Aerojet
Active Member
I am not sure if this is the right place to post this, but -- this is from last weekend (Labor Day) and what was on the radio. Let's start with this - PTC is positive train control. It is supposed to be the answer to trains running over stop signals and other problems.
Scene - Train ready to leave Butler Yard on the Adams Sub - the Omaha dispatcher gives the crew the train order on the radio --
Box 3 proceed from YL 311 to Rock and take siding
Box 5 leave spring switch at Rock lined for siding
Box 6 hold siding until UP 7840 south bound clears, proceed to Oxford and hold main for southbound. Call when you get that far.
Okay, so it is time for the up to leave for Adams. He heads out, I catch him at Maple St. in Sussex - then the thing continues to Ashipun where Rock siding is.
He starts to enter the Rock siding and the PTC stops his train. Cold.
This is ABS territory and the signal is just ahead of the siding switch. It shows RED. So it stops the northbound train in the middle of swinging into Rock siding per the train orders.
It took a good half hour of screwing around between the dispatcher, the train crew and a couple of other people as to how to reset the thing so they could proceed. The PTC creates a "ticket" of some sort which is the identity of the reason for the stoppage, I think ...
In the end the train did make it onto the siding then .... as it was coming out of the spring switch on the north end the PTC again stopped the train due to the switch was thrown against the movement. Normally the UP leaves the two switches set southbound for main, northbound for siding, and both are springers. Just bang thru them and keep on going....
Tell that to the positive train control.
Another lost half hour while the worked thru the "ticket" which was generated by the system and got the locos back on line and onto Oxford.
I suppose in time they will fix this problem but right now it is showing how much trouble a device designed to fix a problem creates one.
The Aerojet
Scene - Train ready to leave Butler Yard on the Adams Sub - the Omaha dispatcher gives the crew the train order on the radio --
Box 3 proceed from YL 311 to Rock and take siding
Box 5 leave spring switch at Rock lined for siding
Box 6 hold siding until UP 7840 south bound clears, proceed to Oxford and hold main for southbound. Call when you get that far.
Okay, so it is time for the up to leave for Adams. He heads out, I catch him at Maple St. in Sussex - then the thing continues to Ashipun where Rock siding is.
He starts to enter the Rock siding and the PTC stops his train. Cold.
This is ABS territory and the signal is just ahead of the siding switch. It shows RED. So it stops the northbound train in the middle of swinging into Rock siding per the train orders.
It took a good half hour of screwing around between the dispatcher, the train crew and a couple of other people as to how to reset the thing so they could proceed. The PTC creates a "ticket" of some sort which is the identity of the reason for the stoppage, I think ...
In the end the train did make it onto the siding then .... as it was coming out of the spring switch on the north end the PTC again stopped the train due to the switch was thrown against the movement. Normally the UP leaves the two switches set southbound for main, northbound for siding, and both are springers. Just bang thru them and keep on going....
Tell that to the positive train control.
Another lost half hour while the worked thru the "ticket" which was generated by the system and got the locos back on line and onto Oxford.
I suppose in time they will fix this problem but right now it is showing how much trouble a device designed to fix a problem creates one.
The Aerojet
