(02-23-2023, 12:05 AM)Bob_McBob Wrote:

(02-17-2023, 11:05 PM)nms Wrote: I don’t understand. The process of coupling is more involved than one might assume, or a coupled pair has to do extra work before starting every time? By “in the coupling”, do you mean standing on the track between the 2 coupled vehicles?

If the latter, that’s stupid. The system is eventually supposed to operate routinely with coupled pairs, and the main reason for doing so is to avoid paying more drivers when increasing capacity. Whatever they will do when it operates routinely they should be able to do now. Enough with the safety paranoia.

I mean the process of getting them coupled while in service is complicated. Every pair of trains has to be parked and individually visited by LRV Maintenance while other trains bypass them. Once they're coupled, Control gives the two operators specific instructions. The operator of the rear train sits in the front cab and monitors the coupling. Before every station departure, they have to visually confirm there isn't anybody in the coupling area and relay this to the operator of the front train, who then has to explicitly confirm they heard before proceeding.

(02-23-2023, 08:32 AM)ijmorlan Wrote:

(02-23-2023, 12:05 AM)Bob_McBob Wrote: I mean the process of getting them coupled while in service is complicated. Every pair of trains has to be parked and individually visited by LRV Maintenance while other trains bypass them. Once they're coupled, Control gives the two operators specific instructions. The operator of the rear train sits in the front cab and monitors the coupling. Before every station departure, they have to visually confirm there isn't anybody in the coupling area and relay this to the operator of the front train, who then has to explicitly confirm they heard before proceeding.

I still don’t get it. First you say that the answer to my question is the first alternative: “I mean the process of getting them coupled while in service is complicated.” Then you say that they have to do something before every station departure, which is the second alternative: “ Before every station departure…”. So it sounds like the answer to my question is, in effect, “both”.

So what is the plan when we routinely run pairs of trains? The reason for double trains is to save on labour costs compared to running them singly: the system can easily handle trains every 5 minutes in each direction, and could go more frequently than that with some adjustments to the operation of the crossing protection systems.

(02-23-2023, 11:16 AM)ac3r Wrote: Meanwhile in India you can couple a train while the engineer stands inches from it and immediately gets between the two while a whole crowd watches: https://youtu.be/SSHuv_7s9TY?t=88

Sometimes we have way too much obsession with safety over here. And that's why people ignore it very often which is a contradictory effect. I was at a job site recently atop a very tall building. Technically we're supposed to harness in and all that. Do you think that always happens? Unless you're about to stand on the edge of a beam, people will ignore it. But at least we're not doing stunts like this anymore even tho that is extremely based.

Trains are extremely dangerous tho and in bad weather like that it's expected they'll be careful coupling trains. I've done freight train hopping across a bit of the country and it's wild how much sheer power trains have. When you're sitting behind a shipping container on an intermodal going at high speeds you really get a sense of what you're dealing with.

(02-23-2023, 02:41 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: Now dinner on a beam… that might be fun!