List of wind-related railway accidents

High winds can blow railway trains off tracks and cause accidents.^[1]

High winds

High winds can cause problems in a number of ways:

• blow trains off the tracks.
• blow trains or wagons along the tracks and cause collisions.
• cause pantographs and overhead wiring to tangle.

Preventative measures

Risks from high winds can be reduced by:

• wind fences akin to snow sheds
• lower profile of carriages
• reduction in train speed or cancellation, at high winds
• a wider rail gauge
• improve overhead wiring with:
  • regulated tension rather than fixed terminations
  • shorter catenary spans
  • solid conductors

By country

Australia

• 1928 – 47 waggons blown along line at Tocumwal ^[2]
• 1931 - Kandos - wind blows level crossing gates closed in front of motor-cyclist ^[3]
• 1943 - Hobart, Tasmania; Concern that wind will blow over doubledeck trams on 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge if top deck enclosed.^[4]
• 2010 - Marla, South Australia; Small tornado blows over train.^[5]

Austria

• 1910 - Trieste - train blown down embankment. ^[6]

China

• Lanxin High-Speed Railway#Wind shed
• List of rail accidents (2000–2009) – February 28, 2007 – Wind blows 10 passenger rail cars off the track near Turpan, China.

Germany

• Ruegen, Germany – October 1936 – narrow gauge ^[7][8]

India

• One reason for choosing broad gauge in India for greater stability in high winds.

Ireland

• Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway – 914 mm (3 ft) gauge

Japan

• Inaho
• Amarube Viaduct
• 1895 Gale blows train into sea ^[9]

New Zealand

• Rimutaka Incline railway accident

Norway

• Makrellbekken (station)#Wind related accident – blowing snow disoriented a tractor driver who collided with a train

South Africa

• Wind tangles overhead wiring.^[10]

United Kingdom

• Tay Bridge disaster 1879
• Chelford rail accident 1894 – during shunting
• East Coast Main Line#Accidents
• Snowdon Mountain Railway#Gripper rail
• Leven Viaduct, Cumbria 27 February 1903
• Cheddington 2008 - two containers blown off train - design of "spigots" criticised.^[11]
• Moston 2015 - out of gauge train hits platform, throwing stones onto other track.^[12]
• Scout Green 2015 - empty 30-foot ISA container blown off train ^[13]

United States

• (Reverse order)
• April 27, 2015 New Orleans, Louisiana- A severe storm knocked several cars off the line while they were traveling across the Huey P. Long bridge with no injuries. The footage of the complete accident was captured by a WGNO News Team on a dash cam.
• A 2008 tornado in Northern Illinois derailed a Union Pacific train.^[14] Dramatic footage of the event was captured by a camera mounted on the train.^[15]
• One reason for choosing broad gauge in BART was for greater stability in high winds and perhaps earthquakes.^[16][17][18]
• BART track gauge is 17% wider than standard gauge.
• Charleston, South Carolina, trams shut due to winds (2 September 1911) ^[19]
• St Louis 1892 ^[20]

Factors

• Lightweight trains
• Narrow gauge
• Aspects of the terrain ^[21]
• Tunnels ^[22]

See also

• Snowshed

References

1. http://www.springerlink.com/content/w5531100m065g489/
2. "SEVERE WINDSTORM.". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 8 October 1928. p. 8. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
3. "LEVEL CROSSING ACCIDENT.". The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). NSW: National Library of Australia. 27 August 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
4. "Double-Deck Trams.". The Mercury. Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 1 June 1943. p. 4. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
5. http://www.railpage.com.au/news-8530.htm
6. "FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.". Northern Star. 34. New South Wales, Australia. 4 April 1910. p. 3. Retrieved 26 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "GALE DERAILS TRAIN.". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 21 October 1936. p. 16. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
8. "TRAIN DERAILED.". The Examiner. Launceston, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 21 October 1936. p. 8 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
9. "RAILWAY ACCIDENT.". Zeehan and Dundas Herald (Tas. : 1890 - 1922). Tas.: National Library of Australia. 31 July 1895. p. 3. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
10. http://www.railwaysafrica.com/blog/2012/12/wind-stalls-cape-trains/
11. The Railway Magazine April 2015, p12
12. The Railway Magazine April 2015, p12
13. The Railway Magazine April 2015, p12
14. http://abc7chicago.com/archive/5875829/
15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYubpuIe3cw
16. http://www.wirewd.com/wh/blog/bart_sucks/
17. http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/01/06/crossing-the-bay-again-but-not-necessarily-with-bart/
18. http://homepage.mac.com/s_sloan/twar/ISSUE66/BODY.HTM
19. "AMERICAN WIND STORM.". The Northern Times. Carnarvon, WA: National Library of Australia. 2 September 1911. p. 5. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
20. "NEWS BY MAIL.". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 24 May 1892. p. 7. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
21. http://wiki.climatechangeadaptation.org.au/tiki-index.php?page=Rail+vehicle+overturning
22. http://www.yunlong.com.au/pdf/Liu-CFD.pdf

External links