Quote:
Originally Posted by Deathbyteacup
So can I assume that if the live wire does fall onto the train itself, that the train is designed to act as a sort of faraday cage to protect the people inside, even DMU's / Diesels?  |
Not as sophisticated as a Farady cage, (which actually keeps out electrostatic fields) but certainly the metal structure of
most rail vehicles are earthed.
An example of this was at Kings Cross Thameslink. Because the road bridges over the platforms are low, the height of the catenary over the trackbed is much lower than at most other places. Consequently sometimes if a pidgeon flew between the contact wire and the roof of the
PMOS* there was a loud bang and and the pigeon vaporised. Obviously the pigeon had given the traction current a route to earth !
It scared the c**p out of me the first time it happened because it was on the carriage immediately behind me and the sound bounces around the enclosed area of the station. Fortunately a Fitter was waiting there to come 'pass' with me and he calmed down the passengers on the platform before they got a chance to go into headless chicken mode.
*(
Pantograph Motor Open Standard - as usual TOCs label their stock differently to what you find in Ian Allan books)
HTH,
Foggy