by Bob Walsh
The engineer of the ill-fated Amtrack train in Washington may have been distracted by the presence of an engineer-trainee in the cab with him at the time of the accident, thereby missing the SLOW DOWN FOR CURVE signs.
There was an automatic emergency brake, not related to the Positive Train Control system (which was not operational), that activated shortly prior to the derailment. Even a relatively light 14 car passenger train is still only light in a relative term, and steel wheels on steel track does not have a good friction coefficient so the effect was minimal.
Whoops.
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