DART explosion in Bray this morning

maddymcmaddser

Just as I was getting on the dart at 8:10 this morning there was a loud explosion and smoke started coming out of the drivers cabin, the staff were then helping one man who was injured.

Does anyone know what caused this and if the injured driver is ok?

foggy_lad

maddymcmaddser wrote: »

Just as I was getting on the dart at 8:10 this morning there was a loud explosion and smoke started coming out of the drivers cabin, the staff were then helping one man who was injured.

Does anyone know what caused this and if the injured driver is ok?

Hope he is ok and not too badly hurt!

Manny7

No idea what happened but whatever it was it was loud - I heard through my headphones three carriages from the front. From what I could after see the driver looked OK - his hand was bloody and bandaged, but there didn't seem to be too much urgency from the people looking after him so hopefully it wasn't too serious.

maddymcmaddser

Manny7 wrote: »

No idea what happened but whatever it was it was loud - I heard through my headphones three carriages from the front. From what I could after see the driver looked OK - his hand was bloody and bandaged, but there didn't seem to be too much urgency from the people looking after him so hopefully it wasn't too serious.

Yeah whatever it was it was very loud! I left and walked up to get a bus and an ambulance passed by so I assumed it was going down for the driver.

Alun

Over in the Wicklow forum someone was saying it was a track detonator in the driver's cab beside him that went off of it's own accord.

maddymcmaddser

http://www.wicklownews.net/Post/2012/3/1366/train-driver-hospitalised-

Hope his injuries aren't too serious!

Holysock

I was in the front carriage right at the seat where the drivers cabin is. Biggest fright of my life. <snip>

maddymcmaddser

Holysock wrote: »

I was in the front carriage right at the seat where the drivers cabin is. Biggest fright of my life. The driver came out of the cabin saying "The detonators were in my bag"

I can imagine, I was only at the platform about to get on a few carriages down and it frightened the life out of me!

flyingsnail

maddymcmaddser wrote: »

I can imagine, I was only at the platform about to get on a few carriages down and it frightened the life out of me!

I would say so, those detonators make one hell of a bang. Hopefully the driver is ok.
For anybody not familiar with detonators this is a short video of them in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x-FKMYJYP8

Alun

I'm surprised they're that sensitive if they're designed to go off when a loco drives over them.

Reminds me of a friend whose elderly relative who worked on the railways died a few years ago, and when they went to clear out his house, found a load of these in a press. The neighbours were surprised to say the least when the Army Bomb Squad turned up at the door!

mydiscworld

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0306/breaking28.html

positron

I figured out that detonators are devices designed to be placed on the track to make a loud bang, as a warning to the train driver, especially in case of dense fog etc. Three bangs, drivers stops the train etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detonator_%28railway%29

Now, just wondering why would a dart driver carry detonators? Is this standard practice? Thanks!

Alun

positron wrote: »

Now, just wondering why would a dart driver carry detonators? Is this standard practice? Thanks!

As I understand it one of the situations where they're used is in the case of breakdowns, when they're placed on the track a distance away from the broken down train.

flyingsnail

positron wrote: »

I figured out that detonators are devices designed to be placed on the track to make a loud bang, as a warning to the train driver, especially in case of dense fog etc. Three bangs, drivers stops the train etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detonator_%28railway%29

Now, just wondering why would a dart driver carry detonators? Is this standard practice? Thanks!

Yes its standard practice, all drivers and guards carry them.

Judgement Day

I must have handled hundreds of the damned things every Halloween <snip> - many of them well past their sell by date - I think I'll go and count my fingers. They are very loud indeed and the driver must have thought he had been shot by somebody. I've never heard of them going off spontaneously before.

foggy_lad

An Irish rail Spokesman on the radio stated that this batch of detonators were relatively new so should not be past their expiry.

Losty Dublin

I've a few of them in my bedroom; they are the older kind which are steel and look like big bottle tops. They sure look innocent for their sins. I'm shocked to hear of one going off; they are quite robust things all told.

BrianD

Losty Dublin wrote: »

I've a few of them in my bedroom; they are the older kind which are steel and look like big bottle tops. They sure look innocent for their sins. I'm shocked to hear of one going off; they are quite robust things all told.

How did you get them and why are they so available in <snip>?

Losty Dublin

BrianD wrote: »

How did you get them and why are they so available in <snip>?

My Dad was ex Irish Rail so that's how I got mine. <snip> used to use detonators on their hallow'een trains.

Victor

Can I ask people:

Don't tell the public where detonators can be found. For all we know, "Anto and Deco" now think they are halfway to making pipe bombs if they can steal some.

If you have detonators of whatever era, DON'T TOUCH THEM. Wait until we get some proper advice on disposal. Keep them away from children, etc.

As they are explosives, it may be a criminal offence to possess them, aside from the whole pilfering of stock idea. However, until there is a procedure with dealing with them, DON'T TOUCH THEM.