Human versus non-human

“Run without it.” (Photo by BobbaLew.)

A self-driving Uber car (I think it was Uber) crashes into a bicyclist and kills her.
Self-driving technology is immediately questioned.
A human-driven passenger-train derails after attempting a 30 mph curve at 80. A northbound Amtrak passenger express derails off a 50 mph curve in north Philadelphia killing some — again too fast = 80 mph. A southbound commuter train at 80 mph hurls off a 30 mph curve just north of New York City.
All these derailments coulda been avoided with “Positive-Train-Control” to override human foulups.
Uhm, is not PTC the same wondrous technology which killed a bicyclist, which a human could have overridden?
So which is better: human or artificial intelligence?
My brother and I monitor our railroad-radio scanners when we visit Altoona, PA, to chase and photograph trains.
We were at Horseshoe Curve, where the old Pennsylvania Railroad conquered Allegheny Mountain. We were listening to train 27N, all westbound auto-racks. 27N was doing Pennsy’s old Middle Division from Harrisburg to Altoona. The railroad is now Norfolk Southern.
27N had two General-Electric diesels pulling, and the newer GEs have a computer thingy called “Trip-Optimizer.” It operates the locomotive as the engineer watches. Hills and load, etc, are all taken into account.
“Trip-Optimizer” was kicking out one of the locomotives. If the engineer disabled “Trip-Optimizer,” that locomotive would run.
Back-and-forth the crew went with various desk-driving supervisors. 27N had a good radio, so we were getting everything.
It’s the old waazoo. Train engineers are clearly inferior to all-knowing management, so hafta report everything. “Trip-Optimizer” engaged, that second unit would run a few minutes, then drop to idle.
Harrisburg to Altoona is essentially uphill. It’s following the Juniata river = a grade, but only a river-grade. Not difficult. 27N operated with intermittent cutouts of that second unit. 27N was approaching Altoona, a locus of railroad management. The vaunted Trainmaster was engaged: heavy-heavy!
At least 10-15 minutes of kowtowing by 27N’s crew, then another 10-15 minutes threading Altoona. Finally “Just run without it,” said the Trainmaster. Like HELLO; probably the same thing all trackside management was saying as 27N proceeded west from Harrisburg.
“Trip-Optimizer” is a step toward train-operation without the engineer. Self-driving trains are the same as self-driving cars.
So a 15,000-ton unit coal-train runs away down Allegheny Mountain, and takes out half of Altoona. Why wasn’t a human on-board to override “Trip-Optimizer?”
“I threw it into emergency,” a train-engineer reports. “This thing was gettin’ away.”
There gonna hafta uncurl my cold, dead fingers from the steering-wheel.

• “Emergency” is full train braking. It usually stops a train — the cars have brakes too; they also are activated.