NJT Hoboken Crash

[Philip H]

Well given that history they will try to hang this on the engineer - no matter what the NTSB finds - and then run for the hills as fast as possible.

[lock4244]

That takes money that doesn't exist due to Christie installing unqualified overpaid cronies to run the department as well as diverting funds to other areas.

You've probably just described every Gov't agency everywhere. Debts are incurred in the political process, and a politician always pays their debts... with our money.

I doubt there is a solution to this that won't cost a lot of money, and that very apt observation of diminishing returns would apply here... this doesn't happen often enough to justify the cost to prevent another does it?

[nkalanaga]

It would be possible to build retarders specifically for this purpose, but they would indeed be very expensive, not because of politicians, but because they'd be custom built, with a limited market, and have to have a lot of moving parts.

They'd have to be powered, like hump retarders, rather than sprung, because if the springs were strong enough to stop a train, it would be too hard to get a train out of the station against them.  Hydraulic/pneumatic (I don't know which the ones in Pasco were) hump retarders are built in sections, maybe ten feet to a section, so could be built as long as needed.  The ones in Pasco had four shoes per section, one on each side of each rail, and each with its own cylinders, for at least four, and probably eight or more, cylinders per section.  For a train-length retarder. that would be a lot of moving parts, and would require regular maintenance, adding to the expense.  Then there would be the control systems, new or changed signal logic to activate the retarder controls, need to close the track if anything had to be repaired, etc.

Much cheaper, and quicker to install, would be a bigger bumper, which would be nothing more than a large chunk of reinforced concrete, well anchored into the ground.

[Spikre]

 
  a big problem with Retarders in a busy level station like Hoboken would
  be passengers falling into the retarders.
  or the expense to seal them off so that doesn't happen,but they still would
  be able to stop the trains.
   it may be possible,,,,,but ??
    Spikre
       

[Spikre]

 
  N,
   a problem with Hoboken is it isn't on Solid Ground.
   its on fill over the Hudson River.
   just as some other Terminals/Stations were in that area.
   Erie in Jersey city,CNJ ay Jersey City/Comminpaw,NYC at
   Weehawken,PRR at Greenville/Jersey City.
   probably any Lehigh Valley sites in Jersey City also.
   RRs had been built on Fills in that area since at least the 1870s.
      Spikre
         
       

[nsbob]

Not the first time this has happened at the Hoboken Terminal. 
( NTSB RAR-12-05   Collision of Port Authority Trans-Hudson Train with Bumping Post at Hoboken Station   Accident Date:  5/8/2011  Report Date:   11/5/2012  Hoboken NJ      PB2012-916305)
Surprised the media has not inquired about this with NJT and Hoboken Terminal officials.  Took me all of five minutes to find this on page five of the NTSB website the day of the latest accident.  I realize this was a PATH accident on a different level, but it also occurred at the Hoboken Terminal under the same circumstances.

[mu26aeh]

Just on nightly news, NBC reported that just before entering station, engineer increased speed from 8mph to 21 mph, then just before impact put throttle back into idle and hit emergency brakes

[ljudice]

Not the first time this has happened at the Hoboken Terminal. 
( NTSB RAR-12-05   Collision of Port Authority Trans-Hudson Train with Bumping Post at Hoboken Station   Accident Date:  5/8/2011  Report Date:   11/5/2012  Hoboken NJ      PB2012-916305)
Surprised the media has not inquired about this with NJT and Hoboken Terminal officials.  Took me all of five minutes to find this on page five of the NTSB website the day of the latest accident.  I realize this was a PATH accident on a different level, but it also occurred at the Hoboken Terminal under the same circumstances.

The day of the accident this was mentioned on CNN and MSNBC, but have not heard it since - although no one pointed out it was on PATH...

[Blazeman]

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/safety/news/NTSB-NJ-Transit-trains-brakes-signal-and-train-control-system-functioned-as-designed-during-Hoboken-crash--49770?

[TLOC]

They are seemingly IMO getting ready to hang the engineer. Everything was working properly except the ...

TomO

[Ed Kapuscinski]

They are seemingly IMO getting ready to hang the engineer. Everything was working properly except the ...

TomO

Sometimes it happens.

[C855B]

It's happening. He already admitted "...the train was six minutes late...", implying that he was trying to make up time.

[peteski]

It's happening. He already admitted "...the train was six minutes late...", implying that he was trying to make up time.

 

[Scott Lupia]

It's happening. He already admitted "...the train was six minutes late...", implying that he was trying to make up time.

As somebody with boots on the ground here I can say with all certainty that there is absolutely no admission of trying to make up time. The notion that one could make up 6 minutes by speeding into Hoboken Terminal is asinine. I am guessing this was said on the news and as such they are a complete bunch of idiots.

Scott

[trainforfun]

As somebody with boots on the ground here I can say with all certainty that there is absolutely no admission of trying to make up time. The notion that one could make up 6 minutes by speeding into Hoboken Terminal is asinine. I am guessing this was said on the news and as such they are a complete bunch of idiots.

Scott

I agree with you Scott . Most of the news are bull.... It's when you are well aware of a situation that you realized it .