These are Talgo trains, the following is from the Talgo website.
"Since 1980, all Talgo rolling stock has been designed with a unique tilting system, developed by Talgo for the Talgo Tilting family of trains."
"It is a well known fact that all vehicles, when travelling on a curved track, are naturally pushed to the outside of the curve, which makes the carbodies tilt in the same direction. In conventional trains, this effect is solved by reducing the speed on some curves. With the Talgo Natural Tilting system, this movement is reversed and the cars lean naturally ??inwards? allowing higher speeds when negotiating curves while maintaining the same level of comfort for the passengers."
"This system is designed to provide comfort to the passengers when the train is traversing curves at speeds greater than that for which they are super elevated (banked). On tangent track and broad curves passenger comfort is assured by the pneumatic suspension that is an integral part of the tilting system. The natural tilting system makes use of the lateral centrifugal force, which naturally acts on the vehicles when they negotiate a curve to tilt the cars towards the inside of the curve, thus considerably reducing the centrifugal force experienced by the passengers."
So in essence these cars are designed to make the passengers feel comfortable, even in an unsafe condition, like traveling faster around a curve than?ÿthe curve was designed for. Counterintuitive, discomfort is the best way to know that something is wrong. So someone decided it was more important to be comfortable, right up to the moment you die.?ÿ
Based on other information on the website Talgo trainsets have only one powered car, the other end is merely a drivers cab. Looking at the fact that the heavy pushing locomotive is the one still on the tracks, I assert that this was design problem and designers should be held liable along with the operators.
Paul in PA
Can't believe they released this info already, but the NTSB had a press conference.
The news this morning said prelim black box data indicated the train was doing 80 or more, and the curve was a 30 mph curve.
ATC was installed in the new track, but the trains were not upgraded yet, they were supposed to be upgraded next spring with a final deadline of next December.
?ÿ
All of the quotes about the local mayor predicting a fatal train crash is crap, and taken out of context.?ÿ He was specifically pissed about 79 mph trains running through grade crossings in his town and concerned about pedestrians.?ÿ He wanted more overpasses.
Had the train not been going 79mph through the town it would not have approached the curve at that speed.
Paul in PA
The track leading into the crash site is straight. The curve is just south the highway overpass.?ÿ?ÿ
The curve begins before the overpass and continues through the overpass. The lead cab/locomotive continued fairly?ÿstraight after just entering the curve on to the highway below.?ÿAt 81mph I would have imagined it going much farther up the road.
Paul in PA
Based on other information on the website Talgo trainsets have only one powered car, the other end is merely a drivers cab. Looking at the fact that the heavy pushing locomotive is the one still on the tracks, I assert that this was design problem and designers should be held liable along with the operators.
Paul in PA
Paul, that is speculation on your part and just not true. Best I can see from the pictures, the lead was locomotive no. 1400, a brand new Siemens "Charger", a Tier-IV emissions compliant locomotive.?ÿ?ÿ
https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Rail/newlocomotives/default.htm
You may be correct that the locomotive on I-5 is a new Siemens, but the pusher locomotive does not appear to be the same style. If they intermixed two different design locomotives they could be incompatible in horsepower or response times?ÿto driver commands.
I note that the Charger SC-44 has AC traction motors and that the GE P42-DC may have DC motors. That may turn out to be significant.
Paul in PA
The pusher is a GE Genesis P42, I believe.
