Posted on 11/29/2005 11:06:41 PM PST by skeptoid
SEATTLE -- In the first effort of its kind, a giant hydraulic crane and a powerful towtruck were used to separate the two Seattle Monorail trains that got stuck when they sideswiped each other on a narrow section of the elevated tracks.
The basic strategy worked as planned but the trains could not be moved as far as officials hoped before the work was halted early Tuesday, and officials said it would take at least one more night of work to get the damaged trains to the system's maintenance shop for repairs.
"We're very happy with the progress as it's been going," said Perry Cooper, a spokesman for the Seattle Center, which owns the monorail.
The trains got stuck when they sideswiped each other on a curve near the downtown station Saturday evening. Fire crews helped the 84 passengers down from the 28-foot-high tracks. There were no serious injuries.
The maintenance operation is at the other end of the line, about a mile to the north, near the Space Needle in the Seattle Center. All were built for the 1962 world's fair.
It's the first time both trains have been out of commission. In the past, if one train broke down, the other could be used to tow it.
Cooper said engineers had hoped to get the two trains up Fifth Avenue to Cedar Street, about three-fourths of the way to the shop, but after an initial damage assessment and a delay with one of the trains they got only as far as Lenora Street, about a quarter of the way up the line.
Using equipment on the ground to move disabled trains along the dual tracks had never been tried before a 120-ton hydraulic crane and a pulley system were used to attach cable from a towtruck to the trains for the big pull Monday night.
The two tracks spread apart north from the crash site, so the trains came apart as they were pulled after a stop about 40 feet along the way.
"It's gone very well ... we're very happy," Cooper said. "Only a small bit of debris has fallen. Slow, safe and successful."
Once engineering crews decided to use the towtruck alone to continue pulling the trains, the Blue Train began tearing up the power cable along the track, Cooper said.
He said he did not know what was projecting from the train, but by the time the problem was corrected early Tuesday there was not enough time left before crews had to stop work at 4 a.m.
Even though the cable had been deactivated, "you obviously don't want a power line that's hanging down to the street," Cooper said.
The deadline was set to allow the restoration of power to overhead electrical lines used by trolley buses along Fifth Avenue, parts of which were closed during the delicate operation under the watchful eyes of police, fire and transportation officials.
Mayor Greg Nickels and a number of spectators turned out in wet weather with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees to watch the start of the operation.
"We wanted to see the last of its karma, at least for a while," said Andrew Snelling, 23, a car detailer who watched with his wife Kiley.
"It's deep curiosity," contract writer Ann McFarland said of her desire to be at the scene. "It's a shame. This is the second Christmas it's been down. ... It just seems like it's on its last legs.
"Now, just sitting there, it's looking old and sad. ... I hope this isn't its last hurrah. It would be sad for Seattle."
A signal system has prevented similar accidents at the curve, where the tracks are too close together for the two trains to pass freely. The southbound train is supposed to stop and wait for the northbound train to pull out of the Westlake station before passing the curve.
Investigators from the state Department of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety Board will try to determine whether the problem was operator error, a signal malfunction or a communication breakdown.
The line was shut down for more than six months last year, after a smoky fire stranded about 100 riders. No one was seriously hurt.
Popular with tourists, the Monorail carries as many as 23,000 riders a day. A 13-year campaign to expand the system met with sound rejection by voters this month - the first no vote in five elections on the issue in eight years.
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I'l just bet an SUV was to blame.
Just damn.
Proper prior planning prevents pi$$-poor performance.
More photos and a vid at this article.
I'm sure $40-50 million in union labor, standing around doing nothing, will make real progress on the problem this week. Then they'll pass a bond measure to fix it up reeeeel goooood.
It was Bush's fault!
The Disney parks monorails seem more efficient than this thing.
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