Which apparently it doesn't have. The passengers who broke into the abandoned conductor's car couldn't find the brake, anyway. Watch your nightly news for runaway train footage.
(Conductor had requested & gotten permission to leave train to investigate signal problem. Apparently they didn't have the train in park, though.)
It was one of the 1st trains of the day (T starts running at 5:30am).
MTA needs a dead-man's switch
- gsabc
- Posts: 6496
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 8:03 am
- Location: Federal Bureaucracy City
- Contact:
Re: MTA needs a dead-man's switch
MBTA vehicles do have those. It can be compromised fairly easily, according to one expert.
http://www.wcvb.com/news/expert-describ ... +-+News%29
(Turn down your sound if you're reading the story at work. The video accompanying the story automatically starts up.)
IMO this guy is out of a job unless they find a mechanical issue.
http://www.wcvb.com/news/expert-describ ... +-+News%29
(Turn down your sound if you're reading the story at work. The video accompanying the story automatically starts up.)
IMO this guy is out of a job unless they find a mechanical issue.
I just ordered chicken and an egg from Amazon. I'll let you know.
- ghostjmf
- Posts: 7452
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:09 am
Re: MTA needs a dead-man's switch
What I haven't seen/heard/read yet (can't call up your ref where I currently am) is why the people who broke into conductor's car didn't find the darn brake.
Its since been told that T officials, aware they had a runaway, eventually stopped train by killing power to tracks. A brake would have been quicker, but there is no remote-control brake on T cars.
What I really didn't like was Gov Baker (for whom I did not vote) repeatedly saying "the train had been sabotaged" when it was obvious to everyone else that the train was under emergency adjustments made by conductor checking on problem outside train; they just didn't do the "brake on" part of those adjustments correctly.
Its since been told that T officials, aware they had a runaway, eventually stopped train by killing power to tracks. A brake would have been quicker, but there is no remote-control brake on T cars.
What I really didn't like was Gov Baker (for whom I did not vote) repeatedly saying "the train had been sabotaged" when it was obvious to everyone else that the train was under emergency adjustments made by conductor checking on problem outside train; they just didn't do the "brake on" part of those adjustments correctly.
- ghostjmf
- Posts: 7452
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:09 am
Re: MTA needs a dead-man's switch
Cineston controller combines accelerator, decelerator & "dead man" brake. Bad, bad conductor had rigged it in "accelerate" position.
Passengers who broke into cab to stop train couldn't decifer combo Cineston switch, & prolly neither could I have w/o a diagram. Whatever happened to clearly labelled controls?
Glad my car does not have Cineston controller.
Can't quote great article on this tablet.
There *is* a 2nd brake, which conductor had not set.
Passengers who broke into cab to stop train couldn't decifer combo Cineston switch, & prolly neither could I have w/o a diagram. Whatever happened to clearly labelled controls?
Glad my car does not have Cineston controller.
Can't quote great article on this tablet.
There *is* a 2nd brake, which conductor had not set.
- SpacemanSpiff
- Posts: 2487
- Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2009 1:33 pm
- Location: Richmond VA
- Contact:
Re: MTA needs a dead-man's switch
Maybe that explains those cars that suddenly accellerate when the driver says he hit the brakes?
"If you're dead, you don't have any freedoms at all." - Jason Isbell
- ghostjmf
- Posts: 7452
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:09 am
Re: MTA needs a dead-man's switch
I don't believe they've ever put Cineston controllers in private autos. Or even subway/trolley cars after the batch currently running on the Red Line.
Sigh; I remember when those Red Line cars were brandy-new.
Now that I'm at a real computer I can't find that great ref to quote describing that diabolical all-in-one switch.
Sigh; I remember when those Red Line cars were brandy-new.
Now that I'm at a real computer I can't find that great ref to quote describing that diabolical all-in-one switch.