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but there is no guarantee. They have a lot on their plate right now and there are only so many legislating days left on the calen- dar, but it is definitely, unquestionably, a priority. The railroads and the shippers are all on the same page here, and the effort to get the deadline passed has been Herculean. If HR 22 can't do the trick, then our legislators will have to find some vehi- cle to do it — appropriations? Concerns About the Completed System The ultimate objective of the RSIA legisla- tion is turning over the brains of the entire rail operating system to a perfect automatic control system. Admittedly, the first reaction is probably good; we are finally going to have something that elim- inates the imperfections in locomotive driving. Perhaps it is the ramblings of a former control systems engineer, but the idea of depending on a gigantic open- access control network does cause some concerns. It is clear that most railroads are doing everything in their power to meet the deadline. Given enough time, the system will be built, and it will work. While no one would question the objec- tive of reducing the number of rail-relat- ed accidents as quickly as possible, we cannot disregard the possible complica- tions of such a gigantic open access con- trol system. 1) Security problems, such as terrorist hacking of the control system. In July 2015, hackers took control of a car and crashed it into a ditch by remotely break- ing into its dashboard computer from 10 miles away. In the first breach of its kind, security experts killed the engine and applied the brakes on the Jeep Cherokee, sending it veering off the road — all while sitting on their sofa. 2) Communication problems, such as connection dropouts. Who can imagine tens of thousands of wireless connections working perfectly all the time? When was the last time you got a cell phone drop- out while driving on the highway? Simple weather-induced or atmospheric dropouts could cause data input errors or problems. 3) Weather and atmospheric prob- lems, such as patch ice or flash floods. Track friction will have to be an input to the constantly changing train stopping algorithm. How does one instantaneously measure and apply sudden large changes in coefficient of friction when the weather decides to do something unexpected and radical? 4) Sudden unexpected stops, result- ing in passenger injury in the cabin. No one could blame the poor train manage- ment computer if it demands a hard stop due to bad data. This section is not meant to throw cold water on the PTC project, but to call atten- tion to a few concerns that should be addressed if the project proceeds. Perhaps they already have been. About the Author Dave Gambrel, coal transportation and logistics consultant, was a control sys- tems engineer for Honeywell in the early years of his career. Contact: david.gam- brel@gmail.com. t r a n s p o r t t i p s c o n t i n u e d November 2015 www.coalage.com 23 Same Extraordinary People. Same Exceptional Products. Same Expert Service. THERE'S A LOT MORE RIDING ON YOUR UNDERGROUND BELTS THAN JUST COAL. You demand protection for your people and your profts. Phoenix delivers. Every underground belt is made using the most advanced compounds and innovations. From industry-leading, self-smothering technologies, to X-ray monitoring systems that detect belt damage before it becomes a problem, you can count on round-the-clock extreme conveyor belt solutions to keep you moving and your workers safe. Experience confdence like never before. extremebelts.com Conveying Extreme Confidence