Saturday, February 02, 2008

Union Pacific Railroad to install track image records on trains to record accidents. Omaha.com Union Pacific Corp. is installing more than 1,600 track image recorders on locomotive cabs this year to record the track, crossings and signals in front of trains.The recordings will help with investigations after accidents. The nation's largest railroad began installing the cameras in 2005. By the end of this year, nearly 90 percent of the company's more than 6,000 over-the-road locomotives will have them. A small camera is mounted inside the locomotive's cab, providing the train crew's point of view. A microphone is placed outside to record the locomotive's air horn and bell. The video image disk can record up to five days of information. "This equipment is a valuable tool in assisting with the investigations of pedestrian or grade-crossing incidents," said Bob Grimaila, U.P.'s vice president of safety and environment. Union Pacific's rail network extends across 23 states.

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