Will surfing youtube I found the video bellow of a “STAGED” collision. There are five parts in all if you wish to watch the making of this “STAGED” collision.
Anybody who thinks a grade crossing accident is ‘cool’ is cracked in the head! As a fire fighter and rescue worker I’ve had to help at more than my fair share of such accidents and there’s nothing ‘cool’ about it. Maybe if you had to help peel apart a mass of twisted wreckage that was a car to get the remains of somebodys loved ones out of it you’d think differently about it. I’ll never be able to forget any of them.
Worst is being in the cab as a passenger vehicle disappears from view…I never will forgot the first time I was in the cab when we hit a car…I can still recall the look of horror on the passenger’s face,the engineer’s OH MY GOD! as he applied the brakes,the stunned look on the fireman’s face,the eerie hiss of air and how 2 lives was needlessly lost over a few mintues of waiting as we had 14 cars. and that’s been 40 years ago.
If that video saves one life its worth posting.
Jeff, I ran a tow truck for over 10 years. It was NOT my intent to appear to be saying that it was cool. The video is nothing more then a tool to show people the destruction and damage a train can do. While there are videos on YouTube that do that I have seen first hand what happens in such an event. And I have been to training sections for both fire/rescue and police. In order to be able to deal with the aftermath of such an event.
I myself applaud the news crew that made the video. If it has saved one life it has made a difference and for that I applaud them. But this is not the place to get into a debate over such things.
Since it was staged and nobody was ever in danger, I’ll say this particular video was cool from a science and physics view point. That sound when it hit! WOW! 0 to 50mph! Instantly!
That’s a great vid. I’m trying to find one of an Amtrak collision, the car was completly wrapped around a P42’s front.
Sign on the back of a U.S. Military bus, seen in Japan during my modeling era (and obviously aimed at the American drivers who equated ‘railroad’ with two trains a day, not one every fifteen minutes…)
Remember, trains have both Might AND Right! Stop at all railroad crossings,
The full stop requirement was part of Japanese driving law.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Did I miss something, who said it was “cool”? It was very informative & educational.
I believe that the comment was made because that’s how the you tube video was titled.
So, does anyone here plan on MODELING this event?
I’m surprized nobody has mentioned the famous Top-Gear railway vs car ‘safety message’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekpD06P7kiI (it’s done somewhat tongue-in-cheek, as Top Gear is wont to do - BTW, Jeremy Clarkson is not and never was Sir Robert Markson).
The car in quesion is a Renault Espace (very high-rated safe vehicle, and the locomotive I believe is a Class 31)
Yeah, the guys at Top Gear are nuts. Their collision still shows how bad an impact is.
The opening screen of the video says ‘Old but cool’. Old, yes. Cool, NO, absolutely not cool. I don’t deny that it is informative. That, after all, is why it was made in the first place.
If your going to put on a staged demonstration like this, do it properly,
Like this- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zRKb6Xv2jGA&feature=related by putting the car sqaure on across the track!
Incidently, the ‘light’ locomotive used for this test was only 107 tons!
The numerous referances made to high visibilty jackets is just abit of micky taking at the UK’s over the top health and safety culture.
Heh, that’s the Top Gear one, where they run a Class 31 at 70mph+ into a Renault Espace - which I mentioned and linked to about 3 posts above (to the full segment, including the opening with the hoodies doing donuts and the OAP driving into the sea). Thank yew…</J clarkson>
Yes you did, sorry, was half asleep and didnt notice![#oops]
James May does NOT approve…anyway, for a while all the cool Top Gear challenges were available on YouTube (till the BBC tracked down most of them and had them removed), and I took advantage of that - some of the race challenges involved railroads vs autos (I recall TGV vs Bulgatti from Southeast England to Monte Carlo; Bullet Train vs. Nissan[?] across Japan; and the Merc vs. Cruise Ship from England to Norway[!], where as Jeremey was entering the Eurostar he stated ‘What, you drive through the train to France?’ - however, none of these events are particularly model-worthy (I suppose some models of the London Underground may have a model Stig in complete white racing gear, looking bemused - ‘Cross London via Car, Boat, Bike, and Public Transport’).
And lately I’m wondering if the Model Railroader Forums are too much along the lines of ‘Ambitious, but Rubbish…’
Very well stated Jeff I completely concur.