Westinghouse Air Brake Company

Michael J Joyce, Jr

Gregory S Balukin

Leonard Roselli

Winslow Kevin Duff

Daniel J Wolf

David J Pcsolar

Charles L Crawford

Frank Huchrowski

A method of changing between two operator stations in a cab of a locomotive for controlling the brakes of the locomotive and of a train of railway cars connected to the locomotive. The stations each have at least one brake handle and an associated selector switch, with each of the switches being electrically connected to a brake control computer. The method includes stopping the train if the train is in motion and placing the brake valve handles of the stations in a position to apply the brakes at full service. One of the operator stations is selected as an active station for braking the train while the other station is selected to be inactive. Signals are directed from the selector switches at the operator stations to the computer, the signals indicating which of the two stations is active and inactive. The computer is provided with the software that accepts a valid transition to the station selected by the operator as the active station.

Dual station air brake control

A method of preventing movement of a locomotive while personnel are working on the locomotive. The method includes placing the brakes of the locomotive under the control of a card reading control box, and providing personnel employed to work on the locomotive with identification cards readable by the box. Each worker inserts his or her card in the box before working on the locomotive, and the control box reads the cards and in response thereto maintains the brakes of the locomotive at full service until personnel have left the locomotive and the control box is cleared by workers again inserting their cards in the box or by a master key in the position of an engineer/operator of a locomotive.

Electronic blue flag safety equipment

A system for electronically controlling brakes on a train is responsive to a brake handle positionable into any one of a plurality of discrete positions. The discrete brake control system includes a cab station unit, a brake control unit, a comm channel and a direct communication device. The cab station unit generates both a base signal stream and a dedicated signal stream. The base signal stream is indicative of parameters for operating the system including the discrete brake handle positions. The dedicated signal stream is solely indicative of the discrete brake handle positions. The brake control unit controls operation of the brakes in coordinated response to both the base and the dedicated signal streams. The comm channel is the route through which the base signal stream is communicated from the cab station unit to the brake control unit. The direct communication device is in parallel with the comm channel and is the route through which the dedicated signal stream is communicated from the cab station unit to the brake control unit. Information pertaining to the discrete brake handle positions is communicated to the brake control unit faster through the direct communication device than through the comm channel. This enables the brake control unit to respond promptly to positioning of the brake handle.

Electronic discrete brake control system for a train

A system for electronically controlling brakes on a train through a double ended locomotive is disclosed. The electronic brake control system comprises a first cab station, a second cab station and a brake control device which communicates with each of the cab stations. The cab stations are interchangeable and operate in part according to algorithms set forth in software written for the instant cab stations. The brake control device likewise operates in part according to algorithms set forth in software written for the brake control device. The first cab station generates a first stream of signal packets indicative of parameters for operating the system and transmits same to the brake control device. The second cab station likewise generates a second stream of signal packets indicative of parameters for operating the system and transmits same to the brake control device. Each cab station generates and transmits its respective stream of signal packets one signal packet at a time. From these signal packets, the brake control device determines which of the cab stations will direct control of the train brakes according to basic rules set forth in the software. When the brake control device selects one of said cab stations to direct control of the brakes, the brake control device controls operation of the brakes in response to at least the stream of signal packets corresponding to the selected cab station.

Growing community of inventors

Jefferson Borough, PA, United States of America

Michael J Joyce, Jr