Runaway train in India

[QuickQuack]

Tried to see if this had been reported elsewhere on PH already but can't find it.

Apparently a 53 carriage freight train took off without a driver and got up to 100 kmh/62 mph and travelled for 70 km before being stopped! How the hell did some wooden blocks on the line stop all that weight? Whatever it was, incredible thinking on behalf of the railway person who came up with the idea, probably a meeting with the boss without tea and biscuits for the drivers who cocked up the driver swap... Glad nobody was hurt.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-683998...

There's a video in there of the driverless train as well.

[LotusOmega375D]

Driverless train? Food for thought for those striking ASLEF members!

[Simpo Two]

QuickQuack said:

How the hell did some wooden blocks on the line stop all that weight?

It may have reached an uphill or level section and slowed to a manageable speed.

But yes, always use the handbrake...

[NNH]

Simpo Two said:

QuickQuack said:

How the hell did some wooden blocks on the line stop all that weight?

It may have reached an uphill or level section and slowed to a manageable speed.

But yes, always use the handbrake...

Although there's an overhead line, I can't see a pantograph so I think the train might be diesel. It sounds pretty quiet in the video, so it may have just rolled freely downhill.

[IJWS15]

Used to work in rail vehicle manufacturing, one programme had a vehicle written off while stopped at a signal. The light loco running in front stopped at a signal (pre train radio) so the driver could call the signalman and when the driver turned round the loco was moving back down the line on its own.

Being aluminium the new train had under frame equipment bolted onto longitudinal slots and the engine had slid about 40mm along the slots in the impact despite being tightly fixed.

[hidetheelephants]

NNH said:

Simpo Two said:

QuickQuack said:

How the hell did some wooden blocks on the line stop all that weight?

It may have reached an uphill or level section and slowed to a manageable speed.

But yes, always use the handbrake...

Although there's an overhead line, I can't see a pantograph so I think the train might be diesel. It sounds pretty quiet in the video, so it may have just rolled freely downhill.

Just idling without Casey Jones on the regulator. They look like indian-built ALCOs or derivatives.

[bigpriest]

Not quite the same scale but 3 miles along a main line between Stockport and Didsbury is pretty good going. Wooden post saved the day.

Rail Indicent

[ChocolateFrog]

We had one in Sheffield a few months ago. Rolled about 350m before TPWS put a stop to proceedings.

[Nethybridge]

When hi tech safety systems,
massive infrastructure investment
and a motivated and
well trained
workforce are
mentioned I almost never think of Indian Railways

[Shiv_P]

Nethybridge said:

When hi tech safety systems,
massive infrastructure investment
and a motivated and
well trained
workforce are
mentioned I almost never think of Indian Railways

It has happened on our fantastic london underground as well.
With hi tech safety systems,
massive infrastructure investment
and a motivated and
well trained
workforce

[QuickQuack]

NNH said:

Simpo Two said:

QuickQuack said:

How the hell did some wooden blocks on the line stop all that weight?

It may have reached an uphill or level section and slowed to a manageable speed.

But yes, always use the handbrake...

Although there's an overhead line, I can't see a pantograph so I think the train might be diesel. It sounds pretty quiet in the video, so it may have just rolled freely downhill.

Yes, the article says it started moving down a slope after the driver and his assistant got out.

I wonder how long it took them to realise that the train had started to move, and whether there's chase video of the train driver running after the train as well, like these muppets here...

[CharlieH89]

ChocolateFrog said:

We had one in Sheffield a few months ago. Rolled about 350m before TPWS put a stop to proceedings.

TPO and drivers key was it IIRC?

[Hondashark]

We had one at work that wooden blocks were thrown under the wheels to stop it and they kept exploding. About the 20th one got it stopped.

[NNH]

Hondashark said:

We had one at work that wooden blocks were thrown under the wheels to stop it and they kept exploding. About the 20th one got it stopped.

That sounds like an interesting workplace!

[Tony1963]

Send someone ahead to throw a load of the wrong leaves on the track, or maybe some Acme grease?

[rodericb]

There was a passenger train in Melbourne which departed the station of its own accord once: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Melbourne_runaw...

[john2443]

There's a drop of only 33 metres over 200km - hardly enough to make it get to 100kph so it must have been left in gear with the handbrake off (or the loco equivalent of that).

If the crew got off and left it like that you'd think it might creep but not go off at speed..unless they left a brick on the 'accelerator' pedal as they jumped off!

[demic]

You’d be surprised just how well trains roll. We once isolated all the brakes including the parking brakes on a unit (so only 150ish tonnes) to simulate what would happen if a “swinger” (unit/vehicle/loco with all brakes isolated) became accidentally uncoupled. In a yard with a slight falling gradient it was soon away and above the 5mph limit!

Most locos have a parking/hand brake that you physically have to apply either by a big old fashioned handle/wheel or a button. I don’t do freight but it’s unlikely you’d use the hand brake when being relived, the train would be held either on the locos straight air brake (brakes the loco only) or as we used to do on pass service use trains auto air brake (brakes the loco and the entire train) with the brake pipe pressure at 4bar (brakes are off at 5bar pressure)

Locos we had did have a roll away function to stop any unwanted movement. After 50cm movement either way a switch would make and dump the air out of the brake pipe. Unfortunately it would only work if the master switch was in neutral. You would still role if it was left in forward or reverse. For example if you were in forward on a steep failing gradient and released the brake unintentionally it would role forward. Not ideal if you’re at a station with passengers alighting.