Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters - Softcover

Bibel, George

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1421427079 ISBN 13: 9781421427072

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018

Synopsis

Gripping forensic tales explain how and why trains crash.

Trains are massive―with some weighing 15,000 tons or more. When these metal monsters collide or go off the rails, their destructive power becomes clear. In this book, George Bibel presents riveting tales of trains gone wrong, the detective work of finding out why, and the safety improvements that were born of tragedy.

Train Wreck details numerous crashes, including 17 in which more than 200 people were killed. Readers follow investigators as they sift through the rubble and work with computerized event recorders to figure out what happened. Using a mix of eyewitness accounts and scientific explanations, Bibel draws us into a world of forensics and human drama.

Train Wreck is a fascinating exploration of
• runaway trains
• bearing failures
• metal fatigue
• crash testing
• collision dynamics
• bad rails

About this title

About the Author

George Bibel, a former NASA summer faculty fellow, is a professor of mechanical engineering at the School of Engineering and Mines, University of North Dakota. He recently completed the Air Line Pilots Association Advanced Accident Investigation Course. He is the author of Plane Crash: The Forensics of Aviation Disasters and Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters.

From the Back Cover

Trains are massive―with some weighing 15,000 tons or more. When these metal monsters collide or go off the rails, their destructive power becomes clear. In this book, George Bibel presents riveting tales of trains gone wrong, the detective work of finding out why, and the safety improvements that were born of tragedy.

Train Wreck details numerous crashes, including 17 in which more than 200 people were killed. Readers follow investigators as they sift through the rubble and work with computerized event recorders to figure out what happened. Using a mix of eyewitness accounts and scientific explanations, Bibel draws us into a world of forensics and human drama.

Train Wreck is a fascinating exploration of
• runaway trains
• bearing failures
• metal fatigue
• crash testing
• collision dynamics
• bad rails

"Investigations of 17 accidents help show why trains crash and what those incidents can teach."―Science News

"An interesting read to be recommended to anyone who travels by train."―Today's Railways UK

"Fascinating."―Sn3 Modeler

From the Inside Flap

Trains are massive--with some weighing 15,000 tons or more. When these metal monsters collide or go off the rails, their destructive power becomes clear. In this book, George Bibel presents riveting tales of trains gone wrong, the detective work of finding out why, and the safety improvements that were born of tragedy.

Train Wreck details numerous crashes, including 17 in which more than 200 people were killed. Readers follow investigators as they sift through the rubble and work with computerized event recorders to figure out what happened. Using a mix of eyewitness accounts and scientific explanations, Bibel draws us into a world of forensics and human drama.

Train Wreck is a fascinating exploration of
- runaway trains
- bearing failures
- metal fatigue
- crash testing
- collision dynamics
- bad rails

Investigations of 17 accidents help show why trains crash and what those incidents can teach.--Science News

An interesting read to be recommended to anyone who travels by train.--Today's Railways UK

Fascinating.--Sn3 Modeler

--Tony Lemon "New Scientist"

Edition details

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1421427079
• ISBN 13: 9781421427072
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368