Electrification of the Northeast Corridor, NYC to Boston

[Modelcar]

You would most definitely be right. A comparison would be the Hoover Dam. The curved shape makes it a very strong structure

Yes…very strong…I would imagine down at the bottom of Hoover Dam B***** the water is pushing on it roughly 350lbs./ sq. in…{When it’s filled to capacity}.

[BostonTrainGuy]

“Amtrak has four grade crossings left on the NEC between New Haven, CT and Providence, RI that I know about. From the south to the north the grade crossings are located in New London, CT (2 grade crossings), West Mystic, CT and Mystic, CT. The grade crossing in Mystic, CT is located at the Broadway Avenue Extension on a curve just west of the Mystic station. It is protected by four quadrant crossing gates so the trains do not sound their horns for that grade crossing”

Actually a lot more than that.

From North to South:

Westerly - Palmer Street - 100 MPH

Mystic - Elihue Island Road (AKA Freeman Road) - 70 MPH

Mystic - Walker Road - 70 MPH

Mystic - Wamphassuck Road - 80 MPH

Mystic - Latimer Point Road - 85 MPH

Mystic - Broadway Ave Ext - 70 MPH

Mystic - Shook Street - 85 MPH

New London - Governor Winthrop Boul - 50 MPH

New London - State Street - 35 MPH

New London - Bank Street - 55 MPH

New London - Miners Lane (AKA East Neck Road) - 80 MPH

Note that all crossings are well below the 110 MPH maximum allowed by the FRA. Also some of these do not have four quadrant gates as mentioned previously.

[DMUinCT]

You say the train was only going 60mph. Can you imagine what it would have done if it were going 120mph? The other child would have been killed instantly. The power car would be totally destroyed.

Not necessarily. The same curved shape that makes the Acela aerodynamic also makes it very strong. Certainly there would be significant damage to the nose area, but there’s a good chance it could be repaired - they wouldn’t have to scrap the whole unit.

But you are correct - the sheer G-forces of a 120-mph impact would have made survival, even if just for a little bit, that much further away for the victims of the crash.

Behind that fancy fiberglass front is is a front coupler, air lines, MU cables, and a metal “crash cage”. The slots down low on each side of the nose hides the release handels to lift the shroud so an Acela can be towed by a rescue diesel if needed. The Engineer sits high up on a control platform. His seat swivels to the left allowing him to drop down into a protected area behind his seat in event of a collision. Bullet Trains have been developed for 50 years around the world, designs keep getting better. The Acela is designed to protect the Passengers and Crew, but, anything it hits ??? that’s another story.

Remember, that Headlight rounding a curve a mile away will blow by you in 24 Seconds.

[Phoebe_Vet]

Actually, most engines are pretty strong when compared to any vehicle they may hit.

The orange metal you see wrapped around the front of this NC DOT F59 used to be a tractor trailer loaded with bricks.