From: ahk@chinet.com   
      
   John Albert  wrote:   
   >On 11/1/16 7:43 PM, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:   
      
   >>I would think if it had been in place, it would've prevented the   
   >>recent Metro North and Amtrak NEC accidents were excessive speed   
   >>was the cause.   
      
   >You would be wrong, because at both locations where the   
   >above wrecks occurred, there ALREADY WERE cab signals   
   >suppliemented with speed control, and those systems have   
   >been in place for years.   
      
   >Cab signals and speed control (until the Metro-North   
   >accident) applied ONLY to signal indications (i.e., would   
   >apply brakes if engineman did not take appropriate action   
   >after passing a more restrictive signal indication).   
      
   >After the Spyten Duyvil wreck, Metro-North installed cab   
   >signal "drops" approaching certain speed restrictions. These   
   >operate independently of signal indications.   
      
   >The Amtrak Frankford Junction wreck was also a "slowdown"   
   >NOT associated with signal indication, and again, the   
   >existing cab signal/speed control system did not enforce it.   
      
   . . . but the speed restriction was enforced in the other direction.   
      
   >ACSES -- which DOES enforce ALL timetable speeds and   
   >slowdowns, WOULD HAVE prevented it, but ACSES wasn't in   
   >service yet at that particular location.   
      
   What infuriates me about this discussion, every time it comes up   
   in the media, is how decades-old mature signalling and control   
   technology gets lambasted. It was quite capable of enforcing   
   speed restrictions IF INSTALLED, but for whatever reason, they   
   guessed during the NECTIP that this wasn't a location that   
   needed the enforcement.   
      
   A similar observation can be made about ACSES: If its database of   
   operations profile and timetables elements are wrong or missing or   
   something didn't get updated yet, well, it won't be able to enforce   
   a speed restriction it doesn't know about.   
      
   None of this precludes the engineer from learning and obeying   
   the timetable. We need to continue to think of signal and control   
   systems as being available to complement the information the   
   engineer should have available. We're not at the point at which   
   it does everything a skilled and careful engineer does, and we   
   may never be at that point.   
      
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