General
The Effectiveness of Railroad Horn Systems
The U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Special Programs Administration, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, in support of the Federal Railroad Administration is conducting a research program with the goal of reducing the number of accidents and resulting casualties at...
The Use of Illumination of Railroad Grade Crossings to Reduce Collision Risks
An assessment of the requirements for illumination at a railroad grade crossing reveals two principal needs: the need to illuminate the sides of railroad cars by in-place lighting at the crossing so that they can be recognized by a motorist at a stoppable distance, and the need to provide...
Interim Report: Screening Tests of Alternative Grade Crossing Detection Technologies
Eight grade crossing island detection technologies designed to eliminate problems associated with loss of shunt were evaluated by engineers at Transportation Technology Center, Inc., a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads, Pueblo, Colorado. Performance of these alternative...
Field Evaluation of a Wayside Horn at a Highway-Railroad Grade Crossing
The current study represents one of several efforts by the Federal Railroad Administration to evaluate the effectiveness of auditory warnings designed to promote awareness of approaching trains. A stationary horn (or wayside horn) located at the grade crossing was evaluated to learn whether it...
Evaluation of Retroreflective Markings to Increase Rail Car Conspicuity - Safety of Highway-Railroad Grade Crossings
The purpose of this study was to develop guidelines and recommendations for the design of retroreflective marking systems to enhance the conspicuity of rail cars at night. Three methods were used to generate and evaluate the marking systems for a standard hopper car. First, a group of human...
Freight Car Reflectorization
Collisions at highway-railroad grade crossings have posed a significant safety problem. To reduce the number of these collisions at highway-railroad grade crossings where train visibility is a contributing factor, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is investigating measures to enhance the...
Railroad Horn Systems Research
The U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Special Programs Administration, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, in support of the Federal Railroad Administration is conducting a research program with the goal of reducing the number of fatalities and injuries at highway-...
Evaluation of Alternative Detection Technologies for Trains and Highway Vehicles at Highway Rail Intersections
Under sponsorship from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) evaluated five technologies for their ability to detect trains and/or highway vehicles approaching and occupying highway rail intersections. TTCI evaluated the performance of these...
Vehicle Proximity Alert System for Highway-Railroad Grade Crossings-Prototype Research
This report describes testing of prototype vehicle proximity alert system (VPAS) technologies, and presents and evaluates the results. The object was to determine the feasibility of VPAS for possible use in priority vehicles (i.e., emergency vehicles, school buses, vehicles carrying hazardous...