Re: SAMRA Show Jan. 27th-28th

["Ira Schneider" <ira_schneider@iname.com>]

Ed,

SURELY YOU JEST!!!!

There is only ONE step to be performed on the TIU (turn on the power for track 2).  And this
only has to be done ONCE.  If you trip the circuit breaker on the transformer, the TPC shuts
down and has to be reset, not the TIU.  Once you reset the circuit breaker, you have to
use the CAB-1 to reactivate the track.  The TIU stays active even if the input power
is zero volts.

I can't believe people are making such a big deal about this.  This isn't rocket science.
It is a simple matter to set up the TIU as a simple pass-through.

The suggestion of adding a switch actually creates an extra step for everyone - you have
to ensure the switch is set in the currect direction before you start running trains.  It also
doesn't answer the operational problem of what happens when someone using the TIU
hands the track over to someone who doesn't want to use the TIU.  How do you effect the
train transfer?  You would have to change the switch position after the MTH train is
put on the siding, when the TMCC/conventional train is already running on the mainline.
If it is a conventional mode train, it will probably stop when the power is interrupted.  Also,
you have the same problem when switching from TMCC/conventional to DCS control.
In fact, it is a worse problem - you have to switch control to the TIU while the TMCC/conventional
train is still running before you can activate the DCS engine.

Adding a switch is a BAD idea, will cause additional operational problems, and is totally
unnecessary.


Ira