The Neville Hill derailment made me think: 'OK, low speed impact, but that
Azuma▸ , its carriages and couplings really haven't made a good fist of staying in line very well, the couplings don't seem to adequately constrain lateral movement of carriages with respect to each other and the second, third and fourth carriages each ended up with a wheelset derailed.'
It made me hope that this behaviour isn't replicated the day one of these trains running at high speed receives a check of similar force as a result of a more trivial impact, as it's generally a good thing if carriages do not derail, and a good thing that should they do so, everything stays reasonably in line - especially on a route with electrification masts. (and was it Hatfield that caused people to ask 'Could electrification masts be designed to be less aggressive should they be impacted?)
And then this. Do Northern's variant have similar couplings? Very different cause but again that last carriage has become remarkably misaligned with the rest of the train.
The Neville Hill
RAIB▸ report is here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/935941/R132020_201118_Neville_Hill.pdfOne of the recommendations being:
LNER» , with support from Hitachi, should assess the risk associated with derailment of an IET▸ following collision at low speeds, and take any necessary actions to demonstrate an acceptable risk. It should take into account the likelihood of occurrence of a derailment...I wonder if that study has concluded, what its findings might have been and whether they've been made public.
Mark
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