System and method for remotely controlling a vehicle consist

1. A method comprising:

determining that a first propulsion-generating vehicle in a vehicle system is no longer communicable with from a location that is off-board the vehicle system to remotely control tractive effort or braking effort of the first propulsion-generating vehicle, wherein the vehicle system also includes a non-propulsion-generating vehicle;

identifying a second propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system to remotely control; and

positioning the non-propulsion-generating vehicle at a designated location by remotely controlling at least on of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle using a remote control device that is off-board the vehicle system, wherein the at least on of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle is remotely controlled by the remote control device without remotely controlling the tractive effort or the braking effort provided by the first propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system with the remote control device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the second propulsion-generating vehicle includes selecting a propulsion-generating vehicle in a consist other than a lead consist of the vehicle system as the second propulsion-generating vehicle to remotely control while the vehicle system is operating in a distributed power (DP) configuration.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle is remotely controlled independent of the tractive effort or the braking effort provided by the first propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-propulsion-generating vehicle is configured to carry at least one of cargo or passengers, and the at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle is remotely controlled to position the non-propulsion-generating vehicle at the designated location, wherein the designated location is located in a segment of a route used to one or more of load the at least one of cargo or passengers onto the non-propulsion-generating vehicle or unload the at least one of cargo or passengers from the non-propulsion-generating vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the first propulsion-generating vehicle can no longer be communicated with from the location that is off-board the vehicle system to remotely control the tractive effort or the braking effort of the first propulsion-generating vehicle includes determining when at least one consist in the vehicle system is or will be in a communication-restricted area along a route being traveled by the vehicle system where remote control of the at least one consist from the remote control device is prevented.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining that the vehicle system is approaching a segment of interest of a route being traveled by the vehicle system that includes at least one of an uphill grade or downhill grade, wherein identifying the second propulsion-generating vehicle occurs responsive to determining that the vehicle system is approaching the segment of interest of the route and remotely controlling the at least one of tractive effort or braking effort includes remotely controlling the second propulsion-generating vehicle such that the vehicle system travels over the segment of interest in the route at a designated speed.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second propulsion-generating vehicle and the first propulsion-generating vehicle are separated by the non-propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system, and remotely controlling the at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle includes changing a position of the non-propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system relative to the second propulsion-generating vehicle consist and the first propulsion-generating vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle is remotely controlled from at least one of a stationary building or a mobile handheld operator unit.

9. A control system comprising:

an off-board controller configured to determine that a first propulsion-generating vehicle in a vehicle system is no longer communicable with from a location that is off-board the vehicle system to remotely control tractive effort or braking effort of the first propulsion-generating vehicle, wherein the vehicle system also includes a non-propulsion-generating vehicle,

wherein the controller is configured to identify a second propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system to remotely control and to position the non-propulsion-generating vehicle at a designated location by remotely controlling at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle, the at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle being remotely controlled by the controller without also remotely controlling tractive effort or braking effort provided by the first propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system.

10. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to identify the second vehicle system in a consist other than a lead consist of the vehicle system to remotely control while the vehicle system is operating in a distributed power (DP) configuration.

11. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to remotely control the at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle independent of the tractive effort or the braking effort provided by the first propulsion-generating vehicle.

12. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to remotely control the at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle in order to position the non-propulsion-generating vehicle at the designated location in a segment of a route used to one or more of load the at least one of cargo or passengers onto the non-propulsion-generating vehicle or unload the at least one of cargo or passengers from the non-propulsion-generating vehicle.

13. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to identify the second propulsion-generating vehicle by determining that the first propulsion-generating vehicle is or will be in a communication-restricted area along a route being traveled by the vehicle system location where remote control of the first propulsion-generating vehicle is prevented.

14. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to determine when the vehicle system is approaching a segment of interest of a route being traveled by the vehicle system that includes at least one of an uphill grade or downhill grade, the controller also configured to identify the second propulsion-generating vehicle responsive to the controller determining that the vehicle system is approaching the segment of interest.

15. The control system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to remotely control the at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle such that the vehicle system travels over the segment of interest in the route at a designated speed.

16. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the second propulsion-generating vehicle and the first propulsion-generating vehicle are separated by the non-propulsion-generating vehicle, and the controller is configured to remotely control the at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle by changing a position of the non-propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system relative to the second propulsion-generating vehicle and the first propulsion-generating vehicle.

17. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to remotely control the at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the first propulsion-generating vehicle from a stationary building.

18. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is included in a mobile handheld operator unit.

19. A control system comprising:

a controller disposed off-board the vehicle system and configured to determine when communication with a first propulsion-generating vehicle in a vehicle system is prevented and to identify a second propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system, the controller configured to position a non-propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system at a designated location along a route by wirelessly communicating one or more data signals to the second propulsion-generating vehicle to independently control at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle without also remotely controlling tractive effort or braking effort provided by the first propulsion-generating vehicle.

20. The control system of claim 19 , wherein the controller is configured to communicate the one or more data signals to increase the tractive effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle to compensate for a decrease in the tractive effort provided by the first propulsion-generating vehicle due to a loss in communication with the first propulsion-generating vehicle.

21. The control system of claim 19 , wherein the controller is configured to communicate the one or more data signals to increase the braking effort provided by the second propulsion-generating vehicle to compensate for a decrease in the braking effort provided by the first propulsion-generating vehicle due to a loss in communication with the first propulsion-generating vehicle.