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[quote user="kolechovski"] I didn't get to read the links yet, but some more stuff about this.  First, as one poster asked, yes, NS has some ECP-equipped trains, such as the coal trains that have been coming into the plant for the past 3/4 year.  Crews in the plant's yard have problems with the connections a number of times, and trains have been kept from leaving the plant in any decent amount of time on these occasions, thanks to such issues.  It seems that the engineer can get all the car numbers at the locos, but if the equipment ain't working right, the cars aren't sequencing correctly, and he may have varying numbers of cars showing up in his consist.  It's a huge pain when the crews have to start checking every single connection as a desperate last resort.  I also hear of the hoppers having batteries on them, if I understand it correctly. It had also been somewhat common for the crews to have to turn the engines around at the trio of switches outside of town a number of times during dumping coal from the ECP trains, but I don't know enough to have a clue why. I also wonder, can ECP recharge the train line AND all air reservoirs while keeping the brakes applied?  Would it be realistic to assume some day that with all the abilities of ECP already, that retainers could be automatically set/released from the same system, further improving braking abilities?  Also, could some kind of modification be possible to make sure that, at the very least, the emergency air reservoir is never depleted below a certain point (still allowing effective emergency braking)? And as I understand it, if the ECP fails, you still have air braking.  If you have problems with your air, ECP can still handle all the car braking.  So, it's also a backup system, right?  And if you have a kink in the air hose that would stop normal application of the brakes, ECP could still force the brakes to apply on all the cars, right?  Thanks.[/quote] Re- your questions: I also wonder, can ECP recharge the train line AND all air reservoirs while keeping the brakes applied?  Yes. Would it be realistic to assume some day that with all the abilities of ECP already, that retainers could be automatically set/released from the same system, further improving braking abilities?  The graduated release attribute of ECP brakes can accomplish what retainers do, so you don’t need retainers. Also, could some kind of modification be possible to make sure that, at the very least, the emergency air reservoir is never depleted below a certain point (still allowing effective emergency braking)? I have wondered about that.  It would stop the train if there were deemed insufficient reservoir pressure.  But that would be a difficult determination.  The system would know the reservoir pressure, but it would also have to know the speed and the location of the train in relation to track geometry.  It is all doable, but may not be worth it if p-ing away the air is almost impossible as they imply. And as I understand it, if the ECP fails, you still have air braking.  If you have problems with your air, ECP can still handle all the car braking.  So, it's also a backup system, right?  I believe you would still have air braking if the ECP failed, but not the other way around.  That question and answer needs more exploration.    And if you have a kink in the air hose that would stop normal application of the brakes, ECP could still force the brakes to apply on all the cars, right?  Yes.
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