By Matthew Dick, Gary Wolf and Jack Chislett • October, 2008 Reducing fuel costs and consumption are at the top of every railroad’s agenda. The drive to reduce fuel-related costs has launched an array of proposed techniques, modifications and new practices. Rail Sciences, Inc., simulated a number of potential fuel-saving options …
By Bob Tuzik • July, 2008 As research into wheel/rail interaction has evolved, the emphasis has moved toward implementation of available technology and conversion of data into information. Such was the case at Wheel/Rail Interaction ’08, the 14th annual seminar produced by Advanced Rail Management and sponsored by Progressive Railroading magazine. Railroaders, researchers …
By Bernhard Barkow and Paul Mittermayr • October, 2008 The interface between the wheel and rail represents the central link in railway dynamics. Imperfections, such as out-of-round wheels, have a significant effect on vehicle and track maintenance costs, and on safety and passenger comfort, as well (1). Much research has been …
By Anders Frick and Dr. Wolfgang Schoech • July, 2008 Rail maintenance work is a process of removing metal from the rail head at the right time and at the right place. At first, rail grinding was performed to remove surface irregularities and defects — a process that required significant metal …
By Bob Tuzik • July, 2008 Any examination of the systems in use to measure and monitor wheel/rail interaction requires a discussion of the challenges associated with implementing new and emerging technology. Several industry practitioners participated in such a discussion at Advanced Rail Management and Progressive Railroading magazine’s Wheel/Rail Interaction ’08, the 14th …
By Hans-Georg Wagner • July, 2008 The transmission of noise and vibration associated with the close proximity of rail lines to houses and office buildings has become a significant issue in metropolitan areas. The operators of rail transit systems have begun turning to measures that mitigate noise and vibration and the …
By Norman Hooper • January, 2008 This article reflects observations made while serving as Chief Engineer of BC Rail, a Class II railway (now owned by Canadian National) during a period in which the railway reduced service failures and broken rail derailments in dark territory by 60% — an improvement …
By Bob Tuzik • January, 2008 All railways must deal with operating/engineering and vehicle/track interaction issues. But rail transit systems, which operate under the microscope of the urban environment, face special, often unique, challenges. Speakers at Rail Transit ’07, Advanced Rail Management and Interface Journal’s third seminar devoted to wheel/rail interaction on rail …
By Edgar Fischmeister, Markus Ossberger, Roman Pongracz and Paul Mittermayr • January, 2008 Part 1 of this article can be seen here. Rail Grinding Traditionally, the rail head at Wiener Linien was ground as a five-sided polygon (see Figure 1). This approach has some negative impact on wheel wear, especially in …
By Stephen S. Woody • January, 2008 Part 1 of this article examined the results of a six-sigma project that Norfolk Southern initiated to improve the efficiency of its grinding program. Part 2 illustrates some the data analysis-related problems that NS experienced and learned from during other six-sigma projects. One of the most …