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"false flange" derailment
Author: Graham Buxton
Date: 06-03-2010 - 07:04
There is a thread below that evolved into a discussion of the "trona" train runaway, and OPRRMS brought up the subject of intentionally creating a false flange on a locomotive wheel to derail a runaway train, (hopefully at a low speed).
Here is a link to the NTSB/ICC report on a 1971 Amtrak wreck that was caused by an (unintentional) false flange:
[ntl1.specialcollection.net]
A short summary:
Amtrak train No. 1, the southbound City of New Orleans passenger train operating on the tracks of the Illinois Central Railroad between Chicago, Illinois, and New Orleans, Louisiana, derailed near Salem, Illinois. Two locomotive units and the first seven cars were turned over on their sides. The derailment resulted in 11 fatalities and 163 injuries. These were the first fatalities in Amtrak's history. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of this accident was the displacement of the east stock rail of the southward main track by the false flange on the left-hand wheel on the leading axle of the rear truck of locomotive unit 4031. This wheel slid flat when the traction-motor armature bearings failed and locked the driving wheels. Failure to detect the sliding wheels was caused by an inoperative wheel-slip indicator.
Here is a link to the NTSB/ICC report on a 1971 Amtrak wreck that was caused by an (unintentional) false flange:
[ntl1.specialcollection.net]
A short summary:
Amtrak train No. 1, the southbound City of New Orleans passenger train operating on the tracks of the Illinois Central Railroad between Chicago, Illinois, and New Orleans, Louisiana, derailed near Salem, Illinois. Two locomotive units and the first seven cars were turned over on their sides. The derailment resulted in 11 fatalities and 163 injuries. These were the first fatalities in Amtrak's history. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of this accident was the displacement of the east stock rail of the southward main track by the false flange on the left-hand wheel on the leading axle of the rear truck of locomotive unit 4031. This wheel slid flat when the traction-motor armature bearings failed and locked the driving wheels. Failure to detect the sliding wheels was caused by an inoperative wheel-slip indicator.
| Subject | Written By | Date/Time (PST) |
|---|---|---|
 "false flange" derailment |
Graham Buxton | 06-03-2010 - 07:04 |
|
Re: "false flange" derailment
|
JWL | 06-04-2010 - 14:36 |
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Re: "false flange" derailment
|
OPRRMS | 06-04-2010 - 21:02 |