NBC 4 Los Angeles "Safety of 'Push Trains..."

[NH2060]

We've all heard the same argument(s) before. But this one is a bit more informed:
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local ... 79371.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think the question should not necessarily be "Are "push pull" trains less safe than locomotive hauled trains in a grade crossing accident"" but rather "Are double decker push pull trains less safe than single level/shorter-in-height multilevel cars?" Single level/MLV cars have a lower center of gravity than double decker cars and therefore might not be subjected to the same risks that double decker cars might encounter. If a train of NJT MLVs collided with a similar shaped/sized vehicle I would think the weight/center of gravity alone would make for a different outcome.

What might also be a factor in this particular accident is the shape of the nose on the cab car. The angle at which the nose made contact with the trailer might have been the difference between pushing the trailer out of the way/crumbling it and derailing/spinning around 180 degrees(!). Just from looking at the aerial video shots this was clearly a violent crash. But in spite of what happened with the cab car the cars themselves appear to have held up very well.

[DutchRailnut]

answer is no they are not.... unless we outlaw MU cars DMU cars , buses etc . no shape form or weight will alter the involvement of stupidity ...
over 13 000 trains a day world wide are operated with cab cars only a few meet idiots...

[BandA]

Use technology to detect obstructed crossings as soon as the gates go down. That will give some extra seconds to slow the train before the impact. Also detect where traffic is stopped on the crossing and automatically ticket & alert dispatchers who can view the situation via cameras.

Put gates across the railroad tracks blocking morons from driving onto the tracks. When the gates across the roads go down, the gates across the tracks go up.

[MichaelB86]

Why not just make them heavier? Part of the problem is they are much lighter than a locomotive, when they hit something there is a greater chance of the Cab Car derailing instead of just pushing whatever it hit off of the tracks.

[dowlingm]

Maybe the authority whose road it is that's crossing should have to put automated cranes to pluck the stuck vehicle out of the crossing...

Hey, why should all the unrealistic/expensive solutions have to be suggested to the railroad? :D

[mtuandrew]

Maybe the authority whose road it is that's crossing should have to put automated cranes to pluck the stuck vehicle out of the crossing...

Hey, why should all the unrealistic/expensive solutions have to be suggested to the railroad? :D

Or one of these:

[FLHerne]

Why not just make them heavier? Part of the problem is they are much lighter than a locomotive, when they hit something there is a greater chance of the Cab Car derailing instead of just pushing whatever it hit off of the tracks.

That's what was done after the Polmont derailment here in the UK - it was found that the DBSO's minimal weight compared to a loco was a significant factor, so the follow-on DVTs got 15 tons or so of ballast.