Posted on 12/18/2017 9:12:29 AM PST by JME_FAN
I have no way of knowing for certain, but would guess that the speed was a lot lower than 80 mph, otherwise the front engine and cars would have flown a lot further down the bank and interstate. What is more likely is that the train was slowing from that earlier speed to around 40-50 mph but it was still going too fast to take the turn. Apparently a passive computerized system that is designed to be a fail-safe against human error was not yet operational (local news report said scheduled for next year). The curve is preceded by a long (if slight) downgrade and so possibly the engineers misjudged the rate at which they could slow down. Time will tell, but I don’t think there’s any chance that rear engine would have stopped where it did going more than 40 mph.
No, because in theory Amtrak normally travels around highway speeds, and up to as much as 100mph. This is not “high-speed” in the great world of RR. It’s standard passenger travel, higher than freight.
“The witness I heard said he saw the train approaching and was going faster than any train he had seen go through there.”
But all that might mean is faster than 30mph, the alleged rating of the curve right into the bridge. So maybe it was moving 50pmh.
Is this train supposed to connect with Moonbeam’s desert dream train in Kali?
No. This is the train that services the 467 miles of the Cascade Corridor: Vancouver (BC), Bellingham (WA), Everett, Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Portland (OR), Salem, Eugene.
‘... but the bridge clearly has been there what with the vandalism on it ...’
Vandalism as in ‘sabotage’?
“grafitti on the bridge (LABRAT KHAT)”
?
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/us/amtrak-derailment-washington.html
The National Transportation Safety Board said at a Monday night briefing that the train had been traveling more than twice the speed limit before it derailed, or at 80 miles per hour instead of the allowable 30 m.p.h.
Bella Dinh-Zarr, a member of the safety board, said at the briefing that it was unclear why the train was traveling so fast or whether the operator’s unfamiliarity with the new route had caused the accident.
NO, vandalism as in graffiti.
I wondered the exact same thing. If it were a new airplane.... If it were a new airport....
These letters are visible on the bridge that the train was attempting to cross. They were also there when google earth captured its images in Nov 2016. This is how I knew which bridge was involved. As to the meaning, no idea, some dude who is a lab rat and a “khat” — not necessarily any indication of bad intentions or certainly (not) any connection to this sad accident.
LABRAT grafitti is all over Portland also
Oh BOY, here we go, someone claiming ANTIFA caused the derailment : https://www.facebook.com/JustAnAmericanPatriot/videos/1653555534688443/
This evening reports said the straight stretch before the curve was rated for 80 pmh, and before the curve there was a sign for 30 mph which never happened. The trains black box says the train was going 81 mph when it crashed. So what happened: drunk driver, asleep driver, inattentive driver; suicidal driver???
If it was going that fast, it’s fortunate there wasn’t more fatalities. Maybe someday we’ll find out why he didn’t slow down.
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