State Railway Thailand probes runaway train locomotive crash

[webfact]

SRT probes runaway train locomotive crash



BANGKOK: -- The State Railway Thailand (SRT) is conducting an investigation into an incident in Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima Thursday when a runaway locomotive ran off the track and ploughed 30 meters on the ground before stopping five meters short of a nearby housing community.

The locomotive was badly and entirely damaged in the crash.

Nobody was injured when the driverless train locomotive ran automatically from Klang Dong railway station while a railway mechanics was inspecting its power braking system failure.

The engine was switched on when it was being inspected by a mechanics Chotinai Pokpong. It was about to tow cement cars at a factory in Kaeng Koi district of Sraburi.

Without any warning, the locomotive automatically ran off, he said, forcing him to jump on board to stop the car. But the car did not stop, prompting him to jump down for safety.

The driverless locomotive then ran for seven kilometers in full speed.

But when the driverless locomotive came near a curve, it veered off the track and ploughed on the ground for 30 meters before stopping just five meters from a residential community by the rail line.

According to another mechanics Wanchai Sripha, the car was purchased for use several years ago at 70 million baht.

He suspected electronic control system of the car might malfunction and therefore cause to run away automatically.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/srt-probes-runaway-train-locomotive-crash/


-- Thai PBS 2014-04-11

[bigbamboo]

In Thailand it seems even the trains try to flee the scene.

This never happened with Thomas the Tank Engine.

[fab4]

In Thailand it seems even the trains try to flee the scene.

This never happened with Thomas the Tank Engine.

I'm so biting my lip not mentioning who wants to be the fat controller

[JAG]

May I refer you to book 5 in the Thomas The Tank Engine Railway Series.

tte.wikia.com/wiki/Troublesome_Engines (I would post it as a link, but the technological pigmy is still lost in the long grass).

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[mancub]

"The locomotive was badly and entirely damaged in the crash."

In that order, presumably !

[PatOngo]

You just could'nt make this sh@t up, could you?

[Why ask]

70 million baht for that old rusty heap of crap? 1.5 million quid? Somebody took a good graft on that one!

[StreetCowboy]

 

In Thailand it seems even the trains try to flee the scene.

This never happened with Thomas the Tank Engine.

 

You are joking, aren't you?

"Percy runs away" - a very similar incident.

If you've got the time on your hands, you might want to trawl through the news for the last year or so to see the very similar incident in Canada that ended in slightly less laughable circumstances. Saved you the effort:

https://www.google.com.my/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0CCcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2013%2F07%2F08%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fcanada-runaway-train%2F&ei=LaVHU9mQGsitrAfGpYDQBA&usg=AFQjCNG37Xwc12JQmrvr07BqKmGntvjXbg&sig2=oX-qg0MAG8-8rG07FsvKjQ&bvm=bv.64542518,d.bmk

First hit on a search "runaway train canada 2013"

Edited April 11, 2014 by StreetCowboy

[StreetCowboy]

 

70 million baht for that old rusty heap of crap? 1.5 million quid? Somebody took a good graft on that one!

 

I'm guessing it was newer and less rusty when it left the factory "several years" ago

[ginjag]

"The locomotive was badly and entirely damaged in the crash."

In that order, presumably !

I think he meant the locomotive was Mai Sabai. and smashed to smitherines (but repairable here.)

[JAG]

70 million baht for that old rusty heap of crap? 1.5 million quid? Somebody took a good graft on that one!

I've taxed worse!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[klauskunkel]

It was about to tow cement cars at a factory in Kaeng Koi district of Sraburi.

Train thinking: "I've had it. No more. They can get a Burmese train to tow their stinking cement cars!"

[ginjag]

70 million baht for that old rusty heap of crap? 1.5 million quid? Somebody took a good graft on that one!

And that was second hand at an auction.

[ratcatcher]

"Without any warning, the locomotive automatically ran off, he said, forcing him to jump on board to stop the car. But the car did not stop, prompting him to jump down for safety."

If Mr Chotinai Pokpong, the 'mechanic' was a trained member of the engine crew, I wonder why he didn't hit the emergency airbrake thus stopping the runaway engine. As a 40 year old loco, it wasn't actually an antique, given that many North American railroads still use some even older for switching and branch line freight work. I think the estimated value is based on Thai values and not what a couple hundred tons of scrap is worth..

[Thaiready]

The brakes failed....that is the usual answer.

[Why ask]

"Without any warning, the locomotive automatically ran off, he said, forcing him to jump on board to stop the car. But the car did not stop, prompting him to jump down for safety."

If Mr Chotinai Pokpong, the 'mechanic' was a trained member of the engine crew, I wonder why he didn't hit the emergency airbrake thus stopping the runaway engine. As a 40 year old loco, it wasn't actually an antique, given that many North American railroads still use some even older for switching and branch line freight work. I think the estimated value is based on Thai values and not what a couple hundred tons of scrap is worth..

You can get a post 80's C-class locomotive for less than 300,000 quid nowadays - or 15 million baht - and the brakes work

[ginjag]

The brakes failed....that is the usual answer.

Same thing near every time--brakes---translated to English is BRAINS. Someones Brain failed , rarely the brakes.

[mok199]

as a ''locomotive engineer for 35 years back home,i can coment with knowledge,we have reverse neutral and forward ,we have a switch called the''generator field'' which ,in ''law''must be off when the loco is unocupied,meaning noone at the control stand.....human error.....i would think.....nothing like a good old fashioned ''runaway''....yeeehaaa

[MMarlow]

70 million baht for that old rusty heap of crap? 1.5 million quid? Somebody took a good graft on that one!

It probably wasn't an old rusty heap of crap when it was purchased several years ago. You're selective reading ability never ceases to amaze.

[StreetCowboy]

 

70 million baht for that old rusty heap of crap? 1.5 million quid? Somebody took a good graft on that one!

It probably wasn't an old rusty heap of crap when it was purchased several years ago. You're selective reading ability never ceases to amaze.

 

I don't know where the "forty years old" and "bought at auction" in earlier posts came from, either. Perhaps we should add a few spurious facts as well.

Indian Railways pays US$ 2.5 Million each for 6,000 HP freight locos

http://www.railway-technology.com/news/newsindian-railways-buy-200-electric-locomotives-freight-corridor-project

Some info on SRT locos, for those that prefer not to make up their own facts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Railway_of_Thailand#Diesel_Electric_Locomotives

SC

Edited April 11, 2014 by StreetCowboy

[MMarlow]

"Without any warning, the locomotive automatically ran off, he said, forcing him to jump on board to stop the car. But the car did not stop, prompting him to jump down for safety."

If Mr Chotinai Pokpong, the 'mechanic' was a trained member of the engine crew, I wonder why he didn't hit the emergency airbrake thus stopping the runaway engine. As a 40 year old loco, it wasn't actually an antique, given that many North American railroads still use some even older for switching and branch line freight work. I think the estimated value is based on Thai values and not what a couple hundred tons of scrap is worth..

"...was inspecting its power braking system failure."

Chance it wasn't working perhaps, d'you think?

[MMarlow]

The brakes failed....that is the usual answer.

Same thing near every time--brakes---translated to English is BRAINS. Someones Brain failed , rarely the brakes.

Except this time. I know reading and understanding the report is not easy for some but the reason the mechanic was inspecting this train before the incident was because of brake failure.

[MMarlow]

The brakes failed....that is the usual answer.

Same thing near every time--brakes---translated to English is BRAINS. Someones Brain failed , rarely the brakes.

Think you may find that "brakes" and "brains" are both English words.

[MMarlow]

as a ''locomotive engineer for 35 years back home,i can coment with knowledge,we have reverse neutral and forward ,we have a switch called the''generator field'' which ,in ''law''must be off when the loco is unocupied,meaning noone at the control stand.....human error.....i would think.....nothing like a good old fashioned ''runaway''....yeeehaaa

Surely being able to read English was a requirement to be a train driver even then? The train was being examined by a mechanic because of it's brake failure problem before the crash.

[bigbamboo]

 

In Thailand it seems even the trains try to flee the scene.

This never happened with Thomas the Tank Engine.

 

You are joking, aren't you?

"Percy runs away" - a very similar incident.

If you've got the time on your hands, you might want to trawl through the news for the last year or so to see the very similar incident in Canada that ended in slightly less laughable circumstances. Saved you the effort:

https://www.google.com.my/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0CCcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2013%2F07%2F08%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fcanada-runaway-train%2F&ei=LaVHU9mQGsitrAfGpYDQBA&usg=AFQjCNG37Xwc12JQmrvr07BqKmGntvjXbg&sig2=oX-qg0MAG8-8rG07FsvKjQ&bvm=bv.64542518,d.bmk

First hit on a search "runaway train canada 2013"

Oh dear. Was it all Percy's fault or was it because of a slope?

Edited April 11, 2014 by bigbamboo

[ChrisY1]

"The locomotive was badly and entirely damaged in the crash."

In that order, presumably !

Yep....that loco ain't goin' anywhere.....completely r**ted!!

[nong38]

It accelerated to full speed whilst being inspected with no mention of a driver, how on earth can that happen?

[transam]

A probe eh...................Looks like a guy with a stick will be probing stuff...................

[soalbundy]

Wouldn't have happened on a high speed bullet train.........or would it??......here maybe, came off the tracks at 200 km/h,we are still trying to hose out the passengers.

[bigbamboo]

It accelerated to full speed whilst being inspected with no mention of a driver, how on earth can that happen?

At the moment anything that goes wrong is usually put down to one of three things.......ghosts, farangs or the wealthy, hi-so, coup mongering, fascist, southern elites.

You pays your money and takes your choice.