Comments by "Jovet" (@jovetj) on "Storyful Viral"
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@RsRj-qd2cg Impacting a vehicle will slow down a train some, but different trains take longer to stop than others. The main factors are the speed of the train and the weight of the train. Passenger trains, like this one, tend to be faster but lighter. Freight trains can be a mix of empty and loaded wagons, and are heavier. Most trains aim to go as fast as they can on their section of track because time is money.
There are several different types of brakes on a train. The main brakes are operated by air pressure from the lead locomotive(s). When the brake line is pressurized, the brakes turn off. The train driver (engineer) can adjust this pressure to engage the brakes as needed based on the terrain and conditions of the track. In an emergency, or if the brake line is severed (such as two train cars separating from each other because of a broken coupler or the like), the brake pressure drops to zero very quickly, and this causes all the brakes on all the wagons to engage as quickly as possible. This alone can cause the train to derail, because it's an uncontrolled braking sequence. While emergency brakes can be engaged at any moment, most train crews will not do so until collision is imminent because of the risk of a possible serious derailment.
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