UP installing cameras on freight locomotives

UP installing cameras on freight locomotives Union Pacific officials said Monday the railroad is set to complete the installation of digital video cameras on nearly its entire fleet of 6,000 locomotives by year's end.
   “This equipment is a valuable tool in assisting with the investigations of pedestrian or grade-crossing incidents,” said Bob Grimaila, vice president-safety and environment.

A Track Image Recorder set up in the cab of a UP locomotive. Courtesy Union Pacific.

   The Omaha, Neb.-based rail giant, which began installing the cameras in 2005, said it plans to install more than 1,600 Track Image Recorders this year alone, raising the total number of TIR equipped locomotives to 5,600.
   The cameras are mounted on the front of the cabs and the system records the forward-looking train crew's view for future playback.
   UP said that in addition to assisting in accident investigations, the cameras' images are being used in conjunction with local and state officials to help improve crossing safety regulations. Freight trains are now equipped with a 'black box' like those on airplanes, though these devices record much less information — speed, braking, horn actuation. The new camera systems can be synced to the onboard information recorders to provide even more comprehensive data of an incident.
   The announcement came the same day as Bay Area commuter rail line Caltrain reported its first pedestrian death of the year.
   Currently, no California passenger trains have the cameras other than some small pilot programs, however the California Department of Transportation is looking at funding a program to mount cameras on passenger trains.
   There were 111 railway deaths in California in the first nine months of 2007, the most recent period for which records are available. ' Keith Higginbotham