Advanced Automation Products (AAP) has worked closely with CSX headquarters for over four years on various automation projects. As a leader in the transportation industry, CSX is centered on its core competencies in rail transit. Safety and security are driving forces in CSX’s technology development. This is the area where AAP has brought in the Blue Fusion controller series. Remote monitoring and status reporting on systems deployed throughout the CSX system have been high priorities for CSX’s management team. The 2001 terrorist attacks heightened the urgency for development of a more closely knit security and monitoring network. CSX’s system spreads from upstate New York to Corpus Christi, Texas, and many facilities are in remote areas such as hump yards, where boxcars are linked together with an engine for deployment.

At the hump yard the configuration of each a train (an engine, the cars it’s pulling, and the caboose) is driven by customer demands, which are constantly changing. The hump yard requires up-to-date information; data centers and maintenance yards have similar requirements for up-to-the minute data from the main system. Computers require consistent power so all these facilities are backed up with generator sets in the event of power loss. Many locations are also so remote that reliable phone lines, DSL, or cable service are not available.

AAP’s Steve Brown has worked closely with the CSX management team on this issue and devised a simple but versatile solution. Focusing on the communication issue and the various methods of getting data back to CSX headquarters, Steve combined CTC’s Blue Fusion controller with AAP’s systems to provide 24/7 data streams to CSX’s main servers. Communication can be over long-range wireless, cellular interface, or even satellite communication technology. Additionally, many members of the management group requested that the information be available to them using a browser on the company LAN or through the Internet.

The engineering team was focused on immediate notification of power loss at any facility, which AAP handles seamlessly by integrating the Blue Fusion and wireless technology for e-mail notification of power condition alarms. For example, an e-mail notification is sent when a generator is “kicked on” in the event of loss of local power or for monitoring voltage and current levels, oil temperature, and diesel fuel levels.

Many of these examples overlap another area of focus, “vendor-managed inventory” for automatic re-order of items such as raw materials or fuel. The Blue Fusion’s ability to log data locally provides additional peace of mind for CSX in the event of a system network failure — when network communications are re-established, the Blue Fusion is capable of sending the logged data files (in .csv format) to the server at headquarters.

The CTC touchscreen connected to the Blue Fusion controller allows users to monitor and view critical information at these remote sites. The ability to modify set points or other parameters can be password protected so only authorized personnel have access. AAP has combined the control, monitoring and Web-enabled communication features of the Blue Fusion family of controllers with its own wireless communication capabilities to provide CSX a simple yet powerful and secure system for monitoring its network of facilities. If you have interest in this learning how this approach could benefit your systems, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. of Advanced Automation Products of Florida (+1 904.215.3816).