MOVING AHEAD WHILE
SITTING STILL
If Eric Heuser, Director of Engineer Training, was asked what particular phase of training student engineers he considers his favorite, he would probably answer, ” LETS.”
Eric utilizes the Locomotive Engineer Training Simulator (LETS) to instruct, evaluate, and test both currently certified engineers and students on the safest and most efficient train handling technique. In addition to meeting the training requirements of Guilford Rail System, the simulator has been leased by several railroads in the Northeast region to train their engineers. The Federal Railroad Administration has leased time on the simulator to evaluate and write regulations for trainhandling procedures used in heavy grade operations by the nations railroads.
The LETS is an innovative training tool that provides realistic training for engineers by taking advantage of the latest technology currently available for simulating actual over-the-road operationsin a classroom setting. An advanced computerized system with graphic displays, laser disk video, digital sound, signal display, and a state-of-the-art locomotive control panel all provide realistic training that closely resembles the sights and sounds of operating an actual train.
The LETS enables the engineer to view high quality graphics displays, such as brake pipe pressure, train line air propergation, and force values throughout the train. Certified engineers as well as students operating the simulator can experience first hand the response to their train handling, by visually observing the in train forces generated when the throttle and air braking systems are used to control the train in a given situation. This results in a better understanding of train track dynamics.
In the past, Heuser explains, student engineers in training would ride a train for an indeterminate amount of time with a qualified engineer. The engineer instructing the student learned his craft working with several engineers who did not have available the tools used to train the students of today. As a result of this teaching method, the individual student had to spend longer periods of time training. He/She learned many different operating techniques that were not necessarily the safest or most efficient way to operate a train.