Versailles rail accident in 1842, 57 people were killed including the French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville.
Montparnasse derailment, train wreck at Gare Montparnasse in Paris, 1895
Wheels from Engine Tender#013 which was destroyed in a wreck in 1907 on a bridge over Village Creek between Silsbee and Beaumont, Texas. The wheels are on display in the Arizona Railway Museum.

A train wreck, train collision, train accident or train crash is a type of disaster involving one or more trains. Train wrecks often occur as a result of miscommunication, as when a moving train meets another train on the same track; or an accident, such as when a train wheel jumps off a track in a derailment; or when a boiler explosion occurs. Train wrecks have often been widely covered in popular media and in folklore.

A head-on collision between two trains is colloquially called a "cornfield meet" in the United States.[1]

Causes

Train accidents can occur due to a range of factors, including one or more of the following:

  • Human error – One of the leading causes of train accidents is human error.[2] This can involve train operators failing to adhere to safety protocols, distraction, fatigue, impaired judgment, or inadequate training.
  • Mechanical failures[3] – Equipment malfunctions or failures, such as faulty brakes, defective signaling systems, or problems with locomotives or railcars, can contribute to train accidents.
  • Track and infrastructure issues – Poorly maintained tracks, inadequate inspection procedures, or infrastructure deficiencies like weakened bridges or faulty switches can lead to accidents.
  • Weather conditions – Severe weather conditions, including heavy rain, snowstorms, or extreme heat, can impact track conditions, visibility, and the overall safety of train operations.
  • Sabotage - People who break, place something, or destroy tracks, this is called rail sabotage.[4]
  • Attack - Anyone such as terrorists or shooters disrupted rail traffic such as bombing or shooting on a train.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Definition of CORNFIELD MEET". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  2. ↑ "There are about 3 U.S. train derailments per day. They aren't usually major disasters". www.npr.org. March 9, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  3. ↑ Shiner, Attorney David (2021-03-02). "Top 10 Causes of Train Accidents". Shiner Law Group Personal Injury Lawyers & Accident Attorneys. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  4. ↑ "Are the railroads being sabotaged causing derailments?".
  5. ↑ "Train Wrecks and Track Attacks: An Analysis of Attempts by Terrorists and Other Extremists to Derail Trains or Disrupt Rail Transportation".

Further reading

  • Aldrich, Mark. Death Rode the Rails: American Railroad Accidents and Safety, 1828–1965 (2006) excerpt
  • Vaughan, Adrian. Obstruction Danger: Significant British Railway Accidents, 1890–1986 (Motorbooks International, 1989). online
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Train wrecks.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.