NS and BNSF Railway to Test New Train Brake Technology

[NW Mailing List]

John:
 
I'm going a lot by memory of having looked at this stuff about  five years 
ago (when the first experimental ECP installations were being tested  at Pueblo 
and on some test trains) so I'll keep it general in the hopes others  more up 
to date can fill in the details.
 
Basically, the old EP systems like you're remembering used  control battery 
voltage trainlines to play a tune on application and release  magnet valves on 
the trailing cars to apply, lap and release.  These new  systems are 
electronic, and I THINK they are based on sending digital message  packets.
 
I hope this will get you started and, as I said, others will be  able to fill 
in more detail.
 
Dave Phelps
 
In a message dated 3/29/2007 11:12:41 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org writes:

All,

How are these brakes different from the electro-pneumatic  brakes Great 
Northern used in the 50's-60's on their passenger trains.   The FRA is touting them 
also.  I was at the Transportation Research  Board's meeting. FRA was there 
among the exhibits talking about their latest  and greatest projects.  I asked 
them about the difference, they didn't  know and sort of seemed non-plused 
that I was comparing their new brakes to an  old technology. 

Looking forward to hearing from someone,

John  Rhodes

On 3/29/07, NW Mailing  List <_nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org _ 
(mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org) >  wrote:  

-----Original  Message-----
From: <mailto:_ owner-nsinfo%40nscorp.com_ (mailto:owner-nsinfo at nscorp.com) 

>_owner-nsinfo at nscorp.com_ (mailto:owner-nsinfo at nscorp.com) 

[mailto:_owner-nsinfo at nscorp.com_ (mailto:owner-nsinfo at nscorp.com) ]
Sent:  Thursday, March 29, 2007 1:46 PM 
Subject: NS and BNSF Railway to Test  New Train Brake Technology

March 29, 2007

Norfolk Southern and  BNSF Railway to Test New Train Brake Technology

NORFOLK, VA AND FORT  WORTH, TEXAS, March 29, 2007 - Norfolk Southern 
Railway (NS) and BNSF  Railway Company (BNSF) will begin testing a new
braking system that may  reduce the amount of time it takes to stop a
train.

The project,  authorized by the Federal Railroad Administration, calls 
for NS and BNSF  to equip and test certain locomotives and freight cars
with  electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes.

ECP brakes have the  potential to reduce train stopping distances by as
much as 50 to 70  percent over conventional air brake systems. ECP 
brakes utilize  electronic signals to simultaneously apply and release
throughout the  length of a freight train. This differs from
conventional brake systems  in which each car brakes individually as air
pressure moves in a series  from car to car. 

Testing ECP will allow the railroads to review its  potential for
improved braking and shorter stopping distances that may  improve
railroad and public safety, network capacity and efficiency,  asset
utilization, fuel savings and equipment maintenance. 

NS and  BNSF plan to conduct separate ECP brake tests. NS plans to equip
30  locomotives and 400 rapid-discharge coal cars with ECP brakes during
2007  and use the equipment in dedicated coal train service.
BNSF plans to test  this technology within its intermodal fleet,
focusing on international  business to/from the San Pedro Bay ports. In
addition, BNSF is pursing a  partnership with a major coal customer to
integrate this technology into  one of the longest distance coal routes 
in the country.

"ECP  brakes represent a major breakthrough in rail technology," said
Gerhard  Thelen, Norfolk Southern's vice president operations planning
and  support. "Our tests will help determine how the technology performs 
in a  real-world environment and will indicate whether it will be
practical to  one day make it commonplace across the entire U.S.  rail
industry."

"BNSF plans to expand the testing of this  important technology within 
its fleet," said Dave Dealy, BNSF's vice  president, Transportation. "By
leveraging our past experience with this  technology, BNSF looks forward
to building on this foundation to allow  further implementation of ECP 
into our intermodal and coal  shipments."

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the  nation's premier
transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway  subsidiary
operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states, the  District of 
Columbia and Ontario, Canada, serving every major container  port in the
eastern United States and providing superior connections to  western
rail carriers. NS operates the most extensive intermodal network  in the 
East and is North America's largest rail carrier of metals  and
automotive products.

A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa  Fe Corporation (NYSE: BNI),
BNSF Railway Company operates one of the  largest North American rail 
networks, with about 32,000 route miles in  28 states and two Canadian
provinces. BNSF is among the world's top  transporters of intermodal
traffic, moves more grain than any other  American railroad, carries the 
components of many of the products we  depend on daily, and hauls enough
low-sulphur coal to generate about ten  percent of the electricity
produced in the United States. BNSF is an  industry leader in Web-
enabling a variety of customer transactions at _www.bnsf.com_ 
(http://www.bnsf.com/) .

###

BNSF  contacts:
Patrick Hiatte, 817-867-6418,
(<mailto:_patrick.hiatte%40bnsf.com_ (mailto:patrick.hiatte at bnsf.com) >_  
patrick.hiatte at bnsf.com_ (mailto:patrick.hiatte at bnsf.com) )

Norfolk Southern contacts:
(Media)  Susan Terpay, 757-823-5204,
(<mailto:_susan.terpay%40nscorp.com_ (mailto:susan.terpay at nscorp.com) >_  
susan.terpay at nscorp.com_ (mailto:susan.terpay at nscorp.com) )
(Investors) Leanne Marilley,  757-629-2861
(<mailto:_leanne.marilley%40nscorp.com_ (mailto:leanne.marilley at nscorp.com) 

>_leanne.marilley at nscorp.com  _ (mailto:leanne.marilley at nscorp.com) )


-------------
Norfolk Southern Corporation
<_http://www.nscorp.com_ (http://www.nscorp.com/) >_http://www.nscorp.com_ 
(http://www.nscorp.com/) 


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