RAILforum: A Coach with a Broken Window

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Posted by JONATHON (Member # 2899) on :

what does the crew do when a Coache's window is broken during a long-distance trip?, one time I was talking with a Passnger and he said that one time while ridding the Train, a base-ball smashed threw one window and then out a nother, dont know how a single ball could break threw 4 window panes, but he never got the chance to tell me what the crew did because his stop came up, does any one know the answer I'm looking for?

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JONATHON D. ORTIZ

Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :

A passenger railcar's windows are made of two panes. While the outter pane is usually made of glass, the inner pane is made of a plastic marketed by one vendor under the name of Lexan. It is virtually unbreakable.

While the outter glass panel could well have been broken by a projectile such as a baseball, I highly doubt if same happened to the inner made of Lexan.

Here you go: http://www.gelexan.com/gelexan/

[This message has been edited by Gilbert B Norman (edited 07-14-2004).]

Posted by chubbes (Member # 3250) on :

Well the most ive seen was using the all handy duct tape

Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

quote:
Originally posted by JONATHON:
...one time I was talking with a Passnger and he said that one time while ridding the Train, a base-ball smashed threw one window and then out a nother, dont know how a single ball could break threw 4 window panes,...

You are right to be skeptical. I think your fellow traveler was pulling your leg. I think it highly unlikely that a baseball could do what was described. The glass is designed to be bulletproof. I'm sure it is baseball proof. Even if it somehow managed to penetrate bulet proof glazing, the chances of it getting through the opposite side is highly unbelievable, especially if the train was moving.

One time I was driving on a freeway in San Francisco. A truck ahead kicked up a rock that hit my windshield right in front of my face. It cracked the windshield slightly, but the rock bounced off harmlessly. That was with single pane safety glass. I estimate the combined speed of the rock and my windshield were in excess of 100MPH.

Now consider the liklihood of a random baseball exceeding that speed sufficiently to penetrate bullet proof glass, and I think you'll find your answer.

Posted by UncleBuck44 (Member # 2049) on :

There are few baseball players who can throw up wards of 90.

Im sure they arent wasting their time throwing balls at train windows.

Besides they'd have to be very close to the train considering the amount of speed that the ball would lose as it floats through the air.

Chances of this story being true: 1%

Posted by JONATHON (Member # 2899) on :

I thought he was lying before, and I know he was now, but this wasnt the answer I was looking for, I wanted to know what the crew would do if there was a Broken window- thanks Chubbes, will duck tape realy do it

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JONATHON D. ORTIZ

Posted by chubbes (Member # 3250) on :

My dad put a trash bag over it and duct taped it shut. It broke by a piece of coal from a hopper flew up and smashed it, luckely no1 was sittin in those seats.