|
Defect Detectors
A defect detector is a device used on railroads to detect axle and signal problems in passing trains. The detectors are normally integrated into the tracks and often include sensors to detect several different kinds of problems that could occur. Defect detectors were one of the inventions which enabled American railroads to eliminate the caboose at the rear of the train, as well as various station agents placed along active routes to detect unsafe conditions. The use of defect detectors has since spread overseas to other railroad systems. History Before the advent of automated detectors, on-board train crew and track-side workers used to visually inspect trains for defects e.g. " hotboxes" (overheating bearings) would smoke or glow red. By the 1940s, automatic defect detectors included infrared sensors for hotboxes, wires outlining the clearance envelope to detect high and wide loads, and "brittle bars" – frangible bars mounted between the rails – to detect dragging equip ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wildwood Subdivision
The Wildwood Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in Florida. It runs along CSX's S Line from Baldwin south to Zephyrhills via Ocala and Wildwood for a total of 155.7 miles. The S Line is CSX's designation for the line that was the Seaboard Air Line Railroad main line from 1903 to 1967. The north end of the line is at Baldwin Junction, where it connects with the Jacksonville Terminal Subdivision to the east, the Callahan Subdivision to the north, and the Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad to the west. At its south end, it connects to the Yeoman Subdivision, which continues to Tampa. It also connects with the Vitis Subdivision just south of Dade City Operation The Wildwood Subdivision and the Yeoman Subdivision (which both run along CSX’s S Line) together are CSX’s main freight route through Peninsular Florida. The Wildwood Subdivision is used exclusively for freight. Freight trains bound for Tampa generally run the full line to the Yeoman Subdivisio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derailment
In rail transport, a derailment occurs when a rail vehicle such as a train comes off its rails. Although many derailments are minor, all result in temporary disruption of the proper operation of the railway system and they are a potentially serious hazard. A derailment of a train can be caused by a collision with another object, an operational error (such as excessive speed through a curve), the mechanical failure of tracks (such as broken rails), or the mechanical failure of the wheels, among other causes. In emergency situations, deliberate derailment with derails or catch points is sometimes used to prevent a more serious accident. History The first recorded train derailment in history is known as the Hightstown Rail Accident in New Jersey that occurred on November 8, 1833. The train was traveling between Hightstown and Spotswood New Jersey and derailed after an axle broke on one of the carriages as a result of a journal box catching fire. The derailment resulted in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Axle Counter
An axle counter is a system used in railway signalling to detect the clear or occupied status of a section of track between two points. The system generally consists of a wheel sensor (one for each end of the section) and an evaluation unit for counting the axles of the train both into and out of the section. They are often used to replace a track circuit. Principles and operation An axle counter consists of the axle counter sensor, which detects the individual axles of a train either via either mechanical, electrical or even fibre optic methods, as well as an evaluator, which does the logic of the system and counts the axles into and out of the section. The evaluator may also convert the analogue signal of the axle counter sensor into a digital signal. However, in some cases there is a separate unit which performs this task. The system is set up by having an axle counter sensor installed at each end of a section. As each train axle passes the axle counter sensor at the start o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Axle Load
An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle is supported. In the latter case, a bearing or bushing sits inside a central hole in the wheel to allow the wheel or gear to rotate around the axle. Sometimes, especially on bicycles, the latter type axle is referred to as a ''spindle''. Terminology On cars and trucks, several senses of the word ''axle'' occur in casual usage, referring to the shaft itself, its housing, or simply any transverse pair of wheels. Strictly speaking, a shaft which rotates with the wheel, being either bolted or splined in fixed relation to it, is called an ''axle'' or ''axle shaft''. However, in looser usage, an entire assembly including the surrounding axle housing (typically a casting) is als ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Weigh In Motion
Weigh-in-motion or weighing-in-motion (WIM) devices are designed to capture and record the axle weights and gross vehicle weights as vehicles drive over a measurement site. Unlike static scales, WIM systems are capable of measuring vehicles traveling at a reduced or normal traffic speed and do not require the vehicle to come to a stop. This makes the weighing process more efficient, and, in the case of commercial vehicles, allows for trucks under the weight limit to bypass static scales or inspection. Introduction Weigh-in-motion is a technology that can be used for various private and public purposes (i.e. applications) related to the weights and axle loads of road and rail vehicles. WIM systems are installed on the road or rail track or on a vehicle and measure, store and provide data from the traffic flow and/or the specific vehicle. For WIM systems certain specific conditions apply. These conditions have an impact on the quality and reliability of the data measured by t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
International Heavy Haul Association
The International Heavy Haul Association is an association of Heavy Haul railways that researches problems with the rail-wheel interface. Overview The extreme axleloads found on mineral railways such as iron ore railways in the Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ... and the repetitive pounding of the track by trains consisting of identical wagons was found to lead to deterioration of the track. Research was needed to establish the exact cause and determine solutions. Since heavy haul railways exist in several countries, it seemed sensible to establish an association to investigate these problems jointly. Members Members as at October 2021 comprised: Interna ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bogie Tracking Behaviour Monitor - TBOGI System
A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transport. A bogie may remain normally attached (as on many railroad cars and semi-trailers) or be quickly detachable (as the dolly in a road train or in railway bogie exchange); it may contain a suspension within it (as most rail and trucking bogies do), or be solid and in turn be suspended (as most bogies of tracked vehicles are); it may be mounted on a swivel, as traditionally on a railway carriage or locomotive, additionally jointed and sprung (as in the landing gear of an airliner), or held in place by other means (centreless bogies). In Scotland, the term is used for a child’s (usually home-made) wooden cart. While ''bogie'' is the preferred spelling and first-listed variant in various dictionaries, bogey and bogy are also used. Rail ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Truck Scale
A truck scale (US), weighbridge (non-US) or railroad scale is a large set of scales, usually mounted permanently on a concrete foundation, that is used to weigh entire rail or road vehicles and their contents. By weighing the vehicle both empty and when loaded, the load carried by the vehicle can be calculated. The key component that uses a weighbridge in order to make the weigh measurement is load cells. Weight certification in the United States Commercial scales have to be National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) approved or certified. The certification is issued by the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM), in accordance to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), "Handbook 44" specifications and tolerances, through ''Conformity Assessment'' and the ''Verified Conformity Assessment Program'' (VCAP) Legal for trade Handbook 44: General Code paragraph G-A.1.; and the NIST Handbook 130 (Uniform Weights and Measures Law; Section 1.13.) de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double-stack Rail Transport
Double-stack rail transport is a form of intermodal freight transport in which railroad cars carry two layers of intermodal containers. Invented in the United States in 1984, it is now being used for nearly seventy percent of United States intermodal shipments. Using double stack technology, a freight train of a given length can carry roughly twice as many containers, sharply reducing transport costs per container. On United States railroads special well cars are used for double-stack shipment to reduce the needed vertical clearance and to lower the center of gravity of a loaded car. In addition, the well car design reduces damage in transit and provides greater cargo security by cradling the lower containers so their doors cannot be opened. A succession of larger container sizes have been introduced to further increase shipping productivity in the United States. Double-stack rail operations are growing in other parts of the world, but are often constrained by clearance and ot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Derailment")
