By Gary Wolf • May 04, 2005 Part 1 of this two-part article explored the importance of roller style side bearings in maintaining proper vehicle performance and how improper maintenance of side bearings can directly affect wheel/rail forces. Part 2 examines the purpose, types of designs and maintenance of the …
By Gary Wolf • March 10, 2005 With the approach of spring, a trackman’s thoughts turn to the potential for sun kinks. Some call them thermal misalignments, some call them track buckles, some call them sun kinks. But no matter what you call them, their effects can be characterized in …
By Gary Wolf • April 04, 2005 Side Bearings serve as support elements on the truck bolster and are located to the side of the centerplate. The function of the side bearing is to support the underside of the car body bolster in the event the car leans to one side …
By Gary Wolf • February 1, 2005 It’s said that “it takes two to tango,” but it takes three critical elements to induce harmonic rock and roll: • An operating speed between approximately 12 and 24 mph. • A vehicle conducive to rocking due to its mass and spring characteristics. • …
By Gary P. Wolf • January 1, 2005 Part 1 of “Effects of Wide Gauge on Derailment Potential” examined how wide gauge occurs, some of the symptoms and reasons why wide gauge is undesirable. Part 2 of this article explores how to correctly measure gauge and properly identify wide gauge …
By Gary P. Wolf • December 1, 2004 “Wide gauge” is one of the most often used FRA derailment codes. In 2003, 254 derailments were reported to have been caused by wide gauge (FRA code T110 or T111). This represents nearly 13% of all derailments reported to the FRA, and roughly …
By Gary Wolf Part 1 of this article examined trailing-point derailments, facing-point derailments and thin flange wheels. Part 2 examines wheel climb and frog-related derailments. Crosslevel variances in turnout geometry represent a common cause of wheel-climb derailments. It’s not unusual to find bolted or insulated joints within 30 to 40 …
By Gary Wolf No other type of derailment causes as much angst among railroaders as the switch point derailment. The switch point derailment can take several forms, but it generally boils down to a disagreement between the Mechanical Department that blames the switch point, and the Engineering Department that blames …
By Gary P. Wolf • November 1, 2004 Part 1 of Truck Warp: Causes and Cures covered the three primary causes of truck warp:• An insufficient longitudinal steering moment is developed at the wheelset due to poor profile characteristics, typically, hollow-worn wheels.• An insufficient warp stiffness or moment is present …
By Gary Wolf • January, 2007 The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has promulgated a new Rule 46 in the Field Manual of the AAR Interchange Rules. This new rule represents a comprehensive effort to codify under one umbrella many of the formerly fragmented rules dealing with truck wear limits, maintenance …