- Key lines:
> the air brake and the manual brake were quickly applied by the brakeman of cab #1, but that in the current configuration, the brakes do not have sufficient capacity to stop the cabins in motion without their empty masses being mutually balanced by the connecting cable. Therefore, the existing brakes does not constitute a redundant system in case of a failure in the connecting cable.
by evanjrowley
1 subcomments
- A very unfortunate fatal accident for those involved. It is a sad outcome caused in part by the failsafe mechanisms not being designed situations where the cable broke the way it did. I hope these can be re-engineered to overcome such failures.
I only recently learned what a funicular was thanks to the diagnonal elevators in video games series of YouTube videos by sync-on-luna:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2oELc61XHE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5EHBoU6Ps4
- Totally unrelated but there’s a Portuguese language Cold War miniseries on Netflix called Gloria that is excellent (set in Gloria city). I just happened to start to watch that this week
by vascocosta
1 subcomments
- This is not a preliminary report yet, but presents interesting technical data, including a description of how the system works and a detailed timeline of what happened pointing towards the detachment of the balancing cable at the anchoring socket of the cabin that crashed.
- If you prefer to read it in Portuguese, the link seems to be https://www.gpiaaf.gov.pt/upload/processos/d054238.pdf (source: https://www.gpiaaf.gov.pt/detalhe-noticias?uri=1665 which has both links)
- Have to read it with time, however as Portuguese I imagine the service done during the same day of the tragedy was as always in our culture, "good enough" and to move on.
Likewise having all offers turned down for service, in some other cultures, they would rather shut down the funicular than keep it running without such contracts in place.
Now several people are dead.
As usual, "casa roubada, trancas às portas"
by qingcharles
1 subcomments
- Summary: the wrecked cabin had started its descent from the top station, only got a few seconds down before the steel cable pulled out of its socket; the cabin went into freefall down the tracks; the staff activated all the brakes available, but they were clearly not designed for this situation and could not provide enough stopping force before it derailed and hit a wall and a lamp-post at approx 60km/h.
- I find it suprising that the designed life length of the cable is less than 2 years. Is that common also for more modern cable transports?
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