Drone.......

PTC antennas. (Photo by Kathi Kube.)

Yet another treatment of Positive-Train-Control (PTC).
That’s because my October 2011 issue of Trains Magazine has another article on Positive-Train-Control.
Positive-Train-Control is mainly off-locomotive systems taking over control of a train when its engineer exceeds his track-authority.
Since trains share the same track, they can crash into each other, causing great devastation, especially if the train has hazardous freight — e.g. combustibles, or dangerous/lethal chemicals.
If the engineer is asleep or inattentive, PTC would take over and stop the train; thus avoiding disaster.
Seems I just did a blog on Positive-Train-Control.
A few months ago, Trains Magazine did an earlier article on PTC predicting railroad armageddon, traffic locked and not moving.
PTC is controversial, yet dictated by government mandate.
It’s a typical short-sighted government reaction to tragic train-crashes, many with hazardous lading.
Thousands of things could go wrong with a PTC system.
The implication is the mandate is not of-the-real-world.
So many inputs have to factor into Positive-Train-Control there is fear such a system could crash and lock itself up, and hamper or stop train operation.
This most recent article is positive, that PTC could maximize railroad productivity — allow tighter headways, and thus more trains per time allotment.
So much slop wouldn’t have to be factored into train operation.
A distant computer could crunch train-weight and braking-ability to overtake the judgment of the train-engineer,
It could apply brakes later; increasing train-frequency.
The author’s premise is that PTC will be as revolutionary and difficult as dieselization, which revolutionized railroading.
Dieselization wasn’t mandated.
This all begs the question of why a train-engineer?
PTC could theoretically operate the trains, dispensing with engineers.
Get rid of human input, which is unreliable and suspect, and prone to mistakes.
There’s just one problem.
Is is possible to program automated train operation to meet every contingency?
Just recently I rode a railfan excursion on the Middle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad; Harrisburg to Altoona, PA.
We were in the second car, close enough to monitor when the engines were working, and when they weren’t.
Back-and-forth we went, often many times per minute.
Obviously the judgment of a seasoned train-engineer was at play, one who knew every inch of the railroad, and determined train-operation to meet unexpected contingencies.
I have a hard time seeing a PTC-system keeping up with a train-engineer.
Too many factors are at play.

• I’m a railfan, and have been since age-two (I’m 67).
• “Al-TUNE-uh;” as in the name “Al.”