Pt. A to Pt. B

[KmH]

Do I have this right?

The engineer in the cab of the engine controls train speed, but dispatchers who are at fixed remote locations steer, or control what tracks the trains take.

The engineer and the dispatcher can talk to each other.

The engineer on an Amtrak train works for Amtrak. The dispatchers work for the railroads that own the track.

The Conductor is 'supreme commander' on the train and all train crew and OBS are responsible to the Conductor.

 

[PRR 60]

Do I have this right?

The engineer in the cab of the engine controls train speed, but dispatchers who are at fixed remote locations steer, or control what tracks the trains take.

The engineer and the dispatcher can talk to each other.

The engineer on an Amtrak train works for Amtrak. The dispatchers work for the railroads that own the track.

The Conductor is 'supreme commander' on the train and all train crew and OBS are responsible to the Conductor.

Yes, the engineer in the cab is an Amtrak employee and operates the train. The dispatchers, employed by the host railroad, control when and how the train proceeds and provides those instructions to the Amtrak engineer through signals and verbal instructions.

The reporting responsibilities for Amtrak employees on board the train are a little more complicated. The operating employees (engineers and assistant conductors) report to the train conductor. That is 100% clear. The on board service people will follow instructions of the conductor, but those people organizationally report to a different area within Amtrak. A conductor could certainly instruct a food service person to so something specific, and that person would almost certainly comply, but typically operating people will stay out of service delivery issues unless things are seriously amiss. At one time there was a separate on board person to supervise service delivery, but that position was dropped several years ago.

Any on board service people who feel this information is not accurate, please chime in.

 

[KmH]

It stands to reason train speed limits can change based on track condition and other factors - like curves and grades.

Is there a way, other than verbal communication with the dispatcher, the engineer utilizes to know what the limits are for any particular portion of a route?

 

[Ryan]

Pretty much, yes. The engineer and conductor also talk to each other by radio. Engineer talks to the dispatcher because the big radio installed in the front has a lot more range. If you listen while you're onboard with a scanner, most of the time you'll only hear the engineer's half of the engineer-dispatcher conversation, then you'll hear the engineer relay the instructions to the conductor and get a good repeat back.

The conductor won't usually insert themselves into the OBS side of things that often. The LSA in the diner really runs that show.

Edit: Work got in the way of a timely reply. Bill said pretty much the same thing.

On your other questions, the normal "clear" speed limits are memorized. They can be lowered (due to thinks like heat restrictions). They can also be lowered by signal indications that call for a slower speed.

 

[Agent]

There are also speed limit signs on the side of the tracks, but those are basically just reminders for what the engineer should have memorized.

 

[PRR 60]

It stands to reason train speed limits can change based on track condition and other factors - like curves and grades.

Is there a way, other than verbal communication with the dispatcher, the engineer utilizes to know what the limits are for any particular portion of a route?

Each Amtrak engineer is qualified for a particular route. That means the person has proven knowledge of the specifics of that section of railroad such as the maximum permissible speeds (including any areas with required speed reductions due to curves or other constraints), signal types, locations of sidings, and other route details. Being "qualified" is like a driver knowing every speed limit and the locations of every traffic signal along a multi-hundred mile stretch of highway, and having to prove that knowledge before being permitted to drive the road.

The signaling system (controlled by the railroad dispatching center) informs the engineer if the track ahead is clear, allowing operation at the maximum permissible speed, or if reduced speed or a full stop is required due to traffic or routing. If needed, the railroad dispatcher can verbally provide operating instructions though a highly controlled process over the radio or by written orders.

In short, the engineer is required to know his or her section of railroad in detail. The dispatcher and signaling system provides the instructions to the engineer as to whether maximum operating speed is permissible or not.

 

[Ryan]

There are also speed limit signs on the side of the tracks, but those are basically just reminders for what the engineer should have memorized.

And not everyone has those, so it's really all on the engineer.

 

[KmH]

Does Amtrak have a 'simulator', or do engineers gain their route knowledge by first being an assistant engineer on a route?

 

[Jack]

Does Amtrak have a 'simulator', or do engineers gain their route knowledge by first being an assistant engineer on a route?

http://www.weaverling.org/atc/sim/

 

[Bob Dylan]

The Conductor and Assistant Conductor(s) also have to be qualified on the route(s) they work!

In the case of a Reroute of a Train where the operating crew ( called T&E)isn't qualified on that route the host railroad provides a pilot for the train either to be in the engine with the Amtrak engineer or even to operate the Engine if there's a freight engine

Used as a rescue or helper engine!( freight engines don't provide head end power for the cars in the consist!)

 

[the_traveler]

Also, there is not one engineer or conductor over the entire route (say Chicago to LA). They change every 4-6 hours or so. Thus between Chicago and LA, there may be 7 or more different engineers and conductors on the train. Only the on board staff (OBS - like car attendants and dining car staff) ride the entire route.

 

[PRR 60]

The Conductor and Assistant Conductor(s) also have to be qualified on the route(s) they work!

In the case of a Reroute of a Train where the operating crew ( called T&E)isn't qualified on that route the host railroad provides a pilot for the train either to be in the engine with the Amtrak engineer or even to operate the Engine if there's a freight engine

Used as a rescue or helper engine!( freight engines don't provide head end power for the cars in the consist!)

An Amtrak engineer can operate a borrowed freight locomotive without a host railroad pilot on a route on which he or she is qualified. On the other hand, in almost all cases a freight engineer must have an Amtrak engineer in the cab to operate a passenger train. The exceptions are for freight railroad engineers who are qualified to operate passenger trains such as those assigned to commuter train service.

 

[KmH]

I drove an over-the-road truck for 8 years and know US Department of Transportation hours of service rules apply to airline pilots, train engineers, bus drivers, etc.

 

[chakk]

There are also speed limit signs on the side of the tracks, but those are basically just reminders for what the engineer should have memorized.

And not everyone has those, so it's really all on the engineer.

You can purchase special timetables based on the owning railroads employee timetables (which show speed limits over most sections of track) for several of the routes that Amtrak uses -- mostly the western trains -- at altamontpress.com

 

[Bus Nut]

KmH, it's more complicated than that. USDOT HOS only applies to interstate, aka OTR CDL drivers. Only interstate public transit drivers are subject to these rules. Intrastate rules are set by the individual states and may vary depending on size or purpose of vehicle. Rail HOS are set by the FRA. They are structured differently from OTR rules. Ironically, USDOT was getting really shirty with everybody about their new OTR rules and why they had to be written that way. (Congress has now suspended their implementation, possibly indefinitely.) But the FRA rules according to sleep research actually work fine. They allow sleep to be split into two 4 hour chunks. The new OTR rules absolutely didn't allow that, even though no research says you have to sleep 8 hrs straight for good sleep hygiene. (Research does support that going under 3-4 hr chunks (individuals vary) is double plus ungood.)

Airplane pilots have only gotten HOS rules very, very recently. Only a few years ago there were no HOS rules for pilots. As pilot wages and working conditions have plummeted, certain employers were treating young pilots like unregulated bus drivers of the sky and in one infamous incident, pilot and co-pilot both fell asleep. Autopilot was flying the plane but it doesn't land and they missed their airport. It could have been much worse had they run out of fuel while asleep....

 

[lstone19]

Airplane pilots have only gotten HOS rules very, very recently. Only a few years ago there were no HOS rules for pilots. As pilot wages and working conditions have plummeted, certain employers were treating young pilots like unregulated bus drivers of the sky and in one infamous incident, pilot and co-pilot both fell asleep. Autopilot was flying the plane but it doesn't land and they missed their airport. It could have been much worse had they run out of fuel while asleep....

Where did you get that idea? While commercial pilot HOS rules were extensively changed at the beginning of 2014, there have always (for some definition of "always") been HOS rules for pilots. However, they were mostly based on "flight" time (which includes taxi time), not duty time. Sitting at the gate, the HOS clock was not running. Also, many of the rules were based on scheduled time, not actual (after all, you can't just stop in midair when you go illegal). That all changed a year ago when duty time and quality of rest became a major part of the rules as well.

In many respects, even before the 2014 changes, the rules for pilots were more restrictive with rules such as 8 in 24 (no more than eight hours of flight time in a 24 hour period and not reset by a rest period - compare that to rail where you can work 16 in 24 (eight on, eight rest, eight more on)), 30 in 7 (no more than 30 hours of flight time in a 7 day period), as well as an annual limit.

Now before someone says then how does a 12 hour flight operate, the rules are different when you have an augmented crew and a pilot rest facility on the airplane. Prior to the 2014 changes, a two-pilot crew was good for eight hours of flight time, three pilots good for 12, and four for flights over 12 hours.

 

[Karl1459]

One detail for the o.p., the path or direction the train takes is set by the physical track switches. Most switches on Amtrak routes are powered and set by the dispatchers, though some areas (CS near Salina CA) are hand operated and the train has to stop to let the conductor get off and on.

Re HOS and the 12 hour air, the rules are also slightly different (from solo driving) for truck drivers who drive as a team and have a sleeper available on the truck.

 

[lstone19]

One detail for the o.p., the path or direction the train takes is set by the physical track switches. Most switches on Amtrak routes are powered and set by the dispatchers, though some areas (CS near Salina CA) are hand operated and the train has to stop to let the conductor get off and on.

A more technically correct answer is that a dispatcher gives a train authority to operate over tracks. How the switches to access those tracks are operated depends on the capabilities of that section of railroad: the dispatcher may control the switches directly, he may direct a tower operator to operate switches, or it may be up to the crew to line switches in territory where switches are operated by hand in the field.

The rules applicable to a section of railroad also determine how the authority given. Without getting too technical, historically authority was given by written orders. Just because a train was looking at a green signal didn't mean it had authority to proceed. But with the advent of dispatcher and operator controlled signals, if became possible to give authority by signal as well. These days, generally if a railroad has dispatcher controlled switches or is double track, signals give the authority for movement. But on single track without dispatcher controlled switches (such as on the Coast Line as mentioned in the post right above), then separate orders authorizing movement are required and the signals merely give you information about whether or not there's a train ahead but say nothing about authority.