Bill, that's a fabulous selection of Canadian images you put up today. All superb, but this one is just SO full of interest. Thanks for sharing them all.
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| Posted by William on March 22, 2020 | |
For the education of us ignorant people, what is a robot car?
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The Robot cars housed the radio equipment needed to respond to the lead locomotive by the unmanned mid-train remote units. Here is an explanation from www.CPR diesel roster.com: CP Robot-1 (#1001) was built from Ex-baggage car #4465 and used in 11/1967, together with SD40 #5557 in a test with remote controlled mid-train locomotives, called Locotrol-1. This Locotrol setup needed Robot cars to store the radio equipment and data processing equipment, needed to communicate between the lead and slave units. Robot cars 1-16 (#1001-1016) were rebuilt from retired 'B' units in the 4400 group, or rebuilt from old baggage cars. Robots 17-31 (#1017-1031) were built by CP's Montreal Angus shops in 1974, and Locotrol equipment was built-in at CP's Calgary Ogden shops. Robot-32 (#1032) was built in 1977 and owned by Ontario Hydro, sub-lettered CPHX #1032. A second Robot-5 (#1005:2) was built in 1978 from retired FPB-2 #4453 to replace wrecked Robot-5:1 (#1005:1).
CP also leased (and later purchased) some BCR Robot control cars. RCC-3 and RCC-4 were built in 1953 as CLC CFB16-4 units CP #4455 and #4456. RCC-5 - RCC-9 were converted by Burlington Northern from retired BN F7B units and numbered RCU #106-111. All were sold to BCR in 1980. BCR soon leased these Robots to CP Rail. CP eventually bought these Robots but never renumbered them.
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| Posted by William on March 23, 2020 | |
Well that explains it. In the 70's I am sure remote control was in it's infancy. Thank you for taking the time and effort to answer my question.
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