(The Associated Press circulated the following story by Catherine Godbey on September 17.)
DECATUR, Ala. — Blue-and-white striped caps and denim overalls — the iconic image of a train conductor — disappeared years ago, and now the engineers are gradually fading from the rail-yard scene.
The engineers’ replacements — remote-controlled locomotives.
At the Vine Street Northwest crossing in Decatur, neon yellow signs alert motorists to the new technology affecting the railroad industry: “Attention. Remote control locomotives operate in this area. Locomotive cabs may be unoccupied.”
The warning conjures visions of miniature trains chugging around gifts wrapped in green- and-red paper. But these locomotives are not in living rooms under evergreen trees.
“The remote-controlled locomotives mainly operate in and around the rail yards and are largely used in switching cars, unhooking cars and making up new trains,” said Tom White, spokesman for the Association of American Railroads.
A small green box, about the size of a loaf of bread and resembling a magnified gaming control, contains the secret to the remote-controlled operation.
Instead of the conventional operation involving three crew members, consisting of an engineer and two ground crew members, the box allows a single crewman, referred to as the remote control operator, to maneuver the train.
The technology has attracted supporters and critics.
Both factions cite safety as a key issue.
Although locomotives with no engineer traverse the tracks, safety is not compromised, said Susan Terpay, spokeswoman for Norfolk Southern Corp. Operating the trains without an engineer enhances the train’s safety, she argued.