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 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 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 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 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 …
By Huimin Wu and Semih Kalay • October, 2009 Wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) of rails and wheels are common problems under heavy-haul operations. Increasing axle loads can increase the capacity of a railway system, but also can increase the stress state of the system. A root cause of RCF …
By Huimin Wu and Semih Kalay • January 2010 See Part 1 of this article here. What are the differences between rail shapes that produce higher contact conicities and those that produce lower contact conicities? The profiles shown in Figures 1a and 1b illustrate the differences that can result in significant …
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 …