Fire at Berlin (photos)

[nedchester]

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150726502540564.718780.678725563

Apparently the station was shut for just 2 hours unlike in this country where it would be shut for days example being a 170 comes slightly off the rails in Edinburgh and it takes 2 days to move it!

Notice all those members of the public taking pictures (hope they'd signed in, but suspect that Germany doesn't subscribe to all this nonsense about pictures)

Youtube footage at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtZ9EYbq5EI

 

[Sun Chariot]

That is quite a barbecue going on there!

Even with a big flashover or electrical fault, I'd have thought the loco would have had automatic heat/smoke detectors and fire-extinguishing equipment.

Still - makes for a cracking video - thanks for posting.

 

[John Webb]

That is quite a barbecue going on there!

Even with a big flashover or electrical fault, I'd have thought the loco would have had automatic heat/smoke detectors and fire-extinguishing equipment.

Still - makes for a cracking video - thanks for posting.

Many locos are fitted with suppression systems (usually Carbon Dioxide) and detectors, but they only carry enough extinguishant for one go at any fire. If that doesn't put it out than the fire will continue.

The smoke movement was interesting - imagine that lot in one of our terminii that has been built over!

 

[valenta]

And that's a DB Regio train? I should be worried for the T+W Metro!

 

[jon0844]

Given the usual standards of German engineering, I'm quite disappointed they couldn't just blow the smoke dust off and carry on going.

 

[starrymarkb]

Apparently the station was shut for just 2 hours unlike in this country where it would be shut for days example being a 170 comes slightly off the rails in Edinburgh and it takes 2 days to move it!

Notice all those members of the public taking pictures (hope they'd signed in, but suspect that Germany doesn't subscribe to all this nonsense about pictures)

Youtube footage at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtZ9EYbq5EI

Different situations. If that had happened in a similar place in a UK station I suspect once the fire was out and the train given a quick check to see if it's safe to move the line would be cleared in a similar time.

Us Brits could recover the Edinburgh train fairly quickly, it would need the whole line to be closed for a time while the lifting gear does it's stuff. It was probably deemed less disruptive to leave it where it was until the end of service and run the emergency timetable where some trains are better then none.

Also remember that the RAIB will give the scene a once over too, the same would happen in Germany with their equivalent. IIRC the RAIB doesn't take much interest in fires unless there are injuries..

 

[WatcherZero]

I would have the same response, once made safe and station checked for any secondary fires I would cordon off the platforms and leave it there until end of service.