In today’s video, we take a look at one of the most terrible rail incidents of all time and the fact that nobody knows exactly how it happened…
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Picture & Information References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciurea_rail_disaster
https://www.antena3.ro/actualitate/catastrofa-de-la-ciurea-cel-mai-grav-accident-feroviar-din-romania-aproape-1-000-de-suflete-au-161371.html
https://evz.ro/ciurea-catastrofa-feroviara-romania.html
https://adevarul.ro/stiri-locale/iasi/catastrofa-de-la-ciurea-povestea-celui-mai-grav-1500128.html
FOTO:FORTEPAN / Morvay Kinga
https://www.flickr.com/photos/state_library_south_australia/9705140213/in/photostream/
source
A suggestion: when mentioning place please write them on the screen to reduce confusion from mispronunciation
Why a second section was not run is an oddity.
2:00 that's Hunedoara in the background..
FINALLY SOMEONE COVERED IT !!! THANK YOU
Tragic as it may be, I'm actually enjoying this series on the worst railway disasters of history. Wondering if he'll also do the Guadalajara disaster of 1915, North America's deadliest wreck resulting from the Mexican Revolution, or the Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne disaster of 1917, by some estimates perhaps the third deadliest train wreck in the world, certainly the deadliest in France.
It's unfortunate that a tragedy like this was completely forgotten in an effort to not demoralize people in a war
But… but… wait! Do I subscribe for more???? I don't know what to do now!!! 😭😭😭😭
The fog of war so often hides civilian tragedy. Like you say about the photos, they don't match up to the given facts- the one of the train piled up in the cutting not only shows no snow, but neither does it show any evidence whatsoever of fire damage.
Sometimes (very rarely) angle cocks can be closed by debris too. Though it is certainly possible a passenger accidentally or intentionally closed off the brake pipe leaving only a very small portion of the train with operative brakes. It seems clear that continuity was compromised but what is to blame for that is very hard to say. Though I think it is most likely that a passenger was to blame directly, but really, the railway was the most at fault for allowing such a foolish move in the first place. Safety third!!!
I think it’s possible that the coaches where just so full and that there may have been ice in the rails that the breaks just wasn’t enough
Emily crashed!🤯🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🛤️
1:04 I love how just gave up trying to find an accurate photo and just monochromed Penn Central or somewhere.
Finnaly, România
And yet, history stroke again. In WW2, probably 1943 or 44 if I remember right, there was a similar accident but with a train full of French soldiers. Also massivly overcrowded bcs it was the way home for Christmas, they attempted to go through the Alpes. And either didn't make the summit or passed it and then couldn't brake anymore. The air brake was working though, but it was just too heavy. Snow and ice contributing to the reduced friction.
5:00 We've found the Zodiac Killer!
the pronunciation of the names was quite good, well done!
Considering the date and weather described, there is a possibility that moisture in the airbrake system condensed into ice, clogging the air line and preventing the release of air. This has been known to happen. In a non-railroad situation, the forming of ice plugging the air system used to blow the submarine USS THRESHER's tanks likely caused it to not surface. I'm not sure of the railroad's procedures used to assure that water isn't present in the system, but in the choas of wartime, the assembling of the train maybe they weren't followed.
Very mysterious indeed. It's my understanding given the very chaotic nature of countries during wartime, more than a few events will step into history incomplete and inaccurate. I find this most intriguing.
Noted – no "subscribe for more" I don't want more accidents, wise decision to skip it.
The alleged cause of the wreck is similar to the 1953 wreck of the Federal on the Pennsylvania Railroad, in which all of the brakes behind the 3rd car became disabled; however, instead of somebody closing the valve, it is thought to have been impact of part of the coach with the improperly installed valve pushing it shut (this had happened earlier in the journey as well, but must have been during an attempt to repressurize the pipes, because instead of a runaway, it caused the brakes to stick; the people inspecting the train fixed the immediate problem but did not realize the greater implications).
Fortunately, the coaches were not as packed as on the Romanian train, and the route was only a small down grade, so the engineer was able to slow the train substantially with a combination of locomotive brakes, brakes on the first 3 cars, and reverse thrust on the traction motors, and also warn the nearest signal tower of the runaway; the conductors were able to warn passengers to get down. Nobody died, but it could have been MUCH worse; had the train been as crowded as that Romanian train, the death toll might have been even higher.
Accidentally closing a brake valve? Wasn't there a French train subway crash where an air valve was somehow accidentally closed?
its romania, of course people stole immediately after the wreck
Interesting fact: In January 2017, a wayside cross (troiță) was erected by the Ciurea town hall near the train station in memory of the unidentified victims of the 1917 disaster. Next to the cross, the Romanian Maritime Hydrographic Directorate installed a commemorative plaque for commander Alexandru Cătuneanu.
To this day, 100+ years later, the line between Bârnova and Ciurea, with and average incline of 28‰ is one of the few places on the Romanian rail network where dedicated brake testing and handling procedures apply. It is likely that these procedures were introduced as a consequence of this accident.
There is a common saying among people working in (rail, air, maritime, etc.) transportation safety: every rule, procedure and regulation is written in blood, i.e. is a consequence of an incident.
Sad how many things just get erased during wartime – a loss upon a tragedy.
I've read this on wikipedia before and saw the photos allegedly showing the wreck.
Something i'd love to see is a video on the Sacramento Northern Railway in California, one of the most unique railroads on the entire continent as it was almost all second hand locomotives and freight cars. It was an all electric railroad with a ferry that connected 2 parts of the line until the early 50's when diesel took over and they had a VERY unique fleet of diesels, the railroad is a very popular shortline among california railfans and has a fair bit of pieces preserved
You know Christmas is coming up soon, so maybe you should take a look at “the polar express” and give us your thoughts on the train itself…
Can’t imagine how big that death toll was