NORFOLK SOUTHERN RECEIVES FRA GRANT FOR RAILVIEW SAFETY STUDY The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded Norfolk Southern a $544,000 grant to study the effectiveness of RailView, a technology developed by NS to improve safety. NS is the first to use the technology. Adam Mastrangelo, electrical engineer, and Greg Lowe, senior innovations engineer, both of the Research & Tests Department, began working with Science Applications International Corporation in 1995 to develop a system to help analyze the root cause of incidents. The result was a system that uses a camera mounted on a locomotive to record activity in front of a moving train. It records train speed and whistle operation. "These cameras are essential to the safe operation of our trains, employee safety and the safety of our customers' valuable cargo," Mastrangelo said. "They provide a visual record of events. The train system also contains data boxes that establish train speed, whether the horn works or was blown, if something is obstructing the path of the locomotive and the cause of an accident. These are essential elements in safety." Mastrangelo said the ultimate goal of the system and study is to make highway-rail grade crossings safer. "This will allow us to demonstrate the effectiveness of safety measures already in place, assess behavior and give us the opportunity to make changes where they are needed most," he said. By the end of the year, 1,100 locomotives will be equipped with RailView. The company expects to add 500 more in 2005. Mastrangelo and Lowe received NS' 2002 Thoroughbred Award for developing RailView.
