Rescue 911 - Episode 119 - "Runaway Boxcars"

When two runaway boxcars push an occupied car down train tracks, a cop risks his life to stop the boxcars before they send the car crashing over a bridge. This segment was taken from Episode 119 which aired on February 13, 1990 on CBS.

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Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• rescue
• 911
• segment
• episode
• 119
• train
• boxcar
• railroad
• william
• shatner

[gregorkrause]

doesn't the music seem fast here in the opening of this segment, it does to me?

[allgood2000]

@gregorkrause That's because the Family Channel sped the video up. They had to cut about 4 minutes out of the episode, and by speeding up the video, they wouldn't have to delete as many scenes.

[OnTheRunSinceBirth]

Poor Lady Brave Cop

[robertgift]

Normally the railcar wheels would have caused the signals to operate.  Surprised they did not here.

The rails may have been too rusty for just two cars to be sensed by the crossing signal system.

Courageous officer.

Amazing that he could reach the railcars in time and turn the brake wheel.

The railcars must have been loaded and heavy to push the car so far without significantly slowing.

Did a teenager release the brakes of the railcars?

[bigboy4016]

@robertgift Not always... they don't have to be loaded to be heavy, and it doesn't take much of a grade for one to roll. If it is on a solid downgrade, then they will pick up speed fast. and most likely no. They could have just gotten away, (Coupler broke, crew error) (I don't believe that the E-brake would have gone off, it depends on if the hoses were connected. Regarding the lights, they SHOULD have gone off, no matter what. There is a small electrical charge that is sent through the rails.

[jm0lesky]

@Kleman09 Yes, automobiles, and even living beings, can be felt by the crew. It feels like your car hitting a small bump in the road or rumblestrips. @Thenews72 Weight of the rollingstock has nothing to do with it. The signal system failed...possibly due to rust on the rails.

[csxmansam]

@MegaDavid1960 It is a Curcit, The Wheels From the Train complete the Curcit that is in the Track therefor making the Signals Operate, But obvisy this signal had a Malfunction. No locomotive needed. If you Take a Wire of something meatle and touch it to each rail near a Railroad crossing it will trigger them.

[csxmansam]

@Thenews72 The Crossing Signals are not Triggerd by Wieght, It is a Curcit, The Wheels From the Train complete the Curcit that is in the Track therefor making the Signals Operate, But obvisy this signal had a Malfunction.

[jonboogy]

@dickcheney6 I'm not sure but, I think there's something in the locomotive that triggers the crossing signals

[Barricade360]

@MegaDavid1960 most new ones are but the old ones or some of them that is may not be triggered the loco or freight cars for that matter run over a electrical sensor on the tracks that triggers the signals to go off

[hdyudu]

crossarm trigers operate by the weight of the train the two empty boxcars could have been just too light for it to go off

[jasonmsmith2]

@TheMantisTycoon Um this is a reenactment of the actual events. You think a person is going to stop 2 runaway boxcars just to make a film? It's obviously dangerous since someone died as a result of the real event. Think about it.

[BlackCavalier52]

@triezen007

Based on this video, there's no way in telling if it was the railroad. It was probably some deviants who thought it'd be fun to unlock the brake wheels.

Railcars separated from an active train would have air flowing through the brake lines - if this connection is cut off, the air rushing out activates the brakes. More than likely they were on a side track outside of an industry, in which case someone untied them and threw the switch for the mainline - gravity does the rest