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Here in Germany a Engineer only freight train is absolute normal. And in the most other states in Europe too. [:-^][tup] In every engine is a system called SIFA. The engineer must push a pedal or a knob at every time when the train is rolling, with and without power, and he must lift this each 20 to 30 seconds. When he will not do so, there is first an alarm and when than is no reaction after 5 seconds the train come to an automatic emergency stop! We run 300 km/h highspeed ICE with only one engineer! And do this with the highest security for the passengers I think! But this speed they make only a lines with only ICE´s on it, no freight, no commuters, 100% ICE. By the way, I live only 1 kilometer away from the highspeedline from Frankfurt to Cologne. I had the luck to made some cabrides with different ICE trains! My last cabride was with an ICE1 from Frankfurt to Hamburg at January 1. Until, I think between 1980 and 1985, a train that run more than 160 km/h must have a second man in front. But with the changes in computer systems that was canceled. The last time that a second man was offical in the cabs was from 1991 to 1992. The first year that we run 250 km/h ICE´s at the new built highspeedlines and the first year of the second generation of LZB! All German +160 km/h lines are today under the so called LZB-control. LZB is a computersystem that knows exact the position of a train at every moment. And it works well !!! The development began in the mid 60´s! Near 40 years ago! The LZB terminals are today three separate computers, each do the same and each controll the two others. When you see a photo of a german highspeedline look between the rails: a black cable - about one inch thick. This is the transmitter and the antenna is under the train. When a train run under LZB signals are normally black! There is a display in front of the engineer that shows him the actual status of the line for the next 13.000 meters (about 40.000 feet) to the front! And signals the speed he must have in a distance when there will come a reduction. When there is a halt, at the display the distance to that point will be count down exact in meters, first in steps and the last 500m each meter: When the train comes to halt 5 meter before the "point zero" the display show "5"! Under LZB the computer "create" an virtual electronic block to each train with a safety distance to the front and to the rear, the trains will run with a minimum distance and maximum security. When two run in minimum distance and the first come to a emergency stop, the second will stop too. And LZB can run a train automatic! There is a position in the speed trottle, named AFB automatic driving and breaking control. Under this, the computer do the complete engineer job! The engineer is than only a controller, he can agree and disagree. The only thing that an engineer do better is the smooth stop at the platform in a station. And so he control this stops. I think the LZB is the only system that control a train at every time. In the future a european system will be similar, this will work via satellite like GPS. The French system (for the TGV), and the others, are similar and different at the same: They control a traiun only at stationary places, so they need real blocks. The AVE in Spain is courious: Spain use French TGV´s with the German LZB!!! But: Because of this huge number of computers in a train and in the line, an engineer can not make a repair. This is the main problem in modern railsystems: to many computer specialists create the engines !!! The result is that the computers had replaced the second man! But there is a big argument for the second man! In Germany, the engineers, we say Lokomotivführer, make trips without a stop of 4 hours maximum! 4 hours alone in the cab is hard!!! And it´s harder when he must go to restroom while driving! We have no toilets in our engines, so he must wait until the next stop, and this can be more than one hour! And this can become a physical stress! There he must leave the engine and go into the train (the long distance trains have closed toilet systems that can be used every time, also in stations). And most of the stops with an ICE are only two minutes. And this fact is the best argument for the second man in Germany: He can run the train when the engineer is at the toilet! In the USA, so I think from the distance, is exact the distance the problem. A two man crew can run a freight train for eight hours without a stop, they can change the seats while running the train. With a two man crew, air condition, a refrigerator and a toilet this trip is very comfortable and will bring not much physical stress to the crew when everything is okay. What will happen when an engineer become ill when he drive the train through the deserts of Utah, Nevada or Califonia? The next town with help is 40 miles away and the next roadcrossing or dirtroad 10 miles. There the second man is, so I think, a must! At the East is more population, the cities are near together and when something happens help will be at the train much quicker. At our ICE lines are diesel engines as emergency-engines based at some stations. they are manned the whole day. And they need them only one time a week. (At the line Frankfurt cologne run at the moment 8 ICE in one hour from 6am to 11pm). The railroad have a plan that in the future this engines will be stored and the engineer - he must have the ICE licence too - will be bring by a helicopter when they need him!
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