RMweb Premium melmerby Posted November 6, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 6, 2018 (edited) Hi all Anyone seen this mess: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-06/investigators-visit-runaway-bhp-iron-ore-train-derailment-site/10469802 Keith Edited November 6, 2018 by melmerby 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted November 6, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 6, 2018 I can't believe there is no equivalent to our SSF equipment which is compulsory for DOO Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
royaloak Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 Isnt this the second runaway in a couple of months? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Simon Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 I can't believe there is no equivalent to our SSF equipment which is compulsory for DOO SSF Equipment? (I'm not familiar with the term other than Signal Sighting Form! ) Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 SSF Equipment? (I'm not familiar with the term other than Signal Sighting Form! ) Simon Something Smells Funny. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted November 7, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 7, 2018 Speed switch fitted, equipment which dumps the brake if moving above 3mph in engine only On a 66 it dumps the brake if wheel makes more the a quarter of a revolution in EO Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoffAlan Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 Looks like a desperation move to get it stopped. Thankfully only metal hurt, and nobody killed/injured. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvdlcs Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 I suspect the driver may have some questions to answer about what isolation procedures he followed before stepping off the loco. Clearly something failed, and didn't fail safe. Not a good time of the year to be suspending rail operations either, as if there is a good time, as they will no doubt be chasing their annual tonnage quotas that were made at the beginning of the calendar year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
letterspider Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 1/ I think this thread should be merged with 'Those that fear coming to Australia' 2/ ...and 268 wagons! If you were modelling in Australia, that would be horribly expensive to buy and weather all those wagons! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 What is the gradient profile? Quite a sustained downhill to average almost 70mph over 90km. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium njee20 Posted November 7, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 7, 2018 Bloody hell. Proper job that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 What is the gradient profile? Quite a sustained downhill to average almost 70mph over 90km. Doesn't need much. Even with plain bearings you are looking at about 1 in 300 (0.33%) for a balancing speed of 70mph if the brakes are fully off. And that length of run is plenty for the balancing speed to be achieved. Bonuses, schmonuses: as above, no one injured - or worse. That's the real bonus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted November 7, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted November 7, 2018 (edited) 1/ I think this thread should be merged with 'Those that fear coming to Australia' 2/ ...and 268 wagons! If you were modelling in Australia, that would be horribly expensive to buy and weather all those wagons! Maybe you could get a model railway manufacturer to do a limited edition run, just for you? (Some LEs are only 250) Keith Edited November 7, 2018 by melmerby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 Doesn't need much. Even with plain bearings you are looking at about 1 in 300 (0.33%) for a balancing speed of 70mph if the brakes are fully off. And that length of run is plenty for the balancing speed to be achieved. Bonuses, schmonuses: as above, no one injured - or worse. That's the real bonus. So that would mean the train started off at an elevation at least 300m higher from where it crashed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 I wonder if they will do anything to clear the mess up once they have a railway working again. Its a horrible mess, but presumably a long way from anywhere. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 So that would mean the train started off at an elevation at least 300m higher from where it crashed. So that would mean the train started off at an elevation at least 300m higher from where it crashed. Newman, where the train started, is shown as being at 544 metres above sea level. The speed, from the time and distance given, is 74 kph, not mph; fast enough if you're standing trackside and watching it disappear. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 I wonder if they will do anything to clear the mess up once they have a railway working again. Its a horrible mess, but presumably a long way from anywhere. Paul I found 'Turner's Siding' on Google Maps; it really is in the middle of nowhere. There is a road, but it's right next to the railway, and presumably blocked as well. There's an air service from Perth, I believe; Lynne's cousin used to do a lot of painting and decorating for the mining company, so used to go up there frequently. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 (edited) Have a look at this in another thread! http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69585-level-crossing-stupidity/page-123&do=findComment&comment=3357565 but go up a bit ! Mark Saunders Edited November 7, 2018 by Mark Saunders Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvdlcs Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 I wonder if they will do anything to clear the mess up once they have a railway working again. Its a horrible mess, but presumably a long way from anywhere. Paul They'll build a (temporary) deviation around the site to get the rail up and running again. Then they'll start clearing up (at least some of) the mess. It has been a while since there was a derailment of that scale in this part of the world. Often when a few wagons come off they are bulldozed out of the way and left - clearing (rebuilding) the line is priority #1 to get the trains moving again. There are a few discarded ore cars around the Pilbara at sites of old derailments. Sometimes they have to be cleaned up as part of future expansion works if they are sitting on the route of a new railbed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted November 8, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted November 8, 2018 (edited) I found 'Turner's Siding' on Google Maps; it really is in the middle of nowhere. There is a road, but it's right next to the railway, and presumably blocked as well. There's an air service from Perth, I believe; Lynne's cousin used to do a lot of painting and decorating for the mining company, so used to go up there frequently. If you look at the link I posted they actually drive alongside the derailed train. Some wreckage both sides of where they are driving. I assume it's been bulldozed clear. The one loco visible looks pretty well totalled. and the wagons are bent out of any shape recognisable as a railway vehicle. The rear of the train is still upright. Keith Edited November 8, 2018 by melmerby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 Newman, where the train started, is shown as being at 544 metres above sea level. The speed, from the time and distance given, is 74 kph, not mph; fast enough if you're standing trackside and watching it disappear. The speed and time given was 90km in 50mins, which equals an average speed of 108 km/h or 68 mph. Bearing in mind that is an average speed, and that the train started from a standstill and would have taken some distance to even get up to the average speed, it's maximum speed must have been over 80mph in order to get an average of nearly 70mph. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jukebox Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 (edited) What is the gradient profile? Quite a sustained downhill to average almost 70mph over 90km. It is (generally) downhill most of the way from mine to port - but luckily, this runaway started at Walla, after the long steep downhill stretch at Redmont, so didn't get the serious momentum boost that would have resulted. 1/ I think this thread should be merged with 'Those that fear coming to Australia' 2/ ...and 268 wagons! If you were modelling in Australia, that would be horribly expensive to buy and weather all those wagons! Arid Australia was an exhibition layout here in WA that did just that: "Arid Australia Is currently in storage. It comes out of hibernation every now and then for special events, but nothing regular. Yes it is the layout that ran the world record, 4 locomotives and 650 wagons" I wonder if they will do anything to clear the mess up once they have a railway working again. Its a horrible mess, but presumably a long way from anywhere. Paul I found 'Turner's Siding' on Google Maps; it really is in the middle of nowhere. There is a road, but it's right next to the railway, and presumably blocked as well. There's an air service from Perth, I believe; Lynne's cousin used to do a lot of painting and decorating for the mining company, so used to go up there frequently. Turner is named after the crossing of the Turner River; it's about 1 hr out of Port Hedland, so relatively close to one end of the line. Access is straight up the private railway access road that runs alongside the 425km long track. It used to be a passing loop location, but now the mainline is double tracked. They'll build a (temporary) deviation around the site to get the rail up and running again. Then they'll start clearing up (at least some of) the mess. It has been a while since there was a derailment of that scale in this part of the world. Often when a few wagons come off they are bulldozed out of the way and left - clearing (rebuilding) the line is priority #1 to get the trains moving again. There are a few discarded ore cars around the Pilbara at sites of old derailments. Sometimes they have to be cleaned up as part of future expansion works if they are sitting on the route of a new railbed. Production is king - and right now, the artery from mine to port is severed, so yes, getting loaded trains down is key. I'd suspect one of the two tracks is, under that mess, relatively unscathed; the runaway probably came off at a turnout when they switched it into the backtrack/dead end. Here's a link to a derailment of a similar train, caused by a broken rail: https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/5775153/ro-2015-023_final.pdf where the reponse was a rather nanchelant "the operator of the train and track, BHP Billiton, took measures to improve track condition and reduce in-service rail defects by accelerating the re-railing of 833 kilometres of track, including replacement of the track in the vicinity of the fracture" Cheers Scott edit 9th Nov; I spoke with someone this morning, who relayed that the runaway, travelling at approx. 125km/h, was deliberately directed over a crossover, in order to derail it before it got to the Turner River bridge, and a loaded train in front of it travelling at the 75km/h track speed.... That would explain why both tracks will have been shredded https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/5775153/ro-2015-023_final.pdf Edited November 9, 2018 by jukebox Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvdlcs Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 Newman, where the train started, is shown as being at 544 metres above sea level. The speed, from the time and distance given, is 74 kph, not mph; fast enough if you're standing trackside and watching it disappear. Loaded ore trains on the Pilbara networks usually travel at 70kph. Empties are 80kph. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvdlcs Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 I found 'Turner's Siding' on Google Maps; it really is in the middle of nowhere. There is a road, but it's right next to the railway, and presumably blocked as well. There will be a rail access road near, or alongside, most of the track out there. May be bitumen if it is also a public road, otherwise it will be unsealed and periodically graded depending on the condition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Still nothing to see on the ATSB site. Incident RO-2018-018, Report 'Pending'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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