MetraBNSF wrote:What's most notable is on the north side of the tracks at each intermediate signal and control point, at least from Cicero "B" to Naperville are tall poles with antennas. These antennas probably comprise a portion of the wayside segment of the system which will likely send and receive signals from the onboard computer, GPS, and back office segments.
A similar setup can also be seen on the Geneva sub, particularly at the new control points of University and Grace in Metra suburban territory. Confirmed with a UP/W engineer that this hardware is indeed PTC related, though in talking about it with him, he doesn't understand what the fuss is all about. To him, it's just ATC with more bells & whistles, but I probably did a poor job explaining the differences between the two.
BTW, I think there's a de facto PTC thread in the Amtrak forum, where its possible effects, drawbacks, advantages, etc., along with its relationship to Amtrak as well as other commuter carriers are discussed in varying degrees. I thought about starting a PTC thread here too, but didn't think it would really lead to a vibrant, informative discussion around here...
MetraBNSF wrote:A separate observation (non-PTC related) is the Fairview interlocking. I think this plant was renewed to possibly support higher speeds thru the turnout. I remember this interlocking was only good for only 35mph max. When I rode train 1279 (a D.G. express) last week, the train must've been going 40-45mph switching from track 2 to track 3. It seems to me, even with limited exposure over the past few years, that BNSF has been doing a considerable amount of track work. With all the traffic the line gets, constant renewal of the line must be needed.
Bet all those oil trains from a couple of years back had a lot to do with it, although that traffic has diminished somewhat. But I'm all for any capacity improvements that can benefit both passenger and freight with minimal complications...