veen don't know if you've seen this story yet or not. Basically, a train derailment occurred on a new stretch of track between Tacoma, WA, and Olympia, WA. Three fatalities, numerous other injuries. Train going 80mp along a 30mph curve.
I did actually see it all over Twitter and Facebook. Amtrak is behind schedule on their implementation of train control sytems: https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2017/12/passenger-rail-has-an-accountability-problem/548687/ Sadly, it takes deadly accidents to spur safety developments:Much has been made of the fact that, once again, positive train control—the automatic braking technology, integrated between cars and tracks, that can detect danger and halt trains—had not been switched on. In 2008, shortly after a fatal collision on Metrolink in L.A. County, Congress mandated PTC implementation on all railroads that carry passengers and/or potentially toxic freight by 2015. Although the upgraded trains and tracks in Washington were equipped for the technology, the system was not slated to go live, corridor-wide, until 2018.
The National Transportation Safety Board first recommended the use of “automatic train control” in 1970, a year after two Penn Central commuter trains collided, killing four people and injuring 43.
I gotta see a picture of this guy. This is like Ned Flanders reporting Heart of Darkness. holy shit I get it. He's a Navy SEAL. Iron in his veins, iron in his glasses.HERE IS A GOOD PHOTO OF THE VERTEBRAE AND THE TRANSVERSE PROCESS, WHICH IS WHAT IS BROKEN ON ME IN FOUR PLACES ON MY RIGHT SIDE NOW! ARGH!
In these situations I always try to look at others to also verify I’m not more injured than I actually think I am. It’s hard to tell when you’ve been impacted like this.
On the way up I also saw one of the fatalities. He was familiar and I stopped to check his pulse, but as I painfully bent down realized it was to late. He was gone. I found out why he seemed familiar later, as we had met a number of times at rail advocacy group dinners. RIP Jim Hamre! We’ll miss you good sir.
