(Union Pacific issued the following news release on September 20.)
OMAHA, Neb. — Digital cameras and microphones will be mounted on Union Pacific locomotives to record every trip for accident investigation purposes in the event of incidents.
Union Pacific will install Track Image Recorders (TIR) to verify train crew and motorist/pedestrian actions in accidents.
The TIR will be linked to the locomotive’s existing event recorder so each trip can be duplicated in detail with the sound of the locomotive’s air horn and crossing bell and pictures of the track ahead of the locomotives. Depending on the model, event recorders record speeds, throttle and brake settings, electrical power levels and horn use. The TIR image file and the event recorder data will be time synchronized.
The small cameras will be mounted inside the locomotive cab at the top of the engineer’s windshield, looking down the track in front of the locomotive. A microphone will be mounted outside to record the locomotive’s air horn. The video image disk, which can record up to five days, will be retained onboard each locomotive in a lockbox, accessible only to authorized personnel for review.
It is anticipated that the first phase of retrofitting Union Pacific locomotives with TIR will be completed by the end of next year. Emphasis will be on “over-the-road” locomotives that pull trains between cities.
Union Pacific Corporation owns one of America’s leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, is the largest railroad in North America, covering 23 states across the western two- thirds of the United States. A strong focus on quality and a strategically advantageous route structure enable the company to serve customers in critical and fast growing markets. It is a leading carrier of low-sulfur coal used in electrical power generation and has broad coverage of the large chemical- producing areas along the Gulf Coast. With competitive long-haul routes between all major West Coast ports and eastern gateways, and as the only railroad to serve all six gateways to Mexico, Union Pacific has the premier rail franchise in North America.