Fugiel Airbox System

A remote controlled railroad brake system has been developed which has been successfully demonstrated to function in a rail yard environment over a distance of over two miles.  This system consists of a portable handheld computer/transceiver combination programmed to control a remotely placed air valve box connected to the braking system of a cut of rail cars.

The ability to achieve control over a 2+ mile distance is facilitated by a repeater transceiver mounted on a centrally located tower with at least 100’ elevation.  Shorter ranges of up to 0.5+ miles are also achievable without the need for a repeater.

The system can be operated without auxiliary heating power over a temperature range of -18 deg. C to +75 deg. C.  With an auxiliary power source, however, the system is capable of performing down to temperatures of -40deg. C. The air box itself is powered by a singe EOT rechargeable battery, commonly available in all rail yard locations.

The remote control handheld unit is extremely versatile device which, in addition to braking control, can be programmed to control other rail yard functions such as selective yard lighting control, remote switching and bridge control. Special buttons allowing simple control of all desired functions can be provided on the control panel of the unit.

The system can be configured in several formats to meet the specific needs of each rail yard:  The simplest system consists of just an air box with a single handheld controller.  Such a setup would suffice for trains up to 2500’.  The system can also be configured with an air box having a directional antenna with a handheld unit for trains up to 1 mile in length in yards having negligible-to-moderate RF interference. The most elaborate configuration required is an air box/repeater/handheld controller combination which permits the testing of trains over the full 2 mile range—a requirement for large rail yards with heavy activity.

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