Technical Reports
Chopper Locomotive Demonstration Program Phase II, Final Report
An E44 electric locomotive of 5000 hp, 6 axles and 6 motors was used as a test bed to evaluate full scale use of 6 separate high power DC to DC choppers for propulsion. The normal phase control rectifier equipment was removed and replaced by a DC link at 2000 volts as the source of energy to the...Ballast Testing at FAST: 1976-82
The railroads, for whom ballast has long been a subject of serious study, have sought to develop criteria for choosing, maintaining, and predicting ballast performance in revenue track. During 1976-1982, two studies (Ballast I & II) were conducted on sections of the FAST loop at the...Assessment of Radial Truck Safety Performance Data
The available test data collected on radial freight trucks has been reviewed and evaluated for possible future use in establishing the safety performance characteristics of these trucks. Documentation of tests conducted by the railroads, equipment suppliers, FRA and AAR is reviewed to determine...Analysis of Rail Defect Data From the Burlington Northern Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad
Rail descriptive and defect occurrence information from the Burlington Northern and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroads is given and analyzed. Track data includes information on track type, when laid, maintenance schedules, etc. The objectives and approaches of several comparative analyses are...Advanced Group Rapid Transit Guideway Communication Unit Design Summary
The purpose of the Advanced Group Rapid Transit (AGRT) program was to develop an advanced automated guideway transit system capable of providing high passenger volumes, short waiting times, and high levels of passenger service. The transportation system developed consists of small, automated...Truck Design Optimization Project (TDOP): Wear Data Collection Program
The Wear Data Collection Program was a field testing study associated with the Truck Design Optimization Project in which test trucks in unit coal train service were monitored for wear in an effort to develop comparative wear performance data. Seven truck types (one car set of each type) including...The Use of Air Bags for Mitigating Grade Crossing and Trespass Accidents: Literature Review and Research Plan.
This literature review will confirm prior work in the use of locomotive airbag technologies for vehicle or pedestrian collision mitigation, and to focus planned activities and tasks for this research. The state of the art in relevant technologies has been summarized to assess the feasibility of...