PurpleXVI posted:

Content: Contains video of the damage, does not appear to contain any video of injured people as a result. Holy poo poo though that looks like a mess, I wonder how long it'll take to clean

Though I wonder how a drone could cause a train to derail unless it blew up/misaligned a section of the track or some such.

Jasper Tin Neck posted:

I'm not sold on this being a deliberate attack. It's a pretty gnarly derailment, but a faulty set of points will make that kind of mess just fine.

Though I will admit it's convenient that it happened at a rail yard where a spur line to an ammo depot branches off the main line.

The Door Frame posted:

It would have to be a hell of an explosion to actually derail the train, but overworked people are great at getting overladen and improperly distributed trains to come off the rails. If nothing else, explosions happening anywhere remotely near the engine could scare a civilian train engineer enough to try changing speed too quickly for the load

The Door Frame posted:

It would have to be a hell of an explosion to actually derail the train, but overworked people are great at getting overladen and improperly distributed trains to come off the rails. If nothing else, explosions happening anywhere remotely near the engine could scare a civilian train engineer enough to try changing speed too quickly for the load

B4Ctom1 posted:

Pretty much this. It is hard to explain not just the physics, but the amounts of forces involved.

We use throttle to create stretching or "draft" forces and dynamic braking (think of downhill engine braking in a car) to create bunching or "buff" forces.

To start with, when you are running the train, you are feathering the throttle or dynamic braking to keep "in train forces" at acceptable levels. This is based upon the terrain each part of the train is passing over.

Even small changes in grade, if there are enough of them under the length of the train, are enough to break knuckles, rip out draw bars, or derail cars simply by doing "nothing at all" at the wrong time.

In these situations heavier applications of power or dynamic brake are required to keep these "in train forces" down.

Think of a large sliced loaf of bread. I take the wrapper off of it and ask you to carry it across the room. One hand on each end should suffice. A small amount of pressure to keep the bread from being crushed and across the room you go.

The knuckle and drawbar connections between the cars seem very strong to the layman, but when compared to the amount of weight of loaded freight cars, and all of the cars behind them piled upon it, it may as well be dental floss.

You can break dental floss easily, but the difference is that it is hard to "crush" dental floss.

The poster I have quoted above is addressing something we call "train make up". THe "in train forces" can be additionally effected by the way cars or groups of cars are placed in the train. Long cars next to short cars, loads next to empties.

Generally freight trains that are not hauling a bulk of the same commodity are mixed freight. A bulk commodity train would be an entire train of wheat or coal. These trains are very heavy, and have their own set of problems, but in general do not have any issue of train make up because all of the cars are generally the same weight and type. Mixed freight trains are the most common types of trains on the main rail thoroughfares.

A mixed freight train I haul might have 25 heavy loaded lumber cars, 15 empty or loaded auto racks, 20 empty or loaded tank cars of various lengths, 30 empty or loaded covered hopper cars of various lengths, and 30 loaded or empty boxcars of two different lengths.

So for this example train of 120 cars. Lets say it weighs 7900 tons and is 9000 feet (2.75KM) long.

I am traveling along at 50 MPH.

The "head end" of the train has passed the bottom of the grade and the train is still descending the grade. As about half of the train leaves the grade I am looking ahead at the next grade to climb directly ahead. I have been using dynamic brake and need to "transition" from braking to power. I move the lever into the idle position and begin waiting my 10 seconds. In my my mind, from experience, I know that I need to rapidly, but gently begin notching through my power notches without allowing my train to accelerate past 50 MPH which I am restricted to.

The very head of the train is traveling around a slight curvature in the track. I also need to see that the next signal is green "clear" so that I do not have to formulate an entire other plan as a reduction of speed might be required instead. I see that the signal is flashing yellow "advanced approach". This will mean a reduction of speed to 40 MPH and a possible stop short of the second signal ahead.

As I am thinking of what I am to do next and waiting for the 10 seconds to pass, the next crossing becomes visible and I see that there is a truck hauling a low slung trailer with a heavy piece of equipment on it. He is blocking the crossing because his low slung trailer is stuck on the raised rail and crossing lumber that you drive across.

Without hesitation or further consideration, I slam the brake handle into the emergency position, dumping all the trainline air. I reach up and toggle the switch that ensures that the "End Of Train" device dumps from the rear as well. I bail off the locomotive air brakes because they are so powerful in a situation like this, that they can cause such a massive buff forces which will certainly derail a train. Additionally they can crumple or destroy the track beneath them.

While in earlier transition from dynamic braking to power "slack" had developed in the train. Slack is neither draft or buff, but more of a null position like rail cars standing in a yard not connected to a train. A developed space between cars where they are sort of relaxed.

As the air dumped from the train-line, the brake valves on each car sense this emergency and dump the full value of air contained within their emergency reservoir into the large cylinder that applies the brakes giving each car higher than usual stopping power.

Somewhere near the head end of the train a group of empty tank cars having such massive braking power begin to stop the train, but right behind them a group of heavy loaded hoppers presses against them, their own braking being less substantial. A tank car of Anhydrous Ammonia right between the groups which has been taking the brunt of these two opposing forces has a wheel that lifts off the rail as it is being pressed around a curve. This car, the car ahead of it, and nine of the loaded hopper cars behind it all leave the rail and head into a tiny quiet suburb in the middle of the night.

Half way back in the train where the most of the box cars are, they settle down for their stop. Still bunched because they were still descending the hill. The heavy loads of lumber fighting them as they come to a stop. Even though on straight track the, one end of an empty boxcar in the group begins to lift into the air. The opposing force of the heavy lumber cars and the stopping train ahead of it is too much. As it sets back down the wheels miss the track and begin to erase the track, all of the cars behind it having no track to ride on begin to take paths of their own in each direction.

Near the back of the train the auto-rack settle down hard. Harder than the group of heavy lumber cars ahead of them. This causes one of the long 500+ pound (230kg) draw-bars in the third auto-rack to be sheared from place. For a moment it tumbles through space, whistling though the wind in contact with only the air. Then it strikes a tie and the car passing above it in vaulted, only inches off of the rail, and a carload of new rangerovers tumbles end over end into a reservoir of drinking water.

The drawbar is angry, propelled by its last impact it drops onto the rail for a moment derailing a load of mini coopers, a load of corvettes, a load of ford diesel pickups, and a load of prius. The last of the autoracks ram into those derailed and the drawbar impales itself through the bottom of a boxcar piercing 20 cases of aged Glenfiddich.

Back on the locomotive, pressed forward by the loads behind, we cover the half mile to the stuck trailer in about 45 seconds. My conductor sees that the piece of equipment is a D9 Caterpillar bulldozer and screams like a woman as he jumps from his window at 35 mph. The fall from 15 feet in the air certainly would have killed him but instead he tumbled and struck feet first shattering his legs in 20 places and cartwheeling to his death as his head exploded when it struck the hard granite ballast some 20 times or so in the cartwheeling tumble. It takes 24 hours for them to find his body under crumpled boxcars.

I run out the back door to the second locomotive where I lay down in the cab. The impact at 35 mph is brutal. The second locomotive which I am on climbs under the front locomotive. The third locomotive does the same to mine. When the locomotive comes to a rest, is on its side, and both my arms are broken.

I drown, face down, in 200 gallons of brownish, blueish sewage from a chemical toilet long overdue for a cleaning. But my dignity is preserved because a fire from the combined 12,000 gallons (45.5 Kiloliters) of fuel burns for 3 days incinerating me and most of the locomotives completely.

The undocumented worker driving the truck with the wedged trailer disappears.

During the conductor's autopsy, trace amounts of THC from a brownie he consumed 3 weeks earlier while on vacation in Amsterdam are found to be the cause of the accident.

It was also noted in the government report that the cellphone of an engineer on a different train following ours was "on" at the time of our impact, and this may have contributed to the wreck.

joat mon posted:

quote:

On Robert #Fico's Facebook page, it was officially announced that he is "in a life-threatening condition" and "sustained multiple injuries".

"He is currently in a life-threatening condition. At the moment, he is being transported by helicopter to Banska Bystrica, as transporting him to Bratislava would take too much time, given the need for urgent intervention. Everything will be decided in the next few hours," the message says.

quote:

The shooter targeting Robert #Fico turned out to be a 71-year-old native of the Slovak town of Levice.

Police are investigating his motives, TV Joj reports.

quote:

Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot in Slovakia.

Top Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan has already written that Ukraine should be blamed for the assassination attempt.

It is clear what Russia and everyone who works for the Kremlin will now push

PurpleXVI posted:

https://twitter.com/KyivPost/status/1790742800885071999

Of course, it could also just be some insane jackass.

A.o.D. posted:

or it could be someone who has a full memory of the Iron Curtain and has a burning hatred of the memory of the Soviet Union that would make any Pole proud.

Alan Smithee posted:

curious what they bought

100 tons of those lovely L1A1 knockoffs?

quote:

Russian authorities detained Russian Deputy Defense Minister and Russian MoD Main Personnel Directorate Head Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetsov on May 13 on charges of accepting large-scale bribes.

Bored As gently caress posted:

Idk I thought they were handing out Mosins to rear guard and those separatist assholes in the beginning of the war, weren't they?

Bored As gently caress posted:

Idk I thought they were handing out Mosins to rear guard and those separatist assholes in the beginning of the war, weren't they?

Kaiser Schnitzel posted:

Also the Mosins pretty universally seemed to have scopes and likely be for the designated marksmen in a formation. It wasn't platoons of guys all with bolt action rifles older than their grandfathers.

quote:

The Estonian Parliament has adopted a law allowing to return Russian assets to compensate for damages caused to Ukraine, Estonian Foreign Minister Tahkna reports.

quote:

The Estonian law would allow frozen assets of individuals and companies which contributed to Russian illegal actions to be used as "an advance payment for the damages Russia owes Ukraine", the parliament said.

To do that, Estonia would need to receive a request to use the assets, the connection of their owner to illegal acts must be sufficiently proven. The asset owner can challenge their use for Ukraine in Estonian courts.

PurpleXVI posted:

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1790832018978214272

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/estonia-parliament-backs-using-frozen-russian-assets-ukraine-reparations-2024-05-15/

It'd be lovely if this became the norm in the entire Eurozone and the US as well.

Tomn posted:

"Sufficiently proven to connect the owner to illegal acts" could be a bit of an issue. Depending on how serious lawmakers are about it this could be significant or it could just be meaningless posturing because nothing can ever be truly "sufficiently" proven. Plus of course you know the Russians will be arguing each case to the death in court either way so there'll be a fair bit of delay between the request and any actual transfer. Still a net positive, just need to temper expectations.

Tomn posted:

"Sufficiently proven to connect the owner to illegal acts" could be a bit of an issue.

PurpleXVI posted:

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1790832018978214272

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/estonia-parliament-backs-using-frozen-russian-assets-ukraine-reparations-2024-05-15/

It'd be lovely if this became the norm in the entire Eurozone and the US as well.

Midjack posted:

Too much of Europe is selling Russia poo poo under the table and or buying their oil to do it and half of the US Congress are Kremlin dupes if not on the payroll, there's no way this will become normalized.

quote:

Ukrainian military intelligence drones reportedly attacked the Bazalt weapons manufacturing plant in #Tula, Russia, according to Kyiv Post’s intelligence (#HUR) sources.

Bazalt is a Russian state-owned company that produces the RPG-7V2 and RPG-29 grenade launchers.

quote:

Gunman Who Shot Slovak PM Linked to Pro-Russian Extremist Group

The 71-year-old man who fired five shots at Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, is linked with a pro-Russian extremist group a Hungarian investigative journalist reported.

quote:

At a press conference following the shooting, MP Lubos Blaha from Fico's party lashed out against the prime minister's critics.

"You, the liberal media, and progressive politicians are to blame. Robert Fico is fighting for his life because of your hatred," Blaha said.

Stravag posted:

But I just got a good credit score!

quote:

One of the largest ammunition plants in Russia has been nationalized in the Moscow region.

The shares of the Klimovsky ammunition plant, which previously belonged to the family of businessman Boris Krasnov, will be transferred to the Russian Federal Agency for State Property Management.

At the same time, law enforcement agencies have initiated criminal cases against persons involved in the "embezzlement" of the plant's shares between 2002 and 2010, and they are under investigation, a source in the government agencies told RBC. Rostec, which is one of the plant's shareholders (the corporation owns a 36% stake), was satisfied with the court's decision.

In January of this year, an accident occurred at the boiler station located on the territory of the plant, as a result of which 170 houses in Podolsk were left without heating and hot water in 20-degree frosts. Roman Ryazantsev, deputy head of Podolsk's Housing and Utilities services, Alexander Chikov, head of the boiler station at the Klimovsk cartridge plant, Igor Kushnikov, general director of the plant, and Alexander Samarin, former Minister of Energy of the Moscow region, were arrested in criminal cases initiated after the accident.

The Kremlin is getting key war machine enterprises back under its full control.

PurpleXVI posted:

https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1791122103476875441

On the one hand, nationalizing key enterprises can theoretically remove a lot of graft, corruption and profiteering, allowing for more competent and streamlined management, practices, etc.

Stravag posted:

But I just got a good credit score!

psydude posted:

If the Russian military is anything to go by, it's just going to make Dacha money for a government officer instead of a business owner.

Dick Ripple posted:

I doubt anyone thinks a sudden change will occur. But Belusov is reported to be a intillegent and capable individual, how that plays out with the rest of the Russian command and defence industry remains to be seen. But Putin knows the problems corruption has caused him, and we have seen some evidence of that with high ranking executives and other individuals who cannot bare the shame of their corruption jumping out of windows. I think Putin has to get the corruption under control if he wants to win this war, and thus preserve his own life and legacy. And unfortunately Russia has a playbook on how to get individuals in line.

quote:

As said by some Russian sources: “at least 2 UAVs attacked the Tuapse Oil Refinery, where a retification column and an area of ​​200 square meters caught fire.”

A week ago Reuters retthat Tuapse oil refinery resumed work after 3 months of repairs following the January drone attack.