Brad Kerchof

Switch Point Inspection & Wheel-Climb Derailment Prevention

by Brad Kerchof This article originally appeared in the September 2025 issue of Railway Track and Structures. It is reprinted here at their courtesy. Do you have experience arguing about derailment causes with another department? If so, chances are you have negotiated the cause of a switch-point wheel-climb derailment. The …

Controlling Rail Cant and Lateral Forces by Managing the Wheel/Rail Interface

by Brad Kerchof and Huimin Wu Railroad track people know that track degradation is a complex and constant problem. Because so many variables affect track strength, correcting problems when they arise, and correcting them effectively, is no easy task. Norfolk Southern’s Research and Tests Department recently concluded a series of tests …