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No man trains

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 19, 2003 1:33 AM
I don't think they will work in the yards either. Since the days I did work for the IHB, I've heard about the possibility of running them, but what if a car which is being put over a "hump" has accidently gone into a wrong track? They would have to send an engine in to recover it. If they do the same thing with a computer programmed system, how long would it take them to type the orders in to the engine? Where a train with a crew, can grab it immediately, without having to stop and type it in and wonder? Ralph Zimmer Alsip, Il.
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 19, 2003 1:33 AM
I don't think they will work in the yards either. Since the days I did work for the IHB, I've heard about the possibility of running them, but what if a car which is being put over a "hump" has accidently gone into a wrong track? They would have to send an engine in to recover it. If they do the same thing with a computer programmed system, how long would it take them to type the orders in to the engine? Where a train with a crew, can grab it immediately, without having to stop and type it in and wonder? Ralph Zimmer Alsip, Il.
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Posted by andrewjonathon on Monday, January 19, 2004 5:02 PM
There may be some hurdles that need to be overcome before we see un-manned trains running between stations. But I think that the technology already exists to overcome most of them it just needs to be perfected. For example as far as people walking in front of an unmanned train, Mercedes is advertising technology that will recognize if a person steps in front of your car and stop the car before you could even react. That kind of technology would work well on a train without an engineer. As far as people riding trains without an engineer, once developed I don't think they would soon think anything of it. There a lot of mass transit systems that run without drivers with trains spaced only minutes apart. The Skytrain in Vancouver, BC is an example, thousands of people board every hour without even thinking about it and yet no drivers exist onboard. Trains often operate within eye sight of each other. There are companies trying to create technology so that cars can drive themselves from point A to point B while the driver takes a nap. While that technology is years away from perfection the concept is out there. If that kind of technology could be developed then I don't think it would be a problem to develop technology to drive trains which operate on a fixed set of track regardless of the length or terrain it travels through.
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Posted by andrewjonathon on Monday, January 19, 2004 5:02 PM
There may be some hurdles that need to be overcome before we see un-manned trains running between stations. But I think that the technology already exists to overcome most of them it just needs to be perfected. For example as far as people walking in front of an unmanned train, Mercedes is advertising technology that will recognize if a person steps in front of your car and stop the car before you could even react. That kind of technology would work well on a train without an engineer. As far as people riding trains without an engineer, once developed I don't think they would soon think anything of it. There a lot of mass transit systems that run without drivers with trains spaced only minutes apart. The Skytrain in Vancouver, BC is an example, thousands of people board every hour without even thinking about it and yet no drivers exist onboard. Trains often operate within eye sight of each other. There are companies trying to create technology so that cars can drive themselves from point A to point B while the driver takes a nap. While that technology is years away from perfection the concept is out there. If that kind of technology could be developed then I don't think it would be a problem to develop technology to drive trains which operate on a fixed set of track regardless of the length or terrain it travels through.
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, February 4, 2004 12:48 PM
Remember back about fifteen or twenty years ago...who would have thought we'd all be able to run a computer, or pay for water, or even consider computers flying airplanes or driving trains. Given the (hopefully) time and resources, it's gonna happen.

m
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, February 4, 2004 12:48 PM
Remember back about fifteen or twenty years ago...who would have thought we'd all be able to run a computer, or pay for water, or even consider computers flying airplanes or driving trains. Given the (hopefully) time and resources, it's gonna happen.

m
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, February 5, 2004 6:11 AM
HERE IN SPRINGFIELD MO. BNSF HAS SEVERAL SWITCHERS WITH RC IN THEM. I WAS STUNNED TO SEE THIS. JUST ONE MAN WAS DOING EVERYTHING. NOT THREE OR FOUR. I BET HE WAS LONELY AND BORED.
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, February 5, 2004 6:11 AM
HERE IN SPRINGFIELD MO. BNSF HAS SEVERAL SWITCHERS WITH RC IN THEM. I WAS STUNNED TO SEE THIS. JUST ONE MAN WAS DOING EVERYTHING. NOT THREE OR FOUR. I BET HE WAS LONELY AND BORED.
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, February 5, 2004 8:35 AM
I start this topic a few weeks ago.

at January 24 we had here in Limburg, a celebration. We named one of this ICE3 trains that run at the highspeed line between Frankfurt and Cologne "LIMBURG AN DER LAHN".

After all we had an little imbiss for the guests. I, working in city marketing, was sitting together with the chief of the DBAG depot in Frankfurt-Griesheim, the home of the ICE3 fleet.

We had a discussion about "NO MAN TRAINS".

He agree with me: No man trains are absolute possible today !!!

Why they do this not ? One side are the psychological problems - nobody will drive in a 300 km/h train without the man (or woman) in the cockpit (sorry the ICE3 have a cockpit and not a cab) !
But the main reason is that the engineer can run the train also when the RC will have a misfunction or when there are other problems !!!!
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, February 5, 2004 8:35 AM
I start this topic a few weeks ago.

at January 24 we had here in Limburg, a celebration. We named one of this ICE3 trains that run at the highspeed line between Frankfurt and Cologne "LIMBURG AN DER LAHN".

After all we had an little imbiss for the guests. I, working in city marketing, was sitting together with the chief of the DBAG depot in Frankfurt-Griesheim, the home of the ICE3 fleet.

We had a discussion about "NO MAN TRAINS".

He agree with me: No man trains are absolute possible today !!!

Why they do this not ? One side are the psychological problems - nobody will drive in a 300 km/h train without the man (or woman) in the cockpit (sorry the ICE3 have a cockpit and not a cab) !
But the main reason is that the engineer can run the train also when the RC will have a misfunction or when there are other problems !!!!
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 8, 2004 4:10 PM
The day No man Trains are around, is the Day this world will suffer a great loss.
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 8, 2004 4:10 PM
The day No man Trains are around, is the Day this world will suffer a great loss.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 24, 2004 2:59 PM

Mercedes is advertising technology that will recognize if a person steps in front of your car and stop the car before you could even react. That kind of technology would work well on a train without an engineer.


There's a world of difference between cars and trains.

A car can start and stop readily, but a train needs miles to come to a complete stop, that's where the human judgement comes in. The train would have to distinguish between cars passing over a level crossing and cars that are stuck on a level crossing, and decide in time to stop the train in time.

SkyTrain is driverless, but it's tracks are also all secure, being under ground, above ground or fenced in. The Railroads in the United States and Canada have many level crossings and open areas to the public; because of all the open areas there are many more judgement calls required because of people or cars crossing the tracks.

Driver less? Can't see why not with the way technology is going, it's bound to be a good few decades away though.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 24, 2004 2:59 PM

Mercedes is advertising technology that will recognize if a person steps in front of your car and stop the car before you could even react. That kind of technology would work well on a train without an engineer.


There's a world of difference between cars and trains.

A car can start and stop readily, but a train needs miles to come to a complete stop, that's where the human judgement comes in. The train would have to distinguish between cars passing over a level crossing and cars that are stuck on a level crossing, and decide in time to stop the train in time.

SkyTrain is driverless, but it's tracks are also all secure, being under ground, above ground or fenced in. The Railroads in the United States and Canada have many level crossings and open areas to the public; because of all the open areas there are many more judgement calls required because of people or cars crossing the tracks.

Driver less? Can't see why not with the way technology is going, it's bound to be a good few decades away though.
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, February 2, 2005 4:27 AM
There is another factor that no one seems to think about with the unmanned trains. In any other country people DO listen when told to stay off of railroad property and stop at crossings. Not so here in the United States, too many people take things for granted and expect the world to come to a stop for them. some of them hope thay get hit, and live to tell about it, because the railroads "pay for" all the damages that occur, whether it is their fault or not.
People don't listen the way some of us older folks did when we were told to stay away from certain areas. If people would listen things might not be happening as readily and there would be no derailments or car vs. train accidents.
The other thing is the fact that today, we need engineers and switchmen more on the road trains because of all the possible terrorists that want to do damage to this great nation. With people in the cab of the engines as they are heading to where ever, they can see the places and things that might be occurring to their tracks, and report them to their dispatchers. We need them for the purposr of safety and responsibility!

ralph zimmer n9kym@aol.com
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, February 2, 2005 4:27 AM
There is another factor that no one seems to think about with the unmanned trains. In any other country people DO listen when told to stay off of railroad property and stop at crossings. Not so here in the United States, too many people take things for granted and expect the world to come to a stop for them. some of them hope thay get hit, and live to tell about it, because the railroads "pay for" all the damages that occur, whether it is their fault or not.
People don't listen the way some of us older folks did when we were told to stay away from certain areas. If people would listen things might not be happening as readily and there would be no derailments or car vs. train accidents.
The other thing is the fact that today, we need engineers and switchmen more on the road trains because of all the possible terrorists that want to do damage to this great nation. With people in the cab of the engines as they are heading to where ever, they can see the places and things that might be occurring to their tracks, and report them to their dispatchers. We need them for the purposr of safety and responsibility!

ralph zimmer n9kym@aol.com
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 7, 2005 6:39 AM
london underground victoria line,no driver,london docklands,no driver.its already here.
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 7, 2005 6:39 AM
london underground victoria line,no driver,london docklands,no driver.its already here.
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Posted by TheS.P.caboose on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 10:22 AM
I don't think we'll have to be concerned about remote controlled trains in North America. Look at some of the cargo the rairoads carry about the land. I don't think the brotherhood of locomtive engineer would stand for it, just looking out for their members. I don't thinking the railroads would go for it, what happens if something went wrong in transit? In the later case, IMO, the lawyers would have a field day.

It may, and possibly has, come to pass in the yards where it's under a more controlled environment.
Regards Gary
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Posted by TheS.P.caboose on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 10:22 AM
I don't think we'll have to be concerned about remote controlled trains in North America. Look at some of the cargo the rairoads carry about the land. I don't think the brotherhood of locomtive engineer would stand for it, just looking out for their members. I don't thinking the railroads would go for it, what happens if something went wrong in transit? In the later case, IMO, the lawyers would have a field day.

It may, and possibly has, come to pass in the yards where it's under a more controlled environment.
Regards Gary

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