List of wind-related railway accidents
High winds can blow railway trains off tracks and cause accidents.[1]
High winds
High winds can cause problems in a number of ways:
- blow trains off the tracks.
- blow trains or wagons along the tracks and cause collisions.
- cause pantographs and overhead wiring to tangle.
Preventative measures
Risks from high winds can be reduced by:
- wind fences akin to snow sheds
- lower profile of carriages
- reduction in train speed or cancellation, at high winds
- a wider rail gauge
- improve overhead wiring with:
- regulated tension rather than fixed terminations
- shorter catenary spans
- solid conductors
By country
Australia
- Small tornado blows over train.[2]
- Concern that wind will blow over doubledeck trams on 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge if top deck enclosed.[3]
China
- Lanxin High-Speed Railway#Wind shed
- List of rail accidents (2000–2009) – February 28, 2007 – Wind blows 10 passenger rail cars off the track near Turpan, China.
Germany
India
- One reason for choosing broad gauge in India for greater stability in high winds.
Ireland
- Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway – 914 mm (3 ft) gauge
Japan
New Zealand
Norway
- Makrellbekken (station)#Wind related accident – blowing snow disoriented a tractor driver who collided with a train
South Africa
- Wind tangles overhead wiring.[7]
United Kingdom
- Tay Bridge disaster
- Chelford rail accident 1894 – during shunting
- East Coast Main Line#Accidents
- Snowdon Mountain Railway#Gripper rail
- Leven Viaduct, Cumbria 27 February 1903
United States
- (Reverse order)
- April 27th 2015 New Orleans, Louisiana- A severe storm knocked several cars off the line while they were traveling across the Huey P. Long bridge with no injuries. The footage was captured by a WGNO News Team by complete accident On a dash cam.
- A 2008 tornado in Northern Illinois derailed a Union Pacific train.[8] Dramatic footage of the event was captured by a camera mounted on the train.[9]
- One reason for choosing broad gauge in BART was for greater stability in high winds and perhaps earthquakes.[10][11][12]
- BART track gauge is 17% wider than standard gauge.
- Charleston, South Carolina, trams shut due to winds (2 September 1911) [13]
- St Louis 1892 [14]
Factors
See also
- Snowshed
References
- ↑ http://www.springerlink.com/content/w5531100m065g489/
- ↑ http://www.railpage.com.au/news-8530.htm
- ↑ "Double-Deck Trams.". The Mercury (Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia). 1 June 1943. p. 4. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ↑ "SEVERE WINDSTORM.". The Argus (Melbourne: National Library of Australia). 8 October 1928. p. 8. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
- ↑ "GALE DERAILS TRAIN.". The Sydney Morning Herald (National Library of Australia). 21 October 1936. p. 16. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
- ↑ "TRAIN DERAILED.". The Examiner (Launceston, Tas.: National Library of Australia). 21 October 1936. p. 8 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ↑ http://www.railwaysafrica.com/blog/2012/12/wind-stalls-cape-trains/
- ↑ http://abc7chicago.com/archive/5875829/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYubpuIe3cw
- ↑ http://www.wirewd.com/wh/blog/bart_sucks/
- ↑ http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/01/06/crossing-the-bay-again-but-not-necessarily-with-bart/
- ↑ http://homepage.mac.com/s_sloan/twar/ISSUE66/BODY.HTM
- ↑ "AMERICAN WIND STORM.". The Northern Times (Carnarvon, WA: National Library of Australia). 2 September 1911. p. 5. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
- ↑ "NEWS BY MAIL.". The Brisbane Courier (National Library of Australia). 24 May 1892. p. 7. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
- ↑ http://wiki.climatechangeadaptation.org.au/tiki-index.php?page=Rail+vehicle+overturning
- ↑ http://www.yunlong.com.au/pdf/Liu-CFD.pdf