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12/5/2016

Snyder Equipment Co. Inc. Perspective: Physical support systems that best match space requirements

By Michael Stroder, technical writer
 
While the electronics of PTC are standardized across railroads, their exact placement in the locomotive is not in a standardized location. Space is at a premium in a locomotive, and each railroad has their own protocol and preferences for working in that tight environment.
 
PTC hardware from Snyder Equipment allows each railroad to successfully adapt standard PTC electronic components into the configuration of their locomotives, in a way that secures the components while maintaining a safe and efficient environment for railroad personnel environment. Each new installation of equipment provides a logistical challenge to railroads, especially with a mix of locomotive styles to adapt. With three basic design structures and corresponding Snyder accessories, railroads can choose the physical support systems that best match their space requirements and working environment.
 
PTC support systems from Snyder Equipment include:
● Space-saving modular shelving systems to allow railroads to tailor their shelving to specific locomotive styles while retaining as much uniformity as possible;
● A specialized mounting rack to incorporate power supplies into rack storage systems;
● Roof-mounted antenna boxes to prevent environmental degradation that can cause signal loss and communication problems over time. The roof-mounted antenna box allows for a single opening in the roof of the locomotive;
● Secure compartment doors to prevent unauthorized access to critical PTC components­ — a crucially important factor in today’s uncertain world; and
● Specialty adapter plates, such as for signal aspect displays, CDU adapters, cover plates, overhead console doors and speed indicator adapter plates.
 
In summary, Snyder Equipment provides the physical foundation for PTC structure, allowing it to be smoothly adapted across railroads and locomotive designs. That, in turn, allows railroads to focus their attention on the functional aspects of PTC, which is where the emphasis must be for successful integration of PTC technology by the end of the decade.