• Freight transportation reports, projects and other news from outside North America

9/15/2015

New York Air Brake: LEADER®

LEADER® train management software calculates ideal propulsion and braking applications to minimize in-train forces while optimizing train movement for the most efficient use of time and fuel.

Developed by New York Air Brake’s Train Dynamic Systems Division, LEADER has helped save 30 million gallons of fuel for railroads in North America, Australia and Brazil, company officials said.

"It is a testament to LEADER’s ability to correctly manage in-train forces that over 125 million miles and more than 800,000 trips, our system has never broken a train," said Bill Sturtz, general manager of the Train Dynamic Systems Division.

New York Air Brake also offers a computer-controlled brake system known as CCB II, which the company developed in 1998. The technology uses a microcomputer-based system to provide full automatic and independent brake control for mainline locomotives, according to the company’s website.

Additionally, diagnostic programs that reduce troubleshooting and downtime are built into the system, along with redundant features that allow the system to take action to avoid mission failures. Today, about four out of every five new North American locomotives are equipped with CCB II, company officials said.