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Technical Reports

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Railroad Classification Yard Technology. Design Methodology Study.

Even after bypass and intermodal train operations are fully exploited by railroads, it is clear that the railroad yard will continue to be an important factor in railroad operations because of the wide dispersal of traffic origination and destination points and the low car count of aver age...

Rail-Wheel Geometry Associated with Contact Stress Analysis

This report records the derivation of a number of results pertaining to wheel and rail geometry that are needed for the analysis of contact stresses and rolling-creepage phenomena. In particular, results utilized in the authors' computer programs COUNTACT (for COUNTerformal contACT problems) and...

Rail Safety/Equipment Crashworthiness. Volume IV. Executive Summary.

The document, the fourth of four volumes, summarizes the activities and documentation conducted under this contract. The analysis of the accident data highlighted areas where improvements could be made to improve the occupant protection of passenger rail vehicles. Design criteria were determined...

Rail Safety/Equipment Crashworthiness. Volume II. Design Guide

The second of four volumes, has been prepared to assist design engineers in understanding the basic problems associated with the development of crashworthy interiors of locomotives, cabooses and passenger railcars. Rail vehicle accident conditions are presented with the resulting interactions that...

A Study of Railroad Ballast Economics

This report presents the results of Phase V - Economic Evaluation of the Ballast and Foundation Materials Research Program. The present 'State of the Art' in the ballast costing area is discussed. The individual ballast costs are quantified to the extent possible using the data base compiled from...

Structural Adequacy of Freight Car Truck Castings and Wheels

The structural adequacy of freight car truck castings and wheels to resist fatigue damage is reviewed. The environmental load data described in an earlier report under this program and additional load data which have only recently become available are used to calculate the expected fatigue life...

The U.S. DOT/TSC Train Performance Simulator

A Train Performance Simulator (TPS) is a computer program which simulates the operation of a train over a railway route. It may be used for a variety of purposes to determine the effects of some operational strategy or equipment change upon schedules and energy consumption. The general...