BHP accident

[Aussie_FX]

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned here.

One of the huge iron ore consists ran away.

I have a friend who knows a bit about what happened but probably not for public consumption.

Everything else aside $32 million worth of locos destroyed. 4xSD70ACe/LC

Single driver operation, driver got out to check a brake problem...oops!

https://www.miningnews.net/leadership/news/1351262/bhp-train-incident-caused-by-multiple-factors

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/footage-reveals-wreckage-from-derailed-bhp-iron-ore-train/news-story/9d022ffd56bb2ce1aa1a95bca92d52c9

[seagoon]

BHP-Billiton have opened a new iron ore mine about 90 kms downhill from where there's a train-driver looking for work.

Thanks for the HU, Aussie.....this wasn't even on the news over on this side of the country.

[ragtimer]

I posted just after it happened.

[superheatedsteam]

The National Rail Safety Regulator has released a safety alert due to this incident.

https://www.onrsr.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/22475/Safety-Alert-RSA-2018-002-ECP-Braking.pdf

[byelen]

I'm glad nobody got hurt!

With the railroads here in the U.S. trying to save costs by going to single man crews, I'm sure the unions (and rightly so!) will point to this as an example of why you need two crewmembers, leaving one in the cab at all times.

However, I am puzzled by one of the news reports that appears to say that the "electric" braking system automatically disengaged after one hour? Knowing the media's penchant for getting technical things wrong, why would a braking system deliberately disenage on its own? (I'm not including things like air brakes bleeding off over time)

[SurvivorSean]

This is the most news I've heard about Run8 in ages

[WesternDivision]

The Run8 Team has got a runaway problem too.

Runaway from news updates and public relationship skills.

Fast becoming a wreck.

[seagoon]

Runaway from ..........public relationship skills.

They never really had any to start with.
A marketing/sales person is not on their team.

[seagoon]

The National Rail Safety Regulator has released a safety alert due to this incident.

Interesting.
Thanks for the link.

[Edwin]

I'm glad nobody got hurt!

With the railroads here in the U.S. trying to save costs by going to single man crews, I'm sure the unions (and rightly so!) will point to this as an example of why you need two crewmembers, leaving one in the cab at all times.

However, I am puzzled by one of the news reports that appears to say that the "electric" braking system automatically disengaged after one hour? Knowing the media's penchant for getting technical things wrong, why would a braking system deliberately disenage on its own? (I'm not including things like air brakes bleeding off over time)

How is the ECP powered? By a train line? By axle generator/solar panel and batteries on every car?
No dead man switch or driver vigilance system in the cab? No overspeed detection?

268 car train, each car loaded with like 100 tons of ore, that's a mess!

[seagoon]

....268 car train, each car loaded with like 100 tons of ore, that's a mess!

No, that's a natural resource.

[Aussie_FX]

haha a $300 million natural resource.

BHP have become so big that they shrug something like this off as a glitch...or cyclone practise.

Apparently NSW are looking for train drivers. :P

[ragtimer]

I expect that the cars have a generator and batteries on board.I can see the need for a speed of light brake application throughout the train composed of 268 cars otherwise serious forces could be generated when applying and releasing the brakes.It appears they have not thought this through properly though.It is typical of penny pinching by RR operators,how much would employing another driver cost throughout the fleet compared with the cost of this one incident?

[Aussie_FX]

I expect that the cars have a generator and batteries on board.I can see the need for a speed of light brake application throughout the train composed of 268 cars otherwise serious forces could be generated when applying and releasing the brakes.It appears they have not thought this through properly though.It is typical of penny pinching by RR operators,how much would employing another driver cost throughout the fleet compared with the cost of this one incident?

Shoot a few hundred km down the coast and you will find Rio Tinto running bigger trains than this one completely driverless.

They are controlled from Perth airport 1500km away.

[ragtimer]

Shoot a few hundred km down the coast and you will find Rio Tinto running bigger trains than this one completely driverless.

They are controlled from Perth airport 1500km away.

Fine until something goes wrong which needs human intervention.This is a good link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electr...eumatic_brakes