Railroads Today... Passenger Service Advancements
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One of the most exciting efforts to improve passenger service is Amtrak's Acela (sm) initiative. This involved the purchase of new train sets (locomotives and passenger cars), rebuilding track beds, tilt technology, and restructured service arrangements. |
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This is one of the Acela locomotives, seen during its early testing. This and a number of other Amtrak and SEPTA photos you will see here are courtesy of Stan Feldman, whose web site may be reached by clicking here. Many railroad fans maintain excellent web sites with up-to-date information on just about every railroad you can think of! |
The worker two screens back is holding a "FRED," a Flashing Rear End Device. This battery operated apparatus is placed on the coupler of the last freight car. It flashes a red light, monitors brake functions and can radio readings to the engineer in the locomotive. It's also called an End-Of-Train-Device. The FRED and other electronics such as hot-box detectors have resulted in the elimination of most cabooses on freight trains. Reduction in crew size has been an important factor in railroad profitability, which is carefully balanced against their commitment to safety. |
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This is part of the dashboard of an Acela locomotive. Lots of electronics, and not at all like the noisy, unconditioned environment of the old steam locomotives. |
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