Importance

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Abstract

The number of on-line locomotives of a consist is either reduced or increased by a manual control system that conserves fuel by throttling back trailing locomotives and operating the remaining locomotives of the consist at the most efficient throttle position. A control unit in the lead locomotive is operated by the engineer to command control units in equipped trailing locomotives of the consist. Each time the engineer depresses a 'subtract power' push button, one trailing locomotive is throttled back; conversely, each time an 'add power' push button is depressed, a trailing locomotive is returned on line by advancing its throttle to the most efficient position. A cutout control signal, which is generated in the lead locomotive and transmitted to trailing units in serial order (front to rear) by a single spare trainline wire, has voltage levels that progressively decrease or increase in response to the subtract or add power commands. These voltage levels are decoded by each trailing unit and the throttles are set accordingly. The trailing units also cause these voltage levels to drop by a fixed amount as the control signal is conducted by the trainline wire rearwardly in the consist from each trailing unit to the next succeeding trailing unit. In this manner, locomotives are successively throttled back from the rear of the consist and returned on line from the front. An interrogation signal is periodically transmitted along the trainline, and the trailing units respond sequentially to report the on-line or off-line status of the locomotives. Once a report indicates that a trailing locomotive has been cut out or put on line, the lead unit ceases the progressive change in the control signal voltage levels.

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First Claim