This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
September 2022
Compiled by Michael Popke
Industrial Networks (INet) provides a range of rail yard automation and data acquisition systems for manufacturing and shipping operations, rail shippers, Class Is and short lines. Combining mobile devices and stationary readers, INet can find “a solution for automating the collection of data in any environment,” company officials said in an email.
The INetShipper division provides automation and data acquisition systems to shippers. Since 2005, Bourque Logistics and Industrial Networks have partnered to implement the YardMaster Solution. Using stationary and mobile automatic equipment identification (AEI) readers, coupled with shipping operations software that automates load/offload, inventory and inspection processes, the YardMaster solution is designed to increase overall productivity and improve safety in more than 300 plants in North America, Industrial Networks officials said.
Meanwhile, INetRail provides data-collection yard management solutions for short lines and Class Is, rail-car repair shops and car service providers. A combination of AEI hardware, software applications and the new INet Gateway database collect and manage data in a centralized location. INetRail technology includes both stationary and mobile AEI readers, as well as software with inspection forms, photos and an interactive mapping screen.
The Nitro suite of decision-support system software from Progress Rail uses a combination of artificial intelligence and modern software engineering to help significantly reduce delays — saving time and money while improving rail network efficiencies, company officials said.
NitroYard is designed to plan and optimize yard movements, including train arrivals, scout locomotives, loading and unloading and train formation. It can be integrated with other railroad systems. Benefits include up to a 10% reduction of car cycle time at a yard and improved on-time delivery, officials from Progress Rail — which is owned by Caterpillar Inc. — said.
In addition, when NitroYard is coupled with the Nitro Movement Planner, railroads can achieve up to a 13% average velocity increase, up to a 30% reduction in meeting and pass time and up to 95% planning acceptance automation, they said.
The design of hump profiles and the control of headway and coupling speeds in hump yards are difficult because freight cars have different characteristics and rolling resistances, Siemens Mobility Inc. officials said. Faster-rolling cars tend to overtake slower-rolling ones, and the imprecision in predicting the rollability of individual cars on classification tracks makes achieving a desirable coupling speed more difficult, they added.
The space in the tracks between the clearance or safe area to where the cars rest is referred to as the distance to couple. By using the Siemens Mobility Distance to Couple product, the retarders maintain sufficient headway (a minimum of one to two seconds) between cars to allow automated yard-control systems to throw the switches safely, company officials said. The retarders are also used to control the coupling or impact speeds of cars on the classification tracks within specified speed limits of 1 mph to 6 mph.
The Siemens Mobility Distance to Couple product line features a real-time track circuit that reads the space left in the track for incoming cars. The messages are sent back to the control system so it can calculate the speed to allow cars into each track to achieve desired coupling speed. Customers see more accurate distances than the typical estimated distance acquired by wheel detectors and passive circuits, Siemens Mobility officials said.
TekTracking’s Commander Terminal Automation system was developed based on the guiding principles of understanding customers’ pain points, company officials said.
To provide modern, reliable and scalable yard control technology, the company developed a 100% IP-based system using robust, commercially available ethernet communications and controllers. Diagnostic tools are built directly into the system, TekTracking officials said.
The company’s “plug-and-play” capability allows for the incorporation of additional equipment, including mobile devices, PC-based touchscreen displays and video cameras. The Commander Terminal Automation system also gives control back to the railroad by enabling local and remote troubleshooting and problem solving, TekTracking officials said.
The Trainyard Tech LLC ClassMaster™ Hump Yard Process Control System is designed to use a set of control algorithms to provide the highest possible throughput with the lowest number of misrouted cars. The system offers safer handling of free-rolling freight, company officials said.
The software has been used to process more than 100 million individual rail cars in 22 North American classification yards, according to Trainyard Tech. Systems are delivered with off-the-shelf hardware components and provide uninterrupted 24/7 operations.
For use in short-line and flat-yard operations, the company offers the RouteMaster™ NX Process Control System, which features the same technologies used in the ClassMaster system. A scalable system, RouteMaster includes radio controller boxes for individual switches.
Email comments or questions to prograil@tradepress.com.
Related Topics: