Just watching a Documentary on RFDTV. Vermont Rail is operating a remote control Locomotive as a switcher in the Burlington yard. Whos working the controls and where relative to the Loco. Some human somewhere has to be doing the coupling and throwing the manual track switches. where can I find some info on this type of operation? New to Trains but, fascinated by the operations. Cant believe I let 70 years go by without learning more about this Industry.
You’ll usually find the operator, with a belt-pack, very close to the locomotive–maybe in the cab, but more likely out on the steps or the platform. Or down throwing the switch, opening a knuckle, or whatever the switchman usually needs to do.
He is required by operating instructions to always have eyesight on the actual locomotive and the track ahead of it.
So! This is another way to reduce costs by eliminating Crew? Is this a one Man operation?
Bill
You have no idea. Try a Google on Remote Control Locomotives, or RCL. It’s a very hot button issue in the industry, especially amongst labor groups.
How much is safety an issue here?
Safety is an issue for the railroads but when an accident happens the railroad just sweeps it under the rug like nothing happens. These switchman can run the remotes without even knowing what is in front of the engine. They call these areas on the tracks remote zones and nothing is allowed on these tracks except that remote engine and they can run these switch engines blind. But when an accident happens like when a switch engine has too many cars and runs out on the lead hitting another train the railroad just sweeps the whole thing under the rug like nothing happened.
Makes me feel safe when I am bringing a train in the yard thats for sure.
Safety is an issue. From the Carriers perspective…the less people doing the job the ‘safer’ the Carrier is as the person that is not longer a part of the crew can’t get hurt, All the other safety issues are relative…
Actually there was a rail line that ran almost 40 miles that was remote controlled It ran from just north of Rock Springs all the way to the Iron Ore mine at Atlantic City, They ran this behemoth.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=104846
Once it got into reliance then it would drop off its cars and get new ones to take up notrh, and the UP would pick up the full ones and take them the rest of the way to the main line.
Lots of industries have used this technology, but the railroads themselves have been slow to adopt it. Canada had had it in use, and it’s true that wherever it is in use, it seems to be safer (less injuries), but it’s SLOW (switching operation take much longer, so trains are backed up for hours outside of yards, etc.), and property damage has been ‘impressive’ (with no one to watch the opposite end of the movement, who knows what will get hit?). In the East, there are still two crew members, one for each end of the move, with a conductor and a Radio Control Operator (RCO) instead of an engineer, so the savings are minimal. Doesn’t seem to make sense to me, but in my opinion, three crewmen are the minimum for a train…
what the carriers are “saveing” on crew costs…they are paying out double in equipment and track damage due to screwups and accidents…another fine example of the railroads stepping over a 10 dollor bill to pick up a dime…
csx engineer
i really don’t see the problem (other than loosing a brakeman in your crew) by ussing remote controll, CN has used it for years now with no problems at all due to the remote operations, at least here in Sarnia it’s a two man crew each ussing a belt-pack to controll the train together, again no problems here, makes the yard much faster to switch around thats for sure. Sometimes they crew turns their back to teh engine adn i get woored but, hey they are in teh yard so nothing is going to happen, plus they know what htey are doing seeing as hwo there were no cars on their track anyway. RC is safe, provided you know how to use it properly.
What would the point be? Why not just run the locomotive manually?
well, probably because they didnt want to pay somone to run it manually. and there was not any other traffic on the line so i guess it was safe to do so.
i find it hard to belive that they didnt have any problems at all…im sure if you where to do some digging you would find out that the “problems” with the RCOs where buried…or blamed on other things… and if they where so good…it is my understanding that the canaidan railroads are getting ride of them…if they havent already… and lossing an extra set of hands for any job is a big deal… when your walking the ladder to line the switches…and then walk to the cut for a kick…then walk to through another switch…try doing that for 8 hours a day… when with one extra set of hands makes a world of differnce in the productivity…
csx engineer
http://www.lemonzoo.com/funny_videos/15089/The_First_Fully_Automated_Plane.html
So, who is going to be the first passenger?
This is why remotes and automated trains are dangerous…imagine a few LPG and chlorine tanks in the mix…
Ed