Container falls off train: Lucky Escape ?

[Dasher]

Have there been many recorded instances of containers falling of a train ?

http://www.cumbriacrack.com/2015/03/12/shipping-container-falls-from-train-in-cumbria/

Shipping container falls from train in Cumbria


The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) says it is undertaking a preliminary examination after a large shipping container fell from a train in Cumbria.

The metal shipping container fell from a train in the early hours of Saturday morning as it travelled between Shap and Tebay causing damage to a drystone wall.

A spokesman for RAIB said: “RAIB was notified of the incident and is undertaking a preliminary examination.

“Subject to our findings, we will determine if an investigation is appropriate and if there is any safety learning for the industry.

“Should there be an investigation we will update our website accordingly.”

A former Cumbria police officer said: “The outcome could have been catastrophic....”

 

[GlosRail]

Gloucester a year or two ago when a Tesco one came off.

 

[Bald Rick]

A couple on the WCML near Leighton Buzzard about 4 years ago. Brought down the wires IIRC.

 

[The Planner]

Sure there was an incident on the southern end of the WCML a while back. Raises the old argument of track circuits vs axle counters if the container falls on the tracks.

 

[GB]

A couple on the WCML near Leighton Buzzard about 4 years ago. Brought down the wires IIRC.

Indeed, and more containers were blown off another train the same day on the wcml.

http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/0905027_R122009_Containers.pdf

 

[Darren R]

And didn't one come a croppper on the North London Line about a year ago?

 

[GB]

And didn't one come a croppper on the North London Line about a year ago?

Yes, think the NLL and Gloucester incidents were about a week apart. Both containers came off in part due to derailments.

 

[Bodiddly]

Can anyone shed any light on these types of wagons? Are the containers locked on to the wagons with the lugs that are turned or do they just sit on the lugs?

 

[NSEFAN]

Sure there was an incident on the southern end of the WCML a while back. Raises the old argument of track circuits vs axle counters if the container falls on the tracks.

I don't think that track circuits are a very reliable way of detecting obstructions on the line? The discussion about this over on WNXX seems to revolve more around the type of mechanism used to secure the containers.

 

[PermitToTravel]

There's a decent chance of a shipping container actuating a track circuit, I guess. Wouldn't want to rely on it!

 

[tsr]

Track circuits might be activated by a dislodged shipping container, which is certainly better than nothing. On the other hand, unless said container lands on axle counter equipment, chances are that the latter won't be very helpful.

Put it this way - I'm glad most of the lines in my local area are TCB! Especially as track circuit operating clips (see also: signature) can be used, if all else fails... and those are pretty likely to work.

 

[CockneySparrow]

There's a decent chance of a shipping container actuating a track circuit, I guess. Wouldn't want to rely on it!

I guess it depends on how it falls, if the container ends up sitting on both rails or whether it sits on 1 rail, it might fall ditch side although it covers a rail the weight might tilt the container upwards so its not actually touching with the majority/weight of the container ditched

 

[mbonwick]

Can anyone shed any light on these types of wagons? Are the containers locked on to the wagons with the lugs that are turned or do they just sit on the lugs?

There's two types of container securing mechanism;
twistlocks - through the turning of a handle, a pin rotates and physically locks the container to the wagon

spigots - the containers just sit on these, held on by their own weight. However, spigots are supposed to be designed in such a way that they do not allow the container to tip/hinge around them (and in this case blow off).

Spigots are the prevailing type on rail wagons due to convenience and less chance for stuff to go wrong...

 

[DownSouth]

I guess it depends on how it falls, if the container ends up sitting on both rails or whether it sits on 1 rail, it might fall ditch side although it covers a rail the weight might tilt the container upwards so its not actually touching with the majority/weight of the container ditched

And even if does miraculously land flat over the top of the track, it's questionable as to whether the painted exterior would conduct the electricity well enough to close the circuit.

There are more reliable methods though - introduce modern freight wagons equipped with ECP for better braking performance and electronic train proving, and with sensors that would trigger a train proving alarm in the event of a load becoming dislodged.

There's two types of container securing mechanism;
twistlocks - through the turning of a handle, a pin rotates and physically locks the container to the wagon

spigots - the containers just sit on these, held on by their own weight. However, spigots are supposed to be designed in such a way that they do not allow the container to tip/hinge around them (and in this case blow off).

Spigots are the prevailing type on rail wagons due to convenience and less chance for stuff to go wrong...

In places where freight trains are less of a novelty than they are in Britain, the normal practice is to use the twist locks when containers are loaded on flat wagons.

If the twist locks are used properly (i.e. a two man team goes along the train and locks down every container once all the containers are loaded) then containers should only ever become detached in the event of the wagon having a severe crash. It might not be the most convenient method, but it becomes viable if the business consequences of stuffing up are severe enough.

Hopefully the RAIB will conduct a full investigation that goes beyond just the simple examination of how it happened and looks at the best practices used elsewhere. In addition to compelling the use of twist locks, introducing well wagons on routes known to be prone to high winds might also be worth looking into.

 

[Tomnick]

Track circuits might be activated by a dislodged shipping container, which is certainly better than nothing. On the other hand, unless said container lands on axle counter equipment, chances are that the latter won't be very helpful.

Put it this way - I'm glad most of the lines in my local area are TCB! Especially as track circuit operating clips (see also: signature) can be used, if all else fails... and those are pretty likely to work.

Ever the pedant (but it is quite an important point), I should point out that a line signalled under TCB regs doesn't necessarily use track circuits as its method of train detection. "Never assume" and all that .

 

[edwin_m]

The RAIB report on the previous container losses is quite informative.

The spigots are a UIC design used widely across Europe. The dynamics of container loss in high winds are such that a container will slide a bit to leeward before it tips. The shape of the spigot means that after this slide takes place the bulbous top will prevent that side of the container lifting off the wagon. However due to the shape and the spacing of the spigots the container can still be lifted on and off the wagon, avoiding the need for staff to put themselves at risk walking round the container yard to engage and disengage twistlocks.

Unfortunately the designers of the wagons which suffered the container loss didn't understand how the spigots were meant to work and mounted them on hinged plates to allow them to be folded out of the way when not used. Allowing the spigot to hinge in this fashion meant it was no longer able to retain a tipping container. However, a largeish fleet of wagons ran for some time before any container losses, so it is pretty rare for winds to be strong enough to risk dislodging one, even in the UK which is supposed to be windier than most of the rest of Europe. The standard spigot design includes a hole for a locking pin and operators of these wagons started using them after the accidents, but I don't know if there have been modifications since to make this unnecessary.

Clearly this type of spigot cannot be relied on to retain containers if there are severe vertical forces. But if the vertical acceleration is enough to overcome gravity and lift the container a few inches off the spigots, then it will also be enough to lift the wagon a couple of inches off the rails.

 

[najaB]

Clearly this type of spigot cannot be relied on to retain containers if there are severe vertical forces. But if the vertical acceleration is enough to overcome gravity and lift the container a few inches off the spigots, then it will also be enough to lift the wagon a couple of inches off the rails.

I'm not sure which would be worse: the container coming off, or the wagon derailing. While derailing sounds worse, at least there's a good chance that the job would get stopped sooner - if a intermodal was to lose a container into the path of a 390 going flat out ten minutes up the road and nobody was around to see it...

 

[HSTEd]

There are more reliable methods though - introduce modern freight wagons equipped with ECP for better braking performance and electronic train proving, and with sensors that would trigger a train proving alarm in the event of a load becoming dislodged.

Unfortunately ECP brakes cost money and will thus never be adopted in the UK - where capital spend and new technologies are bad, but losing money due to the inadequecies of the old system is tolerated.
Just like automatic couplers for freight trains.

 

[thelongestroad]

A former Cumbria police officer said: “The outcome could have been catastrophic. How the hell did it fall off the train, it should never happen again.”

I'm so glad they got the opinion of the former police officer here, I feel it really makes the story what it is.

 

[Bodiddly]

There's two types of container securing mechanism;
twistlocks - through the turning of a handle, a pin rotates and physically locks the container to the wagon

spigots - the containers just sit on these, held on by their own weight. However, spigots are supposed to be designed in such a way that they do not allow the container to tip/hinge around them (and in this case blow off).

Spigots are the prevailing type on rail wagons due to convenience and less chance for stuff to go wrong...

Interesting.
What about applying some kind of air operated locking of the spigots? This could be modified from the existing airlines running through the train and could in effect be operated by either the driver, shunter or person in charge of loading the train from a position of safety. Wouldn't think it would cost that much to modify considering the costs involved in losing a container on an open line. Dropping one of these containers in front of a high speed passenger train full to bursting doesn't bear thinking about.

 

[GB]

I think we need to keep in perspective just how rare it is for a container to become dislodged under normal operating conditions on the railway. Tens of thousands of containers are moved on the network every year without incident.

Bearing in mind all three incidents on the WCML not only involved FEA-B type wagons but also a specific set of operating parameters, modifying all the stock or suggesting all the stock should have twistlocks seems a bit of a knee jerk reaction.

 

[Bodiddly]

I think we need to keep in perspective just how rare it is for a container to become dislodged under normal operating conditions on the railway. Tens of thousands of containers are moved on the network every year without incident.

Bearing in mind all three incidents on the WCML not only involved FEA-B type wagons but also a specific set of operating parameters, modifying all the stock or suggesting all the stock should have twistlocks seems a bit of a knee jerk reaction.

Don't agree. One container falling from a moving train onto a running line at any time is too much. What if people had been killed because of this?
Surely the risks far outweigh the costs or are the freight companies waiting for a test case?

 

[najaB]

Don't agree. One container falling from a moving train onto a running line at any time is too much. What if people had been killed because of this?
Surely the risks far outweigh the costs or are the freight companies waiting for a test case?

I don't think anyone is saying that is something that can be ignored, but if the majority of incidents were caused by one design of wagon, on one specific route then the focus should be on that design or that route. That's not to say that improvements can't be made elsewhere but efforts should be targeted on the area of highest risk.

 

[GB]

Indeed. The easiest, and quickest solution is to not load containers under a certain tonnage on an FEA-B wagon...or if you do, pin it.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Just out of interest I'm assuming that the fallen container was spotted by the driver of another train. In other words the driver of the Intermodal service would not have known that he had lost a container?

 

[misterredmist]

Wow the potential consequences of a container discharging from a train don't bear thinking about...... in view of the securing mechanisms not being guaranteed, the Rail Freight companies should may be refrain from loading empty and very light units when high winds are forecast......

 

[GB]

Wow the potential consequences of a container discharging from a train don't bear thinking about...... in view of the securing mechanisms not being guaranteed, the Rail Freight companies should may be refrain from loading empty and very light units when high winds are forecast......

Its only a problem with a specific type of wagon under certain circumstance.

The guidance now for FEA-B wagons is...

Not to load empty containers on FEA-B wagons if the wind speed any where en route is above a certain mph.

If such containers are loaded they must be pinned down.

If the train is already en route with empty containers on FEA-B wagons that are not pinned, the trains speed must be reduced to 60mph.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Just out of interest I'm assuming that the fallen container was spotted by the driver of another train. In other words the driver of the Intermodal service would not have known that he had lost a container?

It was spotted by a member of public who contacted NR who then sent out staff to investigate.

 

[ilkestonian]

Just out of interest I'm assuming that the fallen container was spotted by the driver of another train. In other words the driver of the Intermodal service would not have known that he had lost a container?

There were quite a few members of the public about because a steam excursion was due through on Saturday morning, maybe one of those spotted it, because it was away from the tracks, in a field down a small embankment.

I've seen a photo or video taken up there with the container in shot, but I can't find it now...

Edit:

Found it. 1min 36 into this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytaVbwn9QSU

 

[Class 170101]

As I recall the only reason the containers were spotted on the WCML was because they were actually shorting the OLE - both were end up from what I recall reading.

 

[AndyPJG]

For info, link to RAIB report R122009_Containers.pdf