Comment by thanatos_dem

6 years ago

The problem isn’t having the train, it’s having permission to use the rails.

Having worked at a railroad, I will say it’s comically easy to steal a train, for instance. They all have the same key, which is basically just a plastic rod.

The argument of the railroads is... okay, you have our train. Now what? You either go forward or you go backward, and we know where both those directions go.

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thanatos_dem

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avar  6 years ago

You can also go really fast and intentionally derail the train, which is both a monetary and (depending on where you can get to) a security concern, or crash into another train on the same tracks (possibly a passenger train).

  • tialaramex  6 years ago

    If you pass over a moderately complicated junction at low to moderate speed there's a good chance the signallers either can, or just by default will, derail you safely.

    The phrase is "trap points". A correctly designed junction, where possible, will have points ("switches" if you're American) that default to leading to a dead end, with buffers and then nothing important. If you enter that track section without a signaller choosing where you should end up, that's what will happen.

    The reason isn't for the implausible scenario of train theft, it's to reduce the consequence of errors. A wrong side signal defect allows a train into the junction without points being set - what happens? With trap points the train is derailed, probably at low speed, not directed into traffic. Or a driver misses a danger signal, same outcome. Expensive but probably everyone walks away.

  • jpatokal  6 years ago

    Except that you don't control the signaling or the switching, meaning you can't choose where to go and you will very quickly be noticed and depending on the level of signaling automation either stopped completely or at least shunted to the place you can do least damage.

    • raquo  6 years ago

      Are the switches protected any better than trains? Can't you just walk up to them at the right time and switch them manually with some standard tool?

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