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

General

An Update of the Costs and Benefits of Railroad Electrification

This report contains material for use by the Federal Railroad Administration in reassessment of railroad electrification. The costs and benefits of electrification compared to continued diesel operation are established by calculating the rate of return on the differential cash flow. The rate of...

WMATA Rapid Transit Vehicle Engineering Tests

This report presents the results of a series of engineering tests carried out on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) rapid transit cars from September 1976 to August 1977, at the Department of Transportation (DOT), Transportation Test Center (TTC), Pueblo, Colorado. The test...

VSS Demonstration Program: Part 2 - Model Development and Analysis

The Vertical Shaker System (VSS) was the initial test program conducted at the Rail Dynamics Laboratory. The objectives of this program were to demonstrate the performance and capabilities of the VSS and to accumulate test data to be used in checking the validity of analytical models. The...

User's Guide to Fatigue Life Analysis Program (FLAP)

This guide documents the use of the Fatigue Life Analysis Program which is intended for use in the implementation of the Interim AAR Guidelines for Fatigue Analysis of Freight Cars. This computer program is a tool by means of which the freight car design engineer can readily incorporate fatigue...

Use of Linear Motors for Conventional Railroad Applications

This paper discusses the various possible uses of linear electric motors in railroads under particular operating conditions found in the United States. Performance characteristics of some linear motor designs are presented first to provide an illustration of the range of performance that can be...