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Passenger Trains > PTC phase inDate: 02/22/18 19:13 PTC phase in Author: lowerberth Not strictly a passenger topic, but there has been much discussion here. I gather there is now active PTC on various railroads (not counting Amtrak NEC and Michigan), but not all locomotives. So is this being phased in as an "extra set of eyes": operational (i.e. will stop a train if it violates a civil or signal speed limit) on locomotives that are equipped, but mixed with trains that don't have operational locomotives? Presumably, though if the equipment isn't working the train still operates under old rules? But then at some point, PTC goes fully operational and if there is equipment/communications problems, trains stop, or run at restricted speed? Thanks for any insight on how this is going to work.
Date: 02/22/18 20:56 Re: PTC phase in Author: niagara484 lowerberth Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > Not strictly a passenger topic, but there has been > much discussion here. I gather there is now > active PTC on various railroads (not counting > Amtrak NEC and Michigan), but not all locomotives. > So is this being phased in as an "extra set of > eyes": operational (i.e. will stop a train if it > violates a civil or signal speed limit) on > locomotives that are equipped, but mixed with > trains that don't have operational locomotives? > Presumably, though if the equipment isn't working > the train still operates under old rules? But > then at some point, PTC goes fully operational and > if there is equipment/communications problems, > trains stop, or run at restricted speed? Thanks > for any insight on how this is going to work. The intent of PTC is to be "an extra set of eyes" and no more, at least that will be the case for a very long time. I'm confused as to what more you might expect PTC to be doing. It's not going to run the train, that's the engineer's responsibility. The railroad's operating rules always apply, whether the lead loco is PTC-equipped or not. There are no "old" rules; you'll find that railroads are adding new sections to their existing rulebooks for PTC operations. One of the things each railroad needs to do as it implements PTC is populate a locomotive database for the office systems. Adding a locomotive isn't hard, but adding 1,000+ does take some time. Given the fleet size of the Class 1s, you can understand that their first priority is to get their units in the database first. Then they can add the Amtrak units, pool power, run through locomotives, etc as needed. Communications issues that prevent the locomotive from getting wayside messages will cause braking enforcement if the train doesn't stop first. If the outage is extended, dispatchers have discretion to authorize trains to cut-out PTC enforcement and the train will then continue to operate normally (proceed on signal indication). niagara484 Date: 02/23/18 00:06 Re: PTC phase in Author: SN711 PTC was implemented om the BNSF in my area about two years ago. Excluding Amtrak corridor trains, all BNSF trains have to run with a PTC equipped lead locomotive. This has retty much killed off the chance to find a BNSF train with a foreign leader or an older locomotive. Most of the older locomotives that go in and out of storage are not PTC equipped, so they can only be trailing locomotives or DPU's. Most warbonnets can't lead on this segment.
Of course if the PTC equipment on the locomotive fails, or there are other exigent circumstances, the train can be given permission to run without PTC. Gary Date: 02/23/18 06:04 Re: PTC phase in Author: lowerberth Thanks - I was assuming PTC was to be considered more critical, and a loss of PTC (even if wayside signal system was functioning) would be equivalent to signals going dark and everything would have to stop.
Posted from iPhone Date: 02/23/18 06:24 Re: PTC phase in Author: RFandPFan lowerberth Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > Thanks - I was assuming PTC was to be considered > more critical, and a loss of PTC (even if wayside > signal system was functioning) would be equivalent > to signals going dark and everything would have to > stop. > > Posted from iPhone On CSX the PTC Desk and/or Dispatchers give crews permission to cut out PTC if it is malfunctioning and can't be fixed on the road. Date: 02/23/18 07:28 Re: PTC phase in Author: stuporchief You ask, Train Orders answers!
lowerberth Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Not strictly a passenger topic, but there has been > much discussion here. I gather there is now > active PTC on various railroads (not counting > Amtrak NEC and Michigan), but not all locomotives. > So is this being phased in as an "extra set of > eyes": operational (i.e. will stop a train if it > violates a civil or signal speed limit) on > locomotives that are equipped, but mixed with > trains that don't have operational locomotives? > Presumably, though if the equipment isn't working > the train still operates under old rules? But > then at some point, PTC goes fully operational and > if there is equipment/communications problems, > trains stop, or run at restricted speed? Thanks > for any insight on how this is going to work. |