Did part of a train ever detach?

[Abba]

Did it ever happen that part of train detached in the middle of a ride?

[Kamen Rider]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[Sea Beach]

Where do you guys get these things from? LMAO

[MattTrain]

A train never detaches in service. I believe that the train cars are attached and secured right before the train is in service.

[checkmatechamp13]

I read about a time on the when a switch set itself to the switching position as a train was running over it and the last car was torn in half. I also read in the same book about a IRT Express (back in the late 1910s) that had the switch set to the storage track south of 42nd Street and the 2nd half of the 9th car as well as the 10th car tore away from the rest of the train.

[Donald]

Yes, it has happened. It happened many years ago to my father when he was a conductor. The train was out of service and I think the coupler was faulty. Him and the motorman did not know about it until the dispatcher contacted them. So the wind up was that the train behind them pushed the cars that detached from their train.

[Jashawn R.]

I read about a time on the when a switch set itself to the switching position as a train was running over it and the last car was torn in half. I also read in the same book about a IRT Express (back in the late 1910s) that had the switch set to the storage track south of 42nd Street and the 2nd half of the 9th car as well as the 10th car tore away from the rest of the train.

Were you reading "The Subway" by Stan Fischer?

[St Louis Car 09]

 

Where do you guys get these things from? LMAO

LOL hey it could happen.

[R32 3348]

It has happened before but it is true that it almost never happens in service. I'd guess that the most common case of this happening is in a split switch (a switch changes position while a train is running over it, causing the end cars of the train to go over a different section of track than the front end).

[LRG]

It has happened before but it is true that it almost never happens in service. I'd guess that the most common case of this happening is in a split switch (a switch changes position while a train is running over it, causing the end cars of the train to go over a different section of track than the front end).

 

Wouldn't the train most likely derail if something like that were to happen?

[SubwayGuy]

Yes, this has happened in the past. When a train parts, the cars go into emergency. The most common cause for it is coupler failure, NOT anything else you might have heard...

 

I was once told of one of the worse incidents involving this, needless to say in that case the parted train did NOT go into emergency (there was a reason for it), and a simple mistake was made much worse by the response to it. However that's the only time I've ever heard of a train parting and not going into emergency.

[Trainmaster5]

I think you're describing a "pull-apart" where cars in a consist become separated while enroute. I know of at least 3 instances of this happening. 2 of these were road trains in passenger service. An IRT train had this happen while traversing the loop between 149th St Grand Concourse and 138th St. This was with new R142 equipment. An IND R 46 train pulled apart on the express track n/b between Broadway-East New York and Utica Ave. The IRT train went into emergency and the T/O found the problem. The IND train went into emergency in the rear section only. The T/O only found out the problem when he made a station stop at Utica and the doors didn't open. The C/R and half of his train was left back around Rockaway Ave. IIRC they actually tried to find fault with the road crew on that one even though it was an obvious equipment failure. BTW there were no injuries or a derailment in either instance. It was also called an "undesired uncoupling" back in the day.

[INDman]

I think you're describing a "pull-apart" where cars in a consist become separated while enroute. I know of at least 3 instances of this happening. 2 of these were road trains in passenger service. An IRT train had this happen while traversing the loop between 149th St Crand Concourse and 138th St. This was with new R142 equipment. An IND R 46 train pulled apart on the express track n/b between Broadway-East New York and Utica Ave. The IRT train went into emergency and the T/O found the problem. The IND train went into emergency in the rear section only. The T/O only found out the problem when he made a station stop at Utica and the doors didn't open. The C/R and half of his train was left back around Rockaway Ave. IIRC they actually tried to find fault with the road crew on that one even though it was an obvious equipment failure. BTW there were no injuries or a derailment in either instance.

 

I know there are problems with the OB couplers on the R44/46, what was the IRT equipment involved?

[Pelham Bay Dave]

The IRT was a New R142 I remember that one the Link bar broke I beleave

[RTOMan]

The IRT was a New R142 I remember that one the Link bar broke I beleave

 

One on the as well David....

[Pelham Bay Dave]

Right I forgot about that one.

[Jamaica Express]

The only time I've heard about trains breaking apart is when the switch moved under the train as it was passing...resulting in a derailment. Off the top of my head I remember this happening on the ( at Dekalb Ave in 2000, the in Harlem (somewhere between 125th and 145th) in 1997 and on the ( again in 1993 or 1994 at 36th St...there are probably more I can't think of

 

This may be irrelvant, but I know in 2006 or 2007 a NJT train departing Elizabeth uncoupled leaving the last 5 or so cars in the station...they re-coupled the train and continued on to NYC...the crew got in trouble because the train should have been taken out of service after the incident.

[css9450]

It wasn't on transit, but it happened to me on a passenger train I was riding when I was about 13. It was a Chessie System steam excursion; about 18 or 20 cars long. Three times, the car we were riding came uncoupled from the car ahead, each time putting the train in emergency. The first time, we were coming into a station stop, and being slow we stopped like RIGHT NOW, and throughout the train many people who were standing fell over and a few had bumps and bruises.

 

The next two times it happened was at speed on the main line. The brakes came on and we stopped quickly but not as bad as before. By this time it was apparent that something was way out of alignment with our couplers and our car was vacated and set out on a grain elevator track somewhere. The danger was real; someone could have been thrown from the train if it had uncoupled while they were between cars.

[checkmatechamp13]

Were you reading "The Subway" by Stan Fischer?

 

The author sounds familiar, but I'm not sure if that was the title of the book. It was at the NYPL, so I'll be sure to look for that book the next time I'm there.

[r160b]

lmaoo i been wondering that for a long time if that could ever happen.

it creeps me out alot. but hey it could happen especially on the old cars such as the r46s and the r32s.

[INDman]

lmaoo i been wondering that for a long time if that could ever happen.

it creeps me out alot. but hey it could happen especially on the old cars such as the r46s and the r32s.

 

Old has nothing to do with it. As said before, 2 of the pull aparts happened on R142s, new cars.

[Joe]

2 of the pull aparts happened on R142s, new cars.

 

Sounds like you were right about the quality (or lack thereof) of those cars...

[NX Express]

The author sounds familiar, but I'm not sure if that was the title of the book. It was at the NYPL, so I'll be sure to look for that book the next time I'm there.

 

Uptown Downtown?

[Zman]

I know of a couple pull-aparts when the R44's came back fresh off of GOH.

[INDman]

I know of a couple pull-aparts when the R44's came back fresh off of GOH.

 

It was explained to me that the OB couplers can malfunction and open up. Since they are electrically controlled, some kinda fault will let this happen. H2Cs on the other hand an pneumatic, making a malfunction highly unlikely.