The Locomotive Cabin and Caboose concepts must be combined into new control stations for locomotive consists anywhere in the train. This new Crew Control Cabin can have traction motors and power cells, but not a prime mover.
Separating the control station from the prime movers would minimize the repetitive vibrations the crew has to deal with on a daily basis. It would also allow for more collision safety features in the cabin.
Another possibility is that the railroads will make operations all remote control to reduce crew numbers.
Distributed Power with several B-Units and a Separate Control Cabin is one way to make operating trains more effective and safer for the crew. Less slack in the train, more breaking power with Distributed Power Units.
A separate control cabin will allow any manifest train to be pulled apart to operate like a local for a time and then continue to the next yard or junction as the manifest freight.
proposed by John Kneiling in the late 60’s and will probably never happen. I sure wouldn’t want to be in a box in front of all that weight and that vulnerable at grade crossings or in accidents.
After hearing a recently built CN ES44DC, I hope the cabin they are in is soundproof enough. That knocking racket from the ES44DC is sure to get crews calling for a Control Cabin on a seperate platform.
The Fedral Railroad Administration issued a report about 8 years ago suggesting that crews would be better if they were not subjected to the noise, vibrations, and exhaust of the prime movers.