William Wixon wrote:
(top posting fixed)

"Robert Swinney" wrote in message
...
www.tornado1.wmv

Amazing video! Only a RR person would appreciate this; but the final
scene was of the broken-off
rear part of the train which continued down the track to collide with the
front half. Normally,
when a train breaks in two like that one, automatic air brakes are applied
to both portions.
Theoretically, both halves should come to full "emergency stop" to prevent
a reconnect disaster like
that one.

Bob Swinney



that's horrifying. awesome (in the original definition).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFe0846RgWc

(my second father was a locomotive engineer.)

b.w.


Also awful (in the original definition). I assume it's the same one I
saw a month or so ago -- I cringed enough when I saw it, don't need to
see it again!!

A search on 'Westinghouse Brakes' should cough up some interesting
tidbits. The pneumatic brake technology used in trains is over 100
years old. It's functional, but it has some severe drawbacks. There
are way better ways* to stop a train now, but inter-railway politics,
inertia and what not** have kept them from being adopted.

* Brake by wire! Just like Toyota***!

** Union-railway politics...

*** Oh, wait...

--
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consulting
www.wescottdesign.com