BC train derailment

[farming101]

Very sad for the loss of life.

I do not think there is a spring applied brake on rail cars. There is a spring but that spring pressure is what you are overcoming when you turn the wheel that applies the brake shoe to the wheel.

So, air pressure must be maintained for the train to remain parked "in emergency" if no hand brakes are applied.

The investigation will need to run its course. A preliminary statement said "it was nothing the crew did" and likely there was nothing they could have done. Dynamic braking (using the electric motors to slow the train) would have been insufficient I would think. With distributed power I am not sure how air brakes are applied, but if it requires a signal from the manned engine it seems that the remotes would have not received a signal to help slow the train, and that something failed or froze up on the lead engine.

[farmaholic]

Farma just say it,
The system they use is flawed and doomed to failure. Brakes should always be on unless released by air pressure ( the same as semi trucks and trailers). Railway technology and safety systems are ancient and doomed to failure.

Could it physically/mechanically be done?

112 cars, that's alot of connections and components. I wonder what the rate of loss of air pressure is in the current braking system.

Sounds like DaneG might have some insight. What's operating pressure. Etc.

Edit in, Didn't realize Dane posted again

[farmaholic]

So brakes are always "off" unless applied by air pressure? Except for manually applied hand brakes.

The mechanical spring pressure of "always on" unless they are released by air pressure doesn't exist on railcar like it does on highway tractors?

[Rareearth]

Jet airliners work in plus 50 degree Celsius to minus 60 degree Celsius at altitudes

There is a good example of technology differences, safety systems, modernization, efficiency, etc ( I guess every thing comes at a cost)

[walterm]

Tragic event. My first question is they know stopping on a grade is dangerous, especially in cold weather, so why stop on them. I understand it was for crew change seems it would be better if they had changed before or after steepest grade on the line.

[Oliver88]

The hand brake is a 2’ dia wheel that is turned by hand and it pulls a chain that is attached to a steel rod which applies the brake shoes.

It sounds like this brake is 100% mechanical.

What is the standard operating procedure for applying these hand brakes on shift change while parked on a down grade?

What safety procedures are in place to ensure proper braking has been completed at shift change?

Something isn’t adding up.

[walterm]

The other question is why a 2hr stop to change crews?

[Guest]

Tragic event. My first question is they know stopping on a grade is dangerous, especially in cold weather, so why stop on them. I understand it was for crew change seems it would be better if they had changed before or after steepest grade on the line.

probably union rules of some kind. they send taxis all the way out here(2.5 hrs) from Saskatoon to pick them up , can't go a minute over their shift . no shit , taxis , can you imagine what that costs ?

[AlbertaFarmer5]

I assume the reason why upgrading rail cars to have maxi style brakes ( spring applied, air released 2 chamber pots), is that you would need to redo the entire fleet at once. Can't have one car in middle of a train with air released brakes, since there would be no supply line to release them. Can't have one car without, which can't transmit the air from the car ahead to release the car behind, so that doesn't work either. Would have to be a way to cage every updated car and still have the air applied brakes function normally until the entire fleet is done.

[Rareearth]

Like a dedicated engine to car train system leased system (maybe) for exclusive industry use, such as potash, or new oil tankers, etc