Technical Reports
Fire Performance of a UN-T75 Portable Tank Phase 1: Loaded with Liquid Nitrogen
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) fire-tested a portable tank (filled with liquid nitrogen [LN2]) and observed the demonstration of the performance of the pressure relief valve system in this Phase 1 project. In addition, several types of data have been collected during the experiment to...Teamwork in Railroad Operations and Implications for New Technology
This report examines teamwork processes that contribute to railroad operation safety. It integrates findings from previously conducted Cognitive Task Analyses (CTAs) that analyzed the cognitive and collaborative work of dispatchers, roadway workers, locomotive engineers and freight train...Human Factors Evaluation of an Experimental Locomotive Engineer Crewstation
A human factors evaluation of an experimental engineer control system was conducted by the Volpe Center using a locomotive research simulator—the Federal Railroad Administration Cab Technology Integration Laboratory (CTIL). The primary objective was to find the areas of the crewstation where it...Monitoring Engineer Fatigue (MEFA)
Aurora Flight Sciences, under contract to the Federal Railroad Administration, studied the feasibility of autonomously monitoring and combating train engineer fatigue. This program is called Monitoring Engineer Fatigue (MEFA). Research and testing at the FRA’s Cab Technology Integration...Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to Produce Accurate Grade Crossing Profile Data
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe), under the direction of DOT’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Office of Research, Development and Technology, studied the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to produce accurate 3-...
Heat Release Rate Requirements for Railcar Interior Finish
The focus of this research was to establish heat release rate (HRR) based performance requirements for intercity and commuter passenger railcar interior finish materials. A database of HRR results from passenger railcar components was compiled for developing new HRR requirements. Initiating fire...Positive Train Control (PTC) Monitoring and Analysis of the Integrated Network (MAIN) - Phase I
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) sponsored Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) to research current railroad efforts for monitoring, troubleshooting, and analyzing their Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. TTCI reviewed the PTC monitoring, troubleshooting, and analysis...
Analysis of Non-Track-Circuit Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Train Detection Technologies
This research investigated the suitability of non-track-circuit-based technologies as a cost-effective means to deploy active warning devices at passive grade crossings. While several promising technologies were identified, some of the findings were unexpected. Mainly, there existed...