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In a railway accident, telescoping occurs when the
File:June 22, 2009 WMATA Collision - NTSB accident photo 422860.jpg, The aftermath of the June 2009 Washington Metro train collision
File:St Johns train crash 1898.jpg, The aftermath of the 1898 St Johns rail accident, where the rear two carriages of a passenger train were telescoped by being hit at by a following train.
File:MudRunDisaster.jpg, Cars involved in the Mud Run disaster, October 10, 1888
In a railway accident, telescoping occurs when the underframe
An underframe is a framework of wood or metal carrying the main body structure of a railway vehicle, such as a locomotive, carriage or wagon.
See also
* Chassis
* Headstock
* Locomotive bed
* Locomotive frame
A locomotive frame is the struct ...
of one vehicle overrides that of another, and smashes through the second vehicle's body. The term is derived from the resulting appearance of the two vehicle bodies: the body of one vehicle may appear to be slid inside the other like the tubes of a collapsible telescope – the body sides, roof and underframe of the latter vehicle being forced apart from each other.
Telescoping often results in heavy fatalities if the cars telescoped are fully occupied. The car riding on top will often be destroyed by the structure of the car below, crushing those on board (although the physics of the incident may reverse the cars' roles). The chances of telescoping can be reduced by use of anticlimbers and other structural systems which direct crash energy and debris away from the passenger and crew areas.
Accidents where telescoping occurred are numerous and include:
* 1864 Shohola train wreck
The Shohola train wreck occurred on July 15, 1864, during the American Civil War on the broad gauge Erie Railroad 1 miles () west of Shohola, Pennsylvania. A train carrying Confederate prisoners of war collided head-on with a coal train. Some ...
* 1888 Mud Run disaster
* 1928 Times Square derailment
* 1945 Michigan train wreck
The Michigan train wreck was the worst rail disaster in both North Dakota and Great Northern Railway history.http://www.greatnorthernempire.net/index2.htm?GNEGN_S2_Class.htm GN S-2 Class It happened on August 9, 1945, at Michigan, North Dakota ...
* 1947 Camp Mountain rail accident
* 1952 Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash
The Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash was a three-train collision at Harrow and Wealdstone station in Wealdstone, Middlesex (now Greater London) during the morning rush hour of 8 October 1952. The crash resulted in 112 deaths and 340 injuries, 88 ...
* 1957 Lewisham rail crash
* 1962 Rail accidents in Winsford
* 1970 Benavídez rail disaster
The Benavídez rail disaster, which occurred on February 1, 1970, is the worst-ever rail disaster in Argentina and South America, leaving 236 dead and more than 500 injured.
Summary
This accident happened in an isolated, dimly lit area near Benav ...
* 1972 Chicago commuter rail crash
* 1981 Seer Green rail crash
* 1990 Ursus rail crash
* 2008 Chatsworth train collision
The 2008 Chatsworth train collision occurred at 4:22:23 p.m. PDT (23:22:23 UTC) on September 12, 2008, when a Union Pacific freight train and a Metrolink commuter train collided head-on in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles, ...
* 2009 Washington Metro train collision
* 2012 Buenos Aires rail disaster
The 2012 Buenos Aires rail disaster, also known as the Once Tragedy, occurred on 22 February 2012, when a train crashed at Once Station ( es, link=no, Estación Once de Septiembre; ) in the Balvanera neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Th ...
To reduce the chance of telescoping, rail and tramway vehicles are often provided with an anticlimber: a horizontally ridged plate at the end of the chassis, which in a collision will engage with the anticlimber on the next car.
Gallery
See also
*Anticlimber
A cowcatcher, also known as a pilot, is the device mounted at the front of a locomotive to deflect obstacles on the track that might otherwise damage or derail it or the train.
In the UK small metal bars called ''life-guards'', ''rail guard ...
* Buff strength
Buff strength is a design term used in the certification of passenger railroad cars. It refers to the required resistance to deformation or permanent damage due to loads applied at the car's ends, either from push-or-pull loads on the buffer, Jan ...
* Crashworthiness
Crashworthiness is the ability of a structure to protect its occupants during an impact. This is commonly tested when investigating the safety of aircraft and vehicles. Depending on the nature of the impact and the vehicle involved, different crit ...
* EN 15227 anti-climbing
References
{{Rail accidents Railway accidents and incidents