Last night I was woken up by the nuclear train trundling passed my friend's house at 4am in the morning?

Question

Has anyone else heard/seen or even photographed a nuclear waste train?

Answer 1

Perhaps the question should be "What was I doing in my friend's house at 4am?". (4 am is, by definition, morning, by the way.)

I have worked nuclear waste trains at all times of day and night and I can assure you that they pose no danger whatsoever to anyone.

Answer 2

I remember someone laying on the tracks to protest nuclear materials being transported. The train wasn't about to stop and the guy lost his legs. It was sad but kind of funny.

Answer 3

no i haven't and if you are really annoyed about that then you should go to the mayor then and that sounds kind of weird to A nuclear it sounds space shipish to me

Answer 4

@ 4AM in the morning!

as opposed to what other kind of 4 'AM'?

Answer 5

how would you know train was carrying hazardous waste unless you had the way bill  manifesto or you knew how to read placards. under the homeland security/ D.O.T  new rules any highly hazardous product being moved by rail must not display it contents. and you could'nt see it because hazardous such plutonium or enriched uranium can not be loaded into open top    

gondolas

Answer 6

Yes - they go along the North London Line at least twice a week on their way from Dungeness to Sellafield! ! !

Answer 7

I used to live at millom in the 1970's about 50 yards from the rail link to Sellafield as it was then, and these trains were so common that you stopped noticing them !

Answer 8

Yes, I've seen them.

I think transporting dangerous goods by train is a good idea, as it is a h**l of a lot safer (and more regulated) that other forms of transport such as road.

Answer 9

I drive locomotives that are used for hauling nuclear waste. They belong to a company called "Direct Rail Services". This company was set up around 10 years ago by BNFL during the privitisation of the BR network. They have major depots in Carlisle and Crewe. The company also provides trains for "The Malcolm Group" and "Tesco" hauling containerised food up and down the country. Nothing to worry about. Nuclear waste has been moved around by rail for over 20 years and has a 100% safety record.

As to "has anyone elde heard/seen or even photographed a nuclear waste train?", Go onto any trainspotting website or even DRS's own website and you'll see lot's of pictures of these trains.

Answer 10

If it was carrying something radioactive the car should have a placard on it.  It would be yellow with a black radiation symbol on it.  See site below

Answer 11

Trains carrying spent nuclear waste travel the rails quite frequently.  I've not heard of too many running here in Canada, but they do run in the U.S.

I can't explain for you why it was running at 4:00am, but I can tell you the railways operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so it's possible to see trains just about any time of day or night.

I've never run one of these trains, seen it first hand, or photographed one, but as I said, they do run in the U.S.

Answer 12

If it took 8 mins to go past and was very heavy it was probably Coal or Steel. Nuclear trains are usualy very short, two engine, barier wagon one or to flask wagon barier and security coach. Nuclear flask vere safe, dey over sped a 135 ton engin what usual only do 90 into won at 105 mph and hardly scrathed it,Fuked the engin tough.

Answer 13

I see them from time to time, always at night.

they almost always transport nuclear waste at night

the less people that see this the better as far as the government is concerned.

Answer 14

Yes they have. It's a train carrying nuclear waste. Perfectly safe, we're told.

Answer 15

I've been off the rails for a number of years, but nuclear waste passed through the area in which I live on its way to the Hazardous Waste dump in Hanford, Washington.  It was spent fuel from the reactors in Sacramento and San Clemente, and I think there was one at San Onofre as well, but I'm not sure.

The train was operated as a special, but manned with regular pool freight crewman with standard SP consist and caboose.

The shipment was in the middle of the train, with two cars full of armed guards ahead and behind, with the caboose at the rear.  It was a good train to catch, as it got treated reeeeeal special like.  Lots of green signals along the way, and preceded by MOW folks in hi-railers.  They inspected bridges and other structures before we passed.

Answer 16

My question to you is: How do you know that it was a Nuclear Train, as on the railways a lot of freight trains run throughout the night as they are slower, and do not get in the way of the passenger services.

In answer to your question, there are plenty of pictures taken of the trains at Sellerfield (excuse me for the spelling), and yes I have seen them, when I visited a nuclear power station.

If you are worried about the dangers of a Nuclear train, then I would say that you should not as the flasks are reguarly tested and had other trains ran into them at 70mph, without any breakages!

(I know as I work on the railways)