I assume you're talking about ECP braking; with the electrical wire that applies the brakes on trailing cars electrically in addition to the standard air braking?
Well, it reduces the time it takes for the brakes to apply on the whole train, decreasing the stopping distance by quite a bit.
Plus, if one of the air hose connectors between cars gets blocked or turned, you won't have a runaway trains on your hands...the electrical system will apply the brakes behind the block. That would have prevented the Federal Express wreck that deposited a GG7 in the basement of Washington, DC, Union Station, among others...
The wreck factor really isn't a big point; mostly it's the part about the brakes applying faster and more evenly throughout the train.
Of course, I have no experience with either ECP brakes or regular air brakes... All this is just from reading about them... I have no doubt that they take some getting used to and may be a downright pain to use, but the question is do the improvements make it worth the trouble?
Everybody who I ever heard comment on it call it nothing but trouble. Technology without a guide or training to use it. Etc. Anyone experienced with it care to comment?
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