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

• Small tornado blows over train.^[2]

• Concern that wind will blow over doubledeck trams on 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge if top deck enclosed.^[3]

• 1928 – 47 waggons blown along line at Tocumwal ^[4]

• 1931 - Kandos - wind blows level crossing gates closed in front of motor-cyclist ^[5]

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 ^[6][7]

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 ^[8]

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.^[9]

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. ^[10]
• Moston 2015 - out of gauge train hits platform, throwing stones onto other track. ^[11]
• Scout Green 2015 - empty 30-foot ISA container blown off train ^[12]

United States

• (Reverse order)
• April 27th 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.^[13] Dramatic footage of the event was captured by a camera mounted on the train.^[14]
• One reason for choosing broad gauge in BART was for greater stability in high winds and perhaps earthquakes.^[15][16][17]
• BART track gauge is 17% wider than standard gauge.

• Charleston, South Carolina, trams shut due to winds (2 September 1911) ^[18]

• St Louis 1892 ^[19]

Factors

• Lightweight trains
• Narrow gauge
• Aspects of the terrain ^[20]
• Tunnels ^[21]

See also

• Snowshed

References

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

External links