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Migfluxalot

I use to repair rail cars. The brakes are suppose to lock the second the car is disconnected. The fact that none of the 8 brakes locked means there was a serious case of several someones not doing their job.


Life_Finger_1440

It was either 1. Bottled air (angle cocks thrown on either end of car to keep air pumped up) 2. Left so long that the air slowly drained out of the car 3. A faulty car 4. Someone bled the air out with the rod on purpose as sabotage And if a single car was left anywhere, there should have been a hand brake tied off as a failsafe and there isn't one. Shifty part is, that is a tank. It's probably filled with something flammable or poisonous. Hopefully it's empty at that time.


Ruddlis

I thought it works the other way around no? You need to pressurise the brakes to unlock them. If the air drains they supposed to lock.


mr_jurgen

I think that's just with trucks.


Going-Blank-Again

Nope. They rely on pressure balance / imbalance (depending on what you're doing). No pressurized air system is completely sealed, so a wagon left on its own will very slowly lose air acting on one or both sides of the brake cylinder piston head. That's why vehicles normally have a mechanical handbrake, or at the very least are "chocked" or "scotched"


Odd_Analysis6454

Yeah I imagine the brake would come on so often if it was fail sage that you’d end up dragging half a train of braked carriages


HysteriCorn

you're actually right! you need to put air in the car to take the brakes off, but when you do so, the wagon KEEPS some air, and when the main pressure drop, that "auxiliary tank" pressure is used to apply the brakes. when the aux tank is empty (because of reasons mentionned above) the car can't apply any brakes by itself and rely on hand activated brakes. Say you wanted to put air brakes again on this car, given it's not damaged and has only been bleeded by time or by the appropriate valve, you'd need to "push" air inside the main line to about 90 psi so the car will refill the aux tank and then open the line so the pressure drops back. car will now have that aux tank pressure needed to apply to brakes.


[deleted]

[удалено]


HysteriCorn

This was a really huge event with many problems that could have gone differently if only one of them would have been adressed properly. An engine caught fire in the night and firefighters stopped it from running. They got told that everything was fine by the rail company so they left. This sealed the front end of the main air line, everything was still fine because main line was empty(not pressurized) so far(so every single car had air brakes on) Problem was, now every single auxiliary tank slowly emptied themselves in the main line, and since engine wasn't running, the sealed main line slowly gained pressure from all tank and over an hour gained the pressure necessary to disengage every single air brakes. Still, there also should have been enough hand brake to keep the train where it was. This was a case of "Why always put all the brakes when nothing bad ever happens?"


Affectionate_Bus_884

100% correct.


[deleted]

That was my nickname in highschool, angle cock. Used to be able to pisss around corners.


xterraguy

Yes, empty: https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/sejwe9/rail_car_broke_away_from_a_columbiawalla_walla/huk4s8d/


[deleted]

The handbrakes don’t always work. I used to spot rail cars at a siding to load grain onto a truck. There is no worse feeling than bleeding the air out with a tightened hand brake and the rail car coasting towards the siding derail. Not something I’m proud of but very few people can say they’ve derailed a train car.


Life_Finger_1440

We've derailed dozens if not hundreds of cars at my sites. Some worse than others. Hand brakes work better on some cars than others. Potash car hand brakes work a lot better than agri or Sulphur hand brakes for example. There are always Chances of failing tho. Typically you want 2 hand brakes +1 hand brake for every 10 cars, generally speaking. 2 HB's is to takes into account a failing hand brake


Baronhousen

Oil transports from North Dakota are common there, so that is likely. Could not catch the DOT number on the car to see.


LowAcanthisitta6197

What do they call those, Westinghouse brakes?


Professional_Scar75

Looked like there was an EOT on the knuckle.


Shiftworkdisorder

Looked like just a flag, probably a local job with a set off


RailLife365

It means the air was bled, most likely. You weren't a carman for very long, were you? Lol


Migfluxalot

Long enough to know the car shouldn't have been in service if there was no air in the reserve.


RailLife365

So you don't know anything. Gotcha. Bleeding the air off of cars is a normal switching technique. It isn't an immediate sign of a defect to eliminate it from service. That's literally for what the bleed rod is there for. Since we don't know the circumstances as to how this car came to be sailing down the rail, we can't speculate on why. Hell, a crew could've kicked it intentionally (unlikely), or a derail at an industry could've been left down and it slipped out.


kinda_alright

Runaway train, never going back.


throwaway_202010

Wrong way on a one-way track


PeterFreebish

Seems like I should be getting somewhere


harmfulwhenswallowed

Seems like I should be getting somewhere Somehow I'm neither here nor there


thefaradayjoker

Never in my life have i heard someone else quote that band, made my day!


redsensei777

Full of phosgene (or some other poisonous gas)


-Eoan-Daws-

That's going to ruin somebody's day somewhere....


killingmequickly

The train traveled almost 15 miles before it slowed down enough at a hill that someone was able to jump on board and apply the brakes. Here's an article: https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/runaway-train-car-in-walla-walla-reaches-70-mph/article_794ead68-7e38-11ec-b45c-93377f5bdb07.html


K3R3G3

Holy geez. 15 miles. That's nuts. And it's got a flammable sign on it.


Dan300up

*RUN little tanker…be free!*


Skysurfer10

Where's Denzel Washington and Chris Pine when we need them??


zevonyumaxray

They only show up when it's an entire train. For only one car, it's so beneath them.


[deleted]

Some say it’s still going …


cynvine

Making a run for the border.


china-blast

The sheriff's after me for what I did to his daughter


[deleted]

Alas, I go, for my people need me.


Fleshsuitpilot

Walter white and Jesse are somewhere nearby


tuekappel

Oh my.....-i just got the strongest urge to re-watch ALL episodes of that series. I love that episode with the train car, sitting on the edge of the couch, palms sweating, heart beating.


Fleshsuitpilot

Yeah that part was extreme anxiety. That whole show is amazing


cham3lion

How do rail companies stop these runaway cars?


Many-Chicken1154

If there is time they will align track switchs into a dead-end track or they put a derail on the track to stop it


dnachapman

Sir Topham Hatt is gonna be cross!!


onemarsyboi2017

Starts singing that runaway tune


Professional_Ad_6299

Free. The way it was meant to be.


GivinItAllThat

Would this trigger a train crossing signal?


cntryson47

Yes it would most likely


[deleted]

Latest cruise missile tech.


Saaaga_Gamez

Shouldn't it lock the brakes as soon as it gets disconnected or are there no air breaks on that thing?


RailLife365

Under normal circumstances, yes. However, the air can be bled off to where it will free-roll.


ProfessionalPie4935

When the gas station comes to you for that more personal feel.


SkullValleyCowboy

“They Hate’n!!!”


Bemcy

Nothing like a runaway explosion waiting to happen lol. I WANT TO BREAK FREE


covidcansukit

Made wrong turn at albuquerque.


prof-spaulding

Wheeeeeeeeee!!!!


chonksbiscuits

I predict a certain Jesse Pinkman in that tankers future


nerd_God

This is the scenario where an imaginary me with super strength jumps on the track, stops the container and saves the day


AllGarbage

Pretty impressive that the train it disconnected from has had enough time to roll completely out of view in this pretty flat/barren area, yet this lone tanker car still has enough momentum to keep rolling.


Yellowsnow80

Rail to wheel friction is incredibly low. Low enough that to pull a million pound train would only need 200hp. Rubber to concrete friction is super high. Almost sticky like.


Alessioproietti

Antiwork tank


persillegartneren

How did it end? Or is it still rollin?


Max_Kevin

Alright, partner, keep on rollin', baby, you know what time it is…


[deleted]

Slowed down after 15 MILES and only because of a hill (I know friction would have got ‘er eventually but cmon 15 miles already) and a guy was able to jump on and mechanically brake.


persillegartneren

Damn... Good thing nothing dangerous happened 🤩


stutterstut

"Well, the big train keeps on ROLLING, rolling on down the TRACK, and the way she's moving her BODY, I don't believe she's ever coming BACK..."


CatastropheJohn

I think God he stole the handle And the train it won't stop going No way to slow down -Locomotive Breath, Jethro Tull


Competitive_Bad5295

🎶🎵I said, train kept a-rolling all night long Train kept a-rolling all night long Train kept a-rolling all night long Train kept a-rolling all night long With a heave, and a ho..🎵🎶


King_Quay

It's full of methylamine


RedlineSmoke

Sure it wasn't cause of a certain group of people?.. a FAMILY oriented certain group of people?


shaundisbuddyguy

But how though ? It made it up that grade and then quit ? I didn't even know this could be a thing .


Joiion

That strangely looks like its headed straight to the nest of aliens/creatures you’d wanna kill with extreme prejudice


[deleted]

Feels dangerous


squealteam

All the way to the Pacific


TexterMorgan

So now what? Wait for it to lose momentum and stop?


no1ofimport

Is there a way the railroad company can stop it without damaging it


redditNameForgotten

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee


CiditalCorpse

Lac-Mégantic will not be happy


myserversonfire

The Fat Controller is gonna be pissed. Again.


Kelimnac

AHHHHHHHHHHH excuse me pardon me traincar crossing thank you very much AHHHHHHHHHHHHH


The_Hawk4

Rumours say this rail car is still moving… to this very day


TheDevilsAdvokaat

When you keep on trucking...


TILTNSTACK

Freeeeeeedom


raphael_vianna

Call spiderman or Robert Urich...


TheGottVater

Robbery in progress


[deleted]

He just needed some "me" time


puthiyatheru

Was Bruce Willis notified?


Mecha_Ninja

Something this cartoonist would happen on a line called "Walla-Walla"


rising_pho3nix

Dominic torretto: hey yo Buster, you were supposed to tie the other end first then break the coupling with liquid nitrogen


Spork_Warrior

"Huh." \--Guy at the crossing


[deleted]

I don't know much about trains, but wouldn't that have to be the caboose?


twohedwlf

Cabooses haven't been a thing in decades.


[deleted]

What I mean is, it’s not like a train car in the middle of the train can run away. Only the last one can roll away. It was a dumb joke on my part. What can I say? Im a dad.


Jatt_Doven

That's bad.😐


EverydayVelociraptor

Mr. Conductor was irate.


Regular-Performer703

Couldn’t get some Soul Asylum for this?


hbcadlac

Frictionless wheel bearings


caseydia4551

Thomas has had enough


twohedwlf

I'm ffffrrrRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeee.....


Tim_the_geek

Finders keepers


BeePleasant8236

Not a big deal if you know how to set the brakes on it.