"Coffin Cars" and their dangers

Channel 7 advertised that they will be having an investigative report into "unsafe seating areas" on MBTA commuter trains during this evening's 1100pm news broadcast. I assume it will be relating to the argument of whether or not control cars are safe in push-pull operations.

Anyone want to take bets that Ch. 7 just rehashed the ABC News report from a couple months back, about MetroLink (Los Angles) following the wreck out there?

This looked to me last night like 7's "Friday night closer" for sensationalistic features on the 11:00 news. Last night it was "Deadly bacteria lurking in your bath towel."

Ok, I need to turn off the sarcasm -- maybe too much caffine.

Probably just more routine fearmongering on the part of Boston's most sensationalized nightly newscast. I fully expect that one of these years during a sweeps period they'll hype a series called "You're Going To Die Someday: How Lots Of Things Can Kill You".

I trust that in the interests of responsible journalism they will compare the number of fatalities in road accidents to the number of people who have been killed on trains in recent years.

Of course they probably won't mention that it is MBTA/MBCR policy to not use the control cars during off-peak.

CSX Conductor wrote:Channel 7 advertised that they will be having an investigative report into "unsafe seating areas" on MBTA commuter trains during this evening's 1100pm news broadcast. I assume it will be relating to the argument of whether or not control cars are safe in push-pull operations.

Ding Ding Ding (hehe)

Yeah, it was all about push/pull, pull = your ok, push, your SOL (so they say)

It is common sense anywho, locos are heavier, and it adds a buffer (if your in the first car, after the loco), but if your the last car, and hit something, you got no buffer. Just for ratings!

I like how they say that any car is safe when the train is in "pull" mode....what if you're in the last car and get rear-ended....duh.

Btw, Joe Pesaturo could have combed his hair before going on camera, LOL.

##mn't i missed it NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO


was it good?

was the metro link accident the only instance where a train that was in push position derailed at a grade crossing? if so, I think it is overreacting. I would assume there have been grade crossing accidents where a train derails with locomotive first, wasn't there an amtrak accident a few years ago, where a truck with pipes tried to run around the gates and the train derailed?

and why not focus on the REAL cause of these accidents: stupid motorists!

Yes, they did refer to the big MetroLink crash, as well as woman who's husband was a member of the train crew of the MetroLink crash. Of course she said that he told her that he and many others called the cab cars "coffin cars" and that it was only a matter of time before something happened.

They also referred to, and showed a short news clip of, the accident where a commuter and a B&M freight collided. In the picture I saw it looked like the control car rode up and over the locomotive of the B&M train as opposed to folding like a tin can.

I guess that Monday morning all the train crews will be able to tell who watches Channel 7 and who doesn't,eh?

wasn't the B&M accident a poor choice? were signal systems different? I think that accident is much different than this metrolink crash. I mean, in that kind of crash (with the freight trains, no matter where your sitting, you're going to be in danger.

jscola30 wrote:wasn't the B&M accident a poor choice? were signal systems different? I think that accident is much different than this metrolink crash. I mean, in that kind of crash (with the freight trains, no matter where your sitting, you're going to be in danger.

The B&M accident was a good example since when they showed it they were referring to the MBTA's last big wreck, although I thought that collision with the B&M was before both of the Back Bay crashes. The report wasn't really saying there is more danger when operating near freights, it was just illustrating how vulnerable the cab cars are in collisions because they are not as heavy and or massive as a locomotive. Signal systems are irrellavent since we are discussing the design of the cab cars and how they crumple like a tin can upon impact.

Figuring if anyone missed it:

http://www1.whdh.com/features/articles/ ... t/BO13828/

There is also a link for the video, to watch it, but its gotsa be for ratings, last nite it was a 'hidden camera' investigation on how (dont shoot me!) school buses idle'd for 8 minutes, when they were only supposed to for 5 and stuff!

That crash that they mentioned with the car on top of the other was probably the head on meet at Beverly Farms about 20 years ago. It was a passenger coach and a B&M (Guilford) freight. Mistakes in dispatch caused the head on collision. Several fatalities including both engineers and I believe 2 other people in the freight engine, including a non rr employee. My memory is vague, but I have a photo of the coach that I took at the scene, and I think it was numbered 1301. The crash was just outside of the Prides Crossing station.

A greater hazard was the interior doors on the old Budd cars. The doors opened in and several times in a crash the fatalities were high because of pile ups at the door, the worst that I recall occurred on a Chelsea crossing when a Budd hit an oil tanker truck on the crossing.

Steve

My memory is vague, but I have a photo of the coach that I took at the scene, and I think it was numbered 1301. The crash was just outside of the Prides Crossing station.

Yes, it was indeed 1301, as it's listed under "wrecked" status. That coach was then ultimately scrapped December 1986

CSX Conductor wrote:The B&M accident was a good example since when they showed it they were referring to the MBTA's last big wreck, although I thought that collision with the B&M was before both of the Back Bay crashes.

there was two Back Bay accidents? the one i know about is the Amtrak rear ending an inbound MBTA train, stoughton train i believe, and thats the wreck we lost 1073