Have there ever been a runaway train?

Train driver left train to pull switch, and was unable to get back onboard. CSX #8888, an SD40-2, ran away under power without a crew after the engineer incorrectly set the locomotive's dynamic brake and was unable to get back into the locomotive after it began moving.



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Knowlton and Forson successfully coupled onto the rear car and slowed the train by applying the dynamic brakes on the chase locomotive. Once the runaway had slowed to 11 miles per hour (18 km/h), CSX trainmaster Jon Hosfeld ran alongside the train, climbed aboard, and shut down the engine.

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Knowlton and Forson successfully coupled onto the rear car and slowed the train by applying the dynamic brakes on the chase locomotive. Once the runaway had slowed to 11 miles per hour (18 km/h), CSX trainmaster Jon Hosfeld ran alongside the train, climbed aboard, and shut down the engine.

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Screenwriter Mark Bomback embellished the events for dramatic effect. In the film, the runaway train reaches speeds of 80 miles per hour and becomes a media sensation, though in real life the train was much slower and the actual incident was over before it became a major news story.

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What can stop a train in real life? The most common way is to use the brakes. The brakes are located on each wheel of the train and are applied by the train engineer. The engineer can apply the brakes manually or automatically.

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Based on the true story of the CSX-8888 incident of May 2001, Unstoppable is an old-school action-adventure. The Oscar-nominated movie, which hit theaters in November 2010, chronicles railroad workers' attempt to stop an unmanned runaway train.

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What happens if you stand too close to a train? Air between person and the train moves with high velocity due to dragging effect and the air behind person is approximately still.

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“People assume that trains are loud, but that assumption is based on the fact that when a train's gone past them in a station it's noisy. That's because the noise a train makes is mainly projected to either side. When trains are moving directly towards you they are barely audible–until it's too late.”

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Some trains may have composting toilet tanks, which use bacterial action to break down solid and liquid waste. Only the broken down clean liquid is released to the trackbed after sterilisation. The solid waste only has to be emptied every half year.

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You can't outrun a train. And even if you could, you wouldn't hear it coming, as today's trains almost silently reach speeds of 125mph.

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