Sideswipe near Jamaica

http://7online.com/traffic/2-lirr-train ... ca/859841/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How would something like this happen. Thankfully, I don't think anyone was hurt.
Joe D

Number of possibilities, but no need to speculate.

Anyone know where exactly this happened and what the circumstances were?

Could be a number of things, but I wouldn't rule out anything. The eastbound MU seems to have not had the railroad as 2709 was crossing all the way over so it clearly had the railroad, and there's a low home protecting that move so that is most likely where it is. Again, speculation seems a bit inappropriate so early after the incident as things aren't always as they seem, but I can't figure a signal issue because everything is out in front of the engineer on the eastbound.

A newly qualified engineer with about a week marked up ran the signal.

Head-end View wrote:Anyone know where exactly this happened and what the circumstances were?

2709 west, from Montauk 1 to 1 station
1730 east, from 4 station to Main Line 1.

Thanks guys. I guess this incident can't be good for that newly qualified engineer's career......... Maybe it will turn out to have been a false proceed signal for the eastbound train?

even if it were false proceed , it would never ever be admitted by railroad, for simple fact it would scare passengers if they thought signal system could be flawed.
the employee is f***k**d.

Given that a possible explanation has been found (a missed signal), I’m still not understanding how a sideswipe would be the result. If trains are on adjacent tracks, isn’t there always enough clearance to accommodate two trains passing, at any time and any place along the two tracks? So even if one train missed a signal, there shouldn’t have been a problem with getting by the other train, moving on a separate track. What am I missing?

Looking at this pic https://twitter.com/dingramdc/status/62 ... 53/photo/1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; it can be seen that (parts of) both trains were on the same track
If I've read the news report correctly one train was beyond the clearance point for the crossing, second train sideswipes it on the crossing. Who was in the right or wrong I have no idea.


It also seems like some posters want us to remain in the dark. If a poster's employer has a policy about not posting inside info, then they shouldn't be doing it, but that is between them and their employee, not for unofficial forum moderators.

Well said Kelly. Interesting point about the possibility of sunlight affecting signal visibility. The time of day when this incident happened the sun is low in the western sky and a signal facing an eastbound train might have the sun shining on it setting up the scenario for a misread.

I remember too from everything I've learned on this board over the years, that in the very complex interlocking plants on either side of Jamaica Station the engineer has a lot to see and pay attention to while navigating the maze of tracks and switches.

I also recall that one low-home signal on the westbound approach to Jamaica was changed to a color-light signal even before the LIRR started phasing out position-lights in favor of color signals. And the reason we were told was that this was the most violated signal on the railroad. So there are some possibilities.

No one got hurt, that is very important.

Hopefully something can be learned from this so it won't happen again.

Speculation doesn't help anything or anyone. Hopefully the facts come out and something positive is taken away from it.

The LIRR President reports in Newsday tomorrow that the "cause" of the collision was the engineer's passing a stop signal.

LIRR: Findings indicate stop signal violated in crash
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/prob ... 1.10659488" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: the Newsday article, and Pres. Nowakowski's statements about a signal violation, those of us who frequent the SEPTA forum are aware of a long standing animosity towards train engineers by Mr. Nowakowski. It goes back to his days as President of SEPTA and some history between him and their engineers. We might wonder if he is rushing to judgement here, given his known bias in this regard. Just food for thought.........