WHAT IS AN ACCIDENT?

AM

Any occurrence which does or may affect the safety of

-Railway,
-Its Locomotives,
-rolling stock,
-Permanent way,
-Passengers or staff or which affect the
safety of the others or which does or may
cause delays to trains or loss to railways ,
Is termed as an Accident
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 CLASSIFICATION OF ACCIDENT:

AM

For the purpose of reporting,compilation of statistics and

carrying out analysis,the Accident can be divided into two
categories:1) TRAIN ACCIDENT

&

2) OTHER ACCIDENT
General Rule of Indian Railway has defined THE TRAIN
vide GR1.02(58) as :Means an engine with or without vehicle attached or any selfpropelled vehicle with or without a trailer, which cannot be
readily lifted off the track.
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 TRAIN ACCIDENT FURTHER DIVIDED INTO

EIGHT CATEGORIES :-COLLISION,
-DERAILMENT
-AVERTED ACCIDENT
-TRAIN PASSING SIGNAL AT DENGER
-BREACH OF BLOCK RULES
-TRAIN PARTING
-TRAIN RUNNING INTO ROAD TRAFFIC AT LEVEL
CROSSING
-FIRE
IN TRAIN

 CONSEQUENTIAL ACCIDENTS
Consequential accidents are those which normally result in loss of
life, limb or damage to property. Collisions ,derailments, train running
into road traffic at level crossings and fires in trains come under this
category.

INDICATIVE ACCIDENTS
Indicative accidents are defined as mishaps not generally resulting in
casualties but which are indicative of unsafe acts or unsafe conditions
in works These are also known as Technical accidents involving breaches
of the basic safety rules which do not result in mishaps . The indicative
or / Technical accidents reveal weakness in the system .

 MISCELLANEOUS ACCIDENTS
This category include attempted train wrecking, train running over cattle,
train running over other obstructions not involving derailment , collisions
involving light engine or trolleys and fires at stations

SERIOUS ACCIDENTS
Every accident to a train (whether carrying passengers or not ) which is
attended with(a) Loss of human life ; or
(b) with grievous hurt as defined in section 320 of Indian penal Code ; or
(c) Serious damage to Railway property of the value exceeding
Rs3 lakhs ; and
(d) every accident which causes interruption of any important through
line communication for at least 24 hours such as land side , breaches by
rain or floods or derailment .

AVERTED COLLISION
An averted collision is a circumstance under which , but for the vigilance
shown by any person or persons , a collision would have occurred, either
in the Block Section or within the station limits between:
(a) Two train or
(b) Between a train and obstruction .
Provided Such an occurrence may not be treated as an averted collision:
(i) If outside the station limits , the distance between the two
trains and/or obstruction at the time the train / trains have finally
come to stop , is 400 meters or more .
(ii) If within the station limits , there is intervening stop signal at
danger governing the moving train, and compliance with the
indications conveyed by the same , would have averted the collision
between the trains or between the train and the obstruction.

 REPORTING OF ACCIDENTS.
It is the duty of every Railway servant to report immediately
any accident coming to his notice.

In case of mid-section accidents Guard or the Driver must

arrange to convey the information to the adjoining railway
station by the quickest possible means available
The station master receiving the report should collect as much
information, as possible and at once advise sectional controller and
station master at the other end indicating the kind of accident
and the nature of medical and other assistance required.

On receipt of advice of the accident , the controller will immediately

inform the divisional officers . He will also arrange ordering and
dispatch of Accident Medical Relief Equipment or Medical Van
and / or Accident Relief Train (ART) , whenever necessary and arrange
to move such relief train expeditiously by giving them preference
over all other trains.

Controller will also inform immediately the Emergency Cell of

the Zonal Head Quarter about the occurrence of the accident.

 WHO WILL REPORT ACCIDENT

(a) Accident message (Telegrams ) should always be sent from the
station Master .
(b) Accident occurring in premises or siding exclusively under the
control of departments of other than traffic , should be reported by
the Officer In-charge of such premises / sidings , who should observe
the rules for reporting accidents.

TURNING OUT OF THE ART

The target time for the turn out of Accident Relief Train is 30 minutes
by day and 45 minutes by night

REPORTING OF ACCIDENTS TO RAILWAY BOARD

Immediately after occurrence of a serious accident the DRM / SRM/
DOM in whos area the accident has occurred will report the matter by
wireless XXR message to Rly Board . A copy of message being sent
to GM/COM/CME/CE and PRO . In case , any person has killed or
severely injured CMD will be informed .

ADVISING THE CRS OF ACCIDENT

In all case of serious accident the DOM/DSO of the division in
which the accident occurred shall promptly advise the CRS and
ACRS by XXR message with copy to COM /CSO.
The CRS shall not be advised either by telegram or by letter in the
case of railway employees killed or severely injured in the discharge
of their duties .

AN APPROCH TO DERAILMENT INVESTIGATION

DERAILMENT :
A Derailment is told when a pair of wheels instead of running
over a pair of rails as usual, falls off to drop nearby.
POINT OF MOUNT :
Point of mount is that point on rail on which the flange has
mounted due to progressive flange force. The rubbing mark
on inner face of the rail head will indicate the point of mount.
POINT OF DROP :
Point of drop is that point on the rail from which the flange of
the wheel has dropped from rail top. This is generally
observed due to damage in ruts & sleepers.

 DERAILMENT MECHANISM:
There are two broad categories of derailments : A. Sudden derailment
When wheel set jump the rails. Such a derailment indicates
that the derailing forces were high enough to suddenly force
the wheel off the rail.
B. Derailment by flange climbing
When the wheel mounts the rail in a relatively gradual
manner. It indicates that the derailing force were powerful
enough to overcome the normal stabilizing forces but not
sufficient to cause a sudden derailment.

 MECHANISM OF FLANGE CLIMBING

DERAILMENT AND NADALS FORMULA
Rail wheel contact:
As wheel which mounts the rail, hence rail wheel contact or
interface will lead to a better appreciation of rail mount &
subsequent derailment.
Contribution towards derailment are Vehicle defect
Track defect
Operating features

 VEHICLE DEFECT :
Wheel trade conicity.
Suspension characteristics of Rolling Stock.
Vehicle loading characteristics.
Vehicle operational characteristics.
Lateral oscillation which causes the wheel set to make contact either with left
or right rail and results in flange forces.
Vertical oscillation which causes the wheel load to vary from nominal value.

 TYPES OF NOMINAL AND DYNAMIC WHEEL

LOADING :
Nominal Wheel Load - It is half the axle load as obtained
when defect-free vehicle with non-eccentric loading stands on
level track with perfect geometry.
Instantaneous Wheel Load - It is the actual wheel load at any
instant of time during the motion of a wheel set. This varies
constantly with time.
On-loading of Wheel - When the instantaneous wheel load
is greater than the nominal wheel load.
Off-loading of Wheel - When the instantaneous wheel load is
less than the nominal wheel load.

 EQUILIBRIUM OF DERAILING AND STABILISING

FORCE :
Movement of wheel on rail is always sinusoidal as there is a
positive clearance between wheel gauge and rail gauge.
Standard clearance = Standard Track Gauge - (Standard
wheel gauge + 2 x Standard Flange Thickness).

Because of such clearance the wheel set becomes

ANGULAR to the rail.

THERE ARE THREE BASIC CONFIGURATION OF

ANGULARITY Zero Angularity.
Positive Angularity
Negative Angularity
Zero Angularity - The wheel set is parallel to the rail hence
angularity with the rail is zero.
Positive Angularity - In this the wheel set is angular to the rail
such that the wheel makes flange contact near the leading
edge.
Negative Angularity - In this the wheel set makes flange
contact near its trailing edge.

 THE FORCES ACTING ON THE WHEEL AND RAIL

CONTACT :
Vertical instantaneous wheel load - Q.
Lateral Flange force - Y
Normal reaction - R from the rail.
Frictional force - R which acts along with flange slope.

 IN POSITIVE ANGULARITY CONFIGURATION: The wheel flange rubs against the rail head edge in a
downward arcing motion resulting in frictional force acting
upwards.
In other words, it is prone for derailment when wheel
makes flange contact with positing angle of attack on rail.
IN NEGATIVE ANGULARITY CONFIGURATION:the wheel flange rubs against the rail head edge in a
upward arcing motion resulting in frictional force acting
downwards.
Hence, the frictional force acts downwards & act as a
stabilizing force to prevent derailment.

 FORCES AT RAIL WHEEL CONTACT

Y = Flange Force
Q = Instantaneous Wheel Load
R = Normal Reaction from Rail
R = Frictional Force

= Flange Angle

For safety against derailment :

Derailing force > Stabilizing Force

Resolving the forces along the flange slope :

Y cos + (Q cos + Y sin ) > Q sin
I.e. for safety against derailment :
Y
Q

>

tan -
1 + tan

Y/Q is called derailment coefficient.

It provides an important criteria for assessment of
stability of Rolling Stock.

 APPLICATION OF NADALS FORMLA IN

DERAILMENT INVESTIGATION
For safety to ensure, either Y/Q should be smaller. This
will happen when in a comparative manner,
- Y is low
- Q is high
- is low
For safety should be large. Its maximum value could be
90. But in such case, even with a minute angularity of the
axle the flange contact would shift to near the tip of the
flange, the safety depth of flange would be almost zero and
derailment proneness would increase.

For this very reason only, a flange slope is provided, so

that within the possible range of angularity of axle the
flange contact remains away from the flange tip.
In fact, greater the angularity occurring in vehicle
movement, less should be the flange angle . But there is
a limit to it.
On the Indian Railways, a flange slope of 2.5 in 1 (tan =
2.5 or 68 12 is adopted for a new wheel profile.
But for wheels of diesel and electric locomotives, the
flange angle is less viz. 60 .

Such wheels encounter greater angularity while

negotiating curves and turnouts and flange angle has
therefore to be reduce.
For diesel and electric locomotives, however, for sake of
uniformity, all wheels are provided with 60 flange angle.
With wear only increases and never reduces. But at the
same time wear causes the flange to become sharper while
increases the value of (coefficient of friction) through
change in the geometry of the surfaces in contact and
greater biting action and thus reduces safety.
Large causes the eccentricity to increase and the safety
depth to reduce with even minute values of angularity.

In derailment investigation, there is no means to check &

ascertain the values of Y,Q, , eccentricity, angle of attack
at the instant of derailment.
No attempt should be made to apply Nadals formula in
quantitative values.
The contribution of Track, Vehicle defects, Operating feature
should be assessed quantitatively as well as qualitatively and
by analyzing the magnitude of defects, it may be co-related
with derailment proneness.

Hence, all track & vehicle defect and features of operational

aspect to be taken into consideration to cause the following to
occur:
-Y to increase.
-Q to increase
- to increase
- Positive angle of attack to increase.
- Positive eccentricity to increase.
- Persistent angular running of axle to occur.

DEFECTS & FEATURES THAT AFFECT :

RUSTED RAIL This feature becomes particularly critical if occurring on
curves or turnouts.
If new rails received for rail renewal on a curve have
been lying on the cess for quite some time, they would
get somewhat rusted. When put in the track, such rails
would cause high value of to occur at the wheel flangerail contact.
Emergency Crossover - Because of infrequent use, such
crossover gets rusted, increasing the derailment
proneness at the time of vehicle movement.

NEWLY TURNED WHEEL

Re-profiled wheel and flange carry the tool marks and in
the initial stages such tool marks cause a high coefficient
of friction to occur, thereby increasing the derailment
proneness.
SANDING OF RAILS
On steep gradient sanding is restored to develop the requisite
adhesion . Gradient involving sharp curves in ghat section
increases co-efficient of friction,due to possibility of sand
particles coming between the flange and the rail coupled
with positive angularity on curves , increase the derailment
proneness appreciably.

SHARP FLANGE
Radius of flange tip is reduced to less than 5 mm the
condition is called a sharp flange
In the condition of positive angularity is this sharp tip which
rubs against the railhead edge .
The sharpness of the tip increases the biting action against
the rail and thus increase the effective there by increasing
the derailment proneness.

INCREASING POSITIVE ANGLE OF ATTACK

Condition under which positive angularity increase are :
(a) Increase play between wheel set and track which may
be owing to one or more of the following .
(i) Excessive slack gauge .
(ii) Thin flange
(iii) Excessive clearance between horn cheek and
axle box grove and excessive play between bearing
brass and journal
(b) Sharp Curve and turnouts
( c) On a given curve the outer axles of multi-axle rigid
wheel base experience greater angularity as
compared to intermediate axles.

DEFFECT AND FEATURES WHICH INCREASE

POSITIVE ECCENTRICITY:
Positive eccentricity increase primarily through the wheel
flange slope becoming steeper .
In this situation the flange contact even with the same
angle of attack , move nearer to the flange tip as compared
to the condition in which the flange slope is shallower.
This reduces the safety depth and thus increases the
derailment proneness.
DIFFERENCE IN WHEEL DIAMETER ON IS ON THE
SAME AXLE
A difference of 0.5mm only is permitted between the wheel
diameters of the axle.

Difference in wheel diameters is more it will causes the

axle to run persistently angular as the larger diameter will
always try to travel a longer distance than the smaller one
in a given number of revolution.
Incorrect centralization and adjustment of brake rigging
and brake blocks or uneven application of brake power
and wear in brake gear
HOT AXLE

Hot axle is a condition in which owing to any reason e.g.

lubricating oil being deficient with consequent burning out
of the bearing, friction between bearing and journal increase
considerably which produces appreciably heat causing the
axle to become hot and even to soften and fail structurally .

A wheel set having a hot axle condition, will have

different bearing pressures on the two journals of axle
due to greater vertical play in the axle box suffering
from hot axle .
Besides , the co- efficient of friction between bearing
brass and journal would be higher in the case of journal
which is running hot.
These condition result in one end of the axle being
restrained more than the other in its rotation and as
a result there-of the axle turns in a presently angular
motion.