Patent ID: 7072747

Claim:
A method of controlling passage of a train employing a plurality of locomotives through a tunnel so as to meet an overall movement plan for the train, the method comprising: configuring predetermined operating characteristics of at least one selected locomotive in the train in preparation for the passage of the train through the tunnel as the train approaches an entrance to The tunnel; monitoring conditions within the tunnel and the performance of the selected locomotive as the train passes through the tunnel, including dynamically changing the configuration of the operating characteristics of the selected locomotive as a function of the monitored conditions within the tunnel, the performance of the selected locomotive, and the performance of other locomotives of the train while in the tunnel, so as to achieve a total tractive effort of the train provided by the plurality of locomotives of the train sufficient to move the train through the tunnel in accordance with the plan and to optimize the performance of the locomotive; and, reconfiguring the operating characteristics of the selected locomotive as the train approaches the exit of the tunnel to facilitate recovery of the selected locomotive from the effects of passage through the tunnel.