By Gary Wolf • January, 2006 Railroad engineering managers have been struggling with the problem of how much elevation to place in a curve since the first steam engines started turning a wheel. While the physics and calculus of the matter seem straightforward, the application of those formulas is where problems …
by Peter Klauser • October 2005 Cant deficiency has a significant effect on curving performance of vehicles in both passenger and freight service. The forces due to centrifugal acceleration through a curve must ultimately be reacted at the wheel/rail interface. Curve lateral acceleration and the compensating effect of track superelevation can …
by Gary Wolf • October 2005 Like many aspects of the three-piece truck, performance issues surrounding the truck bolster bowl and body centerplate are often misunderstood. One of the biggest misunderstandings is that the bolster bowl is actually a bearing. Years ago at a meeting where truck performances issues were …
By Rob Caldwell • October, 2005 Wheel Shelling has presented serious problems on Canadian railroads in recent years, particularly in winter months. Tread shelling on wheels on Quebec Cartier Mining (QCM) railway’s heavy-haul fleet, for example, reached condemnable limits within one year of use, during the early 1990s. In some cases, …
by Bill O’Donnell • July 4, 2005 As part of its efforts to reduce the stress state on North American railroads, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) mandated that all new cars ordered after January 1, 2002, must be equipped with constant contact side bearings. Constant contact side bearings (CCSBs) raise the threshold …
By Bob Tuzik • May 26, 2005 The Federal Railroad Administration’s Office of Research and Development is not the best known R&D organization in the industry, but it is one of the most important. It’s work figures prominently in rulemaking and the regulatory process for the industry. That role is …
by Bob Tuzik • April 10, 2005 Rail Grinding has been used to solve a host of problems on transit systems. It recently was used in Boston to remove a new wrinkle. A specialized grinding program was initiated in 2002 on the heels of a series of light-rail derailments on the …
by Fred Prahl, Eric Magel & Peter Sroba • April 4, 2005 Rail grinding, first developed as a technique for treating corrugations, has become an essential component of track maintenance for freight railroads and transit properties. During the 1960s, railroads began seeing rail corrugations developing to depths of about 0.080 to …
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 …