Interface Journal

Developments in Top of Rail and Gauge face Friction Management Consumables

June 2, 2023 | Filed under: Friction Management

New all-season TOR and GF FM products show performance and efficiency benefits over traditional seasonal variants.
Sound Transit Studies Wheel/Rail Interaction Differences Between Vehicle Types

April 23, 2023 | Filed under: Rail Transit, Vehicle/Track, Wheel Maintenance, Wheel/Rail Interaction

by Jeff Tuzik Seattle’s Link Light Rail, operated by Sound Transit, is a fairly young system. And by most standards, a small system. But it’s also a sophisticated system, and it’s growing fast. The system currently operates 25 miles of track and is in the midst of expanding to 50 …
Quantifying The Value of Maintenance for Asset Management and Capital Planning

March 30, 2023 | Filed under: Big Data, Heavy Haul, Maintenance

By Jeff Tuzik On freight railroads, rail is generally the largest single asset, capital expenditure, and one of the primary costs. From a maintenance perspective, rail is subject to wear and defect development, both of which can be actively managed in a number of ways. From an accounting perspective, rail …
Steel Hardness and Wear at the Wheel/Rail Interface: Perception vs Reality

February 6, 2023 | Filed under: Heavy Haul, Rail Maintenance, Wheel/Rail Interaction

By Jeff Tuzik Railroads around the world have many standards for wheel and rail hardness, with varied combinations of interacting harder and softer materials. And while it is intuitively apparent that harder materials should wear less, last longer and generally provide a net benefit to a system, the details and …
Maintenance Optimization and The State of Good Repair

December 16, 2022 | Filed under: Wheel/Rail Interaction

By Jeff Tuzik The State of Good Repair is a goal, but it’s also a process. It’s achieved through a series of instruments and instrumental decisions that aim to report on the health of a system from the most granular component level, to the broadest holistic overview. This Part 2 …
Using Derailment Findings to Identify Derailment Risks

November 15, 2022 | Filed under: Heavy Haul, Measurement Systems

Presenters at the 2022 Wheel/Rail Interaction conference looked at heat and track configuration issues as they relate to derailment potential in heavy-grade, high-tonnage territory. They also looked at the role of Operating parameters in derailment potential, and at the findings from 20 years of investigations into derailments. By Bob Tuzik …
Understanding the Role of Human Factors in Railway Inspection

November 14, 2022 | Filed under: Maintenance

Presenting experts at Wheel/Rail Interaction 2022 made it clear that there’s more to inspection than meets the eye. Education and training can help reduce errors and improve inspection efficiency. By Bob Tuzik “Human Factors” are frequently cited as cause codes in railway incidents and derailments. But while track and mechanical …
“The Complete Field Guide to Modern Derailment Investigation:” An insiders’ look into the definitive work by the industry’s preeminent derailment investigator.

April 27, 2021 | Filed under: Wheel/Rail Interaction

by Bob Tuzik, Executive Program Director – Wheel Rail Seminars If there are lessons to be learned from a derailment — and, of course, there are — then Gary Wolf’s The Complete Field Guide to Modern Derailment Investigation is a master class on finding, analyzing, and understanding the marks on …
A First Look at Rail Milling in North America

February 27, 2020 | Filed under: Rail Maintenance, Rail Transit

By Richard Stock Rail Milling technology, which was introduced by Linsinger about 25 years ago, has been widely used in Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was recently introduced in North America. Unlike other maintenance technologies, rail milling is a non-abrasive cutting process where material is cut from the rail surface …

Developments in Top of Rail and Gauge face Friction Management Consumables

New all-season TOR and GF FM products show performance and efficiency benefits over traditional seasonal variants.

Sound Transit Studies Wheel/Rail Interaction Differences Between Vehicle Types

by Jeff Tuzik Seattle’s Link Light Rail, operated by Sound Transit, is a fairly young system. And by most standards, a small …

Quantifying The Value of Maintenance for Asset Management and Capital Planning

By Jeff Tuzik On freight railroads, rail is generally the largest single asset, capital expenditure, and one of the primary costs. From …

Joe Kalousec (left) and Gordon Bachinsky (right)

Steel Hardness and Wear at the Wheel/Rail Interface: Perception vs Reality

By Jeff Tuzik Railroads around the world have many standards for wheel and rail hardness, with varied combinations of interacting harder and …

Maintenance Optimization and The State of Good Repair

By Jeff Tuzik The State of Good Repair is a goal, but it’s also a process. It’s achieved through a series of …

Using Derailment Findings to Identify Derailment Risks

Presenters at the 2022 Wheel/Rail Interaction conference looked at heat and track configuration issues as they relate to derailment potential in heavy-grade, …

Understanding the Role of Human Factors in Railway Inspection

Presenting experts at Wheel/Rail Interaction 2022 made it clear that there’s more to inspection than meets the eye. Education and training can …

The Tools of Remediation: Case Studies on Mitigating Common Concerns at the Wheel/Rail Interface.

by Jeff Tuzik Transit systems around the world, despite their differences, all contend with the same issues to some degree. Issues like …

Examining Autonomous Track Geometry Testing and Instrumented Revenue Vehicle Technology

A pair of speakers from different continents discuss the benefits of autonomous track geometry collection and the advantages of monitoring revenue-service vehicles’ …