have automatic braking, as long as the system is working. We were trying to iron out the bugs with test trains during pre-revenue. But if there is a problem with the system, they can call the dispatcher and get permission to go into manual operation.

We almost derailed because the two conductors were chatting it up between themselves while in manual op. Came up to a crossover going way over the limit, last second she noticed and slammed on the brakes. Train was swaying all over the place going through the switches, almost threw me to the floor. Scary shit.