Remote Control Trains, i had no idea!

Thats common in the giant rail yards where freight trains are assembled by robot locos, which are controlled by a computer controlled program. The CNR yard in Chicago has had such a system since about 1995. I know because I hand delivered the original C.D. with the program on it, from the CNR HQ here in Toronto. I was a expedite owner /operator with a F250 cargo van, and I drove that disc all the way to Chicago over night, and met the yard superintendent and gave it to him. My directions from my dispatcher were..."If you lose that thing, don't come back ". Grin. JimB.
 
Across the transportation industry, things are going in that direction.

Starting this fall (2024), there will be driverless big rigs driving Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston on a regular basis.

 

Most of the "light rails" in cities that are used for shuttles are unmanned. I also saw a special on TV that Japan has a high speed rail that runs unmanned and is operated at a central control station.
 
We're heading in the direction of having driverless Taxi's, so why not trains? It's a shame, I've always enjoyed driving. Being a train driver is a childhood dream.
 
We're heading in the direction of having driverless Taxi's, so why not trains? It's a shame, I've always enjoyed driving. Being a train driver is a childhood dream.
I got to ride in an engine just once. There was an accident with a train hitting a vehicle. We did a recreation of the accident. I filmed the train at the precise mph he was going at the time of the accident. Then we had a car enter the tracks and I kept filming as the engineer shut down the accelerator and hit the brakes and showed how far the engine traveled until it stopped.

I thanked the Engineer for his cooperation and told him I thought he had a really cool job. He thanked me and said he likes his job, but you do have to pay attention to the lights and signs along the route, so it's not like people think where you get the train moving and then have a seat for the trip.
 


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