Railway engineering is a multi-faceted
engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
discipline dealing with the design, construction and operation of all types of
rail transport
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
systems. It includes a wide range of engineering disciplines, including(but not limited to)
civil engineering
Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...
,
computer engineering
Computer engineering (CE, CoE, or CpE) is a branch of engineering specialized in developing computer hardware and software.
It integrates several fields of electrical engineering, electronics engineering and computer science.
Computer engi ...
,
electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
,
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...
,
industrial engineering
Industrial engineering (IE) is concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment and energy. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, physical, an ...
and
production engineering.
History
With the advent of the railways in the early nineteenth century, a need arose for specialized
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
s capable of dealing with the unique problems associated with railway engineering. As the railways expanded and became a major part in logistics, more engineers became involved in the field, probably the most notable in Britain being
Richard Trevithick,
George Stephenson and
Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Subfields
*Mechanical engineering
* Electrical engineering
**
Command, control &
railway signalling
***
SCADA
***
Network design
* Civil engineering
**
Permanent way engineering
* Railway systems engineering
**
Railway signalling
**
Fare collection
**
CCTV
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
**
Public address
A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...
**
Intrusion detection
**
Access control
In physical security and information security, access control (AC) is the action of deciding whether a subject should be granted or denied access to an object (for example, a place or a resource). The act of ''accessing'' may mean consuming ...
* Computer engineering
**
Systems integration
Professional organisations
* ''In the UK:'' The Railway Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
* ''In the US:'' The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA)
* ''In the Philippines:'' Philippine Railway Engineers' Association, (PREA) Inc.
* ''Worldwide:'' The Institute of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE)
See also
*
Association of American Railroads
*
Exsecant
*
Degree of curvature
*
List of engineering topics
*
List of engineers
*
Minimum railway curve radius
*
Radius of curvature (applications)
*
Track transition curve
*
Transition curve
= Glossary
=
*
Light rail systems
*
On-track plant
*
Train control systems
**
Cab signalling
Cab signalling is a railroad, railway safety system that communicates track status and condition information to the cab (locomotive), cab, crew compartment or driver's compartment of a locomotive, railcar or multiple unit. The information is con ...
*
Rolling resistance
Rolling resistance, sometimes called rolling friction or rolling drag, is the force resisting the Motion (physics), motion when a body (such as a ball, tire, or wheel) Rolling, rolls on a surface. It is mainly caused by Plasticity (physics), non- ...
**
Curve resistance
*
Wheel–rail interface
**
Hunting oscillation
*
Energy electrification
**
Third rail
***
Fourth rail
**
Overhead contact system
External links
Institution of Mechanical Engineers - Railway DivisionAAR
References
Engineering disciplines
Rail technologies
Transportation engineering
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