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Heavy Haul

Assessing the Findings of a Derailment Investigation: Was the Right Cause Found?

January 21, 2025 | Filed under: Brad Kerchof, Derailment, Heavy Haul, Wheel/Rail Interaction, WRI Conference

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 …

A Culture of Change: How the Railroad Industry Can Embrace an Evolving World

December 30, 2024 | Filed under: Heavy Haul, WRI Conference

Corina Moore, a transformative leader in the railway industry, successfully revitalized Ontario Northland by fostering a culture of change, diversity, and continuous improvement. Moore emphasized the importance of employees’ voices and collaboration across generations to drive innovation. Her leadership approach has enhanced organizational performance and sustainability within the sector.

Examining the Role of Wheel/Rail Interaction in a Unit Train Derailment

October 30, 2024 | Filed under: Derailment, Heavy Haul, Vehicle/Track, Wheel/Rail Interaction

George Fowler, a veteran investigator, analyzed the 2016 Grey derailment involving a Canadian National train, highlighting that derailments often stem from combined vehicle and track factors. His investigation revealed issues like track geometry, maintenance, and vehicle dynamics, emphasizing the importance of thorough evaluations to prevent such incidents in the future.

New Approaches to Dynamic Wheel Force Measurement – Part 2

April 9, 2024 | Filed under: Heavy Haul, Measurement Systems, Wheel/Rail Interaction, WRI Conference

The article discusses advancements in wheel condition monitoring technologies, particularly by Mermec and MxV Rail. Various methods, including optical and strain gauge systems, gather data on dynamic forces and out-of-roundness. Enhanced systems promise improved predictions of hunting behavior and overall wheel integrity, increasingly complementing traditional inspection techniques in railways.

MRS Logística: A History of Innovation and Optimization

November 8, 2023 | Filed under: Heavy Haul, Wheel/Rail Interaction

by Jeff Tuzik Some challenges in the railroad industry are local, some are universal. Brazil’s MRS Logística has met its share of both. Their efforts to maintain, modernize, and optimize their network over the past 30 years highlight the importance of approaching all challenges from a system-wide perspective, and of …

Instrumented diamond with UTPs

Under-Tie Pads: Resilient Materials Make an Impact

September 2, 2023 | Filed under: Heavy Haul, Wheel/Rail Interaction

by Jeff Tuzik Areas of track that are subject to high impacts and dynamic loadings, such as turnouts, diamond crossings and other special trackwork, bridges and bridge approaches, high-degree curves, and highway/rail grade crossings are challenging to manage. Maintenance requires attention, resources, and significant ongoing investment. With more than 30,000 …

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 …

Joe Kalousec (left) and Gordon Bachinsky (right)

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 theories regarding the interaction of harder and softer steels. And while it is intuitively apparent that harder materials should wear less, last longer and generally provide a net benefit to systemic resilience, the …

Using Derailment Findings to Identify Derailment Risks

November 15, 2022 | Filed under: Gary Wolf, 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 …

Running Longer Trains More Productively and Less Destructively

March 12, 2020 | Filed under: Heavy Haul, Vehicle/Track

by David C. Lester Dave Peltz is literally a rocket scientist. Although he is now Chief of Global Technology for GE Transportation’s (now Wabtec’s) Intelligent Control Systems Division in Melbourne, Fla., he spent time with the U.S. Air Force as a satellite communications systems engineer for the Mill Star satellite …

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