Passenger Trains > Amtrak Locomotive Cameras

Looks like Amtrak now has track-view cameras on some locomotives. Here's the Silver Star at Alexandria, VA, 05/21/2010. A northbound VRE deadhead move in push-mode passes during the station stop.

B&OBill

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Haven't they all had cameras for a few years now?

Within the last year every P42 got one. I can't say anything for switchers or electrics, but all the road diesels have them.

All P42s are equipped with cameras. The AEM7 electric motors are now being outfitted with cameras.

Sort of a techie question, but does anyone know how/where the data is stored? Is everything self-contained within the camera, including the hard drive? Or is the camera wired to a hard drive in another location? Thanks.

>Sort of a techie question, but does anyone know how/where the data is stored?

Flash memory, no HDDs because they're too prone to failure from the vibrations and impacts of railroading.

Thanks, Sandy.

Cameras started going into the P42s three years ago, finished two years back, they were being put into the P32s (both types) and F59s over the last year, this year as far as I know some of the MP20s (or whatever they are) and Geeps that switch on the East Coast, Cab Cars, and Electric motors are supposed to get them this year. About half the Surfliner Cab Cars have had them installed.

There have already been some amazing videos posted online from the cabs of P42s striking automobiles.

brassmag Wrote:
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> There have already been some amazing videos posted
> online from the cabs of P42s striking automobiles.

...and fire trucks.

All data is stored in the camera.

Here's a view of a camera as placed in the center window of an F59.

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That's the same unit that NS uses. There is a box that info goes to that also contains the interface for Reverser Position Speed Horn And Bell usage as well as a mic that catches the horn sounding.

I remember a few years ago when the cameras were first being installed on the railroads. A lot of employees hated the idea and went into panic mode, and I recall predicting that once everyone learned how useful they were, that you would change your opinion. I'm assuming that most rails like having the exterior camera now. In my previous line of work, we also went into panic mode when the brass said they would be putting cameras into all city vehicles. But I can't tell you how many times those cameras have saved us, where it proves people to be flat-out lying about what really took place. I guess the technology has really come far in a few years, as our cameras used to be wired to a big hard drive in the trunk. I'm assuming they don't do that any more.....

I wonder how long those wiper blades on the Amtrak P-42s last? I can see on engine #139 that the blade on the left (fireman's, if they have one) window sweeps several inches beyond the left edge of the window. Banging over that window molding on every sweep probably wears that blade out quickly.

Are the cameras running all the time or just during emergency situations?
How long do they keep the images? I imagine that Amtrak may have hundreds
of images of me standing by the tracks taking pictures of the Pennsylvanians!

As I recall,they operate continuously as long as the battery switch is up.They have a 3 day capacity,and can be downloaded remotely while on the move.