Fourth of July Monorail Incident

[SandrA9810]

Yes and no.

The e-stop won't actually kill power to a train...it will apply the emergency air brakes that cannot be accessed through the MCU. The air brakes can be accessed by the MCU, but only at low speeds. The e-stop uses all AIR and applies them HARD. Emergency stops are avoided because they are rather hard on the trains.

If power is lost on the beamway, it triggers an e-stop. So CMs at the platforms with the kill packs...they can only kill that section of track...in and around the station. So if a train is in a station zone and for whatever reason a pilot uses their kill pack, it drops the power to the beam (not the entire system), therefore triggering an e-stop to any nearby monorail(s).

I believe that is how it works but if I'm wrong, somebody please correct me.

I don't want to directly reference to the accident, but I would imagine that if you used the e-stop on the train, it would take a few minutes for the main air reserve to build back up (so train can move again). If for whatever reason somebody wanted to stop a monorail quickly and reverse, it's not about how fast you stop it's how fast you can get the train back into motion.

But yes, hitting the e-stop in a monorail will not affect any other trains, other than the ones coming behind you that may have to hold till you get moving again.

So in reality, Austin did what he could from his stand point. It comes down to how the pink driver didn't know he was on the wrong beam. All the way at the spur, I'm sure is far enough away that the kill pack wouldn't work over there. And the pink driver is the only one that could've stopped his train by an e-stop.
Thanks for the info.

[Monorail_Red]

I'm not sure what the range of the kill packs are.

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Please don't take this the wrong way.

but perhaps because of all that is currently going on, the investigation, the suspensions, and so on, the conversations and speculations should be moved to PM's and not a public fourm.

[February]

But I suspect a number of us are going to be grumpy about this for some time. Apologies in advance for my next offense.

Zazu, how could you not be? Believe me, if the CMs here ever had a time to be outraged for any one of a thousand reasons (and it showed through in posts) this is the time. It's totally understandable and I hope all here will be understanding. You guys are hurting. People have to be aware of that and allow you to react as you react and also try to keep your feelings in mind.

And Pirate, I have to agree with you. I think that for the sake of all that's going on and all the CMs going through it that speculation should be done privately in email or pms. Thank you for saying that. I truly hope people will take that to heart and do so.

Especially since the CMs are not allowed to discuss it anyway- everybody else is just guessing and it's hard for them to see. I hope that we can all spare them that and just wait until the official findings are posted.

bru

[Monorail_Red]

So in reality, Austin did what he could from his stand point. It comes down to how the pink driver didn't know he was on the wrong beam. All the way at the spur, I'm sure is far enough away that the kill pack wouldn't work over there. And the pink driver is the only one that could've stopped his train by an e-stop.
Thanks for the info.

Llike what Bru and Grumpy Pirate said it's best that we don't make specific speculations, because as the pilots are dealing with this we may strike a sensitive nerve and not know it.

I do apologize in advance if any of my posts in this thread came across speculative about the accident, as it is not my intent to speculate on public forums.

[Main Streeter]

perhaps because of all that is currently going on, the investigation, the suspensions, and so on, the conversations and speculations should be moved to PM's and not a public fourm.

Thank you GP for you very wise comment. CMs appreciate your wisdom.

[Switchbeam 9]

The media in Orlando are such scumbags. I love Orlando and WDW but I am glad I don't have to watch local Central Fla TV.

I imagine every TV in Westgate isn't on a local station right now. When I was there they were almost always on WESH.

Now Alan's name is out there in the media. Such a sweet guy and already going through enough as it is.

[felinefan]

I got an A.A. degree in Broadcasting with a minor in Journalism back in 1989, and then news reporting wasn't so --atrocious. But then, they weren't having to compete with the internet. I remember one of my journalism professors would give us hypothetical situations and ask us how to report them. On one hand, he'd argue that "the people have a right to know", and on the other, especially when somebody was killed, you do need to exercise some restraint out of respect for the victim and their family. Or in the case of a crime, you don't want to release too much information in order to avoid tainting the potential jury pool in the event the case comes to trial.

My professor was covering the speech of Sen. Robert Kennedy at the Ambassoodor Hotel, and was in the hallway holding a microphone on a boom to a speaker in order to catch Kennedy's speech. Afterward, Kennedy went through the kitchen, where he was shot by Sirhan Sirhan. When that happened, my professor saw people reacting, and a man rushed past him. He asked the man what happened, and was told Bobby had been shot. So he told the man, "There's a live microphone on this boom, keep it next to that speaker, and I'll be right back." I don't know if he had a camera with him or not--this was, after all, told us 20 years ago--but he went into the kitchen and saw the Senator on the floor, bleeding. I think he just wanted to confirm it, and went back, took back the microphone, and continued to cover the aftermath.

He also told us of another tragic event he covered, and he went over to the husband of one of the victims, had the mike ready, and asked the man what happened. The man gave his side of the story--can't remember what it was, a fire or explosion--and after a couple more questions, sensitively asked, the man cried out his wife was one of the victims--and stopped answering questions, overcome by grief. But my professor had gotten enough information from an eyewitness to write his story.

The point is, it is possible to get the necessary information without making a spectacle out of it, and making the survivors feel even worse. But today's reporters don't do it that way. Shame on them. I'm glad I don't live on the East Coast; I would hate to see the media circus back there over this. And if a reporter ever called me for a quote, I'd let him have it--how would they like it if something happened to one of your family, friends or co-workers, and people were hanging around like vultures for every tidbit of news, especially if they blow it out of proportion or insultingly use toys, etc., for a re-enactment? It happened once in real life; it doesn't need to be done again as a visual.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit I have any education in broadcasting now, the way they do things....

[joanna71985]

What wonderful gestures in Austin's memory, Bru. Thank you.

P.S. I hope my PM got to you in time before you sent the cards.

Yeah, mine too.

[darph nader]

Yeah, mine too.

Same here.