Eastern Railroad Discussion > BLET says NO to Leader and Trip Optimizer Technologies

http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=5805

BLET petitions FRA for immediate halt to LEADER, Trip Optimizer technology

CLEVELAND, February 5 — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has asked the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for an emergency order that would immediately prohibit the carrier-mandated use of Locomotive Engineer Assist/Display & Event Recorder (LEADER) and Trip Optimizer technologies....

That would be great! Lots of Engineers have been in trouble because these systems fail to work correctly.

BLET wouldn't make this request without a lot of evidence. I hope the request gets immediate consideration.

Posted from Android

"Communication-based train control systems that interact with throttle positions, train handling, air brakes and dynamic brakes place them in a category where an engineer is left only in reactive mode"

Excellent!  Quite literally the same conversation that we are all having in the cab each time we recieve a train with Trip Optimizer or LEADER.  Any engineer knows from day one:  "RUN THE TRAIN, DONT LET IT RUN YOU."  When an engineer lets the train "run them" really bad things start to happen.  Slack action, speeding, damage to freight, track structure damage......all can easily occur when the train starts to run you.  A good engineer is always thinking miles ahead and visualizing every inch of the line, even in thick fog.  Trip Optimizer is an interesting tool but it creates complacency.  When something goes wrong, from a power load drop to an undesired brake application, an engineer that is not in actual physical control of his train does not REALLY know how to react when he takes the control back from the program.  If he had been running, this would not be the case.  Personally, I HATE Trip Optimizer with a passion.  When the system is installed on every train, I'll go into management......or just quit and do something else.

This sounds like "autopilot" for trains. The FAA has expressed concern about pilots relying too much on technology and not being able to fly the plane by hand. We need to remember that the human brain is a pretty good computer and has the ability to learn from experience. We need to not take the human out of the loop.

we also need more humans "in the loop" so strengthen the economy.........

66

Had two trains in a row fail at a slow order. One it just gave up and expected me to take over. The other hit the slow one mph over but held on.
Last month a engineer let it get 13 mph over before getting it under control. DP was in run 8 down hill.........Been hearing a lot of gremlins showing up.