Telescoping (railway)

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In a railway accident, telescoping occurs when the underframe of one vehicle overrides that of another, and smashes through the second vehicle's body.

Accidents where telescoping occurred are numerous and include:

• The Illinois Central Gulf commuter rail crash in Chicago
• Seer Green rail crash

To reduce the chance of telescoping, rail and tramway vehicles are often provided with an anticlimber: a horizontally ridged plate at the end of the chassis, which in a collision will engage with the anticlimber on the next car. Illustrations at these external links:

• Being installed on a preserved streetcar
• On a Chicago "L" train
• On a preserved Tokyo subway car
• On a diesel locomotive (painted silver)