Driver Of Srt Train Derailed In Hua Hin Says He Fainted On Duty

[george]

Driver of SRT train derailed in Hua Hin says he fainted on duty

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN: -- The driver of the State Railways of Thailand Trang-Bangkok train which derailed in Hua Hin on Monday said on Friday that he collapsed without warning while he was on duty.

Roengsak Phanthep told the investigators that it happened before the train approached Khao Tao station.

Mr Roengsak will have a medical examination to confirm his claim, said the police.

The police will also question a mechanic who was working with Mr Roengsak at the time. The investigation is expected to finish on Tuesday as the mechanic was injured and is now in hospital.

The stationmaster at Khao Tao train station told the authorities that an SRT worker who controlled the rail switching signal went through proper channels and contacted the train driver by radio but there was no response from the train driver or any other SRT crew on the train.

Pol. Maj-Gen. Rungroj Saengkram, provincial commander, also questioned the train driver. The general said the investigators will further investigate the cause of the accident to determine if it confirms the train driver’s statement or not.

A crowded passenger train, route number 84 Trang-Bangkok en route from the southern province of Trang to the capital early Monday, derailed at Khao Tao Station in the resort town of Hua Hin in Prachuab Khiri Khan, killing at least seven passengers, while nearly 90 others were injured.

-- TNA 2009-10-09

[posttenebraslux]

Very difficult to understand. Why are the engines not equipped with the basic and automatic emergency-break pedal which stops the train in case the engineer is incapacitated for whatever reason ? Extremely cheap but standard safety equipment outside Thailand !

[geriatrickid]

Very difficult to understand. Why are the engines not equipped with the basic and automatic emergency-break pedal which stops the train in case the engineer is incapacitated for whatever reason ? Extremely cheap but standard safety equipment outside Thailand !

Are you sure about that? On mass transit trains, yes, but on regular choo choo trains, I wonder. There are some railroader folks in TV, so hopefully they share their knowledge. I would think that the failsafe mechanism would rely on track signals and monitoring, which I reckon isn't so state of the art in Thailand. Interesting point you make all the same and I look forward to my free education.

[Bagwan]

In the UK a device known as the 'dead man's handle' was held down by the driver. If it was released the the brakes were applied. It was certainly used on the London Underground system since the year dot and I assume that it was incorporated in the diesels and then trains driven by electric power on the overground system. The brakes were also applied if on passing signals acknowledgement of the event was not answered by driver action i.e. responding to the all clear, proceed with caution or stop buzzers set off by signals transmitted to a transponder on the train.

[BSJ]

The "dead mans pedal" in this day and age takes the form of a vigilance control device that can be set to go off at random intervals to keep the driver alert. Can be electro-pneumatic, electric or pneumatic operation. All modern units are fitted with press buttons to cancel the signal that if left uncanceled sounds a whistle in the cab, or a buzzer, and would gradually activate the brakes by reducing brake pipe pressure. Can also be wired to throw the generator field switch to cut off power from the alternator, reduce fuel flow to idle the diesel prime mover and activate an emergency signal through the 2 way radio.

Whether Thai railways have got VCD's or not I cannot say, but they should have them......shouldn't they!

[brahmburgers]

Airlines have co-pilots, why not trains? Ok, too boring to be a co-driver, but there must be a 2nd in charge ....the engineer, who would notice something awry.

The driver may be lying, to cover up for a fatal mistake, or he may indeed have fainted, as he claimed. If he fainted, then he's clearly not in good enough physical condition to do that job.

Whomever does the hiring didn't do their job well enough, if they hired a person who is physically handicapped in that way.

[swifty5x5]

The "dead mans pedal" in this day and age takes the form of a vigilance control device that can be set to go off at random intervals to keep the driver alert. Can be electro-pneumatic, electric or pneumatic operation. All modern units are fitted with press buttons to cancel the signal that if left uncanceled sounds a whistle in the cab, or a buzzer, and would gradually activate the brakes by reducing brake pipe pressure. Can also be wired to throw the generator field switch to cut off power from the alternator, reduce fuel flow to idle the diesel prime mover and activate an emergency signal through the 2 way radio.

Whether Thai railways have got VCD's or not I cannot say, but they should have them......shouldn't they!

This is standard equipment on modern locomotives around the world. Why is Thailand not even equipped with the old style dead mans pedal unless he had disabled it. If he fell asleep or passed out either way he should be no longer driving a train.

[cinbkk]

If there was an engineer travelling in the cab with the driver, I can't understand why he didn't do something.

[goodstuff]

If there was an engineer travelling in the cab with the driver, I can't understand why he didn't do something.

maybe they were both asleep!

[mumbojumbo]

Driver of SRT train derailed in Hua Hin says he fainted on duty

= passed out drunk i think

[baboon]

Driver of SRT train derailed in Hua Hin says he fainted on duty

= passed out drunk i think

Have heard that on the grapevine.Wouldnt be surprised with some of the drivers I know.

[astral]

In the UK a device known as the 'dead man's handle' was held down by the driver. If it was released the the brakes were applied. It was certainly used on the London Underground system since the year dot

It did not prevent the Moorgate disaster in 1975........

[astral]

Airlines have co-pilots, why not trains? Ok, too boring to be a co-driver, but there must be a 2nd in charge ....the engineer, who would notice something awry.

I think you are living in the past.

The concept of driver and engineer goes back to the days of steam locomotives,

when the "engineer" kept the boiler fed with coal...........

There was also a guard that the rear of the train, who had access to the brakes.

Nowadays the move is to full automation.

The Docklands railway in London has no driver or guard,

the same is true on the new lines of the Singapore MRT.

Even on aeroplanes, the takeoff, flight and landing can be handled by the autopilot system.

[asiawatcher]

Seems if the driver was subject to 'fainting' then he was medically unfit for the position he held and the lives he was in control of. Where was the mechanic and don't think they did not corroborate their story. It is a duck and weave situation in my opinion. Sorry for the 7 souls as there appears no remorse and the buck passing continues.

[ratcatcher]

Airlines have co-pilots, why not trains? Ok, too boring to be a co-driver, but there must be a 2nd in charge ....the engineer, who would notice something awry.

I think you are living in the past.

The concept of driver and engineer goes back to the days of steam locomotives,

when the "engineer" kept the boiler fed with coal...........

There was also a guard that the rear of the train, who had access to the brakes.

Nowadays the move is to full automation.

The Docklands railway in London has no driver or guard,

the same is true on the new lines of the Singapore MRT.

Even on aeroplanes, the takeoff, flight and landing can be handled by the autopilot system.

Actually, I think Brahmburger's question is a good one and, no , he isn't living in the past.

You are comparing apples with oranges to cite the Docklands Railway or Singapore MRT. All the modern transit systems around the world are computer controlled and signalled, some trains are manned others have a lone operator.

Here in Thailand, where the railway system is over 100 years old things are not quite so up to date. Much of the railway has block signalling systems but station masters still use red and green flags as a signal to the locomotive driver.

On passenger trains here there is at least one conductor travelling at the rear of the train and would/should have been in communication with the head-end crew. It is also possible to stop the train from the rear end or in any carriage by 'pulling the air',i.e. activating the emergency brakes. (Presumably, these members of the train crew are trained in such things?)

In North America freight trains usually have a crew of two in the cab as well as the "warning system" . It is usually a press down button on the console in front of the driver and has to be pressed every few minutes unless the driver has made any change to the controls, throttle or brakes.

On most Thai long distance trains, and #84 was such, there are two men in the cab of the loco. If the driver fainted, fell asleep or died, his partner should have been able to stop the train by activating the emergency braking handle. (Assuming, of course, that he too was not impaired in any way)

The Nation's reporting, as well as that other newspaper, has not clearly explained whether there was indeed a second person in the locomotive's cab at the time, and what happened to him.

[orlov]

Whatever happened to the driver (drunk, fainted, fell asleep) still doesn't explain why the train derailed. The only explanation would be going too fast either for the condition of the track or if it took a bend fast. But there is no mention of either.

[PETERTHEEATER]

Whatever happened to the driver (drunk, fainted, fell asleep) still doesn't explain why the train derailed. The only explanation would be going too fast either for the condition of the track or if it took a bend fast. But there is no mention of either.

There was a southbound freight train on the main line. The northbound passenger train was to be switched onto the passing loop but failed to slow sufficiently and the loco jumped the points (switch). Speed according to SRT witnesses was around 100 kph (60 mph).

[catmac]

In the UK a device known as the 'dead man's handle' was held down by the driver. If it was released the the brakes were applied. It was certainly used on the London Underground system since the year dot

It did not prevent the Moorgate disaster in 1975........

At Moorgate, the dead man's handle was in fact being held down by the driver right up to the end. Greater minds than mine have speculated as to why the driver failed to make any attempt to stop his train before hitting the dead-end tunnel.

The problem that Moorgate exposed was that there was no secondary system in place to deal with such a situation. Lessons were learned, and a system of automatic train speed control (using the reliable train stop lever) was installed wherever a similar dead-end tunnel existed. "Moorgate" could never happen again, and that is the difference between a civilised society (learn the lesson and take steps to ensure it doesn't happen again) and Thailand (cover it up, blame it all on some fallguy, but never spend a Baht to stop it happening again!)

Edited October 12, 2009 by catmac

[Bagwan]

On the District and Metropolitan lines of the London Underground system at least, an arm as part of the signalling system is pneumatically raised when a red light is displayed. If the train passes over it, it connects to a cut off switch on the train. This cuts off electrical power to the train and presumable actuates the brakes.

I worked on providing the software to control traffic on the Victoria line when it was built. The daily timetable was entered into a software system in an ICL 1900 series computer which produced paper tape - or possible Mylex. These tapes were fed into an interlocking system which controlled all trains throughout the system. The system made drivers redundant but pressure from the trade union and public disquiet meant that the driver was retained - but he stood around like a spare brick at a wedding with nothing to do except open and close the doors. Needless to say I did not use that line until it had been open for at least a year.