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Old Posted Mar 21, 2011, 11:26 PM
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wburg wburg is offline
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Join Date: May 2007
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Hm...looks like they have already updated the story, and it appears to be a maintenance failure, not a terrorist attack. Read the updated story again.

I recommend not depending on spell-check..."infective"? "plain flights"? Are you posting from an iPhone?

Spelling flames aside, actual full-sized railroads aren't run like kiddie amusement rides. They use electronic detectors, remote signaling and other safety measures to monitor track conditions, occupancy and safety. Remote detectors can tell whether track is occupied or not, and if rails are loose or disconnected from each other, that can be detected too--and when there is no signal, there is assumed to be a break. Safety is first, second and third on a railroad--they don't mess around with this stuff. Full-sized railroads (high-speed or otherwise) already have security, safety and detection systems--including high-speed rail lines in Asia and Europe. Trust me, there are plenty of things the big boys do that you aren't likely to find on the kiddie ride at the county fair.

Also consider the difference with what happens when a train comes to a sudden stop vs. what happens to an airplane...

It is kind of amusing that the so-called "libertarians" here are the ones who insist that extreme security measures will be required on passenger trains, citing terrorist risks, when none of the countries that currently run passenger trains use them.

You're making this stuff up, or willing to believe the tools who are making this stuff up. It is complete, utter nonsense.

Quote:
Inspector Fired for Allegedly Falsifying Report on Miniature Train Before Crash That Killed Boy

Published March 21, 2011

| FoxNews.com

March 19: Rescue workers carry an injured child after a children's train ride at Cleveland Park derailed in Spartanburg, S.C.

AP

March 19: Rescue workers carry an injured child after a children's train ride at Cleveland Park derailed in Spartanburg, S.C.

A South Carolina agency says an inspector falsified a report on a miniature train that derail Saturday at a park, killing a 6-year-old boy.

The crash, which happened in Spartanburg County's Cleveland Park, left 6-year-old Benjamin Samuel Easler dead and sent a dozen people to the hospital. About 20 people were riding the train when it derailed.

Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation chief Catherine Templeton told reporters that Donnie Carrigan could not have tested the ride March 16 because a battery in the train was dead, making it inoperable. Carrigan marked the train's operation at proper speed as "satisfactory," according to the agency's report.

"Unfortunately the inspector did not complete his job," Templeton said.

Carrigan, a 20-year agency employee, has been fired. Officials have not said what they think caused the train to derail.

In nearby Greenville County, recreation commissioner John Liston told the Daily Mail newspaper earlier that it would be unlikely for the train to derail on its own.

"It doesn't go that fast," he said. "It would take an act of sabotage."

However, the main office at the Greenville County Recreation District later walked back Liston's claim.

"I think the 'sabotage' is highly unlikely. I don't think kids riding on trains is a big target," said community relations director Mike Teachey, adding that "no one knows what happened in Spartanburg." He told FoxNews.com the state has shut down operation of miniature trains until officials learn what went wrong.

Lt. Regina Nowak, with the Spartanburg Public Safety Department, said an investigation is under Inway, but at this point it's not being treated as a criminal investigation.

She told FoxNews.com officials are reviewing evidence, including video of the incident, and will look at whether the driver was "under the influence."

Jeff Caton, a Spartanburg Parks official, told WSPA that the driver was a veteran driver and had even conducted test runs the day of the crash to make sure "everything was in working order."

"I'm going to suggest to you the train has been in operation for 58 years and we've never had problem," Caton told WSPA.

The county runs Cleveland Park. Spartanburg County Councilman David Britt said the train was inspected Wednesday and went on several test runs before Saturday, its first day of operation for the season.

He told the Herald-Journal of Spartanburg that the train's track, which collapsed in the crash, had been reworked a couple of years ago.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/21...#ixzz1HHLfQcbm
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