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Facilities & Test Equipment

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Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Test of Engineering Model Fuel Car

Tests were performed on the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Fuel Car, according to specifications in Chapter XI of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices. The car was tested in three discrete configurations: loaded, half-loaded, and unloaded. The...

Gas-Spray Repair of Rail Surface Defects

An alternative weld repair process (gas-spray) was devised by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) which incorporates a oxyacetylene flame and a powdered filler metal. The gas-spray process was designed to operate either semi-automatic or fully automatic and was intended to reduce operator errors...

Fatigue Defect Origination and Growth Experiment

Between 1985-87 a number of different rail steels were tested at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) in the High Tonnage Loop using 100-ton capacity cars. Fatigue data on the formation of shells and detail fractures and growth rates of detail fractures were obtained. The tendency of...

FAST/HAL Turnout and Frog Performance Tests

Turnouts on the High Tonnage Loop were monitored for component failures and maintenance demand during 160 MGT of Heavy Axle Load operation at the Transportation Test Center, Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST), Pueblo, Colorado. A "frog farm" was included to increase the scope of the...

FAST/HAL Track Loads Evaluation

The FAST/HAL Track Loads Evaluation was conducted to quantify vertical and lateral forces at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing, Transportation Test Center, Pueblo, Colorado, under 33- and 39-ton axle load cars. Vertical rail forces beneath the 39-ton axle load cars were found to be 25...

FAST/HAL Tie and Fastener Experiments

The objective of the Fast Accelerated Service Testing Heavy Axle Load Tie and Fastener Experiments was to quantify the performance of wood and concrete ties and associated fastening systems under the FAST Heavy Axle Load (HAL) train. The experiment was conducted on the 5- and 6-degree curves of the...

FAST/HAL Rail Performance Experiment and Overview

The Rail Performance Experiment, conducted at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing, Transportation Test Center, Pueblo, Colorado, was performed to evaluate the effect of increasing axle loads, from 33- to 39-tons, on the fatigue and wear performance of rails, ground rails, and welds. Four...

Vehicle Track Interaction Truck Hunting

In an effort to better understand the practical aspects of the truck hunting response of two typical freight vehicles, a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) test program was conducted at the Transportation Test Center (TIC). Axle and carbody accelerations were measured on a conventional design...

Stub Sills on Tank Cars

The results of this study indicate that the head brace repair procedure provides an effective means for redirecting stub sill loads into the tank body, thus reducing stresses at the critical sill-to-reinforcing pad weld sites. Our analysis indicates that the stub sill to tank interface stresses...