Re: NEWCASTLE ACCIDENT

["Ron Bennell" <ron.bennell@qr.com.au>]

Michael Van Baast <vanbaast@acay.com.au> wrote in article
<366EA2D9.E1C@acay.com.au>...
> > The power was probably off within seconds of the accident.

With modern circuit breakers, it should be less than a second from the time
of short circuit.


> >  It wasn't officially
> > "isolated" until the earths were up.

"Officially" is not a good term. It is not a clerical process.
Placing earths both sides of where the people are, protects them against
induction through the are air onto the de-energised wires, momentary
re-energising by pantographs of other trains entering the electrical
section, and back feeds from motors.


> 
> how do you effectively earth a train?, weld thumping great big bits of
> copper between the body and the rail?
They earth the WIRING! 

Ron