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Technical Reports

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Evaluation of Railroad Cab Car End Beam Designs

This report presents the results of an experimental study to establish the strength and energy absorption capability of railroad cab car comer structures built to current requirements and for structures modified to carry higher loads and absorb more energy. Current cab car structures...

Locomotive Crashworthiness Research: Locomotive Crew Egress Evaluation

The objectives of this study include the identification of aspects of locomotive design and operation related to crew egress or access by rescuers in accidents, with the goal of improving crew survivability. This work identifies the considerations and options available for improving and...

Rail Commuter Vehicle Curving Performance

This report presents results of a program to design and install a wayside wheel-rail force measurement system. The test site is capable of developing a set of measurements of lateral and vertical forces exerted between the wheel and the rail at carefully chosen locations of all wheels on a single...

Progress in Rail Integrity Research

This report describes the work conducted over the past two decades on rail integrity research sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and carried out by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. The research has involved both experimental and analytical studies on the subject...

Commuter Rail Seat Testing and Analysis

The need to determine the structural integrity and passenger safety provided by existing commuter rail seats was identified by the Construction/Structural Subgroup of the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Passenger Rail Equipment Safety Standards (PRESS) Task Force. Recognizing...

Acoustic Detection of Railcar Roller Bearing Defects: Phase II, Field Test

The Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) Research and Test Department, conducted a series of simulated revenue service tests with a train of eight cars containing wheel sets with specific roller bearing defects and wheel sets...