Maintenance staff can now monitor the actual performance of diesel engines and other locomotive components working thousands of miles away thanks to on-board networked computers and radio links that make each locomotive a node on the internet. EMD began proof-of-concept testing last year with US railways.

EMD is developing commercial proposals for application on major freight railways in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Early tests of the RM&D platform were conducted with Caltrans on passenger services in California.

THE ADVENT of locomotive on-board computers with network architecture has opened up a whole range of possibilities for monitoring locomotive health and providing information to help manage railway operations. During the past year, the ElectroMotive Division of General Motors has conducted proof-of-concept tests on several North American railways to demonstrate how such a computer platform can be combined with wireless communications to make each locomotive a node on the internet. A wealth of data that was previously available only when locos were taken out of service for maintenance or repair is now easily accessible.

Basic health and operational data can now be remotely accessed on all locomotives, and over 1000 different parameters can be monitored on newer EMD locomotives with microprocessor controls (Table 1).

By accessing information that is automatically downloaded from locomotives, and using the latest computer based diagnostic tools, problems and potential problems can be addressed by troubleshooting experts who may be located thousands of miles away. Specific recommendations for repair can be sent electronically to the people responsible for maintaining the locomotives.

The benefits of this approach are manifested in fewer failures during service and higher availability. This follows from faster and more accurate fault diagnoses, reduced time in the workshop, and fewer incidents in which a problem is reported in the field but not resolved in the shop.

To support locomotives operating outside North America, EMD is looking at the possibility of setting up satellite Locomotive Management Centers around the world

This data link also allows maintenance staff to observe locomotive performance remotely under actual operating conditions. It permits evaluation of wheel-rail adhesion levels on steep grades as the seasons and local weather conditions change. Access to remotely-monitored locomotive health data also sets the stage for accelerating the development of predictive maintenance methods that can extend the intervals between maintenance and major overhauls. We can imagine how railroading may evolve when we combine railway operating skills with the power of wireless communications and EMD's expertise in locomotive design and troubleshooting. Every locomotive will be connected to the internet, and its health will automatically be monitored 24 h a day, seven days a week.

Maintenance experts will be alerted whenever problems occur, and even beforehand in some cases. With the location, performance, and fuel level of every locomotive monitored continuously, the railway operators will be able to make quick decisions precisely when they are needed.

Availability and asset utilisation
To be successful financially in a competitive environment, railways need to obtain maximum locomotive availability and the percentage of time it is actually working. While mechanical departments and maintenance providers are responsible for improving availability, operating departments usually focus on asset utilisation.

Identified opportunities to improve availability include the prevention of failures out on the line, rapid and accurate failure diagnosis, and the use of servicing facilities for repairs wherever possible so that locomotives spend as little time as possible in workshops. Railways also tell us that they can significantly improve utilisation if they know the following: the exact location of locomotives (and attached wagons or coaches) at all times; the fuel level and the amount of fuel consumed; the state of health of all locomotives on the train, including trailing or distributed power units; and the detailed state of health of all ,third-party' systems supplied by other companies.

EMD's on-board computer platform meets all these requirements, and could also be installed on other equipment such as infrastructure maintenance vehicles. Known as Functionally Integrated Railroad Electronics, the platform uses off-the-shelf commercial hardware and software. This avoids the high cost of proprietary equipment previously used in on-board systems and enables railways to enjoy the high reliability associated with standard hardware and embedded Windows operating systems.

The platform can also be used for any Windows-based business application a railway may wish to put on board the train. Field testing began in 1998, and series production began in 1999. A second-generation platform offering further enhancements at lower cost is being tested in the field and will enter production this year.

This platform includes a multimode, internet-enabled Communications Management Unit for wireless communications between locomotive and office. We have focused on current and future cellular communications standards, enabling customers to take advantage of rapidly-expanding commercial services and new technologies as they are introduced.

Since early 2001, we have been conducting a survey of the signal strength of commercial cellular service along railway tracks across the USA. The signal strength has been surprisingly good and continues to improve as cellular service expands. Even in mountainous areas where we anticipated coverage to be sparse, the test data has shown coverage to be adequate for our purposes. If communication is lost, the data is still pre- served in the on-board archives. EMD has also been requested to map the cellular signal strength along railways in Canada and Mexico, and this work will begin shortly.

In selected areas we are also using Wireless Local Area Networks. This is especially useful near stations and workshops where the high WLAN bandwidth can be used economically to download and upload large quantities of data. While EMD's platform can also use satellite communications, this is avoided whenever possible due to the high cost and limited bandwidth. Existing railway wireless communications can also be used if they are a good alternative to the cellular service. One drawback of this approach is it that it may prove difficult to monitor locomotives when they move onto a different railway.

Remote diagnostics
Our platform uses the same network standards as the internet and the World Wide Web. As a result, we have an unprecedented capability to communicate between office and vehicle. Not only is the locomotive fault archive automatically downloaded as frequently as necessary, but technicians can also troubleshoot the locomotive remotely, examining performance in detail under actual operating conditions.

As soon as RM&D flags up potential problems with a locomotive, field crews can be alerted and spare parts dispatched, enabling proactive repairs to be made before a failure occurs on the road

Tests have also demonstrated that we can remotely monitor 'third-party' equipment such as cab signalling, air
braking and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. Where these are manufactured to current North American standards for subsystem health reporting, the platform can support monitoring and remote fault diagnosis without any software changes.

The actual locomotive cab display screen can be viewed remotely, for troubleshooting or assisting the driver with set-up procedures. It is also possible for railway staff to perform remotely almost any task usually undertaken from the cab, from checking the operation of the HVAC to stopping the locomotive for safety or security reasons.

Health information downloaded via the internet can be diagnosed remotely at the Locomotive Management Center near Chicago using a variety of smart tools developed for EMD's field maintenance teams

To support railways using our Remote Monitoring & Diagnostics Service, EMD has created the Locomotive Management Center. LMC staff examine downloaded fault archives, diagnosing problems and making specific recommendations to railway and EMD personnel responsible for maintaining the locomotives. During its first year of operation,

LMC has gathered an extensive body of troubleshooting knowledge, proactively addressing problems to avoid failures in service or resolve them quickly when they occur. This new knowledge base feeds not only into improving maintenance processes, but also the locomotive design process at EMD. Although the LMC is located at our headquarters near Chicago, remote-monitoring and computer-based diagnostic tools can be accessed from almost any location, opening up the possibility of establishing satellite LMCs around the world.

Support tools
To support the process, EMD has developed a powerful computer-based diagnostic tool known as TechPro. This was designed for use in repair workshops or servicing facilities, enabling maintenance staff to establish the cause of problems and identify the parts and servicing required to put the locomotive back into service. TechPro was first tested in the field in 2000. When the LMC was established in 2001, its technicians were able to use the tool remotely to diagnose locomotives thousands of miles away. We have also developed an online help desk, to enable operating staff to decide quickly whether to keep a locomotive in service or send it to a repair facility.

Experience with RM&D to date has shown that many locomotive faults can be diagnosed much faster, and some types of in-service failures can actually be prevented.

Data on the web
RM&D users have access to an unprecedented amount of data, downloaded automatically as often as required. This might be several times a day for a loco in freight operations, or every few minutes for time-sensi tive passenger and freight service. We make a secure website available to customers who wish to examine this data directly, and provide special reports containing data and analysis via e-mail. Standard information includes location, based on GPS data, fuel level, and a complete refueling history by location and date.In addition, a summary of locomotive health information is presented by subsystem. If any subsystem is shown as 'failed', 'limited' (operating, but limited in some way such as at reduced power) or 'attention' (operating but requires attention), the user can bring up more detail from the fault archives. An array of significant performance parameters is also given to assist with troubleshooting. Special reports that are available include an Inbound Health Report, which summarises the status of all subsystems as the locomotive approaches the end of its assigned run. It is also possible to trigger a special report that shows the fuel level and other parameters when crossing the boundary between one railway and another. The amount of fuel and power consumed during any portion of the journey can be tracked.

Using internet-based remote monitoring, operators will be able to track the performance of their locomotives on demanding sections of route in real time

Wider applications
Following the start of series production of the new computer platform in 1999, EMD began field-testing wireless communications functionality in 2000. In 2001, we began proof-of concept testing for RM&D, which is marketed as IntelliTrain in North America. Testing was conducted on two major freight railways, and with one passenger operator.

One railway has already decided to expand its application of RM&D, and formal commercial proposals are now being developed for railways in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Discussions have also started for applications in Europe and Asia.

We are now addressing the concerns of some operators that the sudden availability of a massive amount of performance and health data will lead to locomotives being taken out of service for inspections or repairs that that are not strictly necessary. This is being tackled by creating recommendations spelling out specific actions to be taken and the parts required. The amount of data has already enabled us to refine troubleshooting algorithms and reduce the number of faults that are relevant.

Some railways are now considering this platform for other applications such as cab displays for on-board crew training and remote control of locomotives. The timing of our work seems to fit well with the development of new wireless communications strategies on many railways.

At present there is a proliferation of applications, as operators test or implement different systems employing wireless technology. Some will be train-based, and the availability of EMD's universal computer platform opens the door to optimising the use of on-board systems, reducing overall locomotive investment and operating costs.

For Further Information:
John Cavanaugh
john.n.cavanaugh@emdiesels.com
+1 (708) 387-6355