Re: Containers falling off freight trains

"Paul Scott" <notvalidpmscott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


"Alex Potter" <spambin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:pan.2008.03.01.19.51.22@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:41:03 +0000, Tony Polson wrote in
news:23cjs310l7s7ibo4t318esduginb6arce8@xxxxxxx:

there is no failsafe
method of ensuring that all the twistlocks are in place before the train
leaves the loading point.

But presumably there would be evidence if the locks had been correctly
engaged but failed. Were these incidents "accidents waiting to happen" or
the result of mechanisms stressed beyond their design limits?


Is it possible that the 'socket' (for want of a better term) on a container
can be completely worn and ineffective, despite the male part of the lock on
the container being sound? So a visual check of the position of the
mechanism on the container flat may not be a guarantee.

Now and again you see containers that look fairly old and battered...


Of course that is possible, but unlikely, given the number of times
the twistlocks are checked during a typical journey - I don't mean a
single rail journey, but a combination of road, rail and sea.

I have bought quite a few secondhand containers over the years in
connection with my work. However rusty or damaged the body and doors
may be, the twistlock connectors always seem to be in very good
condition. They are made from hardened high tensile steel whereas the
body tends to be made from profiled mild steel ***.

If you do a Google search on "container twist lock" and then click on
the "Images" link at the top of the page you will see many different
types of twistlock and some sockets.

I have a feeling that these two independent but related incidents will
bring some significant changes in how containers are handled on the
railways.

.

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