Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters

This book describes how trains are massive—with some weighing 15,000 tons or more. When these metal monsters collide or go off the rails, their destructive power becomes clear. This book presents riveting tales of trains gone wrong, the detective work of finding out why, and the safety improvements that were born of tragedy. The book details 17 crashes in which more than 200 people were killed. Readers follow investigators as they sift through the rubble and work with computerized event recorders to figure out what happened. Using a mix of eyewitness accounts and scientific explanations, the author draws people into a world of forensics and human drama. The book is a fascinating exploration of runaway trains, bearing failures, metal fatigue, crash testing, collision dynamics, and bad rails.