Metro-North train derails in the Bronx

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
53,141
47,341
136
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

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
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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

Lifer
Mar 5, 2001
18,256
68
86
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.
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
53,141
47,341
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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

Lifer
Mar 5, 2001
18,256
68
86
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

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
53,141
47,341
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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.
 

NFS4

No Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
72,636
47
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NTSB: Train was traveling 82 mph before it derailed on a 30 mph curve

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Ruptga

Lifer
Aug 3, 2006
10,246
207
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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

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2010
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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
 

PowerYoga

Diamond Member
Nov 6, 2001
4,603
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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

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
25,134
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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.
 

seepy83

Platinum Member
Nov 12, 2003
2,132
3
71
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

Platinum Member
Mar 5, 2008
2,171
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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.