they been watching since recorders was put on engines, the thing is they haft to have a reason to look you up. I will give you some inside info about the ns. they have the system in place and may be up and running by now. it does not exactly track you but the on board system knows the track, speed and the rule book, and if you do something that is in violation of such rules times tables or speeds and will probley have the signal system involved in those areas of ctc. this sends a report from engine to atlanta then this report is checks against your location then sent to your roadforman, and if i remeber also the superatendant, and then you get to come in and exsplain why this happened.
I was informed of this 2 years ago, the 7600+ series has this and the 2600+ series does also its a roadforman on wheels at all times, but i dont care as they will get you regaurdless if they want you they will get you. If the forces to be would take more time and cat
All i can say as a outsider to the CSX looking in, is this why dont they have a clue as to where there trains are if they have this info in front of them. Same with the NS the dispatchers have no idea where the trains are and haft to ask. if this makes the train dispatching faster and safer why do i haft to wait so long for the other trains to show up. if it was better i should have been move 2 sidings further and only waited 2 hrs on them. Oh and i want them to put computor and cell phone type stuff on these engines and i wont pull them, if they banned electronic devices now why would railroad devices that takes your attention from the road be safer.
I think many dispatchers just find it easier to ask a crew then to bring it up on the computer. Even with our ancient computer system, I can find the location of any NS engine in our system (or rather the last reportable point it passed).
Now coming out of a yard is a different story - that depends on whether the YM gave the DS a decent lineup.
We have the WERIS system, but I dont know if the “little gray box” is part of that or anotehr GPS system. But big brother is always watching.
Case in point: a crew was on a push-pull local. They were going 30mph (the speed limit). They were cautioned by a RFE later that the wireless download was showing the engine on the rear going 32mph. So one of the speedos is wrong, and unfortunatley there is no measured mile on that branch to check.
CSX’s system “pings” the loco every 20 minutes or so. If I call you to find out your location that is because I want to know where you are located now, and not where you where when the GPS last updated. However I don’t often ask as all the territory I dispatch is rule 261, so unless I am in code fail I have a pretty good idea where you are.
We went from GPS on engines to laptops for DTC blocks? I am not seeing the connection in what has been said on this thread. However please tell me how reading something back from a computer screen will take your attention away from the road any more than reading something back from piece of paper? That being said, the only place I have heard of authorities being given out in the field and being received on a computer is with track/signal department for track time. I think that the BN is already doing it.
No you went from gps to what ever it is your in wonderland about. I said computors and laptops meaning things been changed under optimal train control it says next phase( and we was told this in rules class) that they will use laptop to get track authority and etc,…( not going to write it all out) now reading this will take your attention away from the road , you ask how will that be any differant than reading a piece of paper, what paper when it comes over the radio i listen to what is said then do it. i dont need to read a piece of paper, I might write down the destination but that be it. all other paper work has been read and understood.
in my post with the no12944 ive read what was written and to be truthful the way i started my last post sucks. Nothing in what he said totally deserved the way i worded the first line, what i said is true but the way i said it should have been differant. Just wanting to clear the air,
I believe this post above is referring to BNSF’s ‘‘Employee In-Charge’’ or ‘EIC’ Program, and/ or its ‘‘Hy-Rail Limits Compliance System’’. They are each explained and their interaction illustrated on Pages 4 - 6 of 26 of the following presentation in ‘PDF’ format (26 pages, approx. 2.45 MB in size):
BNSF Railway - Engineering Department - Technology & Detection- ‘Making Reliability A Reality’’ - Coal Conference - October 29th, 2008
let me set this straight what i was refering to is the railroads ( ns) may go to electronic track authority in other words sent to the engine and read across a computor. that is all it was and my statement is since the guy who text messaged and killed himself and several others , because of this I can not use my cell phone while on duty with out major complications and disapline, so if i cant have my cell to use now or my laptop, why should i be forced to do it when they want to stream line and go paperless. nothing more sinister than that.
You mean MetroLink engineer Robert M. Sanchez, in last Sept. 12th’s collision with the UP freight at Chatsworth, California that killed about 25 passengers plus himself, right ?
you mean they can get on the train and ride and talk on the cell phone and i cant?
I have a question for the UP guys on some engines we had on run thru power they had computor on board for i guess train info set outs Pick ups etc etc why was this discontinued. we are talking at least 6 years ago was the last ones i saw
I don’tknow where you are going with this, wabash.
I’m sure you’ve seen this chart, if not: http://www.utu.org/safety/EO-26FlowChart081015.pdf Conrail also had a form of electronic inputs for locals. But that was a few years ago. Now they are testing a new wireless handheld system to replace work orders. It’s only going to be a matter of time before paper track authorities are electronic, as well. What I meant with my employer remark, is that they are the boss (along with the FRA). They pay me to do their wprk: their sandbox, their rules.
zugman dont be so paranoid im not going anywhere with it Im making a statement. thats all, its like a double standard as long as its for work we can use it and run over as many people as we want but let it be our personal cell phone its against the law and you can and will be fired fot it.
I’m not being paranoid. You’ve been on the RR longer than me, you know darn well there is a double standard. Although you shouldn’t even be using a RR-supplied cell phone while moving except in an emergency. How will they handle the track authorites? Guess we’ll find out. That’s half the fun!
It seems the more we try and go forward the more we fall behind, just maybe we will go back to train orders or maybe run on guts,carrier pigeon just not back to steam…