car vandalism news image
djoyolsen
How can I find out if it is legal to put business cards on cars in my area? What about cars on the street, in apartment building parking lots, strip mall parking lots, government parking lots such as the library, etc?
Answer
Just telling the facts, not being a witch. I was witness in a courthouse debate last year when a woman was charged with loitering and vandalism after placing her business cards on cars in parking lots at stores and a hotel. I saw firsthand how annoyed people can get when someone is brasin enough to just walk up and touch thier vehicle and place their personal belongings on someone's 'private property-thier vehicle'. Many people would not use a service or business that is tactless enough to grab someone's doorhandle, windshield wiper, ect and put things in them to make money for themselves. if stores or apartment managers find your trash lying on thier lots, after people toss them off thier cars in disgust, you get the littering bill. What if someone sees you, someone that isn't so nice and understanding? *alot of people are like that-watch the news* What if you set off an alarm? In front of people even? What if someone thought you were trying to break thier wiper or break into thier vehicle? Sounds extreme, but people these days are looking for reasons to sue or start a physical fight. i know that if you get caught touching government vehicles without a darn good excuse, you can get a nice fine, and they can take you in for questioning of "radical activity" sounds like loads of fun. How about just taking the safe route and putting up an ad? Even in the paper, bulletins, or telephone poles.
Just telling the facts, not being a witch. I was witness in a courthouse debate last year when a woman was charged with loitering and vandalism after placing her business cards on cars in parking lots at stores and a hotel. I saw firsthand how annoyed people can get when someone is brasin enough to just walk up and touch thier vehicle and place their personal belongings on someone's 'private property-thier vehicle'. Many people would not use a service or business that is tactless enough to grab someone's doorhandle, windshield wiper, ect and put things in them to make money for themselves. if stores or apartment managers find your trash lying on thier lots, after people toss them off thier cars in disgust, you get the littering bill. What if someone sees you, someone that isn't so nice and understanding? *alot of people are like that-watch the news* What if you set off an alarm? In front of people even? What if someone thought you were trying to break thier wiper or break into thier vehicle? Sounds extreme, but people these days are looking for reasons to sue or start a physical fight. i know that if you get caught touching government vehicles without a darn good excuse, you can get a nice fine, and they can take you in for questioning of "radical activity" sounds like loads of fun. How about just taking the safe route and putting up an ad? Even in the paper, bulletins, or telephone poles.
How likely is it that a train derails, going 23 mph?
chase
Just in recent news of the train derailment in Ohio, I was just curious.
1) How often trains derail?
2) What are the major causes?
3) Why does it take 1 month to investigate a train derailment, but takes 2-3 days to get the train off the tracks?
Answer
Good question.
For clarity, a derailment can be as simple as one wheel off the rail, or can pile up dozens of cars with disastrous ecological consequences and/or the death of many people. As for the former, there is probably a wheel off the rail somewhere as you are reading this. In many cases where damage is very slight, there is no investigation and in many cases aren't even required to be reported to a government agency..
For the latter, they make the headlines. One should back away from any notion that a high speed is required for nasty circumstances. Untrue. So 23 mph means little, unless that given speed was excessive for the track speed or other speed restriction. I assure you, at less than the speed of a Sunday drive down the country lane, it can still have disastrous results.
Inertia is the culprit. 20 mph is very slow to you in your car, but let us consider a freight train. The average is around 10,000 tons, 13,000 and up for unit trains, such as those carrying grain or coal. But, those are just numbers, so we'll put it into perspective. The average naval destroyer in WWII was about 3,000 tons, as I understand it. So, at 13,000 tons, it is like four US naval destroyers, on roller bearings, with practically no friction when compared to navigating the sea, and packing a huge punch, even at that seemingly snail like 20 mph speed. That train is going to keep moving until the inertial energy is expended and pile up as it does so... even if in slow motion. That is, on level ground. The stakes go waaaay up if descending a grade when the derailment occurs. Entire trains have derailed as a result. The SP train wreck in San Bernadino was one such train.
Let's look at part three here. After initial on scene investigation is complete, the imperative is to get the traffic moving. Extensive delays can create a snowball effect effecting many more miles of railroad than the quarter mile torn up. The BIG cats come in, shove it all over the place like toy cars, and when everything is aside, prefabricated track panels are laid down, often called a "shoo fly," put some ballast under it and get everything moving as soon as safe and practical. They cut up what's left with torches, pick up all the scrap iron, make permanent repairs to roadbed, and another derailment is in the books. Usually. Google the derailment at Cantara Loop in California. A spilled chemical killed everything living in or off the water, for a 25 mile stretch of the Sacramento River. If I remember correctly, that train was doing around 16 mph, and on heavy ascending grade.
It took much longer that a month to determine the cause in that case. In the case where the train blew the hell out of everything in Roseville, Ca, on April 28th, 1973, that was about two and one half years or so to close out..
Data is gathered, then it takes quite a while to figure it all out. So many variables, each that may or may not effect the other... it's a mess, so it takes a while to put it all back together, kind of like rebuilding an airliner to see what factors were and were not at play. If you've never been to a derailment site of any magnitude you cannot appreciate how it tears the crap out of everything. Cars pile up, trucks come off, sometimes three layers high, springs, lading, roadbed all co-mingled... it's pretty amazing.
The causes? Broken wheel, broken drawbar, broken rail (usually in winter when rail pulls apart due to the frigid temperatures), wide gage, thin flange, damaged switch, vandalism, poor train handling (often creating that broken drawbar) improper train make up, excessive tonnage, excessive speed, man failure, "sun kink" (the opposite of a winter pull apart, high heat causes excessive expansion that can cause the rail to lift and basically turn in to Spaghetti), collision at a grade crossing, brake failure, rules violation, poor roadbed, fire, ice buildup on tracks, washouts, rock slides, bridge failure, flooding, tornado (that one is on YouTube and should be required viewing for all, as it demonstrates perfectly why a train doesn't stop so well... well, the head end does, but see what catches up. I think "tornado train" will do it), high wind (doesn't have to be a tornado or hurricane, either), fatigued crewmen, undesired application of emergency brakes (called a UDE), usually due to a ruptured air hose or one that has come uncoupled for some reason...
There is probably more, but my vino cooler is in need of a refill.
It really was a good question.
Good question.
For clarity, a derailment can be as simple as one wheel off the rail, or can pile up dozens of cars with disastrous ecological consequences and/or the death of many people. As for the former, there is probably a wheel off the rail somewhere as you are reading this. In many cases where damage is very slight, there is no investigation and in many cases aren't even required to be reported to a government agency..
For the latter, they make the headlines. One should back away from any notion that a high speed is required for nasty circumstances. Untrue. So 23 mph means little, unless that given speed was excessive for the track speed or other speed restriction. I assure you, at less than the speed of a Sunday drive down the country lane, it can still have disastrous results.
Inertia is the culprit. 20 mph is very slow to you in your car, but let us consider a freight train. The average is around 10,000 tons, 13,000 and up for unit trains, such as those carrying grain or coal. But, those are just numbers, so we'll put it into perspective. The average naval destroyer in WWII was about 3,000 tons, as I understand it. So, at 13,000 tons, it is like four US naval destroyers, on roller bearings, with practically no friction when compared to navigating the sea, and packing a huge punch, even at that seemingly snail like 20 mph speed. That train is going to keep moving until the inertial energy is expended and pile up as it does so... even if in slow motion. That is, on level ground. The stakes go waaaay up if descending a grade when the derailment occurs. Entire trains have derailed as a result. The SP train wreck in San Bernadino was one such train.
Let's look at part three here. After initial on scene investigation is complete, the imperative is to get the traffic moving. Extensive delays can create a snowball effect effecting many more miles of railroad than the quarter mile torn up. The BIG cats come in, shove it all over the place like toy cars, and when everything is aside, prefabricated track panels are laid down, often called a "shoo fly," put some ballast under it and get everything moving as soon as safe and practical. They cut up what's left with torches, pick up all the scrap iron, make permanent repairs to roadbed, and another derailment is in the books. Usually. Google the derailment at Cantara Loop in California. A spilled chemical killed everything living in or off the water, for a 25 mile stretch of the Sacramento River. If I remember correctly, that train was doing around 16 mph, and on heavy ascending grade.
It took much longer that a month to determine the cause in that case. In the case where the train blew the hell out of everything in Roseville, Ca, on April 28th, 1973, that was about two and one half years or so to close out..
Data is gathered, then it takes quite a while to figure it all out. So many variables, each that may or may not effect the other... it's a mess, so it takes a while to put it all back together, kind of like rebuilding an airliner to see what factors were and were not at play. If you've never been to a derailment site of any magnitude you cannot appreciate how it tears the crap out of everything. Cars pile up, trucks come off, sometimes three layers high, springs, lading, roadbed all co-mingled... it's pretty amazing.
The causes? Broken wheel, broken drawbar, broken rail (usually in winter when rail pulls apart due to the frigid temperatures), wide gage, thin flange, damaged switch, vandalism, poor train handling (often creating that broken drawbar) improper train make up, excessive tonnage, excessive speed, man failure, "sun kink" (the opposite of a winter pull apart, high heat causes excessive expansion that can cause the rail to lift and basically turn in to Spaghetti), collision at a grade crossing, brake failure, rules violation, poor roadbed, fire, ice buildup on tracks, washouts, rock slides, bridge failure, flooding, tornado (that one is on YouTube and should be required viewing for all, as it demonstrates perfectly why a train doesn't stop so well... well, the head end does, but see what catches up. I think "tornado train" will do it), high wind (doesn't have to be a tornado or hurricane, either), fatigued crewmen, undesired application of emergency brakes (called a UDE), usually due to a ruptured air hose or one that has come uncoupled for some reason...
There is probably more, but my vino cooler is in need of a refill.
It really was a good question.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No comments:
Post a Comment