Stonehaven derailment

[hexagon789]

Earlier today a High-Speed Train running the 0638 ScotRail Aberdeen-Glasgow service derailed in the vicinity of Stonehaven. Unconfirmed reports of one or two deaths and multiple injuries.

Thoughts with any affected in or by this terrible accident.

Article on BBC News website contains some information but details remain sketchy at present:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-53751678

Edited August 12, 2020 by hexagon789

[hexagon789]

Sadly it's now been confirmed that three persons, including the driver, have died.

My thoughts and condolences to all involved.

[Noel]

Sad news indeed. Seems caused as a direct effect of climate change. What's really saddening is apparently the train stopped due to spotting an earlier obstruction in time to avoid incident and was travelling back up the line in the opposite direction over rails it had successfully run on when a fresh land slip and flooding cause the fatal derailment. Thoughts for the loved ones of those lost and inured.

[hexagon789]

3 minutes ago, Noel said:

Sad news indeed. Seems caused as a direct effect of climate change. What's really saddening is apparently the train stopped due to spotting an earlier obstruction in time to avoid incident and was travelling back up the line in the opposite direction over rails it had successfully run on when a fresh land slip and flooding cause the fatal derailment. Thoughts for the loved ones of those lost and inured.

Yes, there was a landslip further south so the driver stopped the train as the line was blocked. Control gage permission to run wrong line, then cross over to the opposite track to head back to Stonehaven station to detrain passengers. The train had begun accelerating away from the 15mph crossover restriction over a distance of a mile up to the linespeed for HSTs of 75mph when it derailed so likely speed was in the region of 50-60mph as the short sets can really shift making 100mph in about 2.5mins from a stand.

 

A very sad incident indeed, mercifully the local lockdown in Aberdeen appears to have been a good thing as passenger numbers on board were much lower than they might otherwise have been.

[DSERetc]

Sympathy to the families of the Driver, Conductor and passenger who were killed and also to Scotrail on the loss of two employees.  

Looking at the aerial photographs,  where is the leading locomotive?  The news report says that there was a locomotive at the front and back and four carriages.

Looking at the wreckage, it seems to illustrate the risk of Pull-push working compounding an accident, when a powerful locomotive continues to push after the front of the train has suddenly stopped.  The rear carriages ride up over t

he derailed carriages in front in spite of buckeye couplings and anti-climb buffers which are supposed to keep the carriages in line in the event of a derailment.

Pull-push working is more economical than double-heading, un-coupling, running round and coupling at the end of each journey.

Is it safer?

DSERetc

[Irishswissernie]

The train is one of the former HST sets in use for  over 40 years since the mid 1970's  (197 power cars) and formerly with either 7 or 8 coaches between the locos. These have been replaced on the Great Western in England and on the East Coast Main Line and Scotrail have taken over a number of the sets but reduced the coaches to four. The Driver controls both front and rear Power Cars. I am not sure if only the leading Power Car is under power on these revised sets but it would be perfectly feasible given the reduced formation.

I think the leading power car must be down the embankment as the one visible in the photos looks relatively undamaged. It may be that the land slip occurred whilst the train was passing but this is pure conjecture. 

All very sad and in the circumstances the only saving is relief that the train is said to have only had 9 passengers and crew on board. If it had been the usual pre-Covid passenger loading the outcome would have been even more catastrophic.

[hexagon789]

1 hour ago, DSERetc said:

Sympathy to the families of the Driver, Conductor and passenger who were killed and also to Scotrail on the loss of two employees.  

Looking at the aerial photographs,  where is the leading locomotive?  The news report says that there was a locomotive at the front and back and four carriages.

Looking at the wreckage, it seems to illustrate the risk of Pull-push working compounding an accident, when a powerful locomotive continues to push after the front of the train has suddenly stopped.  The rear carriages ride up over t

he derailed carriages in front in spite of buckeye couplings and anti-climb buffers which are supposed to keep the carriages in line in the event of a derailment.

Pull-push working is more economical than double-heading, un-coupling, running round and coupling at the end of each journey.

Is it safer?

DSERetc

It's difficult to say, and I'm sure the RAIB will consider it in their report. British Rail did however do extensive testing with push-pull trains after a number of incidents, Polmont in 1984 being perhaps closest to this incident in nature.

 

At Polmont a Mk3 Push-pull set propelled from the rear by a Class 47 struck a cow at 85mph which disintegrated and part of the carcass lifted the driving trailers lead bogie sufficiently for it to derail.

It was concluded that push-pull trains were as safe as multiple units, but obstacle deflectors were fitted to mitigate this type of accident occurring again.

It's worth noting that the Mk3 and Mk4 DVTs were deliberately ballasted to 45 tonnes to give increased residence compared to the 34 tonne Mk2f driving trailer involved in Polmont.

The HST sets have a 70 tonne power car each end which should be even more resilient. As for the motive power continuing to push, as soon as the multiple working connectors are broken or an emergency brake application is made power is cut instantaneously, it would be more the mass continuing to push with momentum than traction power.

 

1 hour ago, Irishswissernie said:

The train is one of the former HST sets in use for  over 40 years since the mid 1970's  (197 power cars) and formerly with either 7 or 8 coaches between the locos. These have been replaced on the Great Western in England and on the East Coast Main Line and Scotrail have taken over a number of the sets but reduced the coaches to four. The Driver controls both front and rear Power Cars. I am not sure if only the leading Power Car is under power on these revised sets but it would be perfectly feasible given the reduced formation.

I think the leading power car must be down the embankment as the one visible in the photos looks relatively undamaged. It may be that the land slip occurred whilst the train was passing but this is pure conjecture. 

All very sad and in the circumstances the only saving is relief that the train is said to have only had 9 passengers and crew on board. If it had been the usual pre-Covid passenger loading the outcome would have been even more catastrophic.

Both power cars still power, part of the idea of using them being the vastly increased acceleration. The 170s they replace take (according to Eversholt) 400 seconds to reach 100mph. The short HSTs take a mere 150 seconds by comparison.

Even if one power car fails, they can still outperform the Class 170.

 

The exact cause hasn't been determined but what is clear is that upon derailing the leading power impacted a bridge parapet which of course caused rapid deceleration and the rest of the train to effectively jackknife across the line behind it.