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Gigantic Freight Car classification turntable?
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<p>I looked at the animation again. It is mesmerizing, but I think it needs to slow down and become clearer and more convincing as to how it is superior to conventional yard switching. They say it uses less space than a conventional yard. Show me an animation that first clearly sets forth a complex switching objective. Then move through it with both systems showing the individual moves and their elapsed time consumed. And show the total area required as the operations of the two systems are compared.</p><p>I am not convinced about the role of the trackmobiles. When they make a diverging move through that center point, I assume they are picking themselves up onto their tires and resetting themselves back onto their flanged wheels. With all this turntable functionality, I would think the trackmobiles could simply be turned by turning the central hub like a mini turntable for the trackmobiles only. </p><p>However, in the bigger picture, it seems to me that with all the automation that this system implies, the trackmobile motive power is archaic. The table tracks could be equipped with <em><u>traveling tractive dogs</u></em> equipped with couplers that would engage a car's coupler and move the car. The coupler on the dog could be automatically operated. With a little more robotics, the dog could run down and pull the pin to make a cut, and then run back to grab the coupler of the lead car. Being able to pull the pin would also enable the dog to reliably couple to a car with a closed knuckle. These dogs could also serve to secure the cars during rotation of the turntables. </p><p>Like others have suggested, I would like to see the details of the turntables and the drive system. Surely these details have been worked out and developed to a practical concept if this is being seriously proposed to the railroad industry. </p>
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