The latest from the UP – Image Recorders
Union Pacific will install Track Image Recorders (TIR) to verify train crew and motorist/pedestrian actions in accidents.
The TIR will be linked to the locomotive's existing event recorder so each trip can be duplicated in detail with the sound of the locomotive's air horn and crossing bell and pictures of the track ahead of the locomotives. Depending on the model, event recorders record speeds, throttle and brake settings, electrical power levels and horn use. The TIR image file and the event recorder data will be time synchronized.
The small cameras will be mounted inside the locomotive cab at the top of the engineer's windshield, looking down the track in front of the locomotive. A microphone will be mounted outside to record the locomotive's air horn. The video image disk, which can record up to five days, will be retained onboard each locomotive in a lockbox, accessible only to authorized personnel for review.
It is anticipated that the first phase of retrofitting Union Pacific locomotives with TIR will be completed by the end of next year. Emphasis will be on "over-the-road" locomotives that pull trains between cities.
Comment: The UP will incur very little expense for the
image disks in these recorders because their trains are standing still so much
of the time!