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A comprehensive multi-phase fire safety research program is being conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to demonstrate the practicality and effectiveness of heat release rate-based test methods and hazard analysis techniques when applied to passenger train fire safety. The...
This study addressed the feasibility of incorporating complete anticlimbing systems into both passenger and freight locomotives. Complete systems include pushback couplers, vertically interlocking anticlimber elements, and zones specifically designed to absorb the collision energy. The project...
Although the speed of some guided ground transportation systems continues to increase, the reaction time and the sensory and information processing capacities of railroad personnel remain constant. This second report in a series examining critical human factors issues in future high-speed rail...
The report assesses the new safety program, known as the Safety Assurance and Compliance Program (SACP). This program complements correction of safety issues on a site-by-site basis with a comprehensive approach to systemic safety issues. The report underscores the safety partnership approach,...
A full-scale impact test was performed April 4, 2000 at the Federal Railroad Administration's Transportation Technology Center near Pueblo, Colorado by Transportation Technology Center, Inc., a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads. The test was performed using two Budd Company...
This report is a summary of all the work done by Foster-Miller on passenger rail vehicle dynamic safety under the contract awarded by the Federal Railroad Administration. The report presents key issues and findings in the safety assessments and a safety assessment methodology for rail vehicles...
A technique was developed to realistically simulate the dynamic, nonlinear structural behavior of moving rail vehicles and objects struck during a collision. A new approach considered the interdependence of the many vehicles connected in typical rail consists. This was accomplished by combining the...
New Orleans is a major railroad gateway interchange point, and many transportation planning decisions are being made affecting the region. The study examines a number of alternatives for mitigating the impact of the railroads on the area, including the relocation of railroad traffic, and a series...
Amtrak is planning to provide high-speed passenger train service at speeds significantly higher than their current top speed of 125 mph, and with these higher speeds, there are concerns with safety from the aerodynamic effects created by a passing train. Trains operating at high speeds will pass...
With the onset of high-speed train operations in the United States, a study was undertaken to determine the possible aerodynamic effects of these trains have on their surroundings. The aerodynamic interaction between a high-speed train passing other trains, and its effects on the structural...