Deadman Feature

The dead man's switch was developed to check whether the driver is still actively controlling the train and is awake. This led to serious accidents before the system was introduced. The train driver has to press and release a button at certain intervals to confirm to the locomotive that he is still controlling the train. If he fails to do so, the emergency brakes are applied.

Implementation

This function was implemented in such a way that the dead man's switch or another control like throttle or brake has to be pressed to avoid an emergency braking. To do this, the key combination [ALT+SPACE] must be pressed or the corresponding button in the driver's cab. If no valid control is pressed within 60 to 120 seconds, a visual (10 seconds) and acoustic signal (also 10 seconds) will sound. If there is still no confirmation, an emergency braking will be initiated to full stop.

The dead man's switch can be toggled on or off at any time using the keyboard shortcut [ALT+2]. In the properties of the locomotive, the function can be switched on when the task is started for more realism. If desired, it can be switched off with [ALT+2].

Supported locomotives

The function is gradually being rolled out for many Pro Train vehicles and is currently available for the following vehicles:

Kuid	Name
<kuid:212731:20000817>	Amtrak P42DC Phase V (Pro Train)
<kuid2:212731:20000380:3>	UP AC4400CW (Pro Train)
<kuid2:212731:20000448:3>	SP AC4400CW (Pro Train)
<kuid:212731:20000817>	Amtrak P42 Phase V (Pro Train)