1. Complete the following sentences, choosing the right variant corresponding to the content of the text:

1. The yard capacity increase has been carried out

1. by the manual operation of switches and car brakes

2. by the application of computer techniques for railroad operation

3. by the work of fewer employees.

2. On automated humps with centralized control it is possible to sort:

1. 5-6,000 cars daily

2. 8-10,000 cars per 12 hours

3. 8-10,000 cars per 24 hours.

3. The first braking position is placed

1. before the queen point

2. at the start of the run-down from the hump

3. at each receiving siding.

4. Cars are generally moved faster

1. from the third braking point

2. from the first braking position

3. from the second braking position.

2. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the aim of equipping large marshaling yards with centralized

automatic hump retarder control system?

2. What factors influence the working capacity of hump yards?

3. What is the hump capacity of Losinoostrovsk yard?

4. What are the functions of braking points?

5. What is the most significant factor in speeding up yard operations?

Iy. Text 5c. Read and translate the texts in writing: (30 minutes)

I. Australia’s first automated hump yard

Australia’s first hump yard has gone into operation at Melbourne. The hump is a man-made hill reaching about 6 m above ground level. Loaded cars rolling down the hump are controlled by five 30.4 m long retarders. Cars are sorted into one of 32 classification tracks divided into four groups of eight.

Two underpasses* have been provided to allow trains and locomotives to pass under the hump and approaches without interfering with sorting operations.

Prominent features of the modernized yard are two control buildings known as West and East towers. West tower houses the control equipment for hump automation. Before each train is processed through the hump, a «cut list»* is prepared to show the siding into which each car is to be sorted. This list is then transferred to a tape which is run through a reader* and all routes are mechanically set.

Notes:

* underpass – тоннель

*«cut list» – натурный лист

* reader – считывающее устройство

II. Canadian pacific marshaling yard

CP* Rail marshaling yard in Calgary is the North America’s most advanced computer-controlled freight yard. This involved closing of the old manual hump operation which required men riding each car or cut to operate brakes on the run-down in the yard.

The manual system had a sorting capacity of about 740 cars a day. The move to full computer control means handling 3,000 cars and more daily. Completion of the computer installation has led to semi-automatic operation on 48 sorting sidings. The control tower operator now simply sets a dial for the speed at which the car is to come out of the retarders and the computers do the rest work.

By constantly updating its memory banks* , the computer has an up-to-the minute picture of the yard situation at all times. It has the data of the make-up of incoming trains, destination of individual cars, and the number of units standing in sidings. Based on automatic measurements of weight, speed and the given distance of the car, the computer applies the retarders and lines up the correct switches.

CP Rail studies, which have led to the reconstruction project, indicate that the railroad will be handling almost 80% more freight cars in and out of Calgary by 2000.

Notes:

* CP = Canadian Pacific – Канадская Тихоокеанская ж.д.

* to update memory banks – обновлять банк данных