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This is what happens when a crew does not properly check the alignment of a switch point derail before moving. It's a shame the videographer did not know how to "read" switch points. You can clearly see that the derail is set in the derailing position in the video. If only he had noticed...

 

 

 

It will take a bit of work to re-rail this one.

 

Thanks to Jack "Hot Water" Wheelihan for alerting me to this video.

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Originally Posted by John Meixel:

Did Mr. Scrapiron advise them?

 

Originally Posted by cbojanower:

Elliot strikes again?

No...this derailment was not caused by wide gauge on bad track, which is what got Elliot.

 

This was simple human error and a communications foul-up. Obviously no one checked the derail before they moved and no one in the cab communicated anything about the status of the derail and which way it was lined.

 

Job briefings - they are a wonderful thing - and critically important on the railroad.

Question: 

Based on how aggressively the crew started backing up with those coaches, where those coaches empty and they where getting ready to stage them next to the station? It just seemed like a rather neck breaking departure and maybe they where running late and in a hurry. Lots of disasters, large and small, are caused by nothing more then people being in a hurry, or Go Fever.

I noticed that they didn't wait for the home signal to indicate clear either.

 

In looking closer at the video, the point rodding shows that the catch point is operated from the signal box. Presumably the interlocking would have ensured that signalman would have set the catch point before setting the home signal to clear.

 

This certainly counts as an 'Oops!' 

Last edited by N.Q.D.Y.

Oh that sucks!!! And a nice group of foamers to catch it too!

 

I had one wide gauge incident when I was in tourist service ( one axle each of coupled passenger cars) and a couple of interesting close calls but nothing like this. 

 

Thank goodness the air coupling mechanism didn't brake so they still had the trains brakes to stop them.  Other wise they might of rolled over.

 

RickO called it right... Sir Topham happy is gonna quite red faced when he gets this news!

 

JHZ

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