The Tech Future of Rail Preservation

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Mon May 26, 2025 10:19 pm

This BBC article highlights an issue that is pressing upon us already as the first locomotives and transit vehicles of the modern computer age come to preservation:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2025 ... ocid=fbfut

Quote:

And there are plenty of other surprising applications of old Microsoft products hidden in everyday life. In 2024, Windows was at the centre of a controversy across the German internet. It started with a job listing for Deutsche Bahn, the country’s railway service. The role being recruited was an IT systems administrator who would maintain the driver's cab display system on high-speed and regional trains. The problem was the necessary qualifications: applicants were expected to have expertise with Windows 3.11 and MS-DOS – systems released 32 and 44 years ago, respectively. In certain parts of Germany, commuting depends on operating systems that are older than many passengers.

Much more at the link.

Good luck saving an Acela or SD9043MAC.

jayrod · **Posted:** Mon May 26, 2025 11:23 pm

That's a problem not just with software but hardware, too. If they can find these guys for full time employment, pay them well so they stay. Usually all you can find are contract workers. An acquaintance of mine maintains locomotive software and one of his main tools is a Win XP machine with a serial port. And these are "modern" locos.

I started out with MS-DOS and I've forgotten more than I ever knew. Nowadays I have to look things up just to use the command prompt for the rare occasion I need to do a simple diagnostic command or two. I do recall being tickled pink when Windows 2.03 came out. Overlaying windows instead of tiles on the screen was the coolest thing.

Stuff just keeps getting older. How the hell does that happen?

diningcartim · **Joined:** Fri Sep 20, 2013 2:34 pm **Posts:** 195

There is a US airport (that shall remain unnamed to protect the less-than-guilty) with a 30 year old people mover system that I quoted an upgrade to its control system 8 years ago and they still don't have the funding. In the meantime they are constantly on ebay looking for spare parts to keep the system going. The current computers run on Windows 95 with 5 inch floppy disks. The actual control hardware has not been commercially available since about 2005.

scratchyX1 · **Joined:** Tue Jul 14, 2020 12:17 pm **Posts:** 153

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

This BBC article highlights an issue that is pressing upon us already as the first locomotives and transit vehicles of the modern computer age come to preservation:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2025 ... ocid=fbfut

Quote:

And there are plenty of other surprising applications of old Microsoft products hidden in everyday life. In 2024, Windows was at the centre of a controversy across the German internet. It started with a job listing for Deutsche Bahn, the country’s railway service. The role being recruited was an IT systems administrator who would maintain the driver's cab display system on high-speed and regional trains. The problem was the necessary qualifications: applicants were expected to have expertise with Windows 3.11 and MS-DOS – systems released 32 and 44 years ago, respectively. In certain parts of Germany, commuting depends on operating systems that are older than many passengers.

Much more at the link.

Good luck saving an Acela or SD9043MAC.

If I understand correctly, marc replaced the windows software on the HHP-8 with a real-time Linux instance, to get them back into operation.
Software is also why a Pennsylvania class 2 won't run anything above sd50s

PCook · **Joined:** Sat Jul 02, 2005 7:16 am **Posts:** 2089

A Dell D630 with XP is very useful.

PC

diningcartim · **Joined:** Fri Sep 20, 2013 2:34 pm **Posts:** 195

PCook wrote:

A Dell D630 with XP is very useful.

PC

Until recently, I kept a wide array of circa 1990-2010 PCs running. I can't tell you how many customers I run into with 30 year old floppy disks as the only backup for a system that has now crapped out. It still amazes me how many companies have no drawings or documentation of vital systems. The cost of tracing wires and recreating control logic can easily run into 6 figures!

PCook · **Joined:** Sat Jul 02, 2005 7:16 am **Posts:** 2089

As of a few years ago one local agency had 28 outdated software products still in use.

PC

The Tech Future of Rail Preservation

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