You are right of course, Margaret. The mechanical failure that initiated the accident was a fractured tire, not just a broken flange. I had forgotten about those tires, and pictured in my mind just the flange breaking. Of course, any ability of that wheel-set to remain on the rails would have been short-lived, anyway - after either type of failure.

However, the use of tired wheels of such a small diameter is of itself highly questionable anyway. They are often hydraulically pressed on, to a very high required tightness, so as to stay on the hub. but the smaller the diameter, the greater is the tensile stress caused in the wheel tread, for a given tightness. The fracturing of such tires is thus a predictable point of failure at smaller diameters.

Interestingly, my associates that worked at BART in the early 90's, occasionally mention a similar mechanical failure there. A train was approaching a similar overpass as the ICE, at about 70mph, when a tire cracked and broke off of a wheel. But the outcome was different, because the train inexplicably stopped before it came off the track, as it surely would have at the crossovers beneath the overpass.

And there it sat, as they were unable to make it move in any manner at all. Finally, they discovered the broken tire on a trailing car, and disconnected the remaining cars from it. After which those cars began working just fine. They had to send the wrecker after only the car with the broken tire. At last telling, to this day no one has ever been able to figure out what actually stopped that train, and held it stopped! But it's a good thing! As those BART cars are even flimsier than those of the ICE; about as flimsy as the oldest WMATA cars.



And yes, the disintegration of the cars was caused by hitting a pier or abutment. But that is precisely my point. The ICE cars were not designed with such impacts in mind, even though such impacts are inevitable. They could have been, and should have been. That does not mean that the cars will not be severely damaged in such a crash; just that all the impact energy that can be imparted at worst case (yes, that is actually a known quantity), has been accounted for and has been properly managed, protecting the passenger space to the best that humanity can do.

Why do that -- Simply because you can!

Since other car designs involved in similar impacts, have in fact, done considerably better than the ICE; its design ain't good enough! To me it is a no brainer. On one side of the safety equation, you build the cars to the highest standard that mankind is capable of. On the other side of the equation, you build the control system to the very same high standard. But since humanity will never actually do either perfectly; you must always do both, to the absolute best you can. Period!

There can be no compromise with safety; without eventually causing additional death, misery, pain, and sorrow, that otherwise would not have occurred. Indeed, I cannot imagine having to realize, in the face of some horrible future accident, that I could have done better; but instead, traded somebody's life away in exchange for some perceived efficiency, or for some extra profit.


Yes yes - I know, that sounds a bit idealistic for our times. And from a 65 year old man yet! BUT SO WHAT!

It was not so long ago, that same American Idealism propelled us to the top - and gave us the highest standard of living - ever.

I see no rational reason to give it up.