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Garmin for Train Drivers?
PaulMac
0 Points
Hi everyone
I'm training to drive high-speed long-distance trains on a complex route. One of the hardest things to deal with is track knowledge - especially remembering station locations so I don't shoot through them instead of stopping.
I would like to be able to geofence parts of my route to give me warning of approaching stations and speed limits. What Garmin product, if any, would be suitable for this role? Can I customise notifications (eg a specific sound for each place, or even better a voice reminder)? I would also like to vary the size of the geofence, if possible.
I'd love to hear any suggestions. Thanks!
Paul
(I previously posted this in another forum and was kindly re-directed to this one.)
I'm training to drive high-speed long-distance trains on a complex route. One of the hardest things to deal with is track knowledge - especially remembering station locations so I don't shoot through them instead of stopping.
I would like to be able to geofence parts of my route to give me warning of approaching stations and speed limits. What Garmin product, if any, would be suitable for this role? Can I customise notifications (eg a specific sound for each place, or even better a voice reminder)? I would also like to vary the size of the geofence, if possible.
I'd love to hear any suggestions. Thanks!
Paul
(I previously posted this in another forum and was kindly re-directed to this one.)
Comments
Have you asked the professors at your school? I'd think that if such maps/units exist the RR companies would use them. Such maps would be very specific and custom.
Actually, the workforce is very much anti-technology, since it obliges the company to train us longer and pay us more. Memorising routes is hard work.
I was hoping to be able to geofence an arbitrary point on a map, or by coordinates, and set a perimeter of anywhere from 200 to 2000 metres. Even if the GPS device isn't optimised for rail, it will at least still be able to warn me as soon as I enter the geofence.
No one in the stores I've visited has even been able to tell me if the Garmin products they sell are capable of geofencing.
Is there any particular model that would be suitable for this role? I'm really fumbling in the dark here.
Have you been happy with your eTrex 20?
TalkyToaster look & feel maps give the best individual track rail representation I have found, There's no easy way of getting the route to follow the tracks without direct routing and adding waypoints (limit 50 on the Montana) that I can think of.
I can appreciate that memorizing routes is hard work, but maybe that talent is required to safely operate a train? Please don't take offense... I just think this should be discussed with your supervisor and fellow engineers before proceeding.
Indeed, I couldn't even consider installing a GPS device in the cab without express permission of the trainers. You have to stay very, very focused to drive a train at high speeds on our antiquated signalling systems. But I am keen to experiment within the limits of acceptability.
GPS would be particularly useful when driving in difficult weather conditions. There's nothing quite so disheartening as blowing through a stopping station at 180 km/h just because you lost situational awareness in a patch of fog.