by Jeff Tuzik The Great Dismal Swamp. An ominous name. And in June of 2019, it was the site of a Norfolk Southern derailment. At NS, all derailments are investigated to determine the cause(s) and to provide data that could help prevent future incidents. Brad Kerchof, formerly Director of Research …
by Bob Tuzik Gary Wolf, president of Wolf Railway Consulting, is the recipient of the 2023 Worth Award. The award, presented by Wheel Rail Seminars at the annual Wheel/Rail Interaction conference in June, is named for Art Worth, who was Manager of Standards and retired as Senior Manager – Advanced …
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 …
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 …
By Jeff Tuzik Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) is an issue every railroad, and many transit systems, around the world must contend with. Despite its ubiquity, RCF is not perfectly understood. There are many researchers, railroad operators and suppliers, experts in their field, working to understand and eliminate RCF and its attendant …
By Jeff Tuzik (Continue to Part 2) Proper management of the wheel/rail interface is a daunting process. It involves elements of design and planning, automated and manned inspection, corrective and preventive maintenance and data management, to name only a few. Managing the systemic health of a railroad means understanding processes that range from the …
by Jeff Tuzik It wasn’t so long ago that measurement technology referred to calipers, gauges, or other tools. And it wasn’t so long ago that the data railroads collected on their properties was measured in pages instead of gigabytes. Now, the data flows constantly. Automated measurement technologies, both vehicle- and …
WRI 2014 Heavy Haul: Part 1 by Jeff Tuzik A lot has changed since the early days of wheel/rail interface management. New technologies present new opportunities and challenges, while legacy systems are continually honed and adapted to new practices. Automated inspection technologies and data management are only the latest in …
Part 2. Friction Management, Vehicle Suspension and Measurement Systems By Bob Tuzik, April 2014 Part 1 of this article explored advances in metallurgy, wheel/rail profile design and maintenance practices. Part 2 continues the theme, examining the technologies and techniques that have shaped our understanding of wheel/rail interaction. While the practice of …
Part 1. Metallurgy, Wheel/Rail Profile Design and Maintenance. by Bob Tuzik, January 2014 Ask a group of railroaders, researchers or suppliers what the essential aspects of understanding wheel/rail interaction have been over the past 20 years, and you’ll get a host of answers. But among them, major categories consistently emerge: …