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Amtrak president issues statement on fatal derailment
I have to wonder about the computers and the programing on the ACS 64 since that was number 601 leading. It is all only as good as the programers that write it.
Years ago Airbus decided to show off a new plane at the Paris Air Show and they did a low level fly by. The trouble is the computer flew the plane into the ground because the programers designed it for take offs and landings. They did not know that pilots did flybys and touch and goes that looked like it was going to land but did not.
Recently the FAA sent out an emergency notice that on the Boeing Dream Liner a GCU would go into fail safe mode and kill the power to the aircraft on the 289th day of constantly being powerd up. It would kill the power if you were on the ground or at 37,000 feet. The trouble was a software information buffer overflowed on the 289th day. The immeadiate fix is “Shut off the GCU before it hit the 289th day so the buffer clears”.
There is always that odd chance that there is a quirk in the software , firmware , hardware that made the train itself speed up without input from the Engineer. It is the same as the trouble with multiple deaths in car crashes where everyone said “the vehicle just accelerated and would not respond to me trying to stop it.” Drivbers actually burnt out their brakes trying to stop the vehicle. Every investigation showed that according to the memory in the computer the driver had accelerated on purpose.
Remember there is software written into the operating system of the ACS 64 that will override the engineer when the computer is responding to program commands activated by Positive Train Control where it is active. The ACS 64 did have teething pains with electrical interferance.
I just have to know! Would these so- called software ‘gliches’ prevent the driver or engineer from ‘killing’ power to the engine manually, with a key or switch or pushbutton of some sort?
The engineer (my guess) has most likely made that run many times and I am sure he was aware of the speed restrictions. The train speeded up from 75 to 106 according to the news media. Then the engineer applied the brakes. Had the engineer applied the brakes earlier and they didn’t work? Why did the train speed up? As my mother would say, “Something does not ring true.” I do not believe that the engineer was guilty or negligent. If there are computers controlling things, there could be a software problem. I remember the Airbus story. I had a commercial airline pilot tell me that he hates fly by wire because the computer controls the airplane. I am wondering if the train is also fly by wire?
The Engineer, I understand is only 32 years old, so your “guess” may be way off. Why can’t you people wait until the investigation is completed and ALL the facts are revealed? I’m through responding to this stuff, enough is enough, why don’t you people get a job or something! I’m signing off for now. Maybe later.
Does anyone know if these electric locos have a “dead man’s pedal” as other locos do, or used to have. If so, would removing foot from it override the computer if other controls did not respond? Just curious.
Mack, other ‘enquiring minds’ would also really like to know ! Does anyone know the answer ?