I saw an article from Australia referenced on Drudge about an A.I. train that was in service in Australia, for the Rio Tinto mining conglomerate. The train is completely automated from loading to final ore drop off. I'm not sure if a standby human engineer is on board but - given the long distances and remote locations, it was mentioned that it saved the trouble of fresh crews driving to meet the train along its route.
Haven't we been sort of copying "A.I." trains for years in our hobby?
Nothing like keeping up with technology!
https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/robot-train-australia/
I find this a curious statement:
"It greatly reduces the 1.5 million kilometers of light vehicle travel by drivers who have had to travel to meet trains for changeovers."
1.5 mil KM is 930,000 miles. This rail line must be beyond the middle of nowhere.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
...from the inner mind to the OUTER LIMITS!
Cedarwoodron
BigDaddy https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/robot-train-australia/ I find this a curious statement: "It greatly reduces the 1.5 million kilometers of light vehicle travel by drivers who have had to travel to meet trains for changeovers." 1.5 mil KM is 930,000 miles. This rail line must be beyond the middle of nowhere.
Total travel, I'd wager. If you have to move a relief crew 500 kilometers and return the original crew 500 kilometers, a single round trip for the train would mean 2,000 kilometers a day. That's 730,000 kilometers a year. Just adding a second train a day puts your drivers at 1.46 million kilometers a year.