So called 'antiquated' brakes - also used on school buses & trucks -was not cause of Ohio derailment
Last edited Wed Feb 15, 2023, 01:18 AM - Edit history (6)
According to latest reports & wikipedia, it appears the root cause of the derailment was not the brakes, but rather an axle on one of the railcars:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Ohio_train_derailment
That "antiquated" brake system some refer to is the very same airbrake system (designed by George Westinghouse) that is used on schoolbuses & trucks around the world to this day, and is not unique to any one railway.
It is designed to be "failsafe" in that a loss of air, or cars becoming separated due to a derailment, will automatically cause brakes to apply.
The system, being air-operated, has something known as a propagation delay where the brakes at the rear of the train take longer to apply than the brakes at the front.
This is why the idea of an Electro-pnuematic braking system is being floated by some, at least for trains that contain dangerous goods. An EP system uses an electric signal instead of an airbrake pipe to signal the brakes to apply, and the advantage of this system is that the brakes apply immediately throughout the train with no propagation delay, shortening the braking distance - which could help in a situation where emergency braking is required such as a derailment.
EP brakes are currently in use on many modern passenger trains such as Amtrak's Cities Sprinter locomotives as well as other systems around the world.
One of the barriers to implementing an EP system for freight trains (if the authorities at the FRA, Office of the Transport Secretary, ect were to decide that is the best course of action) is the fact that railways like Norfolk Southern do not own the cars, those are owned by the online industries (eg Georgia Pacific, Dow ect).
That being said, barriers can be overcome and any identified safety-related shortcomings in industry practices can be fixed with proper legislation, oversight - and if necessary, funding, in the case of any mandated new equipment.
PS- On an unrelated note, the airbrake system (whether EP or Westinghouse air-type) is not the only braking system on the trains. Every diesel electric locomotive has dynamic braking (or electric braking) in which the 4000HP of the locomotive is converted into braking power by turning the electric traction motors that move the train into wheel-driven generators that, similar to engine braking on a truck, work to hold back the train. It's the same electric braking system used in hybrid cars.
PPS - Since the root cause appears to be axle-related, any investigation/inquiry will need to determine who is responsible for performing the required safety inspections (the lineside industry that own the cars or the RR's that operate them) as well as any required changes in inspection frequencies &/or methods.
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