# Train surfer shorts pantograph.



## Tokkyu40 (Feb 17, 2015)

Here's another unfortunate who learned that trains are not toys.

A Metro-North train from Connecticut to New York stalled, leading to the discovery of a flaming unofficial passenger on the roof Sunday.
Not a good day all around.

http://news.yahoo.com/actor-found-fire-atop-york-bound-train-later-210854957.html


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## Ryan (Feb 17, 2015)




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## TinCan782 (Feb 17, 2015)

A big "bug zapper"....bzzzzzzzzt!


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## afigg (Feb 18, 2015)

Tokkyu40 said:


> Here's another unfortunate who learned that trains are not toys.
> 
> A Metro-North train from Connecticut to New York stalled, leading to the discovery of a flaming unofficial passenger on the roof Sunday.
> 
> Not a good day all around.


This incident occurred back in November and was widely covered in the press back then. I did a quick google search and the news reports several days after his death had no explanation of why he was on the roof beyond speculation. This is just one of those what the heck was he/she thinking stories.


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## KmH (Feb 18, 2015)

Yep. A Darwin like natural like selection process at work.

I know it was enough to fatally burn the young man, but how many amps run through the pantograph?

The static discharge you get touching a door knob can be more than 12,500 volts, but it has a very low amperage.


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## cirdan (Feb 19, 2015)

KmH said:


> Yep. A Darwin like natural like selection process at work.
> 
> I know it was enough to fatally burn the young man, but how many amps run through the pantograph?
> 
> The static discharge you get touching a door knob can be more than 12,500 volts, but it has a very low amperage.


You can be killed by as little as 1 or 2 milliamps, if they go straight through the heart. You can also survive currents many times that. It depends on the route the current takes through your body and also the duration.

A pantograph can draw currents in the hundreds of amps. Enough to kill you a million times over. But those hundreds of amps do not flow through your body. If they did there wouldn't be anything left of you but carbon dust. The bulk of the current flows along the normal path and what flows through you body is just an opportunistic detour, involving some 10s of mA at the most. Your body is in parallel to the locomotive. If it was in series, things would be far more lethal.


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## X996 (Feb 28, 2015)

Here in France, the DC (1,500V) draws about 1,000A and the AC (25,000V) approx 60A. I guess the 12,500V would draw more or less one hundred amps.

A thought for his family, his stupidity (and certainly lack of education) were severely paid.


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