Amtrak derailment today in Philadelphia

BoxcabE50 May 13, 2015

  1. UP_Challenger3985

    UP_Challenger3985 TrainBoard Member

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  2. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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  3. H Lee

    H Lee TrainBoard Member

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    It does much more than that -- here's the info from a current article and also a link to a PDF by the AAR giving more specific details.

    "Positive Train Control (PTC) automatically slows or even halts trains that are moving too fast or heading into a danger zone. It can override a train conductor who is exceeding speed, and under current law, the rail industry must adopt the technology by year end. PTC works by using a global positioning satellite to pinpoint trains. The idea is that it can do this with enough accuracy to allow them to run closer together. It sends real-time visual and audible information to train crew members about locations where the train needs to be slowed or stopped. Among other things, it takes into account approaching signals, speed limits, curves in the track, construction work and the position of approaching switches. PTC then communicates with the train's onboard computer to audibly warn conductors if they are approaching danger. A display shows the train's safe braking distance based on its speed, length, width, weight, and curvature of the track. If a response is not provided by the train engineers in ample time, the computer remotely activates the brakes and stops the train. While this automatic braking system has been available since 1990, the technology remains widely unused."

    Here is the link to the technical PDF ---

    https://www.aar.org/BackgroundPapers/Positive Train Control.pdf
     
  4. RT_Coker

    RT_Coker TrainBoard Supporter

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    I think somebody missed the Keep-It-Simple principle. This effort is probably way behind schedule and over budget. That is what happens to almost all efforts of this type. Let us hope that they are correctly implementing fail-safe designs.

    I personally would feel a lot safer with better motivated railroad personnel and something simpler, like a small-drone-locomotive leading the train at a safe breaking distance.
    Bob
     
  5. Doug Gosha

    Doug Gosha TrainBoard Member

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    Let's just hope the administrators of these applications are more competent than those typically running federal government ones like Obamacare or state ones like MnSure, two unmitigated disasters.

    doug
     
  6. Kevin Anderson

    Kevin Anderson TrainBoard Member

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    The problem has been getting all the different systems to talk to each other. It's like apple and PC... Don't work too well together. Also amtrak has spent over 111 million to implement theirs and they are still not done.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
     
  7. mmi16

    mmi16 TrainBoard Member

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    Question about rules on the NEC -

    Are Engineers required to call wayside signal indications over the road radio channel. Are engineers required to communicate wayside signal indications and/or changes in cab signal indications with the on board conductor over either the road radio channel or some channel of communication that pertains to only the train involved?
     

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