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Canadian National Railway smartens up |
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By John Dodge - Smart Planet Railroads are not the first industry that come to mind when the subject of smart technologies comes up, but you’d be surprised. One nifty software application known as SmartYard is shuttling freight cars more efficiently through switching yards at the Canadian National Railway Co. (CN), whose 20,421 mile network stretches across Canada and deep into the U.S. midsection. Using realtime data fed from points throughout CN’s vast track network, SmartYard sequences freight car processing to lower the dwell (or languish) times in switching yards. “It continuously adjusts to constantly changing conditions of the yard inventory and CN’s network using preset parameters and rates to predict when processes associated with classification and train make-up will start and end. When the start or end time of a process conflicts with or does not support the yard’s overall plan, alerts are displayed,” according to CN’s web site. SmartYard suggests how cars should be “blocked” into outbound trains to get them on their way as fast as possible, lowering average dwell times at one yard from 27 hours to between 18 and 19, according to a feature story about CN in the August TRAINS magazine. “To take eight or nine hours from the dwell of 2,700 cars every day - that’s powerful,” one CN executive is quoted as saying in the story written by veteran railroad writer Fred Frailey (who I know and like me is an incurable railfan.). |
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The little railway that could |
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Patrick White - Darlingford, Man. — From Globe and Mail The jangle of crossing bells never sounded so sweet. They echoed across the town green in Darlingford, Man., Tuesday, to a spot of weed-lined railroad where farmers clad in suspenders and John Deere hats marvelled at their newest asset. “People said it would never happen,” said local farmer Kevin Friesen, staring up at a locomotive and two grain cars. “They said we'd never see this day.” The Boundary Trail Rail Company is Canada's newest railway and also one of its shortest, stretching across 37 kilometres of southern Manitoba farmland. But what it lacks in length, it makes up for in symbolism. “These small branch lines have been disappearing for decades and farmers have had to haul farther and farther,” said local producer Geoff Young. “This is our way of fighting that trend. |
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New rules respecting minimum qualification standards |
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Source: The Railway Association of Canada New rules respecting minimum qualification standards for railway employees The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities has recently approved the new Employee Qualification Rule. The new rule applies to any occupational category and any railway position directly engaged in the movement or control of equipment in yard service or on main track.
It also applies to railway employees authorized to operate cranes or other machines moving equipment. This rule will eventually replace the Railway Employee Qualification Standard Regulations, CTC 1987-3 (SOR/87-150) once it has been repealed. The official name of the new rule will be Rules Respecting Minimum Qualification Standards for Railway Employees. Click Here |
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