Removing PTC equipment

@Dominic Mazoch posted:

Suppose somebody does this.  That person removes or somehow neutralizes the PTC equipment.  And somehow this locomotive becomes the control locomotive.  What happens when this train traches PTC controlled trackage?

The local operating officials hold and investigation and whoever is found to be responsible gets a month or more of unpaid vacation.

Legally, NO.

If this locomotive/train entered PTC trackage, PTC coud not "read",  much less "control" it?  And outside CTC, how woud a disatcher know it was there?

I woud hope the railroads have looked at this possibility

If the PTC were to be "disabled", how could the train brakes be released?

If the PTC were removed or disabled, the crew would know and report it so that they didn't get in trouble.

But suppose the people on the locomotive wanted to do a "railroad 9-11"   Is it possible?  Is the brake locking such that it stays locked?

Only way the PTC can be disabled “legally” is by PTC help desk informing you the lead end cannot be oriented for the route for some type of failure and after you talk to the central road foreman’s office in Atlanta for the NS.

Then you notify the dispatcher all of this has occurred .

But if you take it upon yourself the big eye in the sky will know pretty quick and order you to stop safely without blocking crossings and you’ll be escorted off the property for deactivating a Federal safety device .

You will be fired most likely for good and face fines and possible jail time.

So no it’s not really possible legally .

Maybe this guy is asking if one simply does not initialize the PTC and goes into PTC territory?

You regularly go into dark territory or leave PTC signaled track which automatically downgrades the system to restricted ( on PTC that is 18mph ) .

Before reentering PTC signaled territory you have to make sure your engine is oriented for your direction of travel and make sure a track line appears. It may take several hundred feet for it to become active .

But like I mentioned above ,under no circumstances are you to enter PTC territory without PTC capable without talking to PTC help desk .

Question:  Could somebody with evil intent do this, and have the engine/train enter a PTC line undetected.

You have got to enter a valid username and password that’s recognized by the PTC system to move that unit onto PTC mainline .

Big Brother knows ever move these engines make now engaged or not.
Id say close to 90+% of locos have gps detection on them. They know a locos ever move.

@mackb4 posted:

They know a locos ever move.

They even know if a unit hits a hard bump in the rails!