Railway accidents

[43021HST]

Have any of you ever been in railway accidents like a derailment or a collision with an animal or something.

 

[whoshotjimmi]

I have been on a Class 308 that caught fire between Shipley and Leeds. Had to be evacuated in Armley. Does that count?

I have also been on a train that hit the platform at Batley.

 

[33056]

The only thing I have ever been involved in was the Hertforshire Railtours trip that derailed in Grimsby Docks . Nothing terribly exciting really, we didn't even know what the problem was until it was announced on the tannoy.

 

[37401]

Depends what you class as an accident or in my case incident (as accident implies noone was to blame), i was on a 170 coming back from Nottingham and as we left Derby some chav lineside threw a stone cracking the window where 2 women were sitting. the funny thing was the guards reaction as he walked past he said "Whos done that?" like we were gonna say "Oh it was the 2 women sitting there they just went mad!"

 

[Death]

Not a typical accident thankfully...But a few years ago I fear that I accidentally caused an incident on an SWT service as it was leaving Guildford for Aldershot/Ascot!

Having boarded the train (A 450) just before departure, I decided to use the on board accessible convenience as we were leaving. Whilst inside, I hung my (Rather heavy) bag up on one of the coat pegs inside the room before proceeding...And as the train entered the North Downs line and rounded the bend leaving Guildford, there was an emergency brake application which eventually led to a drag back into Guildford (Due to issues with the EBA and the units computer) and about an hours overall delay.

Now it didn't occur to me until well after the fact...But I have a sinking feeling that - As the train rounded the bend onto the North Downs line - My bag might've swung on the hook and hit the emergency stop button next to it! hock:

Either way though, the whole affair was a right pain in the ass for everyone caught up in it...And I'm surprised that not only do the lavatory alarms stop the train anyway (Given that there's no windows in there, and thus no way for a passenger to know that the train is in danger) but also that there's no form of safety cover placed over those buttons to prevent accidental activation! :? :roll:

 

[The Snap]

I was on the ELR Nightrider in 2007 when 47402 hit a sheep and smashed it's head into bits. Wasn't a pretty sight!

 

[theblackwatch]

A few incidents, but nothing too major, in my time:
- A DMU which hit a sheep on the way back home from York
- A 318 which hit a mattress and various things placed on the track by vandals on the way back from Gourock or Wemyss Bay. Caused some damage to the underfloor parts on the unit, was allowed to stay on while unit travelled to next station where it was terminated.
- A 303 I was on bricked, window in front of mine came right through with a brick following it. Had I been sat in the seating bay ahead, it could have put a stop to my all line as well as causing me injury from flying glass.

Less serious, I have been on at least four trains which have had a SPAD, two of which were, purely coincidentally, hauled by the same loco!

 

[Ilove165's]

Been on 156420 when one engine failed on the way to Blackpool North. One of my friends said 'oh, we seem to have suffered a TPWS stop', only for the engine underneath us to cough back into life! . It is a dog of a unit that...

 

[87015]

- A 303 I was on bricked, window in front of mine came right through with a brick following it. Had I been sat in the seating bay ahead, it could have put a stop to my all line as well as causing me injury from flying glass.

Similar thing, was on a 310 out of Fenchurch St, unit goes past the other way so nose against window trying to see if its a 310 or 312 (difficult!), some oik had opened doors on said other unit as it departed apparently, either the door or flying ballast struck the window, thankfully the second pane of glass cracked but stayed firm, first one totally gone, scared the **** out of me.

On a DMU on Severn Valley one Saturday morning which had to do emergency stop due steel pipes (IIRC) thrown on the line from overbridge, pulled up just short, traincrew shoved them aside and on we trundled. Had another one on SVR with dog placed on track, driver stops and train/driver then bricked. Both Foley Park area.

Whilst on 33103 on Gospel Oak rock came though toplight and was sitting in corridor (compo coach). Especially nice that one as about 75% of the windows must have had people hanging out of...

 

[dan_atki]

Now it didn't occur to me until well after the fact...But I have a sinking feeling that - As the train rounded the bend onto the North Downs line - My bag might've swung on the hook and hit the emergency stop button next to it! hock:

I have a feeling and I will check it out the next time I am on a 450 that pressing the emergency alarm button doesn't result in a brake application. It only activates the intercom to the driver who can then find a safe place to stop the train if there was danger on board. I think this is a feature of all new rolling stock?

Presumably this comes as a recommendation from somewhere (RAIB?) to stop a passenger inadvertently stopping a train in a dangerous location*, allowing the driver to use their route knowledge to stop in a place both easy to evacuate and easy for the emergency services to arrive at.

*E.G. Train on fire stopped in a tunnel or on a bridge or a person extremely ill on board stopped in the middle of nowhere.

The only place on a Desiro I have seen something that looks as though it might stop the train if pulled are the green emergency door release levers by the external doors. They state on them 'Pull once to stop train, and then pull again to release doors' or something similar.

 

[Aussie_Rail]

I've been on a train that was hit with rocks smashing several windows in the rear carriage, normally it would have been terminated and sent off for repairs, but as we were 3 stations from the terminus we kept going, minus the people in the rear carriage.

 

[37372]

I've been on a train that's hit someone on the line twice, been caught up in so many signalling farces before, been on a Central Trains 170 that failed at Belper, and a 158 caught up in flooding.

Fun times!

 

[Jordy]

Failed 170 at Belper (as above ), failed 158 at Sheffield, failed 153 at Wrawby Junction (2 hours, not nice!) and bricked at Thorne South, nothing overly interesting though!

 

[O L Leigh]

Blimey. If we're counting train failures and being hit by missiles thrown from the lineside I could be here all night.

O L Leigh

 

[Jordy]

Anything slightly less boring, O L Leigh?

 

[metrocammel]

I have a feeling and I will check it out the next time I am on a 450 that pressing the emergency alarm button doesn't result in a brake application. It only activates the intercom to the driver who can then find a safe place to stop the train if there was danger on board. I think this is a feature of all new rolling stock?

I'm sure this is the case on 185s and 360s, so I imagine 450s toilets, being a 'Desiro' unit, behave in a similar manner?

The only 'incident' I can recall was while stewarding a Green Express in 2007 from on the way back from Perth to Sheffield. 47826 self-combusted (something to do with it's traction motors). We were blocking the WCML at Beattock for several hours while the local FB put the fire out. I think it was also it's last working in it's Intercity livery.

 

[O L Leigh]

Um...

O L Leigh

 

[Death]

The only 'incident' I can recall was while stewarding a Green Express in 2007 from on the way back from Perth to Sheffield. 47826 self-combusted (something to do with it's traction motors). We were blocking the WCML at Beattock for several hours while the local FB put the fire out.

I know that I have a rather odd approach to railway working...But in that instance, wouldn't it have been easier to coast the thing down Beattock as fast as possible, put the fire out that way, and roll it into a siding at the first possible convenience?

Not only would it have saved blocking the WCML...But it would've given the passengers on board a nice 'n' unexpected rollercoaster-esque experience into the bargain!

 

[33056]

Er Death.......exposing fire to air makes it burn hock:

Also you would not get very far if the traction motor seized.....

 

[CraigS]

I've been on a train that has derailed, which was the shuttle at the Long Marston Open Weekend last month.

Was on a Hastings Diesels tour with 1001 back in 1999 when it went to Sheringham, we hit a shopping trolley somewhere along the Bittern Line.

And was on a class 205 back in 2003 when it hit a shopping trolley inside Ore tunnel.

 

[Death]

Er Death.......exposing fire to air makes it burn hock:

Aye, maybe...But wouldn't exposing the same fire to an excess amount of air at high speed and pressure blow out the flames?
If nothing else, it'd certainly be a fun thing to try just for the thrill of coasting down Beattock at => 250mph!

Also you would not get very far if the traction motor seized.....

Ah...Now I agree that can be a bit of a problem. I've never worked on railway traction motors before, but the first alternator that I had in my Volvo (Similar to a DC motor, but works t'other way around) siezed due to foreign object debris (FOJ) between the rotor and the stator.
I managed to fix it quickly though by simply taking a long and hefty wrench and using it to spin the rotor with enough force to crush the FOJ to dust!

 

[Krispo]

I've been on an 87 which was bricked years back, a Voyager which did an emergancy stop and a 323 which started rolling away while it was stopped in a station with the doors open.

 

[Lonewolf]

closest ive been was when a 150 had to make an emergancy stop between parson street and bedminster when some stupid T**t on a skateboard was grinding along one of the rails

 

[SouthEastern-465]

I Know this dont count as a crash but,i was spotting on the bridge just outside grove park and there was a dead bird on the line which attracted the attention of about 4 or 5 foxes after about 30 seconds a Class 465/9 came thundering down the line and hit 3 out of the 4 or 5 which was there,then a workmen came with a spare orange jacket and threw it over the remains to cover the mess up which i thought was rather odd,anyway after a class 375/9 came down the line at about 70 MPH and applied its emergency brakes mistaking the dead foxes and jacket for a rail worker hit by a train i tell you what when the driver was told what he had really seen,you should of seen the look on his face all im saying it was very red!

Anyway i was on a class 377/1 which derailed the station after mine!

 

[GWRtom]

does being on a HST coming into Bath witch hit sombody and killed them as you will all remember count as an acident?

 

[poshbakerloo]

There was one near where I live near Manchester with a class 142, no one was killed and only one old woman was hurt...

 

[tinyanmcw]

I have only seen a man jumped off the platform and killed by a train in Hong Kong......
That was terrible...
Anybody else seen that??

 

[SouthEastern-465]

I have only seen a man jumped off the platform and killed by a train in Hong Kong......
That was terrible...
Anybody else seen that??

No i dont think we wont to either!

 

[poshbakerloo]

There are a lot of accidents that you never hear about...but I think the 158s are accident prone...they seem to get bridges falling on them and trackers driving into them all the time!

 

[Mintona]

Um...

O L Leigh

Ever "delayed" a train by getting stuck in the toilets of the unit next to it?