According to the map, there are switch settings that could have had the train coming more or less straight in.
One tweet said the first car went airborne.
What do those things weigh - 80 tons or so?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3474938/posts
Somebody tell me I’m wrong. I didn’t care who it is , just somebody.
Manikins and coffee.....
I looked at the aerial view and yes, for the train to be in the area it was would have been a fairly straight run.
The train was coming from Spring Valley. That means it was a diesel locomotive and operating in push mode so the engineer would have been in the front car, not the locomotive. That also means his was the first body that felt the force of the impact since those cab cars don’t offer as much crunch space as a locomotive..
The locomotive most likely was a PL42 diesel-electric which weighs about 280 thou pounds but it was at the other end of the train. I have no idea what the cab car weighs..
Reports are that the engineer was unresponsive when removed from the cab but no word that I have heard on his name. The lead car became airborne and hit the roof (ceiling?) of the waiting area causing it to collapse. Don’t know yet about the train shed. If that was affected it could get interesting structurally since that shed covers something like 12 tracks..
It has been over a decade since I’ve been in Hoboken Terminal..