I just saw this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl4G84D0R0Y
How in the heck do you see/know what’s going on? Is it better with certain types of equipment (rotary, tender-plow, Jordan) or are all equally blinding?
Operating in such conditions is what being ‘Qualified on the Physical Characteristics’ of the territory is all about. In as much as trains aren’t ‘steered’, the crew doesn’t have to be concerned about where they are going…they do have to be concerned with such things as road crossings that have to have the horn rules complied with and they also have to be concerned with signal indications…part of being qualified is knowing, from other than direct vision, where you are on your territiory…the side windows show the various landmarks that crews use to know EXACTLY where they are.
Rode with an Engineer in Pea Soup thick FOG…you couldn’t see more than 10 feet in any direction. Engineer kept his head out of the side window, looking at the ties and ballast that was illuminated by the light that illuminated the lead truck of the engine…never missed the proper horn sequence for the many road crossings that were crossed…knew when so slow the train to a crawl as we approaced a foreign line crossing at grade, until the signal indication could be ascertained that permitted movement of our train. Being qualified on a territory, really qualified, is not the same as driving the interstate.
Yes, and all these disparate elements like weather variables make me feel that a locomotive engineer’s job is not going to be robotized, at least not soon.
I’ve always had a respect for the folks that operate locos…but after this…wow. That just got bumped up a notch. That’s impressive.
I thought something was wrong with my computer or the internet connection for the first several seconds of the video… nuttin’ but white screen!
Positive Train Control will probably do alot to eliminate the need for train crew to be that familiar with their territory.
I noticed the new avatar. Much better.
Maybe not robotized but reduced to a sinecure like so many other jobs. And I don’t see why some trains can’t be run remotely…i.e. the locomotive engineer sits in an office in Chicago and runs his train via a computer hookup and on board cameras… It’s coming…my guess is by 2020 we’ll be there.
That will solve alot of problems, save money, and improve safety (how many caboose related injuries have there been in the last 10 years?)…on board people can’t get hurt if there aren’t any.
And how will you flag a crossing when it is malfunctioning? How will you replace a knuckle when one gets pulled? Or walk a train when it gets hit by a DD? Or restart an engine when it keels over? I would think it will be a lot later than 2020.
Eliminate more crossings (that’s happening), and make the others more reliable. Replace a knuckle or restart an engine?..send out a techi…
Don’t forget the ‘kicker’ that puts the train in emergency for no apparent reason, the burst air hose in the middle of nowhere or even the parted air hose that put the train in emergency. We are a long, long way from robotized trains operating over the railroad network at large. Robotized operations can be successful on captive operations where mechanical help is not too far away and the operations operate in a predictable manner. Class 1 railroad operations, as a whole, are far from predictable.
When the cost to replace an engineer is less than the cost of the engineer it will be considered. If the Air Force can fly drones with a joystick running a train should not be a problem. Note that I did not say I am in favor of this but grade crossing horn blowing can be signaled with a track side detector and radar on the engine would warn of occupancy earlier than an engineer can see in bad weather. GPS can tell where trains are within three feet. They will still hit idiots who think they can beat the train but the technical aspects do exist today. Will this replace the local? absoutely not. But for run throughs it is quite conceivable and doable. if you were an engineer who could control up to three or four trains from a console and go home every night wouldn’t you be in favor of it?
Wedge plow is probabily the worst for visability since when you hit the snow drift - the plow blasts it everywhere. The UP rotaries have the rotating battleship type windshields so the windshield is a little clearer than with a regular wiper blade but depending on the wind and the direction the rotary is throwing the visibility is still poor. That is why they try to throw downwind as much as possible.
dd
I wouldn’t be surprised if one day freight trains are run like some subways. There would be an operator that would pretty much sit there to monitor the train. Is something goes wrong, he’d walk the train - or if the computer system failed he could operate the train manually.
Of course he would probably make a whole lot less money that engineers make now…
So…(back to topic! hehe)
Are there engineers or crews that just do snow removal duties in certain areas? Can a Dispatcher arbitrarily decide who does it? What about when there’s double/triple track or in a yard?
I think my car is stalled at the next crossing, I hope he sees me.
Kiss it goodbye!
Can’t speak to the crew question.
You may have noticed, but never really thought about why, plows that throw only to one side. There’s your answer for double tracks. I believe they were also used (along with a wing) to clear yards.
Tree-
Thanks for the info. I’ve never actually seen a plow in operation. That may be why I don’t know the intricacies of their use and hazards.
Is there a ‘rule of thumb’ as to how deep the snow ‘should be’ before the plow is called on? How about a rotary? A Jordan Spreader?
Yea, and while you are waiting for a “techi” to show up, your main line is now blocked. Thats a real good way to save money.[banghead]