Distributed power

Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a BoliviaEMD GR12U no. 1403 (left) and ClydeG22 no. 1435 (right),
marshalled as distributed power units, in a long train of loaded sulfuric acid tank cars and
empty flat cars on Cumbre pass, Chile, April 2012.
In rail transport, distributed power (DP) refers to the physical distributionat intermediate
points throughout the length of a trainof separate motive power groups. Such 'groups' may
be single units or multiple consists,[1] and are remotely controlled from the leading locomotive.
The concept of the distribution of motive-power was originally developed to permit the
operation of longer trains where operational considerations or economics required it, however
distributed power has since also been used under circumstances where it is desired to have
motive-power at each end of a train simply for reasons of operational flexibility.
Contents
Advantages and disadvantages
The greatest benefit of distributed powerand the reason for development of the original
conceptis the reduction of drawgear draft forces, permitting the doubling in the size of trains
without exceeding draw-gear strength, through the use of mid-train locomotives.[2] There are
also potential train handling benefits; over an undulating track profile, a skillful engineer can
manipulate the relative power outputs (as well as dynamic and air brake applications) to
minimize run-in and run-out of coupler slack throughout the train."[3]
Reduced draft forces along a train will reduce the lateral force between wheel and rail on
curves, thus reducing fuel consumption and wear on various running-gear components as well
as the potential for a 'stringline' derailment.
Another benefit is quicker application of standard air brakes. With all braking control at the front
on a conventional train, it can take several seconds for brake-pipe pressure changes initiated
by the engineer to propagate to the rear. Under radio-controlled distributed power operation,
the brakes are set at remote locomotives simultaneously with the command initiated on the
lead locomotive, providing a more uniform air brake response throughout the train.
The main disadvantage is the operational time needed, and track configuration required, to add
and remove the mid-train locomotive consists. Secondary disadvantages are the costs
associated with equipping locomotives with the extra control apparatus and the potential for the
intermittent loss of the telemetry signal. This latter is known as 'Communication Interrupt' and is
coped-with by fail-safe software controls.
History[edit]
Since the 1960s, railroad distributed power technology has been dominated by one company,
Harris Controls (originally Harris Corporation Controls and Composition Division, later
purchased by General Electric, and now known as GE Transportation Systems Global Signalling),
who have manufactured and marketed a patented radio-control system known as Locotrol that
is the predominant wireless distributed power system in use around the world today.
With its origins in the early days of SCADA technology for the remote control of pipelines and
electric utilities, and from an early concept of Southern Railway President D.W. Brosnan,
Locotrol was a product of the North Electric Company (Galion, Ohio) which was later
purchased by Radiation Inc. (Melbourne, Florida) andin turnpurchased by Harris
Corporation (also headquartered in Melbourne, FL), and was first tested on the Southern
Railway in 1963. The first production Locotrol was installed on the Southern Railway in 1965.
In the early years of this technology, Wabco also hadfor a relatively brief perioda competing
system called 'RMU' (Remote Multiple Uniter) which was installed on a few North American
railroads. However this system did not prevail and soon went out of production. Prior to the
advent by North Electric of the proprietary 'LOCOTROL' name, the product was referred to as
'RCE' (Radio Controlled Equipment) or 'RCS' (Radio Control System) and the lead and remote

units as 'master' and 'slave'. The colloquial 'master' and 'slave' terms, though, were not formally
used by the manufacturer. In some U.S. railroad parlance, Locotrol trains are referred to as
'radio trains'.
Technology
A locomotive that has been fitted with Locotrol DP equipment may be set up as either a Lead or
Remote 'active' unit; the Lead unit being the controlling locomotive. Only one distributed powerequipped locomotive in any Lead or Remote consist (group) is active. Other locomotives MUcoupled to this 'active' unit operate conventionally as multiple units.
There are two basic modes for over-the-road distributed power operation. Locomotive control
can be synchronous (MU), whereby control commands made by the engineer in the Lead unit
are transmitted instantly via radio telemetry toand are followed immediately byall Remote
units in the train, or independent whereby the engineer may set up and independently operate
the Remote locomotives as a 'front' and a 'back' group (or with Locotrol III and subsequent
versions; as 'Lead', 'Remote-forward', Remote-intermediate', 'Remote-rear', and 'Remote-trail'
groupsthis last at the rear of the train). The front group always includes the Lead locomotive,
and all Remote locomotives in the front group follow the commands made by the engineer
using the Lead locomotive controls. Which Remote locomotives are in the front or back groups
are selectable by the engineer in real time. One DP train cannot affect another DP train or
another individual DP-equipped locomotive not in a train; and an individual DP-equipped
locomotive not in a train cannot affect any DP train or other individual DP locomotive
regardless of proximity.
Distributed power was originally able to be provided at only one intermediate location within a
train. These forerunner systems (Locotrol 102-105 and Locotrol II) required a radio-relay car to
be attached via standard multiple-unit jumper cabling to the remote locomotive(s) to provide
the radio-control commands and facilitate feedback signals. Later, Locotrol II evolved into the
'Universal' system in which the radio-control equipment was installed on the locomotives
themselves, rendering the relay car (variously referred-to as an 'RCU' for remote control unit or
'LRC' for locomotive remote control) redundant.
Locotrol III was the next developmentbeing compatible with both the Knorr-Bremse / New York
Air Brake CCB[disambiguation needed] and Wabtec's EPIC electronic locomotive brake
equipment, and permitting multiple Remote unit locations as described above. The latest
incarnation of this equipment is Locotrol Electronic Brake (LEB), which integrates the GE
Locotrol technology with K-B/NYAB's CCBII brake.
Users[edit]

BHP Billiton Iron Ore EMD SD70ACe no. 4345 (left) and GE CM40-8 no. 5647 Abydos (right),
marshalled as distributed power units, in a loaded iron ore train at Nelson Point yard, Port
Hedland, Western Australia, April 2012.
Distributed power is used in the United States and Canada, China, Australia (Queensland,
the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and in the southwest of Western Australia), Brazil,
Germany, and South Africa.[4] It is also (or has been) in regular unit-train operation in India,
Mauritania, and Mexico, and almost made it into operation in both pre- and post-revolutionary
Iran.
In the south of Western Australia, Locotrol is used in the 'top-and-tail' configuration rather than
specifically for long-train operation. With the recent advent of electronically controlled pneumatic
brakes (ECP)either hard-wired or radio-controlledand integrated electronics for locomotive
control and engineer's cab display systems, DP can now be provided via the ECP brake
communication media, and other manufacturers are able to provide this capability.
A recent DP system from Wabtec, called PowerLink (which can be either wired or wireless) is

in use in Queensland on narrow-gauge coal trains and in the south of Western Australia on
standard-gauge iron ore trains.
Other similar operations
'Top and tail' is a phrase used to describe an operation where there is a locomotive at each end
of the train; usually to make it easier to change direction at a terminal location where it is not
possible to run the motive power 'around' the train (i.e. swap the locomotives from one end of
the train to the other); this arrangement is not used specifically to operate longer or heavier
trains.
The description should not be confused with 'push-pull', which refers specifically to a train
configuration in which the motive power is located at one end of the train only. In this latter
configuration, the train is able to be operated from the 'non-powered' end by use of an
engineer's control position (the 'cab-car') located at that end of the train. Push-pull operation is
usually associated with passenger trains.
'Top-and-Tail' is not, strictly speaking, a Distributed Power operation although such a
configuration could, conceivably, be used as such. The remote control of a Top-and-Tail
configuration is mentioned above (Western Australia) in which Locotrol technology is utilised to
provide a solution although not in the context of increasing the train size. The term 'Distributed
Power' has been specifically coined to convey the generic concept of removing some of the
motive power of a train from its head-end and distributing it within or throughout the length of
the train to reduce coupler forces (and, when competently operated; in-train dynamics) and
permit the operation of longer, heavier trains. Use of this term ensures that the brand-name
'Locotrol', which is the property of one company, is not itself used generically to refer to the
technology of distributed power.
Distributed traction[edit]
In a distributed traction system there are no locomotives but power is distributed along the
train by multiple traction motors. An electric multiple unit is an example of this system.[5]
See also
Control Car Remote Control Locomotive
Locotrol
Remote control locomotive
References[edit]
1. Jump up^ http://railwaysafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3413&Itemid=0
2. Jump up^ "Railways in the Coal Fields of Queensland". Technology in Australia 17881988.
www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au. p. Chapter 6, page 382. Retrieved 2015-02-15.
3. Jump up^ Lustig, David. (September 2010). "Freight Train, Unbounded: Distributed power: It's
a bigger deal than you think". Trains Magazine (Kalmbach) 70 (9).
4. Jump up^ RailwaysAfrica 2008/4
5. Jump up^