railPrime

• General Bearing boosts presence in China (12/26/2001)

• Experienced mechanical engineers

12/5/2016

Rail Power Services LLC Perspective: Identifying ways a PTC system needs to be improved

By Ken Foxx, manager of engineering and business development

Rail Power Services LLC (RPS) is a railroad custom services enterprise. Our company includes comprehensively trained technicians and also individuals previously representing railroads, OEMs and aftermarket leadership. Formed by Robert Barrow, RPS is focused on providing exemplary service work, in addition to identifying and addressing any/all challenges presented during end product installation.
  
A challenge presented to PTC developers is, though skilled in engineering they’re often new to the railroad industry with its unique culture and requirements. Railroads often comprise multiple departments having legacies of working by established methods frequently of differing priority.

Unlike other new products in recent years, PTC is unique in that it must satisfy all of a railroad’s diverse requirements. This requires a comprehensive working knowledge of a railroad’s mechanical department, track maintenance, transportation, engineering and purchasing groups. An unanticipated PTC design challenge is its ability to provide a product seamlessly integrated into all railroad equipment as well as its cross functional systems.
 
RPS holds extensive working knowledge of all railroad departments and methods and can use this experience to insure the priorities of all are identified and included into a PTC system which integrates correctly across all sectors, processes and protocols. Since PTC system design is an emerging technology, it does not always produce an end product that meets all of a customer’s requirements. RPS can provide the resources necessary to identify in which ways the system needs to be improved. RPS has the expertise and skill to quickly identify glitches in design and work with PTC OEMS and its customers to ensure the introduction and installation is as efficient and comprehensive as possible, avoiding unanticipated delays.
 
RPS can provide the physical equipment installation, the liaison engineering services of corrected steps, integration of the PTC design into rolling stock systems, project management and delivery at the lowest achievable costs. In addition, RPS respects all labor relations concerns and has proven to work consistently inside any railroad culture without incident or complaint.