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Cowan Rail Accident
The Cowan rail accident occurred at 7:20pm on 6 May 1990 when the 3801 Limited special steam passenger train returning from the Morpeth Jazz Festival was struck in the rear by the following CityRail inter-urban passenger service. The steam train had stalled while attempting to climb the steep gradient from the Hawkesbury River to Cowan, New South Wales, and it was found that sand applied to the rails to regain traction had interfered with the signals and given the following train a false clear indication. Overview The crash occurred approximately south of Brooklyn, New South Wales, near the Boronia No. 3 tunnel. The railway line at this point, known as the Cowan Bank, is 2.5% (1 in 40) grade and, as the special hauled by steam locomotive 3801 passed southwards through the No. 3 tunnel, the wheels of the locomotive started to slip. The driver of 3801 applied sand to the rails to improve traction, but the train came to a complete stop approximately 50 metres clear of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brooklyn, New South Wales
Brooklyn is a town and the north most suburb on the Pacific Highway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire with a population of 722 as of the . Brooklyn is surrounded by the Muogamarra Nature Reserve and occupies a strip of waterfront along the southern bank of the Hawkesbury River. The town provides a range of amenities and activities, while maintaining a quiet village atmosphere. Brooklyn provides convenient access for North Shore residents and day trippers to the Hawkesbury River and Pittwater waterways for boating, swimming and fishing, and to Ku-ring-gai Chase and Muogamarra National Parks for bushwalking and scenic views. Hornsby Council is currently developing a 'Brooklyn Master Plan' to provide for further improvement of the amenities in the area. The Hawkesbury River train station provides train services to the city, North Shore areas, and the Central Coast. The Pacific Highway and the M1 Motorway are both nearby and provi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slip (vehicle Dynamics)
In (automotive) vehicle dynamics, slip is the relative motion between a tire and the road surface it is moving on. This slip can be generated either by the tire's rotational speed being greater or less than the free-rolling speed (usually described as ''percent'' slip), or by the tire's plane of rotation being at an angle to its direction of motion (referred to as slip angle). In rail vehicle dynamics, this overall slip of the wheel relative to the rail is called ''creepage''. It is distinguished from the local sliding velocity of surface particles of wheel and rail, which is called ''micro-slip''. Longitudinal slip The longitudinal slip is generally given as a percentage of the difference between the surface speed of the wheel compared to the speed between axle and road surface, as: : \text=-\frac where \Omega is the longitudinal component of the rotational speed of the wheel, r is wheel radius at the point of contact and v_x is vehicle speed in the plane of the tire. A positi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parking Brake
In road vehicles, the parking brake, also known as a handbrake or emergency brake (e-brake), is a mechanism used to keep the vehicle securely motionless when parked. Parking brakes often consist of a cable connected to two wheel brakes, which is then connected to a pulling mechanism. In most vehicles, the parking brake operates only on the rear wheels, which have reduced traction while braking. The mechanism may be a hand-operated lever, a straight pull handle located near the steering column or a foot-operated pedal located with the other pedals. Overview While most automatic transmission vehicles have parking brakes, it is often not engaged by American drivers when parking. However, it is recommended to use it, as the parking pawl in the gearbox could fail due to stress or another vehicle striking the car, causing the car to roll. In manual transmission vehicles, the parking brake can be engaged to help keep the vehicle stationary. When parking on an uphill gradient, it is reco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wrong-side Failure
A wrong-side failure describes a failure condition in a piece of railway signalling equipment that results in an unsafe state. A typical example would be a signal showing a 'proceed' aspect (e.g. green) when it should be showing a 'stop' or 'danger' aspect, resulting in a "false clear". (The converse is a right-side failure, where even with any reduction the resulting state is safe overall.) Example of how a wrong-side failure may occur Consider a relay that has to energize to show a green light. If a wire breaks, or the battery is drained, then the relay will de-energize and the signal will show a red light, which is fail-safe. If a stray wire from another circuit touches the wire connected to that same relay, then that would be a wrong side failure, which is potentially dangerous. This stray wire can be guarded against by ensuring that the insulation on the relay wire is of good quality, and that all terminals are locked away. In addition, the relay may be double-switched ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Track Circuits
A track circuit is an electrical device used to prove the absence of a train on rail tracks to signallers and control relevant signals. An alternative to track circuits are axle counters. Principles and operation The basic principle behind the track circuit lies in the connection of the two rails by the wheels and axle of locomotives and rolling stock to short an electrical circuit. This circuit is monitored by electrical equipment to detect the absence of the trains. Since this is a safety appliance, fail-safe operation is crucial. Hence the circuit is designed to indicate the presence of a train when failures occur. On the other hand, false occupancy readings are disruptive to railway operations and must be minimized. Track circuits allow railway signalling systems to operate semi-automatically, by displaying signals for trains to slow or stop in the presence of occupied track ahead of them. They help prevent dispatchers and operators from causing accidents, both by inform ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Insulator (electrical)
An electrical insulator is a material in which electric current does not flow freely. The atoms of the insulator have tightly bound electrons which cannot readily move. Other materials—semiconductors and conductors—conduct electric current more easily. The property that distinguishes an insulator is its resistivity; insulators have higher resistivity than semiconductors or conductors. The most common examples are non-metals. A perfect insulator does not exist because even insulators contain small numbers of mobile charges (charge carriers) which can carry current. In addition, all insulators become electrically conductive when a sufficiently large voltage is applied that the electric field tears electrons away from the atoms. This is known as the breakdown voltage of an insulator. Some materials such as glass, paper and PTFE, which have high resistivity, are very good electrical insulators. A much larger class of materials, even though they may have lower bulk resistivity, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coroner's Court Of New South Wales
The Coroner's Court of New South Wales is the court in the Australian state of New South Wales where legal proceedings, in the form of an inquest, inquest or inquiry, are held and presided over by the State Coroner of New South Wales (or NSW State Coroner), a Deputy State Coroner of New South Wales, or another coroner of the state of New South Wales. Coroners must be magistrates in the state and sit in branches of the Local Court of New South Wales. They hold jurisdiction over the cadaver, remains of a person and have the power to make findings in respect of the cause of death of a person or the cause of any fire in New South Wales. Generally, there are no appeals from the decision(s) of a coroner; there is, however, provision for the Supreme Court of New South Wales to order a fresh inquest or inquiry or to grant Prerogative writ, prerogative relief in respect of the proceedings. History The office of coroner in New South Wales derives from the legal framework inherited from t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railway Coupler
A coupling (or a coupler) is a mechanism typically placed at each end of a railway vehicle that connects them together to form a train. A variety of coupler types have been developed over the course of railway history. Key issues in their design include strength, reliability, ease of making connections and operator safety. The equipment that connects the couplings to the vehicles is the draft gear or draw gear and these must absorb the stresses of coupling and train acceleration. Nomenclature Compatible and similar couplings or couplers are frequently referred to using widely differing make, brand, or regional names, or nicknames, which can make describing standard or typical designs confusing. Dimensions and ratings noted in these articles are usually of nominal or typical components and systems, though standards and practices also vary widely with railway, region, and era. Buffers and chain The basic type of coupling on railways following the British tradition is the bu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Registrar (education)
A registrar is a senior administrative executive within an academic institution (consisting of a college, university, or secondary school) who oversees the management and leadership of the Registrar's Office. General duties and function Typically, a registrar processes registration requests, schedules classes and maintains class lists, enforces the rules for entering or leaving classes, and keeps a permanent record of grades and marks. In institutions with selective admission requirements, a student only begins to be in connection with the registrar's official actions after admission. In the United Kingdom, the term registrar is usually used for the head of the university's administration. The role is usually combined with that of secretary of the university's governing bodies and in these cases, the full title will often be "registrar and secretary" (or "secretary and registrar") to reflect these dual roles. The University of Cambridge in England uses the archaic spelling of "Regi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Manning Ward
John Manning Ward (6 July 1919 – 6 May 1990) was a Vice-Chancellor and Challis Professor of History at the University of Sydney. Ward was born in Sydney and was educated at Fort Street Boys High School and the University of Sydney. He was admitted to the NSW Bar in 1948. Career Professor Ward served as Challis Professor of History from 1948 to 1979. He steered the History Department through a period of scarce resources into an era of expansion. Books He produced major books and articles on British, Imperial and Australian history. His books include ''British Policy in the South Pacific, 1796-1893'' (reprinted three times); ''Earl Grey and the Australian Colonies, 1847-1856''; ''Colonial Self-Government, the British Experience, 1759-1856''; and ''James Macarthur, Colonial Conservative, 1798-1867'', the latter being the first in a trilogy on conservatism in Australia. Professor Ward had planned on retirement to complete the other two books in the series. He was appo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
University Of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's six sandstone universities. The university comprises eight academic faculties and university schools, through which it offers bachelor, master and doctoral degrees. The university consistently ranks highly both nationally and internationally. QS World University Rankings ranked the university top 40 in the world. The university is also ranked first in Australia and fourth in the world for QS graduate employability. It is one of the first universities in the world to admit students solely on academic merit, and opened their doors to women on the same basis as men. Five Nobel and two Crafoord laureates have been affiliated with the university as graduates and faculty. The university has educated eight Australian prime ministers, including ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vice Chancellor
A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is usually a ceremonial non-resident head of the university. In such institutions, the chief executive of a university is the vice-chancellor, who may carry an additional title such as ''president'' (e.g. "president & vice-chancellor"). The chancellor may serve as chairperson of the governing body; if not, this duty is often held by a chairperson who may be known as a pro-chancellor. In many countries, the administrative and educational head of the university is known as the president, principal or rector. In the United States, the head of a university is most commonly a university president. In U.S., university systems that have more than one affiliated university or campus, the executive head of a specific campus may have the title of ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
