Western Railroad Discussion > Omaha Dispatching Center Power Outage

Dispatcher 57 and 256 are reporting to trains that a power outage has occurred at the dispatching center. All computers are down. No moves can be made (flagging, signaling, etc). No ETA on when the problem will be fixed. Trains around Marysville are all coming to a stop.

That's weird considering they've got backup power.

Out

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/18 12:52 by darkcloud.

Back up power can sometimes fail if the generator fails to start as expected. If there are no battery arrays or the battery arrays have been used a lot or are old, can sometimes fail prematurely and wont carry the computer system over until the generator kicks in. Once the main frame computer goes down, it can take a long time to bring everything back up, even though the power was only out for a couple seconds. Also, when the main power goes out, that is when you find out if all of the equipment added since the last power outage was plugged into the correct outlets that are supposed to provide uninterrupted power (battery inverter/generator).

Gary

It could be a case of poor selective coordination and a fault downstream of the ATS caused a main circuit breaker on the board fed by the ATS to trip or a fault in that board.

Might be up and running- MRVPW and ZLCBR(X) both thru Red Bluff within the last hour

Pull out your Track Warrant book.

Posted from Android

Dispatcher 1 seemed to be unaffected. Was in control of signals at Fife WA about the time of original post.

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

Hookdragkick Wrote:
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> Pull out your Track Warrant book.
>


Not any more. There is no trainsheet. there is no static panel with the track diagram to tape markers to like we did in Olden Tymes. In Olden Tymes, you could ask any Spatch what was out there and where and you'd get a relatively accurate answer, but we were constantly refreshing memory from the trainsheet as well as (in Really Olden Tymes when there were operators) writing OSes. There's a pretty good chance that a substantial number of people in dispatcher chairs can't do that, based on what I have seen and heard.

Nope, unlike ATC, which can still revert to shrimp boats (as of my last knowledge of the subject), computer down, no trains, no gandys.

Here's the backup South Africa developed when they went from panels to electronic displays:

TAW

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Thought somebody tripped over the extension cord at Harriman. All Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin trains way off schedule.

Posted from Android

stash Wrote:
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> Thought somebody tripped over the extension cord
> at Harriman. All Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin
> trains way off schedule.
>
> Posted from Android

The janitor unplugged something to plug in the vacuum cleaner—-:-)
C

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

Yes, the Russians !

TAW brings up another point. I don't dispatch trains, but I can relate to my job 20 something years ago. Back then I worked with a pen and paper. Since then computers have taken over everything, but I still have a pen and paper with me. The new generation has now never known anything but computers. When the network or the software goes down, they are at a total loss. Use of pen and pencil & paper to keep track of things is a foreign concept.

Gary

They seem to be back in Northern California. Even the Power Desk is rescuing dead engines already.

Pointy-haired boss did it.

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SN711 Wrote:
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... Use
> of pen and pencil & paper to keep track of things
> is a foreign concept.
>
> Gary


When the power goes out all the data being monitored goes away too, if something goes wrong there is nothing to go back and replay, no 'back up tapes'. Of course the equipment in the field has data being archived but it would have to be all pieced together for an overview.

SN711 Wrote:
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> Use
> of pen and pencil & paper to keep track of things
> is a foreign concept.

I knew an industrial designer who had a big project to develop, requiring weekend work. He had a session at his house with some of his young engineers. They brainstormed and sketched ideas until they had a winner. He said he would draw it up. They asked where, there was no computer. He had a big really cool drafting table in his home office. He said he'd draw it up right there. But there's no computer. Nope. He sat down at the table and started working. His young colleagues couldn't believe what they were seeing. They had only done drafting with a computer. They literally did not know about drawing by hand.

TAW

As a summer worker in IC's Asst. to Division Engr in Chicago, one assignment was to create a 1"=100' drawing of a mile of Freeport District main track, from the 1"=300' valuation maps. Using ink and a Leroy Scriber to letter, it took about one entire month, or maybe longer. Now, available in minutes from the computer. Which is the better way?

We can write letters via e-mail or snail-mail. Which is the better way?

Photos transmitted instantaneously vis Facebook or other means. Is this worse or better than Kodak prints with no backup?

CarolVoss Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> stash Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thought somebody tripped over the extension
> cord
> > at Harriman. All Capitol Corridor and San
> Joaquin
> > trains way off schedule.
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> The janitor unplugged something to plug in the
> vacuum cleaner—-:-)
> C


Actually experienced that with a hosting center in Southern California. Did not believe it was possible... But it was.

JGFuller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As a summer worker in IC's Asst. to Division Engr
> in Chicago, one assignment was to create a 1"=100'
> drawing of a mile of Freeport District main track,
> from the 1"=300' valuation maps. Using ink and a
> Leroy Scriber to letter, it took about one entire
> month, or maybe longer. Now, available in minutes
> from the computer. Which is the better way?
>
> We can write letters via e-mail or snail-mail.
> Which is the better way?
>
> Photos transmitted instantaneously vis Facebook or
> other means. Is this worse or better than Kodak
> prints with no backup?

That's like asking which is better, using a car or walking when there is no car to use. I firmly maintain that fundamental knowledge, not necessarily expertise, of the way things were done before computers is essential in all professions. Is it important that folks posting kittens on Facebook and sending emails of recipes to friends know film photography or writing/typing? No, because those activities are not essential. Unless FAA has recently fallen to modern thinking, they thought it essential for Air Traffic Controllers to know the old ways and have the tools for doing so standing by. I suppose it would be kind of inconvenient to just leave the traffic up there motionless until the computer came back, wouldn't it?

TAW