Three strikes and you're out! 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
While training to gain my Certificate of Competence enabling me to work on railway track, including those with overhead and “third rail” electrical power systems, my instructor told me the story which I shall now relate to you. This along with other horror stories of deaths on the railway lines meant that although I successfully completed my training I always managed to be elsewhere whenever projects involving railway work were needing to be carried out.
Our instructor was at the time of the electrification of Scotland’s west coast main line the Engineering Supervisor on the rail network. One of his duties was to investigate any loss of power to a train on the newly upgraded system. On the fateful night in question he was therefore not alarmed at the request to his home to attend a broken down train.
On arrival at the site the driver informed our engineer that all power had been lost following a loud bang, this had occurred as the train had gone under a bridge about a mile back up the track.
The engineer is allowed to have the electricity turned on a maximum of three times without having to carry out any further investigation, so standing beside the bridge he calls the Electric Control Officer and requests a re-supply of power. BANG, the overhead lines short out again, but from the direction of the train. The power is turned on again and…BANG, they are now sure that the short is occurring to the train itself.
While walking back to the train to investigate they hear a groaning noise coming from down one of the embankments. On investigation they find a seriously injured man who was able to inform them he had fallen from the train. Had this chap been leaning against an automatic door which had failed following the electrical short?
Over the course of the night the events were pieced together as follows:
Two guys go drinking in Glasgow, take the last train home, but save money by climbing onto the roof of the train and lying flat. This method had worked well for a couple of years, until the installation of electric power lines. As the lines approached the low old bridge the power lines dipped closer to the train, the first man was hit with 25,000V of ac (8,000amps) and his electrically induced muscular spasm resulted in him kicking his friend off the roof of the moving train. Following the two further electrical strikes the soles of his shoes had melted into the skin of his feet. Submitted on 05/08/2002
Submitted by:
El Rico
Reference:
responsible eyewitness
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