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cjmillsnun · 06-04-2004, 21:17

One thing most people seem to forget is what happens to road vehicles in a 70MPH motorway pile up. To be frank, deaths could easily be into three figues, yet in Great Heck (a 142MPH impact) there were 10 deaths.

This is a testament to the strength of modern railway coaches, of which the BR Mk3 & MK4 are amoungst the best.

Lets just say (and one cannot get more factual) that there will never be a 100% safe way to get from A-B, but that railways with their numerous and improving systems are safer than most.

One thing I would like to add. The tell-tale wire in the Severn Tunnel is NOT a trip-wire (as in automatically activated by the presence of foreign objects). It is a device that is used to alert signalling staff of an incedent (be it an accident, de-railment or a broken down train or for staff to alert signallers about foreign object)and is tripped by railway staff. It's major function is to put the signals leading into the tunnel to Danger Therefore stopping trains entering the tunnel.

Also the Axle counters are about as reliable as track circuits in the Severn tunnel, needing attention approx once every other month.

06-04-2004, 21:17	#50
cjmillsnun Inactive Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 231	Re: Deprivatisation of railways One thing most people seem to forget is what happens to road vehicles in a 70MPH motorway pile up. To be frank, deaths could easily be into three figues, yet in Great Heck (a 142MPH impact) there were 10 deaths. This is a testament to the strength of modern railway coaches, of which the BR Mk3 & MK4 are amoungst the best. Lets just say (and one cannot get more factual) that there will never be a 100% safe way to get from A-B, but that railways with their numerous and improving systems are safer than most. One thing I would like to add. The tell-tale wire in the Severn Tunnel is NOT a trip-wire (as in automatically activated by the presence of foreign objects). It is a device that is used to alert signalling staff of an incedent (be it an accident, de-railment or a broken down train or for staff to alert signallers about foreign object)and is tripped by railway staff. It's major function is to put the signals leading into the tunnel to Danger Therefore stopping trains entering the tunnel. Also the Axle counters are about as reliable as track circuits in the Severn tunnel, needing attention approx once every other month.