This just came through on my news feed. Reports are two deaths and many injuries.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... QD9F7IFCO0

The slide show on this link shows an ugly scene.

http://multimedia.timeslive.co.za/photo ... ain-crash/

Here is a short video from the BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8635964.stm

I assume this was a vacuum braked train? Does anyone know how the automatic feature worked on these, or even if there was one. Very tragic, but I can't understand engine changes on a grade, nor a crew advising passengers to jump...surely these cars had hand brakes as well.

From http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/articl ... ain-horror

Having realized the vacuum brakes weren't working and the handbrakes wouldn't hold it, trackside workers apparently tried to stop the coaches with large rocks-but there weren't enough people to move enough rocks...

Vacuum brake requires there to be a vacuum in the train pipe to hold the brakes released. Since there are no angle cocks, all vacuum is destroyed before the loco is uncoupled and unless maintenance is so bad that they leak off (and a good cylinder will easily stay on for days) any vacuum train from which the loco has recently been uncoupled will have all brakes fully applied.
Without any knowledge of precisely what was being done I can only speculate that either there was abysmally bad maintenance (unlikely!) or that the train was dual air and Vacuum braked and that in the changeover from one to the other the train was left with neither system.

I don't know how this is going to shake out in the S. African investigation, but I am fairly certain that any U. S. railroad/NTSB investigation that said the number of hand brakes set for the grade involved was insufficient, well that would pretty much be the cause of the runaway, and the end of a railroad career for any crew involved, and might also include criminal negligence charges.

I hope this tragic accident doesn't mean the end of Rovos Rail. I guess the cost and liability will fall on whoever is at fault, but I also expect determining that could get complicated.

Meanwhile, I have a question on the vacuum brakes. Let's not try to discuss this incident, but just talk in general terms. How can the engine be uncoupled and not have the brakes apply? Is that normal for a vacuum brake system? (I can't imagine it would be, but I've never used them...)

Would you have to "bottle the vacuum", as in "bottling the air" on a US air brake system, to keep the brakes from applying?

Anyone know enough to enlighten us, in general terms?

I just returned from Africa and even though I did get a couple of cab rides I never did figure out vacuum brakes. Some of the freight fleet running around on Spoornet was equipped with both vacuum and US style air brakes. I can't speak to what Rovos had for equipment.

Rovos has a huge amount of equipment. Dozens of carriages and a number of steam and electric locomotives. I am certain they have enough equipment to carry on with excursions.

African railroading in general seemed every bit as professional as in the US. A huge number of passenger trains run in the Jo'burg-Pretoria area daily and massive coal trains run every bit as well as they do here. Also, not that it makes any difference, keep in mind that this is all on 42 inch gauge.

I'm glad to hear they have enough equipment that they can keep operating. My main concern is the liability and the costs for the injuries and deaths. Of course repairing the damaged equipment would also appear to be a significant cost.

Here in the U.S.A. I think it would go something about like this... "OK, so let's see if I understand the situation correctly. Your train rolled down the hill and crashed because of a brake failure?" "Yes..." "OK, your honor, we're asking for $20 million..."

Maybe that's not the situation there, I don't know. Maybe the railroad will be found solely responsible for the accident and Rovos won't be liable. Still, it sounds like a legal nightmare.

A more recent story on the accident:

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/articl ... ere-not-on

Apparently the train was pulled by a Transnet locomotive and crew and was being handed off to the Rovos locomotive. This is a good example why freight railroads would rather not deal with passenger trains at all.

responding to bobharbison.

Speaking as one who actually operates and maintains vacuum brake equipment.

It is just not possible to uncouple a locomotive without applying the brakes. There are no angle cocks between vehicles and the vacuum has to be destroyed (brakes fully applied) before the hose couplings will part. With no loco, there's no way the vacuum can be created so the brakes are left hard on. (compare this with the airbrake where angle cocks can be shut and the loco removed leaving air in the train pipe and the brakes released - bottled). You can't "bottle the vacuum".

The clue here is the comment about not relying on the vacuum brake to hold the train. The same rule applies to the air brake. Applying handbrakes when uncoupled is the rule everywhere; the more so on grades - and this must have been quite a grade to warrant the use of sprags as well

From my experience, a cylinder that releases in less than 10 minutes is unacceptable and must be repaired, holding for a couple of hours to overnight is normal, and being still on after several weeks is not unknown. Properly maintained Vacuum brakes do not leak off any more rapidly than properly maintained air brakes.

Thanks for the information on vacuum brakes.

Electric traction in South Africa apparently pulls a higher vacuum than Steam.

It is common practice there to bleed off the vacuum when transitioning from Electric to Steam after the steam loco has been hooked on in order for the Steam loco to establish its own vacuum level in the carriages and depart sooner.

It is not clear yet what the actual cause was in this case although many in South Africa and elsewhere were speculating that the strings had been pulled on the carriages before the loco was hooked on.

However, the most recent news reports from South Africa are now quoting investigators as saying that no hand brakes were tied initially and, that the 45 minute delay in hooking on the steam loco was too much for the weight of the train, sitting on a gradient without hand brakes tied.

The steam loco owner / operators, Reef steamers, Rovos Rail, Friends of the Rail etc. are also required for the past 9 years (July 2001 to be exact) to provide the loco crew on main line turns.

These crews undergo training, route learning and licensing under an examiner from Spoornet (former SAR)

I’m aware of this exact date as I was an observer on the very first “private driver”, “final exam run” from George to Knysna that month.

It is the steam fireman’s job in South Africa to bleed off the electric loco vacuum from the carriages.

It is of course the job of the departing crew to tie hand brakes to secure the train regardless of traction type.

The following day, two Rovos trains departed on time. One traveling to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and one back to Cape Town.

TH

How does a Slip Coach work, a coach detached from the rear of an Express train while moving and stopped somehow by the on board guard? Maybe South African Rwys. isn't able to use them?