Calgary - "Max" is at it again, he's being a trifle temperamental but it's only temporary.

Max, as CP Rail's latest automation experiment is affectionately known, is a compact, highly-versatile, locomotive performance monitoring system currently undergoing rigorous tests at the railway's Alyth Electronics Laboratory.

The system's doting mentor is lab supervisor Gerry Baumgartner, a 46-year-old electronics whiz who treats Max as if it were some incredibly-gifted prodigy.

ANALYSES STATS

"I guess it may seem a little weird," admits Mr. Baumgartner, "but we've really gotten attached to Max. We even talk to him." Max doesn't talk back but, as far as Mr. Baumgartner is concerned, it's only a matter of time.

Max is officially, a Harris Probe computer, designed by Harris Communications and Information, of Melbourne, Florida.

It's the first of its kind in operation anywhere, and since its installation here 18 months ago, Probe has provided some promising results. An electronic monitoring system installed in the cab of a locomotive scans various engine, alarm, and control systems through a series of highly-sensitive sensors located throughout the unit.

Stats concerning the locomotive's performance over a given time, distance, and stretch of track is collected, stored, then transferred to the lab, where it's fed into Max. Max then analyses the information, checks the locomotive's previous performance and indicates faults or potential problems.

"It gives us a complete trip analysis, a complete profile of the locomotive's operation. It gives you a quick summary of what you're really seeing on the locomotive," Mr. Baumgartner said.

Max is still in the experimental stage and it will take some time before its operation is perfected. That's probably why Mr. Baumgartner views the system as an eager student rather than just another piece of equipment.

Breaking in new technology is nothing new to Mr. Baumgartner. With the railway for 25 years, he's seen a number of advancements and he was on hand when CP Rail pioneered robot train operation a decade ago.

LOCOTROL SIMULATOR

Mr. Baumgartner, born in Rumania and raised in West Germany where he became an electrician, was instrumental in setting-up the locotrol railway locomotives' performance simulator, a system designed to troubleshoot robot operation. The simulator runs a quality control check on each of CP Rail's locotrol engines and robots before they're allowed to leave Alyth.

TINKERING

Robot trains were a major step for CP Rail. They use remote-controlled, mid-train locomotives to haul long, heavy, bulk commodity trains on the westbound climb from Calgary.

Like Max, the system required patient monitoring and tinkering. Today, it's considered state of the art.

"We had to modify the locotrol system to our needs. Right now it's as good as it can get. However, a brand new system is in the works. We should have the new prototype ready for testing this year. Then it'll be a whole new ball game," he said.

In the meantime, aside from keeping locotrol in top form, Mr. Baumgartner is occupying himself putting Max through its paces.

"He's in the prototype stage even though the basic system has been tested and re-tested since 1975. We'll see how it goes, then we'll stage more tests with a whole group of locomotives. For the time being, though, Max is my new toy," he chuckles, patting Max's video display terminal.

"He's a little mad at me right now," Mr. Baumgartner says, frowning while he waits for Max to respond to a command. "But he's been like this before. Once, for a whole week, he wouldn't do anything I wanted. I'd say, come on Max, speak to me, but he'd just ignore me."

Finally, after a few moments, Max responded to the command and a locomotive profile began pumping out of the line printer. "Attaboy, Max," beamed Mr. Baumgartner.

This CP Rail News article is copyright 1983 by the Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.