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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by PNWRMNM Timberwolf, Railroads do not need GPS. They have other systems to keep track of the cars and rail cars can not go anywhere like a truck can. Ed is right about slow pace of technological change. We could debate forever whether labor or management is more responsible for this. I personally lean toward labor. Another reason for this is the need for interchangeability. You will not see much change in coupler technology since the new will have to couple with the old. Electro Pneumatic braking is an example of something that would bring big improvement in train handling but the just havent figured out how to do it cheap enough and reliably enough yet. I'd say its probably both management and labor. Management is all about cutting costs in the short-term these days and labor is always afraid (not without reason) that new technology will cost jobs. A practical improvement would be a coupler that would authmatically make the air joint too. They have them in transit service. Problem is interchangeablity and the rough service environment. Remember Ed's story about shaking up the yuppie hobo's. That stuff happens and even on a good day both hump yards and flat yards have lots of rough joints. [/quote] Well, I understand that block occupancy signals can show that a given block of track is occupied. But does it also indicate which train is in the block? It would sure be nice for yard crews to not have to wrestle with air hoses in the winter. It sounds like the remote control belts will take a while to gain wide-spread acceptance. From what I've read, on issue that will have to be worked out is whether conductor/switchmen will be allowed to use them wheter they will be restricted to engineers. I was at an orientation/testing session conductor trainees for BNSF last week and the HR guy mentioned that learning the use a belt pack might be something that we would be trained on in the future but because he mentioned it in the same breath that he mentioned engineer training, I wasn't clear what trade it would fall under. Is there any market for freight trains that average 70+ mph? Such speeds seem fairly common in Europe and UK.
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