Under the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI) program, MxV Rail conducted preliminary testing on a Locomotive Consist Control  (LCC) cable and the associated Ethernet wiring currently under development (see Figure 1). The LCC cable is being considered by the industry as a potential solution for future intra-consist communication needs. The improved communication will better support modern train control systems, allowing improvements such as better fuel economy, increased redundancy, and advanced diagnostics. For example, an energy management system could auto isolate a trailing locomotive, or if a radio on the lead locomtoive fails it could fail over to a radio on a trailing locomotive. Either 4-pair Ethernet or single-pair Ethernet (SPE) will travel through the LCC cable.  Figure 1. Prototype LCC cable and receptacle In December 2024, MxV Rail conducted preliminary investigations into the suitability of Ethernet for use in intra-consist communications at…