by Bob Tuzik, December 1, 2004 As part of its effort to monitor dynamic vehicle/track interaction on the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak commissioned ENSCO, Inc., to develop a Wayside Train/Track Interaction Detection System. The goal was to measure and collect information on vehicle/track forces that would enable Amtrak to determine the causes of …
By Bob Tuzik • November 4, 2004 If the first unwritten rule in optimizing the wheel/rail interface on rail transit is: Know your system; the second rule should be: Recognize that the w/r interface is a system. “No single department can attack the issues in isolation and expect to get very far,” Joseph Oriolo, Senior …
by Eric E. Magel • September 20, 2004 Wheel wear is an inevitable byproduct of wheel/rail interaction. Excessive wear, however, indicates an imbalance in some aspect of the wheel/rail interface. Amtrak’s high-speed Acela trains, running on track with much greater curvature than other high-speed systems, were quickly found to exhibit very …
By Jeff Tuzik • July 2010 Wheel/rail interaction is complex, variable and difficult to manage—especially on rail transit systems where noise, vibration and ride quality present daily challenges. As a result, managing the wheel/rail interface requires constant attention and innovation. Speakers at Advanced Rail Management’s Rail Transit 2010 seminar on …