Woman killed by detached carriages at a railway crossing in Bangkok

[dddave]

Lack of maintenance -> rotten carriage coupling and/or human failure -> ghost train. Next time with a coach full of passengers. Only in thailand.

Only in Thailand, huh?

Wikipedia must be wrong again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rail_accidents_%282010%E2%80%93present%29

[DogNo1]

Speaking of the "Far East," in Japan it is the law that every vehicle must stop and look up and down any set of tracks before crossing them, That law is obeyed by everyone except, sometimes, bicycle riders.

[mikemac]

Lack of maintenance -> rotten carriage coupling and/or human failure -> ghost train. Next time with a coach full of passengers. Only in thailand.

Only in Thailand, huh?

Wikipedia must be wrong again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rail_accidents_%282010%E2%80%93present%29

That stupid, throw away line "Only in Thailand" is used far, far too often and should be banned along with that other inane term "Thainess".

They are usually used by simple people who want to write something, derogatory to Thailand, but don't know what to write.

Use your brains and come up with something original, for God's sake.

And quite often when you see the line "Only in Thailand" a little bit of research shows that in fact it happens all over the world. Which means these posters are not only boring, they are publishing lies.

[Thai at Heart]

Do these people not have eyes to notice a massive bloody train car moving towards the junction ?

[halloween]

Can we assume you are unfamiliar with railroad equipment?

All freight cars (wagons) have an air brake system as do passenger cars (carriages) . The air brake system is standard on all cars. When they are switching cars in a yard after a train arrives, the air is bled off by a yardman.

I am sure there are Thai Railway operating rules, assuming:-

a) They exist and

That they are adhered to by train crews.

This accident happened in Bangkok, not a rail switching yard, thus when the train came apart on the main line in Bangkok, for whatever reason, it should have automatically come to a stop. As I said in my post, the engineer (driver) would have known his train came apart by a loud hiss as the air went in his locomotive (engine).

Your last sentence makes sense. "Or they might not bother here."

The attached image shows the air hose hanging down on the nearside of this boxcar

box.jpg

In the last 30 years, yes. OTOH how old are the rolling stock were are talking about? The picture you gave us is of a baggage car on a passenger service, and it is fitted with air brakes so that it doesn't bang up against the last carriage every time the brakes are applied.

If you look at the flat car, there appears to be a brake lever and safety pin in the yellow area, as a replacement for the handwheel I mentioned. In the "ON" position it would also give an indication.

The WAB is a fail safe system, air pressure holds the brakes off and brakes are applied when pressure drops. Bleeding off of air doesn't make a car available for shunting.

[arfurcrown]

Old B.R. Regulations.

If the carriages were not brake pipe connected the train would in fact and must run as a ''Class 9 unbraked train with a guards van at the rear which in the event of a coupling failure anywhere on the train composition the guard could and must apply the brake (guards) van screw down brake.

[catman20]

why did she not look before crossing !!!!!!!!! opps forgot Thais don't even look when coming out onto a main road

[gandalf12]

Lack of maintenance -> rotten carriage coupling and/or human failure -> ghost train. Next time with a coach full of passengers. Only in thailand.

And there is talk of getting a bullet train....................no thanks

[ratcatcher]

Can we assume you are unfamiliar with railroad equipment?

All freight cars (wagons) have an air brake system as do passenger cars (carriages) . The air brake system is standard on all cars. When they are switching cars in a yard after a train arrives, the air is bled off by a yardman.

I am sure there are Thai Railway operating rules, assuming:-

a) They exist and

That they are adhered to by train crews.

This accident happened in Bangkok, not a rail switching yard, thus when the train came apart on the main line in Bangkok, for whatever reason, it should have automatically come to a stop. As I said in my post, the engineer (driver) would have known his train came apart by a loud hiss as the air went in his locomotive (engine).

Your last sentence makes sense. "Or they might not bother here."

The attached image shows the air hose hanging down on the nearside of this boxcar

box.jpg

In the last 30 years, yes. OTOH how old are the rolling stock were are talking about? The picture you gave us is of a baggage car on a passenger service, and it is fitted with air brakes so that it doesn't bang up against the last carriage every time the brakes are applied.

If you look at the flat car, there appears to be a brake lever and safety pin in the yellow area, as a replacement for the handwheel I mentioned. In the "ON" position it would also give an indication.

The WAB is a fail safe system, air pressure holds the brakes off and brakes are applied when pressure drops. Bleeding off of air doesn't make a car available for shunting.

"Bleeding off of air doesn't make a car available for shunting."

And why would that be?

[halloween]

"Bleeding off of air doesn't make a car available for shunting."

And why would that be?

The air pressure holds the brakes OFF. Bleeding off the air puts the brakes ON.

This is the fundamental principle of the Westinghouse Air Brake. It is a fail safe system, where loss of air pressure (the failure) leads the safest alternative, the brakes on.

[IssanDM]

"Bleeding off of air doesn't make a car available for shunting."

And why would that be?

The air pressure holds the brakes OFF. Bleeding off the air puts the brakes ON.

This is the fundamental principle of the Westinghouse Air Brake. It is a fail safe system, where loss of air pressure (the failure) leads the safest alternative, the brakes on.

[IssanDM]

You're partially correct.

Yes, went a car becomes disconnected from the locomotive the air rushes out and the braking system goes into emergency stopping the train. Each car has its own air reservoirs to apply the brakes in event there is a loss of "line" pressure.

On each car (carriage) is a bleeder valve that removes the air from the cars air reservoir tanks and this releases the brake for yard switching (shunning). So it is possible the train crew though it would be too much trouble to connect the braking system and in a since use only the locomotive the stop the train. This would account from the runaway cars stopping only after they ran out of momentum.

Edited June 10, 2015 by IssanDM

[ratcatcher]

"Bleeding off of air doesn't make a car available for shunting."

And why would that be?

The air pressure holds the brakes OFF. Bleeding off the air puts the brakes ON.

This is the fundamental principle of the Westinghouse Air Brake. It is a fail safe system, where loss of air pressure (the failure) leads the safest alternative, the brakes on.

As the previous poster pointed out. The train crew probably didn't bother to charge the train line./

""If the car is fully charged, and the air brake set, you can pull the 'bleed rod' with a quick pull and release it. That will bleed off the brake-set position, and release the set and the cylinder will go down to zero pounds. The brake shoes will come off the wheels. Now, if you want to completely empty the rest of the air in the car's system, you again pull the release rod. But to fully empty it, this time you pull and hold, the bleed rod. As you hold the rod out, air will escape. To fully empty the car, you simply hold the rod out until the air release stops. Now, you have fully released the air in that car. You now have zero pounds, period, in the car's entire brake system. That car's brake system is now 'dry'. Now, when you want to re-charge that car's system, it will take 5 to 7 minutes to fully charge the system. As you may know, a car that has simply had a set of the brake, will start to release in the few moments after the air pressure is increased. I will take only a couple of minutes to fully recharge the system. That is a difference of about 5 minutes, 'dry' vs. "just a set and release".

see below

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1320815

[mikemac]

"Bleeding off of air doesn't make a car available for shunting."

And why would that be?

The air pressure holds the brakes OFF. Bleeding off the air puts the brakes ON.

This is the fundamental principle of the Westinghouse Air Brake. It is a fail safe system, where loss of air pressure (the failure) leads the safest alternative, the brakes on.

Don't know what they call the system used in the trucking industry but I believe it is the same system used in prime movers and the trailers they tow.

You have to build up air in order to release the brakes.

Works well as a rule but only until a human comes along and stuffs it up, as happened in the tragedy in the op.

[halloween]

As the previous poster pointed out. The train crew probably didn't bother to charge the train line./

""If the car is fully charged, and the air brake set, you can pull the 'bleed rod' with a quick pull and release it. That will bleed off the brake-set position, and release the set and the cylinder will go down to zero pounds. The brake shoes will come off the wheels. Now, if you want to completely empty the rest of the air in the car's system, you again pull the release rod. But to fully empty it, this time you pull and hold, the bleed rod. As you hold the rod out, air will escape. To fully empty the car, you simply hold the rod out until the air release stops. Now, you have fully released the air in that car. You now have zero pounds, period, in the car's entire brake system. That car's brake system is now 'dry'. Now, when you want to re-charge that car's system, it will take 5 to 7 minutes to fully charge the system. As you may know, a car that has simply had a set of the brake, will start to release in the few moments after the air pressure is increased. I will take only a couple of minutes to fully recharge the system. That is a difference of about 5 minutes, 'dry' vs. "just a set and release".

see below

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1320815

I have tried in simple terms to describe the WAB. Read it for yourself http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_air_brake

Not being a railway engineer, my field is electricity generation, I am unclear on the operation in shunting operations. But it is immaterial because the wagons involved are quite old and AFAIK they are not fitted with air brakes. I have yet to see any non-passenger rolling stock in Thailand fitted with air cylinders. If you have pictures indicating otherwise, I would be glad to see them.

[ratcatcher]

As the previous poster pointed out. The train crew probably didn't bother to charge the train line./

""If the car is fully charged, and the air brake set, you can pull the 'bleed rod' with a quick pull and release it. That will bleed off the brake-set position, and release the set and the cylinder will go down to zero pounds. The brake shoes will come off the wheels. Now, if you want to completely empty the rest of the air in the car's system, you again pull the release rod. But to fully empty it, this time you pull and hold, the bleed rod. As you hold the rod out, air will escape. To fully empty the car, you simply hold the rod out until the air release stops. Now, you have fully released the air in that car. You now have zero pounds, period, in the car's entire brake system. That car's brake system is now 'dry'. Now, when you want to re-charge that car's system, it will take 5 to 7 minutes to fully charge the system. As you may know, a car that has simply had a set of the brake, will start to release in the few moments after the air pressure is increased. I will take only a couple of minutes to fully recharge the system. That is a difference of about 5 minutes, 'dry' vs. "just a set and release".

see below

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1320815

I have tried in simple terms to describe the WAB. Read it for yourself http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_air_brake

Not being a railway engineer, my field is electricity generation, I am unclear on the operation in shunting operations. But it is immaterial because the wagons involved are quite old and AFAIK they are not fitted with air brakes. I have yet to see any non-passenger rolling stock in Thailand fitted with air cylinders. If you have pictures indicating otherwise, I would be glad to see them.

Thank you for your time debating this subject.

As an ex- Canadian railroader I am very familiar with freight car braking systems and switching operations. I have attached an image of a Thai hopper car clearly showing the air cylinder and attached hoses. I have bled off thousands of freight cars so I believe I know my subject.

Not all Thai rolling stock is 1950s vintage, Most of the oil and petroleum tank cars as well as cement hoppers and flat cars used to carry containers are fitted with air brakes.

Perhaps we can agree to disagree since you are an electrical engineer and I was a railroad engineer.

[Crossy]

ratcatcher, could you comment on the status of the brake hose / coupler actuator in this image please



More images on this Thai language site (WARNING despite normal censoring it's still pretty graphic content) http://hilight.kapook.com/view/121606

[ratcatcher]

ratcatcher, could you comment on the status of the brake hose / coupler actuator in this image please

More images on this Thai language site (WARNING despite normal censoring it's still pretty graphic content) http://hilight.kapook.com/view/121606

I'll try, the lever is quite bent, hose looks like it needs replacement and the car will have to go to the RIPs (repair-in-place) area at Bang Sue yard..

More distressing is the sight of the poor lady's motorcycle under the car.

[maidee]

the whole infrastructure was some kind of gift ot the country and then presented as a gift to the people from the reigning governement?