Almost every time I stand near the tracks and a train rolls by, I feel the ground shake. This got me to thinking: when an earthquake occurs, the ground shakes. Therefore, could the train passing by be making a small earthquake? This may sound crazy, but think about it: does the ground seem to shake as a train pass by you? The only way that I know to confirm this or not is to get a seismograph, place it next to some active railway tracks, and see if the seismograph actually records the ground shaking as the train passes by. Though there can be several variables that can effect how much the ground shakes (the length of the train, speed of train, distance seismograph is from tracks, etc.), there is still the chance that it will record the ground shakes as the train passes by. According to the Richter Scale, which in the U.S. measures how big the quake is, a magnitude of 2.0 and below can be recorded by seismographs, but not by most people. Given that the shaking is the strongest really close to the tracks, the magnitude is between 2.0 and 2.9, which can be felt by people and not cause damage to nearby buildings. Buildings being damaged by earthquake begins at a magnitude of 3.0 and goes up. Personally, I would really like to try this out, especially one of my interests other than trains are weather, roller coaster, and earthquakes. Does anyone agree with me on this theory?
Ever felt the ground shake as a train goes by?
- Thread starter jordon412
- Start date
BLACKWATCH
Mechanical Engineer
It's called 'vibration', it's the same if you stand by the roadside when a large lorry passes, or pass a building site where they are piling.
Or a herd of elephants runs past !
BLACKWATCH
Mechanical Engineer
The elephants don't pass our house, the police divert them round the bypass. 
cascaderailroad
New member
When I fell in the bath tub, and almost busted my bisquit, the neighbors thought it was an earthquake, the pipes shook, and they got a structural crack in their wall
Semi-trucks (which I think a 'lorry' is) haven't pass by where I live in years, which is because I live in a cul-de-sac, plus there hasn't been a new home built in the area I live in in years. And though my workplace is next to a major north-south artery into town, my workplace isn't close enough for me to feel the ground vibrate as they pass by my workplace. Also, my Dad's truck has broken down on the freeway, where the traffic is at its fastest, only once, and one of the most important rule when broken down on the side of the freeway is STAY AWAY FROM THE EDGE OF THE ROAD (I'm not yelling, I'm just emphasizing the importance of that rule).
This comment seems to make me feel that this whole thread was not worth my time. Can a moderator lock this thread before any more comments like this appears? I don't think these comments are funny at all, more like making fun of a thread and/or the person who started this thread, of which I do not like at all.
A 12-645E3B makes the Ground and Platforms shake from it's awesome Vibration, it also destroys your camera mic, lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzuALBUnSw4
Cheers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzuALBUnSw4
Cheers.
Yes, anything that shakes the earth causes (small) earthquakes.
Visited a concert a few years ago. We had 60000 people jump on some heavy and popular rock song. It was measurable by local seismographs.
Australia gets Quakes that are in the 1.0 to 2.5 range all the time and allot of the time their not even felt, I bet if you had a sub-woofer and watched Star Trek you'll get into the 2+ on the Richter Scale.
jjanmarine3
Active member
Try working at a derailment site where there are two adjacent lines and one line is still open for traffic on the coal line and a 200 truck train passes on the open line. if you are unlucky it may happen inside a tunnel too..
One or more vehicles are derailed on the closed line and there are no gaps yet because the couplers are still all coupled. There are 120 ton jacks and hydraulic pipes and other equipment on site.
Priority is to get the line open.
The crew members working on the inside have to wait right there in the 1.2 metre or so gap while the train passes next to them - time is money and they don't close the adjacent line if they can help it, the do put a speed restriction on though... even a hard bump from slack can cause a pair of wheels to jump off the line on those long trains - especially when the trucks are empty ...there are all kinds of funny noises like vibrations, cracks, creaks and bangs...if something should go wrong there will be an earthquake and there is nowhere to run..
Takes a while to get used to it.
One or more vehicles are derailed on the closed line and there are no gaps yet because the couplers are still all coupled. There are 120 ton jacks and hydraulic pipes and other equipment on site.
Priority is to get the line open.
The crew members working on the inside have to wait right there in the 1.2 metre or so gap while the train passes next to them - time is money and they don't close the adjacent line if they can help it, the do put a speed restriction on though... even a hard bump from slack can cause a pair of wheels to jump off the line on those long trains - especially when the trucks are empty ...there are all kinds of funny noises like vibrations, cracks, creaks and bangs...if something should go wrong there will be an earthquake and there is nowhere to run..
Takes a while to get used to it.
I've felt the ground shake while trains go by. I used to live next to a freight yard and loved to hear the banging and feeling the vibrations from the trains. Even today I get excited when it happens.
Speaking of truck vibrations... I stayed at a brand new Quality Inn while down in Childress, TX a few years ago. The new motel overlooked the nearby highway. As trucks bumped over the overpass, the building vibrated to a point that the windows rattled every time the trucks went by. This made for a terrible night's sleep.
Speaking of more trains... A lady I studied piano with had a brother that lived in Somerville, MA next to the then very busy Somerville Freight Cut-off. This was a bypass line for freight trains to keep them from fouling the commuter line and served as a direct connection to the very busy hump yard in Somerville and East Cambridge. All of this is gone now, but anyway... she remembered the house shaking to a point where dishes would fall out of the china closet every time a freight came barreling by. Eventually, they moved away as their budget got better, and her memory of the visit stayed with her.
That's what you call a ground shaking experience.
John
Speaking of truck vibrations... I stayed at a brand new Quality Inn while down in Childress, TX a few years ago. The new motel overlooked the nearby highway. As trucks bumped over the overpass, the building vibrated to a point that the windows rattled every time the trucks went by. This made for a terrible night's sleep.
Speaking of more trains... A lady I studied piano with had a brother that lived in Somerville, MA next to the then very busy Somerville Freight Cut-off. This was a bypass line for freight trains to keep them from fouling the commuter line and served as a direct connection to the very busy hump yard in Somerville and East Cambridge. All of this is gone now, but anyway... she remembered the house shaking to a point where dishes would fall out of the china closet every time a freight came barreling by. Eventually, they moved away as their budget got better, and her memory of the visit stayed with her.
That's what you call a ground shaking experience.
John
jjanmarine3
Active member
You guys should claim noise allowance
yeah, about 12 years too late, unfortunately... too bad.
Yeah i've felt the ground shaking.
Example:
WAP 5 (Electric Locomotive)
Locomotive weight : 78 tonnes (77 long tons; 86 short tons)
More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_locomotive_class_WAP-5
1 ton = 2,000 lbs. (1 tonne = 1,000 kg)
1 kg = 2.2046 lb
Ground is shaking because of the passing through the small gaps in the railway tracks meant for expansion and contraction as per temperature.
The train is too heavy ... so when it passes through those gaps on tracks it makes loud sounds and vibrations.Like in the video below
Its all on the weight of the locomotive and its cars...
More the speed more are the vibrations...
And Diesel Locomotives are much more heavier than Electric Locomotive.
WDP4D : 126 tonnes (124 long tons; 139 short tons)
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Freight trains are heavier and Amtrak Coast Starlight are engineered in such a way that it does make sounds and vibration to provide passengers comfortable journey without any noise or vibration.
OH NO HUMOUR.