safety conscious rail transportation operator: 55 MPH to 30 MPH

[JonMyrlennBailey]

a speeding train barreling toward a slow zone without advanced warning is potential death on rails

This is the Mojave Sub Division route as the right-hand track is approaching toward Caliente, California from Bakersfield. Otherwise, the trains would suddenly have to slow from 55 to 30 MPH without warning ahead of time. The RR speed signs are dinky so you practically have to stick your head out of the cab of the loco to even read them about 10 feet away. If I were to be a railroad owner and operator, large signs such as the one shown in the picture with flashing amber lights would be a safety standard. I would not want to own a railroad that was some sort of human meat grinder, in a manner of speaking.

 

[JCitron]

This is not necessary, is way too costly, and has too high a maintenance cost. In real life, drivers "qualify" for a route by riding with other drivers who have experience with the route. Once they have experience, they can then drive the route because they then know when to slow down and speed up.

I have driven this route many times and I was one of the few that actually completed the sessions back when the route was first released back in TS12.

 

[H222]

Lol, in real life you can go from 60+ mile per hour speed zones onto 5-10mph speed zones with no warning.

It's called being a qualified train driver

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

Lol, in real life you can go from 60+ mile per hour speed zones onto 5-10mph speed zones with no warning.

It's called being a qualified train driver

I'm only human. My memory is not exactly photographic. I've been stopped a couple of times for speeding in little piss-ant towns called speed traps because there was no apparent speed reduction warning signs ahead of time. Modern railways probably have electronics in the loco cabs that help train crews manage speeds and safe navigation anyway. My Garmin GPS tells me what the speed limit is wherever I drive. An automobile or even a trailer truck or bus, can slow down, in response to perceived danger ahead, much more quickly than can a heavy train. Too many deaths have happened because of poor train handling and poor railroad maintenance as well as human complacency.

Of course, the Trainz HUD tells you precisely how far away the upcoming speed zone is and what the speed will be. It also provides grade and signal information. Perhaps, modern real-world locos have such HUD-like features.

 

[H222]

This is probably why not everybody becomes a Train Driver.

Some modern engines have trip optemizers or the like - they may show route information or speeds or even what throttle notch to be in, but the Trainz HUD basically works like most of them anyway.