MORE North American technology developed for heavy haul freight is migrating across the Atlantic. French National Railways and German Railway are expected to call tenders imminently for pilot ECP braking projects that could see two trains equipped and operating later this year or during 1999.
Meanwhile, experiments are going ahead in Germany and Switzerland with locomotive remote control equipment. The Swiss trials have seen a total of eight locos of three types fitted with Locotrol equipment from GE Harris, and Swiss Federal Railways has trained 20 drivers for tests on the steeply-graded Gotthard route. Trains up to 800m long weighing 1600 tonnes have already been run.
DB is working with GE Harris and Knorr Bremse, and two Class 232 diesel locos are being equipped for Locotrol trials starting in October. They will be followed by a pair of Class 145 electric locos being fitted with multiple-unit radio controls for trials from May 1999. o
