Posted on 02/21/2003 9:36:00 AM PST by eBelasco
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/02/21/derail_030221
Had Totem Face been elected we would all be living not just on the wrong side of the tracks - we'd be living ON the tracks.
It's not the derailment, it's the explosions and fires. Is everyone suddenly forgetting to not smoke while refuelling?
Perhaps periodic episodes of hysteria are actually good for us so long as they don't become chronic. Or perhaps not, but we appear to have some hysteria happening this week.
and never, ever shoot off fireworks in bed, or when your mattress is on the wall.
Train tracks are generally instrumented with hot bearing detectors about every 20 miles. The devices cost about $50,000 per installation and have an 80% false report record.
A bearing can go from Ok to burning off in 3 minutes. It is possible to pass over a detector in an Ok condition and be burning before you reach the next detector.
I'm currently doing a research project for the Federal Railway Administration that includes bearing temperature monitors and high frequency accelerometers to analyze the frequency signatures from a bearing. Other accelerometers measure the "hunting" (transverse) motion and vertical motion. As configured, I can detect problems far in advance and recommend preventative maintainance. I can also send immediate notification to the locomotive engineer when a critical problem is detected. It's R&D now. The computers, sensors and communication elements can be refined into very inexpensive packages once we have consensus on what items bring the most value. The kind of accident detailed in this article is entirely preventable.
AHHHHH LOL
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