Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters - Paperback

by George Bibel (Author)

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

Front Jacket

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

Back Jacket

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

Author Biography

George Bibel is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of North Dakota. He is the author of Beyond the Black Box: The Forensics of Airplane Crashes and the coauthor of Plane Crash: The Forensics of Aviation Disasters.