NS and BNSF Railway to Test New Train Brake Technology

[NW Mailing List]

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> wrote:

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: <mailto:owner-nsinfo%40nscorp.com>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.

>

> ###

>

> BNSF contacts:

> Patrick Hiatte, 817-867-6418,

> (<mailto:patrick.hiatte%40bnsf.com>patrick.hiatte at bnsf.com)

>

> Norfolk Southern contacts:

> (Media) Susan Terpay, 757-823-5204,

> (<mailto:susan.terpay%40nscorp.com>susan.terpay at nscorp.com)

> (Investors) Leanne Marilley, 757-629-2861

> (<mailto:leanne.marilley%40nscorp.com>leanne.marilley at nscorp.com)

>

> -------------

> Norfolk Southern Corporation

> <http://www.nscorp.com>http://www.nscorp.com

>

>

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