October 11, 2007 First Train in U.S. with New Braking System Operates over Norfolk Southern NORFOLK, VA – Norfolk Southern made railroad history today when it operated the nation’s first revenue service train equipped exclusively with electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes.
The train, consisting of three new locomotives and 115 new hybrid coal gondolas, will be used in regular service between coal mines in southwestern Pennsylvania and the Keystone Generating Station in Shelocta, Pa. ECP brakes have the potential to reduce train stopping distances by as much as 60 percent over conventional air brake systems. ECP brakes utilize electronic signals to simultaneously apply and release throughout the length of a freight train. This differs from conventional brake systems in which each car brakes individually as air pressure moves in a series from car to car.
The Federal Railroad Administration has authorized Norfolk Southern and BNSF Railway Company to equip and test certain locomotives and freight cars with ECP brakes for their potential to shorten stopping distances and improve railroad and public safety, network capacity and efficiency, asset utilization, fuel savings and equipment maintenance.
Over the next several months, Norfolk Southern will equip 30 locomotives, 210 quick-drop coal hoppers and 230 hybrid gondolas with ECP brakes for use in dedicated coal train service. Working with NS are the locomotive supplier General Electric, the ECP brake system provider New York Air Brake and the rail car provider Freight Car America.
Sounds great in principle and I hope it works as intended. My question is this:
With brakes being applied over a much larger area at the same time versus gradually will this be harder on the rails, roadbed, and the equipment?
No reason it should do any damage to roadbed, if the track is well maintained. I don’t think emergency applications (the fastest available application with a conventional brake system) do any damage except to the wheels themselves (if that), and an ECP application, though it’s faster (speed of light vs. speed of sound as the ideal limits), would be no harder on the equipment than a conventional brake application.
I heard about this a few weeks ago. Seems like a good idea. My question is do the cars have some sort of electrical cables? Anyone see any of these or have pictures?
The NS along with the BNSF or UP,are the only railroads currently permitted by the FRA to try this new brake system.
The two railroads have around 600 cars in storage that have this new electric/air brake system.And the NS has there own locomotives setup to operate them.
The cars have air running thru them the same as all rail cars do now,but YES with an additonal cable to operate the electric selonoid that aplies the brake the same percentage thru-out the train at exactly the same time.This will reduce the time that it takes to slow down or stop the train.
And there cannot be any mix match of the type of cars in the train,as far as cars with and without this brake system.
I got this information from a supervisor at work who had just got back from the NS’s Atlanta training center.