Alstom to deliver 33 new diesel locomotives to NJ Transit.

Four members of the BLE Ergonomics committee traveled to Hornell, New York recently to talk to engineers from Alstom Corporation. The trip up there took a lot longer than the meeting but I think we got some issues resolved. First of all, all thirty three engines have to be delivered before December 31, 2004 in order to be in compliance with the tier 1 emissions requirements of 40CFR92. After December, 2004 tighter restrictions for exhaust emissions must be met therefore, a more expensive locomotive. The 15' 3" tall locomotives will have to meet the latest FRA and APTA Crash Worthiness requirements meaning that those big ugly corner collision posts will still be in place obstructing the engineer's vision.  

Head End Power will no longer be a separate diesel engine screaming inside the car body but will be shaft driven off the prime mover. There will be three inverters, two for traction, and one for HEP. In the event that the HEP inverter fails, one of the traction inverters will divert some of its output to the HEP distribution system. When the HEP is on line, the engine will run at throttle 3 minimum to provide power to the HEP inverter (we are hoping that with the enclosed body and the lower idle speed to run the HEP that the HEP shut down restrictions at Port Morris, Raritan, and Bay Head will no longer be needed). As the electrical demand increases, the prime mover will run faster. Additionally, when the air compressor control computer senses that the main reservoir pressure is too low, it will make the engine run faster to run the compressor faster to charge the main reservoir.

There will be access to the train through the engine room of the locomotive. Other amenities will include a holder basket for the reverser that will not attract cigarette ashes and a trash can that will accommodate a garbage bag to encourage cleaners to remove the trash at regular intervals. Sorry, even at $4.5 million a piece, there will only be one cup holder for the engineer.

On the plus side, the locomotives will be equipped with a new Isolated Resilient mounted cab. The cab will be a completely separate assembly from the frame and collision posts and will be attached to the frame with rubberized mounts. This will provide a third suspension system that will absorb vibration and noise. Access to the cab from the ground will be through a vestibule behind the cab with a step up through a door into the cab.  

The cab interior will be very close to the cab of the ALP-46 in the layout of the control desk. There are some notable exceptions, however. Due to the structure of the locomotive frame and the separate assembly of the cab the is no place for a dropdown side window. Instead there will be a sliding window with a fixed triangular window in front of it. We asked that the side windows be tinted so that the gauges and speedometer would not be blanked out when the sun shines in through the side window. A full length side mirror is to be mounted on both sides of the cab. A non-reflective coating will be attached to the top surface of the control desk to eliminate annoying sun glare. Each member of the Ergo Committee sat in the engineer's seat in the cab mock up and gave his assessment of the cab layout.

In the photograph of the cab interior you will notice that the radio and PA are mounted on the extreme left of the control desk. It was suggested by the committee members that this placement was too far away from the engineer and would cause the engineer to divert his/her attention from the railroad ahead. We asked that a remote mic and radio, PA, and IC control buttons be placed on the right hand side of the panel replacing the cutouts on the mock up. We noted that this placement works well in the Comet IV cab cars. We suggested moving the no motion and door bypass switches to the panel on the wall behind the  engineer. This location would be the same as on the present diesels in the fleet.

It was also requested that there be no audible alarms that were not FRA required like the ALP-46s. Those that have run ALP powered trains from the cab car know well the excessive noise problems that result from audible wheel slip and false handbrake alarms. This excess noise is unacceptable

The committee also asked that the labels for the headlight switches, etc., be illuminated to make them easier to identify in the dark.

Although the desktop will still be slightly tilted toward the engineer a retaining clip for Bulletin Orders and other paperwork will be attached to the desktop to keep things from sliding into your lap during those  breathtaking  departures.

If you look at the picture of the cab interior you will notice that the foot switches are placed too close to the front edge of the floor under the control desk. We asked that these pedals be placed closer to the rear of the floor and that the leg room under the desk be increased to the maximum allowable.

I certainly hope that Alstom will incorporate all our suggestions into the design of the new cab since these locomotives will be around for a long time and any small aggravations not addressed and corrected soon become distractions taking the engineers attention from the safe operation of the train.

Steve Kay, BLE Division 272.

Member, Ergonomics Committee

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