USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Technical Reports

Subscribe to RSS

FAST Engineering Conference - 1981 Proceedings

This report constitutes the proceedings of the two-day Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) Engineering Conference held at the Stouffers Inn Convention Center, Denver, Colorado on November 4-5, 1981. Conference papers were presented by representatives of the Federal Railroad...

Evaluation of Wheel-Rail Load and Position Measurement Concepts

Concepts for railroad vehicle-borne instrumentation systems which measure wheel-rail loads and wheel position and angle-of-attack relative to the rail were identified and evaluated. A system which provided continuous measurement of lateral and vertical wheel loads, with an accuracy of ± 2 percent...

Evaluation of Selected TDOP Phase II Test Data

Samples from the test data collected in Phase II of the railroad freight car Truck Design Optimization Project (TDOP) are reviewed to determine their suitability for use in assessing the safety performance of radial trucks. Omissions in the TDOP documentation are identified and corrected where...

Heavy Point Frog Performance under Passenger Vehicles

Federal Railroad Administration contracted with the Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colorado, to conduct an investigation of passenger vehicle performance running through heavy point frog (HPF) up to speeds of 110 mph. A NUCARS® simulation study was performed with various conditions...

Improved Quality Truck Castings

A review of the car repair billing database shows that many bolsters and side frames are removed from service each year due to cracking or breaking. Derailment-related costs due to bolster and side frame failures total approximately $9 million per year. Although the number of removals may not be...

Characterization of Relatively Large Track Geometry Variations

An analysis of existing track geometry data is described from which the signatures of key track geometry variations related to severe track-train dynamic interaction are identified and quantified. Mathematical representations of these signatures are defined and presented. Track geometry descriptors...

Analysis of Locomotive Cabs

This report covers research that was performed to investigate the present crashworthiness state of in-service locomotives and design applications for new locomotives to protect occupants from serious or fatal injury during collision conditions. The tasks that were performed are: (1) identify past...

A Demonstration Project for Locomotive Engineer Training

This report presents the findings of the joint venture demonstration training project conducted by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. Volume I contains a survey of the literature, a job task inventory and a set of guidelines for instructional...