Runaway train rolls for miles in India without engine

[TomSea]

Runaway train rolls for miles in India without engine
(AFP)
April 08, 2018 03:00


NEW DELHI: India’s railway ministry said Sunday a “ghastly” accident was narrowly avoided after 22 train coaches carrying some 1,000 passengers became detached from the engine and sped backwards for miles before being stopped.

The runaway carriages in the eastern state of Odisha rolled for 12 kilometers (seven miles) before being brought to a shuddering halt by rocks placed on the tracks by railway staff.

A spokesman for the railway ministry’s eastern division said none of about 1,000 passengers were injured in the incident Saturday night.

Read more at: http://www.arabnews.com/node/1281331/world

The article itself is a bit conflicted in saying "no injuries" so let's hope for the best, I assume that last part is the correct part, none were injured.

[Frank Cannon]

22 train coaches carrying some 1,000 passengers

Were the passengers in the cars or on the roofs and hanging on to the undercarriage?

[Fishrrman]

Guess they don't have automatic air brakes in India.
Or maybe someone forgot to "put the air in the train"?

"Automatic air brake" -- there's a "brake pipe" which is a continuous connection between the locomotive and the rear of the train. This is normally kept "charged" with air pressure (110lbs. p.s.i. in the US for passenger trains).

The brakes are applied by REDUCING the pressure in the brake pipe.
If the brake pipe is broken, the brakes should come on in emergency.
At least, that's the way it is here in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

I can't understand why -- if the coaches were uncoupled from the engine -- the brakes didn't apply.

Even if the cars are rolling free with no air at all, each coach should still have a manually-applied hand brake. Did no one think of trying them?