CPs (Canadian Pacific) long train strategy brings together different strands of research and investment in track technology, locomotives and rolling stock, automation and control systems to run trains up to a maximum length of almost 4,3 km. Long trains as a key value driver which has delivered benefits ranging from reduced track and wheel wear and lower fuel consumption to greater capacity and improved staff productivity. After the development of preventive grinding strategies and more efficient curve lubrication, CP began testing top-of-rail friction modifiers. Now 249 wayside lubricator devices are installed between Calgary and Vancouver. Another key enabler of long trains has been the widespread implementation of distributed power, which has enabled CP to minimise in-train forces. Running long trains with distributed power can also assist in cold weather operation, where extreme cold makes it more difficult to charge and apply conventional air brakes. Long train operation requires highly advanced train modelling software, for both safety and efficiency reasons. The software Train Area Marshalling combines the blocking requirements to optimise the movement of specific vehicles to the correct destinations with the power and weight distribution rules to minimise in-train forces for specific sections of route. It calculates the optimum distribution of full loads, and empty vehicles, in order to position remote-controlled locomotives in the best locations within each train. CP is moving from visual inspection of rolling stock to automated wayside devices that can inspect passing vehicles at full speed, together with regular automated test of track and condition.
'It's not just about running longer trains.' Efficiency
Es geht nicht nur um längere Züge. Effizienz
Railway Gazette International ; 167 , 9 ; 55-58
2011
4 Seiten, 5 Bilder
Article (Journal)
English
'It's not just about running longer trains'
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