Hi all,
A train of thought (pun intended) started by the ‘pointers from a friendly engineer’ thread raised the following question in my mind. If a load or boxcar door did come off a train, which direction would it fly in? I know it would go outwards, but would it go in the same direction that the train is heading (thanks to momentum), or backwards (due to backdraft)?
Thanks in advance,
tbdanny
As soon as the door liberated itself from the car, it would still be traveling at the same speed and in the same direction as the car. Wind resistance might slow it down, but it would still come to rest ahead of where it initially separated. Plug doors might not bounce as high or as often, but I would hate to predict how an ordinary sliding box car door would bounce. As the engineer said, you’d be safer running in the direction opposite the movement of the train.
Thanks [:D]
Had one come off while kicking cars, it went about the length of a car, ended up almost even with the door on the car ahead of it, tore a switch handle off a switch stand, dug 6" deep ruts in the rocks.
I would hate to see what one would do if it came off at track speed, I think it could easily slice through an automobile.
Sounds nasty. [xx(]
The reason I ask is so that I’ll know what to do if I ever find myself in this situation.
You can never be prepared for everything that comes at you.[swg]
The speed at which said door comes off is a huge factor as well. So to is the manner with which it separates. It might just fall to the ground, bounce a few times and settle in. It could also turn into a giant frisbee and sail off a small distance from the rails, especially if the train is running upwards of 60 mph.
The Commodore’s comment notwithstanding, never underestimate the power of wind.
Either way, you want to be moving both toward it (in no small part so you can keep an eye on it), and away from the rails.
The old nuclear safety motto does very well here - time, distance, shielding. You want to get as far away as you can, as fast as you can, and if you can introduce a substantial barrier between you and it, all the better.
What are the odds though…you’re probably more likely to get struck by lightning twice on your wedding day than getting caught by a flying boxcar door.
As best as I can recall, a few years ago in Trains there was a part of an article that related how a boxcar door came off while a freight train was passing through a station - I’m remembering NYC like at Englewood, but it could have been the PRR, DL&W, or any other of the eastern railroads with a substantial number of suburban commuter passenger-type stations that had umbrella-type sheds or platforms. Anyway, no one was on the platform at the time, but it still made a lot of noise, and fortunately did only superficial damage. I’m not even going to try to find the article, though . . . [:-^]
Between boxcar doors, container doors, and trailer doors this is I suppose worth thinking about – not so long ago our railfanning group was enjoying a fast moving intermodal train when we noticed that one of the doors on a trailer was swinging open and shut in the wind. One of our group is in law enforcement so he called the local rr police about it.
A more probable cause of harm is dragging metal strip used to contain loads such as lumber, and also from loads of scrap steel. I have often seen that stuff flying around off the side of a car and I bet that could really slice a guy up.
I am reminded of a casual conversation years ago after watching a train go by. An older gent also watched but from a distance. He was a retired railroader and he said “You know, you’ll never see a real railroader stand as close to a moving train as you railfan types.”
Dave Nelson
Not just doors, but blocks of ice from under the train! Many years ago, while inspecting a fast passenger train, I noticed a large hunk of ice drop off one of the cars about 200 feet away, and - being ice it skidded along fast without losing much speed. I stepped back a couple feet closer to the depot and the ice glanced off the platform and aimed itself at me again. So I stepped forward and it did the same.
I suppose I was lucky it didn’t break my leg, but it sure is demeaning to match wits with a chunk of ice and lose.
Art
Art
Art
Injuries or fatalities from doors or other items-bands, dunnage, freight, trailers or containers-loose or flying off trains seem to be rare. But why take a chance? If I happen to be the first to drive up to a rail crossing with an approaching or passing train, I try to stay some distance back from the crossing.
Same thing if I am watching or photographing a passing train.
At my age, I can no longer run very fast or far!
Although it varies according to location, as a general rule a railroad’s right-of-way extends 50 feet on either side of the track, so I always try to stay at least that far away from a moving train.
Back to boxcar doors – I have seen many empty boxcars on Union Pacific trains with open doors despite a warning stenciled on them that the car is not to be moved without the doors closed. So why don’t the doors get closed when the cars are picked up? Who is responsible for closing them, the railroad or the industry that unloaded them?
The closing of plug doors (I’m pretty sure those are the only ones that have the message) is the responsibility of the industry. The crew switching them is not supposed to move the car with the doors open, and the industry should be notified. I’ve turned such cars in myself on a number of occasions, and the people involved (usually someone unfamiliar with the drill, in spite of the rule’s presence in GCOR) have been told. I would think that the car department would deal with this in departing trains, but won’t second-guess that one.
It’s also possible the doors were closed when the car was picked up. I’ve seen a boxcar door (just the regular sliding type) come open during switching on a loaded boxcar.
Once plug doors are properly closed and locked, they shouldn’t be able to come open. I’ve seen sliding doors come open (and off) during switching operations.
So far only the door itself has been accounted for. I’m sure it’s rare but what about any load inside of the car once the door falls off? If the car is loaded and it’s not loaded securely, then the load is also likely to start falling / flying out of the car depending on the speed and weight of the load. I can’t recall ever hearing anything like that before.
CC
Oh, that happens, too. As the thread says, sometimes the people who load the cars don’t know how to do it properly (or think they know better), and the load will shift, which may account for the door problems to begin with. Of course, if the load is bulk grain (not common in box cars any more, but I remember well…), unloading may be almost instantaneous.
Well, this thread just got more topical given the item about the AMTK Silver Star in Friday’s News Wire!
For those who can’t see that story, a loose boxcar door on a passing freight struck the Silver Star’s engine then the door went flying and took the roof off the dining car.