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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Very Long Trains – Phase IV - Moving Train Test

Document Series
Technical Reports
Author
Federal Railroad Administration
Report Number
DOT/FRA/ORD-24/20
Office
RDI-22
Subject Rolling Stock
Keywords
Very Long Train, VLT, Air Brake System, Distributed Power
Document

In the final phase of this research project, a team from Sharma & Associates, Inc. conducted moving train tests on a 228-car, Distributed Power (DP) configured train consist traveling from Minot, ND, to Vancouver, WA, using a Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) train and crew. This research was conducted in July of 2023. The team used a test train that was just over 14,000 ft long with a trailing tonnage of approximately 31,300 tons, traveling about 1300 miles over plains, mountains, and rolling terrain. Eight instrumented cars were interspersed throughout the train and collected data on train dynamics and brake system performance.


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Last updated: Wednesday, May 22, 2024