goscrewyourselves
I'm the one
The titles says it all ... what is a Catch Point and what does it do?
What is a Catch Point?
- Thread starter goscrewyourselves
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goscrewyourselves
I'm the one
Frederick,
Thank you and an intentional derailment, interesting way to do it.
Thank you and an intentional derailment, interesting way to do it.
That's a British / UK term. Here in the US, we call that a "switch point derail". No matter what you call it, they keep trains from going someplace they shouldn't. For example, they are placed prior to drawbridges with the idea that it's better to derail before the bridge than to drive off the end of the track and fall into the water.
Unfortunately, they work when they're set, whether you want them to or not.
Unfortunately, they work when they're set, whether you want them to or not.
Yes, an intentional derailment at a place and direction that you choose. So, if you're riding Amtrak going 79 and some guy at a grain elevator shoves a car and it gets away from him, you'd much rather it roll over into the field at the end of his plant spur than get out onto the mainline and crash into your train, right? That's what this does.
goscrewyourselves
I'm the one
That makes sense and your right, better to loose a car or two of grain etc than demolish another Amtrak or other train.
SunsetLimited
Enjoy the Journey
Wombat,
Catch points are very common in Queensland and New South Wales at least. They're often identified by different signs/signals near the point switch.
In Queensland, catch points were traditionally indicated by a large red disc that swivelled when the track was set. If the points were set to derail equipment, the disc would show. If it was set for a train to pass normally, the disc would swivel 90° as the points were changed, so as not to be displayed to oncoming traffic.
Mitch
Catch points are very common in Queensland and New South Wales at least. They're often identified by different signs/signals near the point switch.
In Queensland, catch points were traditionally indicated by a large red disc that swivelled when the track was set. If the points were set to derail equipment, the disc would show. If it was set for a train to pass normally, the disc would swivel 90° as the points were changed, so as not to be displayed to oncoming traffic.
Mitch
That's how they work pretty much everywhere. Either a simple sign, like a switch stand target, as you suggest, or tied into a signal system.
In the Amtrak derailment above, it was determined that the engineer was speeding, and thus was unable to stop in time. The signal system was working properly, but he apparently thought the derail would be set for movement by the time he got there, or he simply wasn't paying close attention to his speed. Whatever the cause, the result was an ugly and highly publicized derailment, which fortunately didn't cause any serious injuries.
That could've been really bad, having water close by. I'm sure that driver got some serious "re-training", like becoming a permanent passenger instead.
Yes, they missed putting the train into the water by a few feet, if even that. The bridge tender dove into the water once he realized the train wasn't going to be able to stop. I guess he figured making a swim for it was better than being run over by a train.
As for the engineer, obviously they don't talk about disciplinary actions. I'm really not sure what would happen. Is this the first incident? Does he have a history of speeding or running signals? I'm guessing they have procedures and policies in place. Can you get fired on your first offense if it's severe enough? I really don't know.
