Posted on 12/30/2012 4:09:59 PM PST by nickcarraway
A man jumped in front of an oncoming uptown C local at Penn Station yesterday — but survived without a scratch by lying flat between the tracks as the train screeched to a halt over him, witnesses said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I’d always assumed there was room underneath a train, either a subway train or a regular surface train, for a person lying flat to have the train pass over him harmlessly. Are you saying that the bottom of a train is so close to the ground that there isn’t even 18 inches of clearance between the ties and the underside of the train?
It has been many years since I crawled around under a railroad car so any new developments in design or configuration are unknown. Back in the day there was clearance under your standard freight car. You might get hit with a low hanging air hose though. An unknown in the world of standard (not subway designs) is what the clearance under the locomotive itself is. I probably could get this info next time I can catch up with an acquaintance who works in train service for one of the major carriers - but due to our differing schedules, I don't see him that often.
Subway cars nether regions I am not familiar with, so maybe if there are any NYCT people out there we can get a better answer. I do know that on the NYCT system, the 'trench' between the main rails can be seen at most every station by looking at the tracks - just make sure there are no nutcases in a pushing mood when you look!
Like I said, I wouldn't want to test the clearance with my body. Maybe we have a volunteer..
≤}B^) -- of course
I’m guessing about 14 inches, with the main limitation being from the traction motors. Otherwise, it would be at least 20 inches.
It is a bad day when I don't learn something new.
Thank you once again.
At 14 inches I might just make it, though it would be like having the world’s worst mammogram.
Traction motors? Do diesel engines have to claw their way along the tracks? Sheesh, why do they have to be so low?
I think the average traction motor is too large in height to be mounted entirely above the axle. Therefore, a significant part of it extends below; from what I have seen, it probably averages eight or ten inches below the centerline of the axle.
10-4 on the mammogram there. Some people, for various anatomical reasons, stand tall when they lie down.
Well after all, that's how Lionel trains do it!
Again, not familiar with transit/subway motor car stuff (except that, no they aren't like Lionel ;-) but at least in NYC the third rail, whether Transit or NYC, er, Metro North all have the rail on the outside. There may be someplace somewhere that does it differently..
On freight railroads, your typical diesel electric locomotive is on a 42" diameter wheel (ref: GE AC6000) or there-abouts - GP38's are 40" I believe - so that puts the center of the axles at a nominal 20" above the rail head. Typical rail height is in the area of 7" (more than you ever wanted to know about rail dimensions) so the maximum clearance above the ties would be 27" or so. The traction motors do indeed extend below centerline of the drive axle, but exact dimensions I don't know. But.. here is a page from Progress Rail that shows the typical truck assembly so you can decide whether you want to check out whether you would fit under one of these.
As I said, I decline to be the test body... ;-) And Happy New Year!
I've never seen a center third rail either, not in 12-inch scale that is. Of course there are cog railways with the rack down the center. That could ruin your day, but I don't think by electrocution.
As to traction motor clearance, I was going on the assumption of a 36 inch wheel for rapid transit/light rail, a 5 inch diameter axle, and a 7 inch rail height.
So that would be (7 + (36-5)/2) = 22.5 inches to the axle, and then minus maybe 8 inches for the underhang of the traction motor, leaving 14.5 inches net clearance.
In my case, assuming face-up, a low-grade liposuction. Or liposection, more like.
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