49 CFR 38.95 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Commuter Rail Cars and Systems § 38.95 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All new commuter rail cars, other than level entry cars, covered by this subpart shall...(d) are provided, the car is not required to be equipped with a car-borne device. The access systems...

49 CFR 38.95 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Commuter Rail Cars and Systems § 38.95 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All new commuter rail cars, other than level entry cars, covered by this subpart shall...(d) are provided, the car is not required to be equipped with a car-borne device. The access systems...

49 CFR 38.125 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... mechanical, electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Intercity Rail Cars and Systems § 38.125 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All intercity rail cars, other than level entry cars, required to be accessible by...

49 CFR 38.95 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Commuter Rail Cars and Systems § 38.95 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All new commuter rail cars, other than level entry cars, covered by this subpart shall...(d) are provided, the car is not required to be equipped with a car-borne device. The access systems...

49 CFR 38.125 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... mechanical, electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Intercity Rail Cars and Systems § 38.125 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All intercity rail cars, other than level entry cars, required to be accessible by...

49 CFR 38.95 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Commuter Rail Cars and Systems § 38.95 Mobility aid accessibility... rail cars, other than level entry cars, covered by this subpart shall provide a level-change mechanism... accessible, or mini-high platforms complying with § 38.93(d) are provided, the car is not required to be...

49 CFR 37.79 - Purchase or lease of new rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.79 Section 37.79 Transportation Office of the Secretary... operating rapid or light rail systems. Each public entity operating a rapid or light rail system making a... system shall ensure that the vehicle is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities...

49 CFR 37.79 - Purchase or lease of new rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.79 Section 37.79 Transportation Office of the Secretary... operating rapid or light rail systems. Each public entity operating a rapid or light rail system making a... system shall ensure that the vehicle is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities...

49 CFR 37.79 - Purchase or lease of new rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.79 Section 37.79 Transportation Office of the Secretary... operating rapid or light rail systems. Each public entity operating a rapid or light rail system making a... system shall ensure that the vehicle is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities...

49 CFR 37.79 - Purchase or lease of new rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.79 Section 37.79 Transportation Office of the Secretary... operating rapid or light rail systems. Each public entity operating a rapid or light rail system making a... system shall ensure that the vehicle is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities...

49 CFR 37.79 - Purchase or lease of new rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.79 Section 37.79 Transportation Office of the Secretary... operating rapid or light rail systems. Each public entity operating a rapid or light rail system making a... system shall ensure that the vehicle is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities...

Transit access and the agglomeration of new firms : a case study of Portland and Dallas.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-06-01

The objective of this paper is to examine whether new firms are more likely to form near rail transit stations. Two relatively new : light-rail systemsone in Portland, Oregon, and the other in Dallas, Texasform the basis of the analysis. A geoc...

36 CFR § 1192.125 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3) Emergency... VEHICLES Intercity Rail Cars and Systems § 1192.125 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All intercity rail cars, other than level entry cars, required to be accessible by § 1192.111 (a) and (e) of...

Washington state short line rail inventory and needs assessment.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-06-01

The recently completed State Rail Plan for the state of Washington identified several key issues facing the states : rail system. Among these key issues are abandonment, port access and competitive needs of the ports and local : production regions...

49 CFR Appendix A to Part 37 - Modifications to Standards for Accessible Transportation Facilities

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... steps may have to travel compared to the general public. 406.8—Modification to 406 of Appendix D to 36... rail, commuter rail, and intercity rail systems where it is not operationally or structurally feasible...

PLUTONIUM/HIGH-LEVEL VITRIFIED WASTE BDBE DOSE CALCULATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

D.C. Richardson

2003-03-19

In accordance with the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, Yucca Mountain was designated as the site to be investigated as a potential repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. The Yucca Mountain site is an undeveloped area located on the southwestern edge of the Nevada Test Site (NTS), about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The site currently lacks rail service or an existing right-of-way. If the Yucca Mountain site is found suitable for the repository, rail service is desirable to the Office of Civilian Waste Management (OCRWM) Program because of the potential of rail transportation tomore » reduce costs and to reduce the number of shipments relative to highway transportation. A Preliminary Rail Access Study evaluated 13 potential rail spur options. Alternative routes within the major options were also developed. Each of these options was then evaluated for potential land use conflicts and access to regional rail carriers. Three potential routes having few land use conflicts and having access to regional carriers were recommended for further investigation. Figure 1-1 shows these three routes. The Jean route is estimated to be about 120 miles long, the Carlin route to be about 365 miles long, and Caliente route to be about 365 miles long. The remaining ten routes continue to be monitored and should any of the present conflicts change, a re-evaluation of that route will be made. Complete details of the evaluation of the 13 routes can be found in the previous study. The DOE has not identified any preferred route and recognizes that the transportation issues need a full and open treatment under the National Environmental Policy Act. The issue of transportation will be included in public hearings to support development of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) proceedings for either the Monitored Retrievable Storage Facility or the Yucca Mountain Project or both.« less

36 CFR § 1192.95 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... mechanical, electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3... VEHICLES Commuter Rail Cars and Systems § 1192.95 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All new commuter rail cars, other than level entry cars, covered by this subpart shall provide a level-change...

36 CFR 1192.95 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... mechanical, electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3... Commuter Rail Cars and Systems § 1192.95 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All new commuter rail cars, other than level entry cars, covered by this subpart shall provide a level-change mechanism or...

36 CFR 1192.95 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... mechanical, electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3... Commuter Rail Cars and Systems § 1192.95 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All new commuter rail cars, other than level entry cars, covered by this subpart shall provide a level-change mechanism or...

36 CFR 1192.95 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... mechanical, electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3... Commuter Rail Cars and Systems § 1192.95 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All new commuter rail cars, other than level entry cars, covered by this subpart shall provide a level-change mechanism or...

49 CFR 38.95 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... mechanical, electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Commuter Rail Cars and Systems § 38.95 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All new commuter rail cars, other than level entry cars, covered by this subpart shall...

36 CFR 1192.95 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... mechanical, electrical or other system operates to ensure that cars do not move when the lift is in use. (3... Commuter Rail Cars and Systems § 1192.95 Mobility aid accessibility. (a)(1) General. All new commuter rail cars, other than level entry cars, covered by this subpart shall provide a level-change mechanism or...

49 CFR 37.87 - Purchase or lease of used intercity and commuter rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... rail cars. 37.87 Section 37.87 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation TRANSPORTATION....87 Purchase or lease of used intercity and commuter rail cars. (a) Except as provided elsewhere in... car after August 25, 1990, shall ensure that the car is readily accessible to and usable by...

49 CFR 37.87 - Purchase or lease of used intercity and commuter rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... rail cars. 37.87 Section 37.87 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation TRANSPORTATION....87 Purchase or lease of used intercity and commuter rail cars. (a) Except as provided elsewhere in... car after August 25, 1990, shall ensure that the car is readily accessible to and usable by...

49 CFR 37.87 - Purchase or lease of used intercity and commuter rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... rail cars. 37.87 Section 37.87 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation TRANSPORTATION....87 Purchase or lease of used intercity and commuter rail cars. (a) Except as provided elsewhere in... car after August 25, 1990, shall ensure that the car is readily accessible to and usable by...

49 CFR 37.87 - Purchase or lease of used intercity and commuter rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... rail cars. 37.87 Section 37.87 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation TRANSPORTATION....87 Purchase or lease of used intercity and commuter rail cars. (a) Except as provided elsewhere in... car after August 25, 1990, shall ensure that the car is readily accessible to and usable by...

49 CFR 37.87 - Purchase or lease of used intercity and commuter rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... rail cars. 37.87 Section 37.87 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation TRANSPORTATION....87 Purchase or lease of used intercity and commuter rail cars. (a) Except as provided elsewhere in... car after August 25, 1990, shall ensure that the car is readily accessible to and usable by...

2009 Iowa railroad system plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

The 2009 Iowa Railroad System Plan is intended to guide the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) in its activities of promoting access to rail transportation, helping to improve the freight railroad transportation system, expanding passenger rail ...

2009 Iowa railroad system plan : cover.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

The 2009 Iowa Railroad System Plan is intended to guide the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) in its activities of promoting access to rail transportation, helping to improve the freight railroad transportation system, expanding passenger rail ...

2009 Iowa railroad system plan : part I.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

The 2009 Iowa Railroad System Plan is intended to guide the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) in its activities of promoting access to rail transportation, helping to improve the freight railroad transportation system, expanding passenger rail ...

2009 Iowa railroad system plan : part III.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

The 2009 Iowa Railroad System Plan is intended to guide the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) in its activities of promoting access to rail transportation, helping to improve the freight railroad transportation system, expanding passenger rail ...

2009 Iowa railroad system plan : part II.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

The 2009 Iowa Railroad System Plan is intended to guide the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) in its activities of promoting access to rail transportation, helping to improve the freight railroad transportation system, expanding passenger rail ...

2009 Iowa railroad system plan : introduction.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

The 2009 Iowa Railroad System Plan is intended to guide the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) in its activities of promoting access to rail transportation, helping to improve the freight railroad transportation system, expanding passenger rail ...

Promoting intermodal connectivity at California's high-speed rail stations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-07-01

High-speed rail (HSR) has emerged as one of the most revolutionary and transformative transportation technologies, having a : profound impact on urban-regional accessibility and inter-city travel across Europe, Japan, and more recently China and othe...

76 FR 19187 - City of Davenport, Iowa-Construction and Operation Exemption-in Scott County, Iowa

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-06

... the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center, an industrial park, with rail access. The City will hire an... design and in the rail alignment, OEA, the FHWA, the Iowa Department of Transportation, and the City...

Recommended emergency preparedness guidelines for elderly and disabled rail transit passengers

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-02-01

Rail transit has become an important source of transportation for many elderly and disabled persons. The principal reasons forthis increased use are improved accessibility, low cost, and expanded areas of service. For the purposes of this report, "el...

The challenge of protecting transit and passenger rail : understanding how security works against terrorism.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-02-01

Terrorists see transit and passenger rail as an attractive target. Designed for public convenience, trains and stations offer terrorists easy access to crowds of people in confined environments where there are minimal security risks and attacks can c...

Pedestrian/bicyclist warning devices and signs at CTA rail-highway grade crossings.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-14

The focus of this research was on individuals who utilize legally authorized CTA highway-rail crossings with pedestrian access. While trespassing is a major public safety issue, it is not the focus of this research. : An extensive review of the liter...

Freight on a Low-Carbon Diet: Accessibility, Freightsheds, and Commodities.

PubMed

Taptich, Michael N; Horvath, Arpad

2015-10-06

The freight infrastructure network (e.g., roads, railways, waterways, etc.) is the backbone of nearly all trade partnerships in the United States and abroad. The manner in which the individual portions of its constituent parts are interrelated or arranged plays an important role for determining the environmental footprint of goods moved within the network. Herein, we compare the spatial distribution of potential consumer-producer exchanges (i.e., accessibility) under varying greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets or preferences for minimal transportation-related GHG emissions. We conduct case studies using two freight modes (truck and intermodal rail) for two representative commodities: meat/seafood and paper articles. Results across all counties in the United States indicate that the geographic area in which trade is possible, given a GHG budget, varies by transportation mode, location, and commodity. Our results suggest that intermodal terminal availability is an important determinant of low-GHG accessibility. Since only a fraction of road-to-rail terminals accommodate meat/seafood (4.9%) and paper (0.7%), the United States could increase its expected GHG savings associated with truck-to-rail mode-switching policies by 70% (+20 kg CO2,e/ton for meat/seafood) and 310% (+30 kg CO2,e/ton for paper) by upgrading current terminals to allow the exchange of all types of goods.

Review on Malaysian Rail Transit Operation and Management System: Issues and Solution in Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masirin, Mohd Idrus Mohd; Salin, Aminah Mohd; Zainorabidin, Adnan; Martin, David; Samsuddin, Norshakina

2017-08-01

In any context, operation and management of transportation systems are key issues which may affect both life quality and economic development. In large urban agglomerations, an efficient public transportation system may help abate the negative externalities of private car use such as congestion, air and noise pollution, accident and fuel consumption, without excessively penalizing user travel times or zone accessibility. Thus, this study is conducted to appraise the Malaysian rural rail transit operation and management system, which are considered important as there are many issues and solution in integration of the services that need to be tackled more conscientiously. The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the most important issues on integration of services and rail transit system in Malaysian and how to solve or reduce these problems and conflicts. In this paper, it consists of the historical development of rail transit construction in Malaysia. This paper also attempts to identify the important issues related to rail transit services and integration in Malaysian rural rail operation and management system. Comparison is also conducted with other countries such as UK, France, and Japan. Finally, a critical analysis is presented in this paper by looking at the possible application for future Malaysian rail transit operation system and management, especially focusing on enhancing the quality of Malaysian rural rail transit. In conclusion, this paper is expected to successfully review and appraise the existing Malaysian rural rail transit operation and management system pertaining to issues & solution in integration. It is also hoped that reformation or transformation of present service delivery quality of the rail transit operation and management will enable Malaysia to succeed in transforming Malaysian transportation system to greater heights.

Analysis of rail welding methods for mine rail access with the use of modern technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usoltsev, A. A.; Shevchenko, R. A.; Kozyrev, N. A.; Kriukov, R. E.; Shishkin, P. E.

2017-09-01

Welded joint zones are weak sections of the railway track for all traffic cases (in the case of high-speed traffic and heavy traffic). In the paper advantages and disadvantages of the basic ways of rails welding, which are widely used today, are considered: electrocontact and aluminothermic. Carefully selected mode of differentially thermally strengthened rails string will allow the process of correction after heat treatment to be minimized and internal residual compressive stresses to be kept. Particular attention should be paid to the method of rails welding, in which after rails welding during their cooling it is offered to perform quasi-isothermal exposure in the temperature range of fine structure formation by passing pulses of alternating electric current through the welded joint maintaining this temperature until the end of the transformation. The use of quasi-isothermal exposure at a temperature of 600 - 650 °C makes it possible to obtain a finely dispersed structure of the welded seam of rails without additional heat treatment.

Intermodal Access to U. S. Ports; Report on Survey Findings

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-08-01

Presents the findings of the 2001 Intermodal Access Survey, a comprehensive survey of access conditions at U. S. ports. The survey gauged the state of roadway, rail and waterside access conditions and pinpointed potential actions for the future.

Tunnel operations study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-12-01

In June 2000, the State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities completed construction of the Whittier Access Project by converting the existing 2.5- : mile Whittier Tunnel into the worlds only dual-use highway/rail tunnel wit...

Efficient access pricing for rail bottlenecks

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-06-01

This study, which is posted online, was undertaken at the request of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), specifically the Office of the Associate Administrator for Policy and Program Development. The FRA Policy Office asked for a review of som...

49 CFR 37.85 - Purchase or lease of new intercity and commuter rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Purchase or lease of new intercity and commuter rail cars. 37.85 Section 37.85 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES (ADA) Acquisition of Accessible Vehicles By Public Entities § 37...

49 CFR 238.125 - Marking and instructions for emergency egress and rescue access.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... and rescue access. On or after January 28, 2015, emergency signage and markings shall be provided for..., “Standard for Emergency Signage for Egress/Access of Passenger Rail Equipment,” Authorized October 7, 2007...

49 CFR 37.107 - Acquisition of passenger rail cars by private entities primarily engaged in the business of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... specified public transportation, shall ensure that the car is readily accessible to, and usable by... in providing specified public transportation to extend its useful life for ten years or more, or... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Acquisition of passenger rail cars by private...

Comfort and Accessibility Evaluation of Light Rail Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirasawa, Takayuki; Matsuoka, Shigeki; Suda, Yoshihiro

A quantitative evaluation method for passenger rooms of light rail vehicles from viewpoint of comfort and accessibility is proposed as the result of physical modeling of in-vehicle behavior of passengers upon Gibson's ecological psychology approach. The model parameters are identified from experiments at real vehicles at the depot of Kumamoto municipal transport and at the full-scale mockup of the University of Tokyo. The developed model has realized quantitative evaluation of floor lowering effects by abolishing internal steps at passenger doorways and door usage restriction scenarios from viewpoint of both passengers and operators in comparison to commuter railway vehicles.

76 FR 44663 - Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-26

... buildings, facilities, rail passenger cars, and vehicles are accessible in terms of architecture and design... Compliance Board 36 CFR Part 1190 Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right- of... [Docket No. ATBCB 2011-04] RIN 3014-AA26 Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public...

49 CFR 37.77 - Purchase or lease of new non-rail vehicles by public entities operating a demand responsive...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Purchase or lease of new non-rail vehicles by... DISABILITIES (ADA) Acquisition of Accessible Vehicles By Public Entities § 37.77 Purchase or lease of new non... use wheelchairs, equivalent to the level of service it provides to individuals without disabilities...

Expanding the NATO Movement Control Network

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-17

nations and abide by their governing rules for highway, air, rail, and vessel movements . The “Strong Europe” movement network extends operational access...national movement coordi- nation centers (NMCCs). The in- teroperability and relationships that are developed there enhance the early entry of forces...by air, ground, sea, and rail. In January 2015, Operation At- lantic Resolve provided the 624th Movement Control Team (MCT), which was forward

49 CFR 37.103 - Purchase or lease of new non-rail vehicles by private entities primarily engaged in the business...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Purchase or lease of new non-rail vehicles by private entities primarily engaged in the business of transporting people. 37.103 Section 37.103 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES (ADA) Acquisition of Accessible Vehicles...

49 CFR 37.103 - Purchase or lease of new non-rail vehicles by private entities primarily engaged in the business...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Purchase or lease of new non-rail vehicles by private entities primarily engaged in the business of transporting people. 37.103 Section 37.103 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES (ADA) Acquisition of Accessible Vehicles...

Fall Protection Procedures for Sealing Bulk Waste Shipments by Rail Cars at Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) Sites - 13509

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyle, J.D.; Fort, E. Joseph; Lorenz, William

2013-07-01

Rail-cars loaded with radioactive materials must be closed and fastened to comply with United States Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements before they shipped. Securing waste shipments in a manner that meets these regulations typically results in the use of a sealable rail-car liner. Workers accessing the tops of the 2.74 m high rail-cars to seal and inspect liners for compliance prior to shipment may be exposed to a fall hazard. Relatively recent revisions to the Fall Protection requirements in the Safety and Health Requirements Manual (EM385-1-1, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) have necessitated modifications to the fall protection systems previouslymore » employed for rail-car loading at Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites. In response these projects have developed site-specific procedures to protect workers and maintain compliance with the improved fall protection regulations. (authors)« less

49 CFR 38.125 - Mobility aid accessibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Intercity Rail Cars and Systems § 38.125 Mobility aid accessibility... cars, other than level entry cars, required to be accessible by §§ 38.111 (a) and (e) of this subpart... complying with § 38.113(d) are provided, the car is not required to be equipped with a car-borne device. (b...

75 FR 56163 - Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-15

... and maintain accessibility guidelines for facilities designed, constructed, altered, or leased with... Design for purposes of subchapters II and III of this chapter * * * to ensure that buildings, facilities, rail passenger cars, and vehicles are accessible, in terms of architecture and design, transportation...

49 CFR 224.109 - Inspection, repair, and replacement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION REFLECTORIZATION OF RAIL FREIGHT ROLLING STOCK Application... of the defect is maintained in the locomotive cab or in a secure and accessible electronic database...

49 CFR 224.109 - Inspection, repair, and replacement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION REFLECTORIZATION OF RAIL FREIGHT ROLLING STOCK Application... of the defect is maintained in the locomotive cab or in a secure and accessible electronic database...

49 CFR 224.109 - Inspection, repair, and replacement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION REFLECTORIZATION OF RAIL FREIGHT ROLLING STOCK Application... of the defect is maintained in the locomotive cab or in a secure and accessible electronic database...

Evaluating Opportunities to Enhance Hoosier State Train Ridership through a Survey of Riders’ Opinions and an Assessment of Access to the Line

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-12-01

Passenger rail is an integral part of intercity transportation networks, especially in areas where residents do not have access to a car or there are not any other options for intercity travel. The Hoosier State Train (HST) line connects five station...

Recommended emergency preparedness guidelines for elderly and disabled rail-transit passengers. Final report, November 1987-March 1989

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hathaway, W.T.; Markos, S.H.; Balog, J.N.

1989-08-01

Rail transit has become an important source of transportation for many elderly and disabled persons. The principal reasons for the increased use are improved accessibility, low cost, and expanded areas of service. For the purposes of the report, 'elderly' is defined as any member of the population who is 60 years of age or older, and 'disabled' is defined as any person who has some type of disability. The Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) has recognized the need to consider the unique characteristics of elderly and disabled passengers in rail-transit emergency response planning. The needs of these passengers can bemore » addressed through carefully planned emergency response procedures, proper training of transit and emergency-response personnel, and effective use of equipment. The recommendations contained herein are therefore intended to assist rail-transit and emergency response organization personnel in evaluating their emergency response plans in terms of the needs of elderly and disabled passengers and, if necessary, to modify or supplement those plans accordingly. The report is intended to supplement the UMTA publication Recommended Emergency Preparedness Guidelines for Rail Transit Systems. That report contains general guidelines designed to assist rail-transit systems in assessing, developing, documenting, and improving their capabilities for responding to emergencies and in coordinating those efforts with emergency response organizations.« less

Walking associated with public transit: moving toward increased physical activity in the United States.

PubMed

Freeland, Amy L; Banerjee, Shailendra N; Dannenberg, Andrew L; Wendel, Arthur M

2013-03-01

We assessed changes in transit-associated walking in the United States from 2001 to 2009 and documented their importance to public health. We examined transit walk times using the National Household Travel Survey, a telephone survey administered by the US Department of Transportation to examine travel behavior in the United States. People are more likely to transit walk if they are from lower income households, are non-White, and live in large urban areas with access to rail systems. Transit walkers in large urban areas with a rail system were 72% more likely to transit walk 30 minutes or more per day than were those without a rail system. From 2001 to 2009, the estimated number of transit walkers rose from 7.5 million to 9.6 million (a 28% increase); those whose transit-associated walking time was 30 minutes or more increased from approximately 2.6 million to 3.4 million (a 31% increase). Transit walking contributes to meeting physical activity recommendations. Study results may contribute to transportation-related health impact assessment studies evaluating the impact of proposed transit systems on physical activity, potentially influencing transportation planning decisions.

16 CFR 1508.6 - Hardware.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... eliminates from any hardware accessible to a child within the crib the possibility of the hardware's... foreseeable damage or abuse. (b) Locking or latching devices used to secure dropside rails shall require a...

16 CFR 1508.6 - Hardware.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... eliminates from any hardware accessible to a child within the crib the possibility of the hardware's... foreseeable damage or abuse. (b) Locking or latching devices used to secure dropside rails shall require a...

Associations between sociodemographic characteristics and perceptions of the built environment with the frequency, type, and duration of physical activity among trail users.

PubMed

Maslow, Andréa L; Reed, Julian A; Price, Anna E; Hooker, Steven P

2012-01-01

Rail trails are elements of the built environment that support the Task Force on Community Preventive Services' recommendation to create, or enhance access to, places for physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and perceptions of the built environment with the frequency, type, and duration of PA among users of an urban, paved rail trail segment. Interviewers conducted intercept surveys with 431 rail trail users and analyzed data by using logistic regression to estimate odds ratios between sociodemographic characteristics and perceptions of the built environment on the frequency, type, and duration of PA performed on the trail. Adults who used the trail in the cool months, traveled to the trail by a motorized vehicle, used the trail with others, and had some graduate school education visited the trail less often. Younger adults, men, whites, and those with some graduate school education were more likely to engage in vigorous activities on the trail. Adults who traveled to the trail by a motorized vehicle spent more time engaged in PA on the trail. Our results suggest that the most frequent users of a rail trail for PA are those who use the trail alone and travel to the trail by bicycle or on foot. Trails are an aspect of the built environment that supports active lifestyles, and future studies should evaluate different types of trails among more diverse populations and locations.

Application research of rail transit safety protection based on laser detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhifei

2016-10-01

Platform screen door can not only prevent the passengers fell or jumped the track danger, to passengers bring comfortable waiting environment, but also has the function of environmental protection and energy saving. But platform screen door and train the full-length gap region is insecure in the system design of a hidden, such as passengers for some reason (grab the train) in the interstitial region retention, is sandwiched between the intercity safety door and the door, and such as the region lacks security detection and alarm system, once the passengers in the gap region retention (caught), bring more serious threat to the safety of passengers and traffic safety. This paper from the point of view of the design presents the physical, infrared, laser three safety protection device setting schemes. Domestic intelligence of between rail transit shield door and train security clearance processing used is screen door system standard configuration, the obstacle detection function for avoid passengers stranded in the clearance has strong prevention function. Laser detection research and development projects can access to prevent shield door and train gap clamp safety measures. Rail safety protection method are studied applying laser detection technique. According to the laser reflection equation of foreign body, the characteristics of laser detection of foreign bodies are given in theory. By using statistical analysis method, the workflow of laser detection system is established. On this basis, protection methods is proposed. Finally the simulation and test results show that the laser detection technology in the rail traffic safety protection reliability and stability, And the future laser detection technology in is discussed the development of rail transit.

49 CFR 38.57 - Interior circulation, handrails and stanchions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... ACT (ADA) ACCESSIBILITY SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Rapid Rail Vehicles and Systems... wide so that at least two wheelchair or mobility aid users can enter the vehicle and position the...

49 CFR 172.820 - Additional planning requirements for transportation by rail.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) of this section (or an electronic image thereof) that is accessible at, or through, its principal... this title. (j) Compliance and enforcement. If the carrier's route selection documentation and...

49 CFR 172.820 - Additional planning requirements for transportation by rail.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) of this section (or an electronic image thereof) that is accessible at, or through, its principal... this title. (j) Compliance and enforcement. If the carrier's route selection documentation and...

49 CFR 172.820 - Additional planning requirements for transportation by rail.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...) of this section (or an electronic image thereof) that is accessible at, or through, its principal... this title. (j) Compliance and enforcement. If the carrier's route selection documentation and...

49 CFR 172.820 - Additional planning requirements for transportation by rail.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) of this section (or an electronic image thereof) that is accessible at, or through, its principal... this title. (j) Compliance and enforcement. If the carrier's route selection documentation and...

49 CFR 172.820 - Additional planning requirements for transportation by rail.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) of this section (or an electronic image thereof) that is accessible at, or through, its principal... this title. (j) Compliance and enforcement. If the carrier's route selection documentation and...

Using ruby on rails to develop a web interface: a research-based exemplar with a computerized physical activity reporter.

PubMed

Blaz, Jacquelyn W; Pearce, Patricia F

2009-01-01

The world is becoming increasingly web-based. Health care institutions are utilizing the web for personal health records, surveillance, communication, and education; health care researchers are finding value in using the web for research subject recruitment, data collection, and follow-up. Programming languages, such as Java, require knowledge and experience usually found only in software engineers and consultants. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate Ruby on Rails as a feasible alternative for programming questionnaires for use on the web. Ruby on Rails was specifically designed for the development, deployment, and maintenance of database-backed web applications. It is flexible, customizable, and easy to learn. With a relatively little initial training, a novice programmer can create a robust web application in a small amount of time, without the need of a software consultant. The translation of the Children's Computerized Physical Activity Reporter (C-CPAR) from a local installation in Microsoft Access to a web-based format utilizing Ruby on Rails is given as an example.

Simulation model for port shunting yards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusca, A.; Popa, M.; Rosca, E.; Rosca, M.; Dragu, V.; Rusca, F.

2016-08-01

Sea ports are important nodes in the supply chain, joining two high capacity transport modes: rail and maritime transport. The huge cargo flows transiting port requires high capacity construction and installation such as berths, large capacity cranes, respectively shunting yards. However, the port shunting yards specificity raises several problems such as: limited access since these are terminus stations for rail network, the in-output of large transit flows of cargo relatively to the scarcity of the departure/arrival of a ship, as well as limited land availability for implementing solutions to serve these flows. It is necessary to identify technological solutions that lead to an answer to these problems. The paper proposed a simulation model developed with ARENA computer simulation software suitable for shunting yards which serve sea ports with access to the rail network. Are investigates the principal aspects of shunting yards and adequate measures to increase their transit capacity. The operation capacity for shunting yards sub-system is assessed taking in consideration the required operating standards and the measure of performance (e.g. waiting time for freight wagons, number of railway line in station, storage area, etc.) of the railway station are computed. The conclusion and results, drawn from simulation, help transports and logistics specialists to test the proposals for improving the port management.

UAS-enabled assessment of geohazards on coastal cliffs at Dawlish, UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dabson, Oliver; Bellis, Alex; Moore, Roger

2017-04-01

The last few years have seen the widespread availability of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) - remotely-operated aerial vehicles which are being developed for use in a variety of commercial and recreational applications. The combination of these systems with off-the-shelf digital cameras and image processing software using well-established Structure-from-Motion techniques can produce 3D models with centimetric resolution and accuracy for sites covering several square kilometres. The geo-engineering community has been exploring the use of these systems for collecting data in environments where it may be hazardous or impossible to use more conventional means. Advantages of deployment of UAS have already been identified, which include cost, ease of survey in terms of access, rapid acquisition of data and repeatability, and reduction in the number of personnel directly exposed to geological hazards during site visits. As such, the technology continues to be an exciting tool to explore. At Dawlish, UK, weathering and erosion of the sea cliffs has resulted in numerous serious slope failures, with some notable examples over the last decade that were the focus of national media attention. This poses significant risk to Network Rail's Western Route: a stretch of rail built by Brunel in 1840, situated at the foot of these cliffs. CH2M was commissioned by Network Rail to explore options for improving the resilience of the line, but access constraints meant that sections of the cliff were difficult or impossible to access during site visits. As such, this paper describes the use of UAS to capture and assess this system. We find that the UAS technology offers new insight to the site, allowing for finer-resolution mapping and interpretation of sub-vertical cliffs. This has been an important study within a wider assessment of the site, and the survey has supplemented recommendations on how to best manage the coastal asset in order to ensure the operation of a safe and reliable railway.

Town of Riverhead Calverton rail access rehabilitation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-10-01

Enterprise Park at Calverton (EPCAL) is located on the property formerly occupied by Grumman Corporation in Riverhead that was operated as the United States Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant at Calverton. Today EPCAL contains an Industrial Park ...

Green's functions for analysis of dynamic response of wheel/rail to vertical excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazilu, Traian

2007-09-01

An analytical model to simulate wheel/rail interaction using the Green's functions method is proposed in this paper. The model consists of a moving wheel on a discretely supported rail. Particularly for this model of rail, the bending and the longitudinal displacement are coupled due to the rail pad and a complex model of the rail pad is adopted. An efficient method for solving a time-domain analysis for wheel/rail interaction is presented. The method is based on the properties of the rail's Green functions and starting to these functions, a track's Green matrix is assembled for the numerical simulations of wheel/rail response due to three kinds of vertical excitations: the steady-state interaction, the rail corrugation and the wheel flat. The study points to influence of the worn rail—rigid contact—on variation in the wheel/rail contact force. The concept of pinned-pinned inhibitive rail pad is also presented.

Risk Assessment of Non-Motorized Access to Rail Transit Stations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-01-01

Over the past decade, the agency has undertaken multiple efforts to better understand the various components that contribute to safety for vulnerable road users. One major destination type that attracts a large number of pedestrians and cyclists is t...

19. PRIVATE SIDE ENTRANCE ADDED IN 1921 TO GIVE BARRIERFREE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

19. PRIVATE SIDE ENTRANCE ADDED IN 1921 TO GIVE BARRIER-FREE ACCESS FROM THE DRIVEWAY TO THE ELEVATOR. Wrought iron railings, extended upper step of stoop (indicated by the darker concrete between the two vertical posts), and wooden ramp added by the National Trust to meet modern barrier-free access codes, circa 1980. - Woodrow Wilson House, 2340 South S Street, Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia, DC

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines for Transportation Vehicles. Final rule.

PubMed

2016-12-14

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board or Board) is issuing a final rule that revises its existing accessibility guidelines for non-rail vehicles--namely, buses, over-the-road buses, and vans--acquired or remanufactured by entities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The revised guidelines ensure that such vehicles are readily accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is required to revise its accessibility standards for transportation vehicles acquired or remanufactured by entities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to be consistent with the final rule.

Rail accelerator research at Lewis Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerslake, W. R.; Cybyk, B. Z.

1982-01-01

A rail accelerator was chosen for study as an electromagnetic space propulsion device because of its simplicity and existing technology base. The results of a mission feasibility study using a large rail accelerator for direct launch of ton-size payloads from the Earth's surface to space, and the results of initial tests with a small, laboratory rail accelerator are presented. The laboratory rail accelerator has a bore of 3 by 3 mm and has accelerated 60 mg projectiles to velocities of 300 to 1000 m/s. Rail materials of Cu, W, and Mo were tested for efficiency and erosion rate.

Effect of gate skirts on pedestrian behavior at highway-rail grade crossings

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-12-31

The Federal Railroad Administration was interested in evaluating one type of pedestrian safety device, commonly known as gate skirts, that consists of a secondary horizontal hanging gate under the existing pedestrian gate to better block access to th...

Excitation of Surface Electromagnetic Waves on Railroad Rail

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-03-31

UMTA's Office of Rail Technology research programs aim to improve urban rail transportation systems safety. This rail-transit research study attempts to develop an onboard, separate and independent obstacle-detection system--Surface Electromagnetic W...

NASTRAN buckling study of a linear induction motor reaction rail

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, J. G.

1973-01-01

NASTRAN was used to study problems associated with the installation of a linear induction motor reaction rail test track. Specific problems studied include determination of the critical axial compressive buckling stress and establishment of the lateral stiffness of the reaction rail under combined loads. NASTRAN results were compared with experimentally obtained values and satisfactory agreement was obtained. The reaction rail was found to buckle at an axial compressive stress of 11,400 pounds per square inch. The results of this investigation were used to select procedures for installation of the reaction rail.

Review of Rail Behavior Under Wheel/Rail Impact Loading

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1986-04-01

The report discusses several studies involving factors that significantly affect rail life, particularly wheel impact loads. Parameters that characterize the effect of wheel impact loads on rail behavior are examined in terms of system variables such...

Analysis of Lateral Rail Restraint.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1983-09-01

This report deals with the analysis of lateral rail strength using the results of experimental investigations and a nonlinear rail response model. Part of the analysis involves the parametric study of the influence of track parameters on lateral rail...

Rail base corrosion and cracking prevention

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-01

Rail base corrosion combined with fatigue or damage can significantly reduce rail life. Studies were done to examine the relative contribution of damage, corrosion, and fatigue on rail life. The combined effects can be separated into constituent fact...

Planning for Bike Share Connectivity to Rail Transit

PubMed Central

Griffin, Greg Phillip; Sener, Ipek Nese

2016-01-01

Bike sharing can play a role in providing access to transit stations and then to final destinations, but early implementation of these systems in North America has been opportunistic rather than strategic. This study evaluates local intermodal plan goals using trip data and associated infrastructure such as transit stops and bike share station locations in Austin, Texas, and Chicago, Illinois. Bike sharing use data from both cities suggest a weak relationship with existing rail stations that could be strengthened through collaborative, intermodal planning. The study suggests a planning framework and example language that could be tailored to help address the linkage between bike sharing and transit. Rather than an exhaustive study of the practice, this study provides evidence from these two cities that identify opportunities to improve intermodal planning. Cities that are planning or expanding a bike sharing system should consider carefully how to leverage this mode with existing modes of transport. Regardless of a city’s status in implementing a bike sharing system, planners can leverage information on existing transport systems for planning at regional and local levels. PMID:27872554

Rail Modernization Study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1987-04-01

This study summarizes the results of a multi-year assessment of the rail transit and commuter rail systems. The work was based on an earlier study design effort. The purposes of the study were to determine the costs of upgrading and modernizing urban...

46 CFR 169.678 - Main distribution panels and switchboards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Section 169.678 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Machinery and Electrical Electrical Installations Operating at Potentials of 50 Volts Or...) Each switchboard must have front and, if accessible from the back, rear non-conducting hand rails...

46 CFR 169.678 - Main distribution panels and switchboards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Section 169.678 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Machinery and Electrical Electrical Installations Operating at Potentials of 50 Volts Or...) Each switchboard must have front and, if accessible from the back, rear non-conducting hand rails...

46 CFR 169.678 - Main distribution panels and switchboards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Section 169.678 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Machinery and Electrical Electrical Installations Operating at Potentials of 50 Volts Or...) Each switchboard must have front and, if accessible from the back, rear non-conducting hand rails...

Intercity passenger rail : Amtrak will continue to have difficulty controlling its costs and meeting capital needs

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-05-01

This report responds to the request to review Amtrak's costs and capital investment needs. In particular, this report discusses changes since 1995 in Amtrak's operating costs, including labor costs, payments to freight railroads to access their track...

78 FR 71724 - Rail Depreciation Studies

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-29

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board Rail Depreciation Studies AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Notice of OMB Approval of Information Collection. SUMMARY... collection, Rail Depreciation Studies. See 78 FR 18676 (Mar. 27, 2013). This collection, codified at 49 CFR...

In-Service Performance and Costs of Methods to Control Urban Rail System Noise

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1979-12-01

This study evaluates the acoustic and economic effectiveness of five methods of controlling wheel/rail noise and vibration on urban rail transit systems, namely: rail grinding, wheel truing, resilient wheels, ring-damped wheels, and welded vs. jointe...

Driver injury severity related to inclement weather at highway-rail grade crossings in the United States.

PubMed

Hao, Wei; Daniel, Janice

2016-01-01

Previous studies on crash modeling at highway-rail grade crossings were aimed at exploring the factors that are likely to increase the crash frequencies at highway-rail grade crossings. In recent years, modeling driver's injury severity at highway-rail grade crossings has received interest. Because there were substantial differences among different weather conditions for driver's injury severity, this study attempts to explore the impact of weather influence on driver injury at highway-rail grade crossing. Utilizing the most recent 10 years (2002-2011) of highway-rail grade crossing accident data, this study applied a mixed logit model to explore the determinants of driver injury severity under different weather conditions at highway-rail grade crossing. Analysis results indicate that drivers' injury severity at highway-rail grade crossings is strongly different for different weather conditions. It was found that the factors significantly impacting driver injury severity at highway-rail grade crossings include motor vehicle speed, train speed, driver's age, gender, area type, lighting condition, highway pavement, traffic volume, and time of day. The findings of this study indicate that crashes are more prevalent if vehicle drivers are driving at high speed or the oncoming trains are high speed. Hence, a reduction in speed limit during inclement weather conditions could be particularly effective in moderating injury severity, allowing more reaction time for last-minute maneuvering and braking in moments before impacts. In addition, inclement weather-related crashes were more likely to occur in open areas and highway-rail grade crossings without pavement and lighting. Paved highway-rail grade crossings with installation of lights could be particularly effective in moderating injury severity.

The Future of Access Technology for Blind and Visually Impaired People.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schreier, E. M.

1990-01-01

This article describes potential use of new technological products and services by blind/visually impaired people. Items discussed include computer input devices, public telephones, automatic teller machines, airline and rail arrival/departure displays, ticketing machines, information retrieval systems, order-entry terminals, optical character…

49 CFR 38.103 - Public information system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Public information system. 38.103 Section 38.103... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Commuter Rail Cars and Systems § 38.103 Public information system. (a... information. Alternative systems or devices which provide equivalent access are also permitted. (b) [Reserved] ...

49 CFR 38.61 - Public information system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Public information system. 38.61 Section 38.61... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Rapid Rail Vehicles and Systems § 38.61 Public information system. (a... other passenger information. Alternative systems or devices which provide equivalent access are also...

49 CFR 38.87 - Public information system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Public information system. 38.87 Section 38.87... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Light Rail Vehicles and Systems § 38.87 Public information system. (a... information. Alternative systems or devices which provide equivalent access are also permitted. (b) [Reserved] ...

Reconsidering the impact of access to transit on local land markets.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-09-01

We exploit the polycentric nature of the Los Angeles Metropolitan area to learn about the : impact of new passenger rail stations on land use in the surrounding areas. By using the many : centers in the Los Angeles MSA, we are better able to control ...

Feasibility of Lateral Emplacement in Very Deep Borehole Disposal of High Level Nuclear Waste

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

superior isolation of the waste (mitigating proliferation, terrorist and human intrusion concerns), the impermeability of available geologic formations ...Continental U.S. (Courtesy “The Future of Geothermal Energy” by MIT)7 2. Age of the granitic formation (Figure 1-4) 3. Proximity to rail, barge, and...state are of particular interest with their access to the ancient and stable Canadian granite shield, but access to suitable formations is found in

Strategic Mobility 21: Rail Network Capacity Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-30

of commercial freight and passenger train movements per peak day on the rail main lines in the study area for Year 2000 (actual...levels in Year 2010 and beyond with transit times comparable to Year 2000, at least four main tracks on the south slope of Cajon Pass are required... study . Rail Network Capacity Analysis 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION This document contains the analysis of rail capacity

Wear Enhancement of Wheel-Rail Interaction by Ultrasonic Nanocrystalline Surface Modification Technique.

PubMed

Chang, Seky; Pyun, Young-Sik; Amanov, Auezhan

2017-02-16

In this study, an ultrasonic nanocrystalline surface modification (UNSM) technique was applied to normal and heat-treated rails made of 60 kgK steel to enhance the wear resistance of the wheel-rail interaction. The hardness and compressive residual stress values of the untreated and UNSM-treated rails were measured by the Brinell hardness tester and X-ray diffraction technique, respectively. It was found, according to the measurement results, that the hardness was increased by about 20% and 8%, whereas the compressive residual stress was induced by about 52% and 62% for the UNSM-treated normal and heat-treated rails, respectively. The UNSM-treated normal rail showed a slightly higher hardness than the heat-treated rail. The wear resistance of rails with respect to rotating speed and rolling time was assessed using a rolling contact wear (RCW) tester under dry conditions. The RCW test results revealed that the wear of the UNSM-treated rails was enhanced in comparison with those of the untreated rails. Also, the wear amount of the rails was increased with increasing the rotation speed. The UNSM-treated normal rail exhibited the highest wear resistance with respect to the rotation speed. The wear mechanisms of the rails are also discussed based on microscopic images of the worn out surfaces.

Wear Enhancement of Wheel-Rail Interaction by Ultrasonic Nanocrystalline Surface Modification Technique

PubMed Central

Chang, Seky; Pyun, Young-Sik; Amanov, Auezhan

2017-01-01

In this study, an ultrasonic nanocrystalline surface modification (UNSM) technique was applied to normal and heat-treated rails made of 60 kgK steel to enhance the wear resistance of the wheel-rail interaction. The hardness and compressive residual stress values of the untreated and UNSM-treated rails were measured by the Brinell hardness tester and X-ray diffraction technique, respectively. It was found, according to the measurement results, that the hardness was increased by about 20% and 8%, whereas the compressive residual stress was induced by about 52% and 62% for the UNSM-treated normal and heat-treated rails, respectively. The UNSM-treated normal rail showed a slightly higher hardness than the heat-treated rail. The wear resistance of rails with respect to rotating speed and rolling time was assessed using a rolling contact wear (RCW) tester under dry conditions. The RCW test results revealed that the wear of the UNSM-treated rails was enhanced in comparison with those of the untreated rails. Also, the wear amount of the rails was increased with increasing the rotation speed. The UNSM-treated normal rail exhibited the highest wear resistance with respect to the rotation speed. The wear mechanisms of the rails are also discussed based on microscopic images of the worn out surfaces. PMID:28772549

Analyses of rail vehicle dynamics in support of development of the wheel rail dynamics research facility

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1973-06-30

The development of experimental facilities for rail vehicle testing at the DOT High Speed Ground Test Center is being complemented by analytical studies. The purpose of this effort has been to gain insight into the dynamics of rail vehicles to guide ...

49 CFR 38.117 - Floors, steps and thresholds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Floors, steps and thresholds. 38.117 Section 38...) ACCESSIBILITY SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Intercity Rail Cars and Systems § 38.117 Floors, steps and thresholds. (a) Floor surfaces on aisles, step treads and areas where wheelchair and mobility aid...

Airport offsite passenger service facilities : an option for improving landside access : volume 1 : definition, background, and opportunities.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-01-01

Because transportation modes are diverse, intermodal connections take several forms. They may be comprised of a major hub, such as the Virginia Inland Port, which transfers freight between the truck and rail modes, or an improvement to an existing mo...

Evaluation of the train signal and rail systems for the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-01

The Whittier Access Project was completed in 2000. One phase of the project was to convert the 2.5 mile long Anton Anderson : Memorial Tunnel (Whittier Tunnel) into the worlds only dual-use highway/railroad tunnel with one way reversible highway t...

Evaluating the attractiveness of a new light rail extension: Testing simple change and displacement change hypotheses

PubMed Central

Brown, Barbara B.; Tribby, Calvin P.; Tharp, Doug; Flick, Kristi; Miller, Harvey J.; Smith, Ken R.; Jensen, Wyatt

2015-01-01

Many communities in the United States have been adding new light rail to bus-predominant public transit systems. However, there is disagreement as to whether opening light rail lines attracts new ridership or merely draws ridership from existing transit users. We study a new light rail line in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, which is part of a complete street redevelopment. We utilize a pre-test post-test control group quasi-experimental design to test two different measures of ridership change. The first measure is calculated from stops along the light rail route; the second assumes that nearby bus stops might be displaced by the rail and calculates ridership change with those stops included as baseline. Both the simple measure (transit use changes on the complete street light rail corridor) and the “displacement” measure (transit use changes in the one-quarter mile catchment areas around new light rail stops) showed significant (p < .01) and substantial (677%) increases in transit passengers compared to pre-light rail bus users. In particular, the displacement analysis discredits a common challenge that when a new light rail line opens, most passengers are simply former bus riders whose routes were canceled in favor of light rail. The study suggests that light rail services can attract additional ridership to public transit systems. In addition, although pre-post control-group designs require time and effort, this project underscores the benefits of such quasi-experimental designs in terms of the strength of the inferences that can be drawn about the impacts of new transit infrastructure and services. PMID:26543329

Evaluating the attractiveness of a new light rail extension: Testing simple change and displacement change hypotheses.

PubMed

Werner, Carol M; Brown, Barbara B; Tribby, Calvin P; Tharp, Doug; Flick, Kristi; Miller, Harvey J; Smith, Ken R; Jensen, Wyatt

2016-01-01

Many communities in the United States have been adding new light rail to bus-predominant public transit systems. However, there is disagreement as to whether opening light rail lines attracts new ridership or merely draws ridership from existing transit users. We study a new light rail line in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, which is part of a complete street redevelopment. We utilize a pre-test post-test control group quasi-experimental design to test two different measures of ridership change. The first measure is calculated from stops along the light rail route; the second assumes that nearby bus stops might be displaced by the rail and calculates ridership change with those stops included as baseline. Both the simple measure (transit use changes on the complete street light rail corridor) and the "displacement" measure (transit use changes in the one-quarter mile catchment areas around new light rail stops) showed significant ( p < .01) and substantial (677%) increases in transit passengers compared to pre-light rail bus users. In particular, the displacement analysis discredits a common challenge that when a new light rail line opens, most passengers are simply former bus riders whose routes were canceled in favor of light rail. The study suggests that light rail services can attract additional ridership to public transit systems. In addition, although pre-post control-group designs require time and effort, this project underscores the benefits of such quasi-experimental designs in terms of the strength of the inferences that can be drawn about the impacts of new transit infrastructure and services.

Investigation into the vibration of metro bogies induced by rail corrugation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, Liang; Li, Wei; Foo, Elbert; Wu, Lei; Wen, Zefeng; Jin, Xuesong

2017-01-01

The current research of rail corrugation mainly focuses on the mechanisms of its formation and development. Compared with the root causes and development mechanisms, the wheel-rail impacts, the fatigue failure of vehicle-track parts, and the loss of ride comfort due to rail corrugation should also be taken into account. However, the influences of rail corrugation on vehicle and track vibration, and failure of vehicle and track structural parts are barely discussed in the literature. This paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation of the structural vibration of metro bogies caused by rail corrugation. Extensive experiments are conducted to investigate the effects of short-pitch rail corrugation on the vibration accelerations of metro bogies. A dynamic model of a metro vehicle coupled with a concrete track is established to study the influence of rail corrugation on the structural vibration of metro bogies. The field test results indicate that the short-pitch rail corrugation generates strong vibrations on the axle-boxes and the bogie frames, therefore, accelerates the fatigue failure of the bogie components. The numerical results show that short-pitch rail corrugation may largely reduce the fatigue life of the coil spring, and improving the damping value of the primary vertical dampers is likely to reduce the strong vibration induced by short-pitch rail corrugation. This research systematically studies the effect of rail corrugation on the vibration of metro bogies and proposes some remedies for mitigating strong vibrations of metro bogies and reducing the incidence of failure in primary coil springs, which would be helpful in developing new metro bogies and track maintenance procedures.

Tri-state high speed rail study : Chicago - Milwaukee - Twin Cities corridor

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1991-05-01

This report, the Final Report for the Tri-State Study of High Speed Rail Service, describes the work carried out by TMS/Benesch in analyzing the potential for high speed rail in the Tri-State Corridor. Specifically, the study provides a pre-feasibili...

Effects of anchoring and arc structure on the control authority of a rail plasma actuator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Young-Joon; Gray, Miles; Sirohi, Jayant; Raja, Laxminarayan L.

2017-09-01

Experiments were conducted on a rail plasma actuator (RailPAc) with different electrode cross sections (rails or rods) to assess methods to improve the actuation authority, defined as the impulse generated for a given electrical input. The arc was characterized with electrical measurements and high-speed images, while impulse measurements quantified the actuation authority. A RailPAc power supply capable of delivering  ∼1 kA of current at  ∼100 V was connected to rod electrodes (free-floating with circular cross-section) and rail electrodes (flush-mounted in a flat plate with rectangular cross-section). High-speed images show that the rail electrodes cause the arc to anchor itself to the anode electrode and transit in discrete jumps, while rod electrodes permit the arc to transit smoothly without anchoring. The impulse measurements reveal that the anchoring reduces the actuation authority by  ∼21% compared to a smooth transit, and the effect of anchoring can be suppressed by reducing the gap between the rails to 2 mm. The study further demonstrates that if a smooth transit is achieved, the control authority can be increased with a larger gap and larger arc current. In conclusion, the actuation authority of a RailPAc can be maximized by carefully choosing a gap width that prevents anchoring. Further study is warranted to increase the RailPAc actuation authority by introducing multiple turns of wires beneath the RailPAc to augment the induced magnetic field.

Prediction of the interaction between a simple moving vehicle and an infinite periodically supported rail - Green's functions approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazilu, Traian

2010-09-01

This paper herein describes the interaction between a simple moving vehicle and an infinite periodically supported rail, in order to signalise the basic features of the vehicle/track vibration behaviour in general, and wheel/rail vibration, in particular. The rail is modelled as an infinite Timoshenko beam resting on semi-sleepers via three-directional rail pads and ballast. The time-domain analysis was performed applying Green's matrix of the track method. This method allows taking into account the nonlinearities of the wheel/rail contact and the Doppler effect. The numerical analysis is dedicated to the wheel/rail response due to two types of excitation: the steady-state interaction and rail irregularities. The study points out to certain aspects regarding the parametric resonance, the amplitude-modulated vibration due to corrugation and the Doppler effect.

Near-source air quality in rail yard environments – an overview of recent EPA measurement and modeling findings

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation will providing a summary of field measurements conducted in areas surrounding two major rail yards as well as modeling simulations of rail yard emissions dispersion. The Cicero Rail Yard Study (CIRYS) was recently released to the public and includes mobile and ...

Difference in rural and urban driver-injury severities in highway-rail grade crossing accidents.

PubMed

Hao, Wei; Kamga, Camille

2017-06-01

Based on the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) database, there were 25,945 highway-rail crossing accidents in the United States between 2002 and 2011. With an extensive research, analysis results showed that there were substantial differences between rural and urban areas at highway-rail grade crossings. However, there is no published study specific on driver's injury severity at highway-rail grade crossings classified by area types. Using an ordered probit modelling approach, the study explores the determinants of driver-injury severity at rural highway-rail grade crossings compared with urban highway-rail grade crossings. The analysis found that motor vehicle driver's injury level at rural highway-rail grade crossing is extremely higher than urban area. Compared to collisions at urban area, collisions happened at rural area tend to result in more severe injuries. These crashes were more prevalent if vehicle drivers are driving at a high speed or the oncoming trains are high-speed. Moreover, highway-rail grade crossing accidents were more likely to occur at rural area without pavement and lighting.

Study of smoke detection and fire extinguishment for rail transit vehicles.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1983-08-31

This document presents the results of a study to determine the feasibility and cost effectiveness of the use of heat/smoke/fire sensors and automatic extinguishing systems in rail transit vehicles. Work presented includes: a survey of major rail tran...

Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati high-speed rail study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-07-01

In the past five years, the evaluation of different high-speed rail (HSR) studies in the Midwest has resulted in a realization that high speed rail, with speeds greater than 110 miles per hour, is too expensive in the short term to be implemented in ...

Study on service performance of 880 MPa-grade and 980 MPa-grade rail steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, M.; Xu, G.; Zhou, J. H.; Wang, R. M.; Gan, X. L.

2017-09-01

With the rapid development of economy in China, the requirement for railway passenger and cargo transportation becomes higher and higher. Increasing speed and developing heavy-haul transportation can effectively improve the transportation capacity of railway. The requirement for rail steels with higher ability of abrasion resistance becomes urgent. Two kinds of rails, i.e., 880 MPa-grade and 980 MPa-grade rail steels, were laid on cargo line with 500 m short radius curve. The service performances of the tested steels were continuously tracked and analyzed during operation of total 22.5 million tons loads. Macro morphology, light band width, surface hardness and profile of rails were investigated. The results show that the performance of 980 MPa-grade rail steel is superior to that of 880 MPa-grade rail steel at same circumstance. Therefore, 980 MPa-grade rail should be selected in the cargo line with small radius curve.

49 CFR 172.201 - Preparation and retention of shipping papers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... basic description required by § 172.202(a). (5) Electronic shipping papers. For transportation by rail... the shipping paper required by § 172.200(a), or an electronic image thereof, that is accessible at or... hazardous waste, the shipping paper copy must be retained for three years after the material is accepted by...

Remote Control: A Spatial-History of Correspondence Schooling in New South Wales, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Symes, Colin

2012-01-01

In large continental landmasses such as Australia, forms of education, including correspondence schooling, emerged in the early twentieth century that allowed children in remote regions to access education. To make such schooling possible, other "technologies" of state provision were mobilised such as the postal system, rail network, and…

29 CFR 1917.16 - Line handling. (See also § 1917.95(b)).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... also § 1917.95(b)). (a) In order to provide safe access for handling lines while mooring and unmooring... be used. (b) When stringpiece or apron width is insufficient for safe footing, grab lines or rails... the water edge of a berth and a shed or other structure.) ...

29 CFR 1917.16 - Line handling. (See also § 1917.95(b)).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... also § 1917.95(b)). (a) In order to provide safe access for handling lines while mooring and unmooring... be used. (b) When stringpiece or apron width is insufficient for safe footing, grab lines or rails... the water edge of a berth and a shed or other structure.) ...

Developing seamless connections in the urban transit network : a look toward high-speed rail interconnectivity.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-01

In the past, U.S. studies on high-speed rail (HSR) have focused primarily on the economic implications of high-speed rail development. Recently, however, studies have begun evaluating multimodal connectivity of HSR stations. The ways in which differe...

Intelligent transportation systems at highway-rail intersections : a cross-cutting study : improving safety and mobility at highway-rail grade crossings

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-12-01

In 1997, the ITS Joint Program Office (JPO) at the Federal Highway Administration commissioned a study to identify projects being conducted in the U.S. that used Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) at highway-rail grade crossings, including not ...

Integration of transit and land use : a study of Los Angeles rail transit stations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-01-01

This study focuses on transit-oriented development at rail transit stations in Los Angeles. It reviews the development of rail transit and land use in Los Angeles and looks at four specific station sites to see what is contributing to or hindering tr...

Fatigue Crack Growth Properties of Rail Steels

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-10-01

Fatigue crack propagation properties of rail steels were determined experimentally. The investigation covered 66 rail steels. The effects of the following parameters were studied: stress ratio (ratio of minimum to maximum stress in a cycle), frequenc...

Excitation Method of Linear-Motor-Type Rail Brake without Using Power Sources by Dynamic Braking with Zero Electrical Output

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakamoto, Yasuaki; Kashiwagi, Takayuki; Hasegawa, Hitoshi; Sasakawa, Takashi; Fujii, Nobuo

The eddy current rail brake is a type of braking system used in railway vehicles. Because of problems such as rail heating and problems associated with ensuring that power is supplied when the feeder malfunctions, this braking system has not been used for practical applications in Japan. Therefore, we proposed the use of linear induction motor (LIM) technology in eddy current rail brake systems. The LIM rail brake driven by dynamic braking can reduce rail heating and generate the energy required for self-excitation. In this paper, we present an excitation system and control method for the LIM rail brake driven by “dynamic braking with zero electrical output”. The proposed system is based on the concept that the LIM rail brake can be energized without using excitation power sources such as a feeder circuit and that high reliability can be realized by providing an independent excitation system. We have studied this system and conducted verification tests using a prototype LIM rail brake on a roller rig. The results show that the system performance is adequate for commercializing the proposed system, in which the LIM rail brake is driven without using any excitation power source.

Interaction between moving tandem wheels and an infinite rail with periodic supports - Green's matrices of the track method in stationary reference frame

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazilu, Traian

2017-08-01

This paper approaches the issue of the interaction between moving tandem wheels and an infinite periodically supported rail and points out at the basic characteristics in the steady-state interaction behaviour and in the interaction in the presence of the rail random irregularity. The rail is modelled as an infinite Timoshenko beam resting on supports which are discretely modelling the inertia of the sleepers and ballast and also the viscoelastic features of the rail pads, the ballast and the subgrade. Green‧s matrices of the track method in stationary reference frame were applied so as to conduct the time-domain analysis. This method allows to consider the nonlinearities of the wheel/rail contact and the Doppler effect. The study highlights certain aspects regarding the influence of the wheel base on the wheels/rail contact forces, particularly at the parametric resonance, due to the coincidence between the wheel/rail natural frequency and the passing frequency and also when the rail surface exhibits random irregularity. It has been shown that the wheel/rail dynamic behaviour is less intense when the wheel base equals integer multiple of the sleeper bay.

Environmental Equity and the Role of Public Policy: Experiences in the Rijnmond Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruize, Hanneke; Driessen, Peter P. J.; Glasbergen, Pieter; van Egmond, Klaas (N. D.)

2007-10-01

This Φ Ψ study of environmental equity uses secondary quantitative data to analyze socioeconomic disparities in environmental conditions in the Rijnmond region of the Netherlands. The disparities of selected environmental indicators—exposure to traffic noise (road, rail, and air), NO2, external safety risks, and the availability of public green space—are analyzed both separately and in combination. Not only exposures to environmental burdens (“bads”) were investigated, but also access to environmental benefits (“goods”). Additionally, we held interviews and reviewed documents to grasp the mechanisms underlying the environmental equity situation, with an emphasis on the role of public policy. Environmental equity is not a priority in public policy for the greater Rotterdam region known as the Rijnmond region, yet environmental standards have been established to provide a minimum environmental quality to all local residents. In general, environmental quality has improved in this region, and the accumulation of negative environmental outcomes (“bads”) has been limited. However, environmental standards for road traffic noise and NO2 are being exceeded, probably because of the pressure on space and the traffic intensity. We found an association of environmental “bads” with income for rail traffic noise and availability of public green space. In the absence of regulation, positive environmental outcomes (“goods”) are mainly left up to market forces. Consequently, higher-income groups generally have more access to environmental “goods” than lower-income groups.

Fatigue Crack Initiation Properties of Rail Steels

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1982-01-01

Fatigue crack initiation properties of rail-steels were determined experimentally. One new and four used rail steels were investigated. The effects of the following parameters were studied: stress ratio (ratio of minimum to maximum stress in a cycle)...

Testing of New Bridge Rail and Transition Designs Vol. X APP.I; 42-in (1.07-m) Concrete Parapet Bridge Railing

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-06-01

This report presents the results of a State Planning and Research (SP&R) pooled-fund study to develop safer bridge rail and transition designs.This pooled-fund study was sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, 23 States, and the District of ...

Motor vehicle driver injury severity study under various traffic control at highway-rail grade crossings in the United States.

PubMed

Hao, Wei; Daniel, Janice

2014-12-01

Based on the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) database, approximately 62% of the collisions at highway-rail crossings occurred at locations with active controls (gate and flashing lights), followed by passive controls (cross bucks and stop signs) with approximately 28% of accidents. The study applied an ordered probit model to explore the determinants of driver injury severity under various control measures at highway-rail grade crossing in the United States. The analysis found that schedule factor (peak hour), visibility, motor vehicle speed, train speed, driver's age, area type, traffic volume and highway pavement impact driver injury severity at both active and passive highway-rail crossings. For both active and passive control highway-rail grade crossings, speed control for both trains and vehicles will significantly reduce driver injury severity. However, the level of influence by vehicle speed and train speed at passive control is higher compared with active control. Paving highways at highway-rail grade crossings will also help to reduce driver injury severity at highway-rail crossing accidents. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Southeast Rail Operations (SEROps) : Phase I : Summary Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-05-01

This Summary Report documents the first phase of the SEROps study. Phase I investigated the regional rail transportation network in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina as a system, and it engaged a diverse group of rail stakeholders ...

Factors affecting commuter rail energy efficiency.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-02-17

The objective of this study is to develop a planninglevel model of commuter rail energy efficiency. The : environmental benefits of commuter rail are often cited as one of the key benefits and motivators for its rapid development as a public trans...

Operation SHINGLE (Anzio) 22 January-1 February 1944, Offensive, Deliberate Assault, Amphibious

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-05-21

had la’-re diverse supply dumps easily accessible by truck or rail. AS EsU ly de -mands increased’along with allied air attacks, naval --:~-~oac:ore...Planning called -,r the 7-a-tical Air Corps, aided by strategic air assts, t:-’ zcmin enemy airfields prior to D-lay to estrcy c.-=y a: fcrces andi to...00~ ._ --- ?d:-/ ’- CSI BATTLEBOOK / / CS B ATTLEOOK 3-C OPERATION SHINGLE Combat Studies Institute Fort Leaven4qorth, Kansas DTIC EI.% EE--" DE EU

Optimization of wheel-rail interface friction using top-of-rail friction modifiers: State of the art

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, M. Roshan; Dasaka, Satyanarayana Murty

2018-05-01

High Speed Railways and Dedicated Freight Corridors are the need of the day for fast and efficient transportation of the ever growing population and freight across long distances of travel. With the increase in speeds and axle loads carried by these trains, wearing out of rails and train wheel sections are a common issue, which is due to the increase in friction at the wheel-rail interfaces. For the cases where the wheel-rail interface friction is less than optimum, as in case of high speed trains with very low axle loads, wheel-slips are imminent and loss of traction occurs when the trains accelerate rapidly or brake all of a sudden. These vast variety of traction problems around the wheel-rail interface friction need to be mitigated carefully, so that the contact interface friction neither ascents too high to cause material wear and need for added locomotive power, nor be on the lower side to cause wheel-slips and loss of traction at high speeds. Top-of-rail friction modifiers are engineered surface coatings applied on top of rails, to maintain an optimum frictional contact between the train wheels and the rails. Extensive research works in the area of wheel-rail tribology have revealed that the optimum frictional coefficients at wheel-rail interfaces lie at a value of around 0.35. Application of top-of-rail (TOR) friction modifiers on rail surfaces add an extra layer of material coating on top of the rails, with a surface frictional coefficient of the desired range. This study reviews the common types of rail friction modifiers, the methods for their application, issues related with the application of friction modifiers, and a guideline on selection of the right class of coating material based on site specific requirements of the railway networks.

78 FR 22363 - Environmental Impact Statement for the All Aboard Florida Miami-Orlando Passenger Rail Project

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-15

... need and demand for safe, convenient, and reliable transportation through the development of a... objectives concerning the environment. AAF is a subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, Inc. (FECI... freight service. AAF is working to secure access to use the right-of- way of State Road 528 between Cocoa...

A finite element study on rail corrugation based on saturated creep force-induced self-excited vibration of a wheelset-track system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, G. X.; Zhou, Z. R.; Ouyang, H.; Jin, X. S.; Zhu, M. H.; Liu, Q. Y.

2010-10-01

The present work proposes friction coupling at the wheel-rail interface as the mechanism for formation of rail corrugation. Stability of a wheelset-track system is studied using the finite element complex eigenvalue method. Two models for a wheelset-track system on a tight curved track and on a straight track are established. In these two models, motion of the wheelset is coupled with that of the rail by friction. Creep force at the interface is assumed to become saturated and approximately equal to friction force, which is equal to the normal contact force multiplied by dynamic coefficient of friction. The rail is supported by vertical and lateral springs and dampers at the positions of sleepers. Numerical results show that there is a strong propensity of self-excited vibration of the wheelset-track system when the friction coefficient is larger than 0.21. Some unstable frequencies fall in the range 60-1200 Hz, which correspond to frequencies of rail corrugation. Parameter sensitivity analysis shows that the dynamic coefficient of friction, spring stiffness and damping of the sleeper supports all have important influences on the rail corrugation formation. Bringing the friction coefficient below a certain level can suppress or eliminate rail corrugation.

Ruby on Rails Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hochstadt, Jake

2011-01-01

Ruby on Rails is an open source web application framework for the Ruby programming language. The first application I built was a web application to manage and authenticate other applications. One of the main requirements for this application was a single sign-on service. This allowed authentication to be built in one location and be implemented in many different applications. For example, users would be able to login using their existing credentials, and be able to access other NASA applications without authenticating again. The second application I worked on was an internal qualification plan app. Previously, the viewing of employee qualifications was managed through Excel spread sheets. I built a database driven application to streamline the process of managing qualifications. Employees would be able to login securely to view, edit and update their personal qualifications.

Energy efficiency and reliability solutions for rail operations and facilities.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-11-01

The objectives of the study included examining energy consumption of : the facilities comprising the three major rail yards on the New Haven Rail Line as : well as platform stations and identifying energy efficiency and cost savings : opportunities f...

Neutron residual stress measurements on rail sections for different production conditions

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-11-13

Rail sectioning with subsequent neutron diffraction experiments has been used to assess residual stresses in the rails. In this study we present the results of neutron stress : measurements performed at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) on ...

Study on improving rail energy efficiency (E2) : best practices and strategies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-03-23

A recent Volpe Center report [1] for the Federal Railroad Administrations (FRA) Rail Energy, Environment, and Engine (E3) Technology research and development program reviewed rail industry best practices (BPs) and strategies for improving energy e...

Safer bridge railings, volume 1 summary report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1984-06-01

This study consisted of strength analyses of five in-service bridge railing systems, thirty full-scale vehicle crash tests on those railing systems and on a load measuring wall, the development of recommended design guidelines and deve1opment of reco...

Energy partitioning in an inductively driven rail gun

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sen, K. K.; Ray, P. K.

1984-01-01

The equations describing the performance of an inductively driven rail are analyzed numerically. Friction between the projectile and rails is included through an empirical formulation. The equations are applied to the experiment of Rashleigh and Marshall to obtain an estimate of energy distribution in rail guns as a function of time. It is found that only 15 percent of energy delivered by the inductor to the gun is transformed into the kinetic energy of the projectile. This study provides an insight into the nature of nonlinear coupling involved in the electromechanical interactions in a rail gun.

Road and Rail Traffic Noise Induce Comparable Extra-aural Effects as Revealed During a Short-term Memory Test

PubMed Central

Gallasch, Eugen; Raggam, Reinhard B; Cik, Michael; Rabensteiner, Jasmin; Lackner, Andreas; Piber, Barbara; Marth, Egon

2016-01-01

To examine extraaural effects as induced by 20 min of road (ROAD) and 20 min of rail (RAIL) traffic noise with same loudness (75 dBA), a laboratory study was carried out. The study (N=54) consisted of 28 high and 26 low-annoyed healthy individuals as determined by a traffic annoyance test. To control attention, all individuals performed a nonauditory short-term memory test during the noise exposures. A within-subject design, with phases of ROAD, RAIL, and CALM (memory test only), alternated by phases of rest, was defined. Heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (sBP), total peripheral resistance (TPR), as well as three autonomic variables, preejection period (PEP), 0.15–0.4 Hz high-frequency component of HR variability (HF), and salivary stress biomarker alpha amylase (sAA) were measured. In relation to CALM, HR increased (RAIL +2.1%, ROAD +2.5%), sBP tended to increase against the end of noise exposure, PEP decreased (RAIL −0.7%, ROAD −0.8%), HF decreased (RAIL −3.4%, ROAD −2.9%), and sAA increased (RAIL +78%, ROAD +69%). No differences were found between RAIL and ROAD, indicating that both noise stressors induced comparable extraaural effects. Factor annoyance showed significant during CALM. Here a reduced sympathetic drive (higher PEP values) combined with an increased vascular tone (higher TPR values) was found at the high-annoyed subgroup. PMID:27569408

Supplement to MTI study on selective passenger screening in the mass transit rail environment.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

This supplement updates and adds to MTIs 2007 report on Selective Screening of Rail Passengers (Jenkins and Butterworth MTI 06-07: Selective Screening of Rail Passengers). The report reviews current screening programs implemented (or planned) by n...

Assessment of the Crashworthiness of Existing Urban Rail Vehicles. Volume 3. Train-Collision Model Users Manual.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-11-01

The crashworthiness of existing urban rail vehicles (passenger cars) and the feasibility of improvements in this area were investigated. Both rail-car structural configurations and impact absorption devices were studied. This final report issued unde...

Measuring the benefits of intercity passenger rail : a study of the Heartland Flyer corridor.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-04-01

In recent years, the policy and regulatory environment for intercity passenger rail in the United States has : shifted dramatically, sparking a renewed interest in intercity passenger rail among policymakers, : planners, and the general public. As th...

Low track height standard-cells enable high-placement density and low-BEOL cost (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Debacker, Peter; Matti, Luca; Sherazi, Syed M. Y.; Baert, Rogier; Gerousis, Vassilios; Nauts, Claire; Raghavan, Praveen; Ryckaert, Julien; Kim, Ryoung-Han; Verkest, Diederik

2017-04-01

Making standards cells smaller by lowering the cell height from 7.5 tracks to 6 tracks for the same set of ground rules is an efficient way to reduce area for high density digital IP blocks without increasing wafer cost. Denser cells however also imply a higher pin density and possible more routing congestion because of that. In Place and Route phase, this limits the cell density (a.k.a. utilization) that can be reached without design rule violations. This study shows that 6-track cells (192nm high) and smart routing results in up to 60% lower area than 7.5-track cells in N5 technology. Standard cells have been created for 7.5T and 6T cells in N5 technology (poly pitch 42nm, metal pitch 32nm). The cells use a first horizontal routing layer (Mint) and vertical M1 for 1D intra-cell routing as much as possible. Place and route was performed on an opencores LDPC decoder. Various cell architectures and place and route optimizations are used to scale down the cell area and improve density. Most are not process optimizations, but optimized cell architectures and routing methods: • Open M1: M1 is removed as much as possible. This allows the router to use M1 for inter-cell routing in dense areas. • Routing in Mint: With open M1 the router can also use Mint to extend pins to access nearby free M1 tracks in congested areas. • Outbound rail: The 7.5T cells have inbound VDD/VSS rails in Mint for easy supply tapping. Moving the Mint rail outbound and shared between cells is required to enable lower track height cells. • Vertical Power distribution network (PDN): in 6T cells too many horizontal tracks would be consumed by the wide M2 rail. Mint is used instead combined with a vertical PDN in M1. • Self-Aligned Gate Contact allows to contact the gate on top of active fins. Any Mint track then can contact a gate, reducing cell area considerably. • Partially landing Mint Via trench: In 6T cells, a continuous Via trench underneath the Mint rail is used. This via partially lands on M0A to relax tip-to-tip requirements. • Relaxed M2 pitch: When pin access is handled in Mint and M1, this allows for a relaxed M2 pitch (48nm) with cheaper double patterning. To avoid horizontal routing layer congestion with the smaller cells, the 6T cells depend on the vertical PDN and open M1 to improve routability and pin access. Already in 7.5T cells, open M1 and vertical PDN help to improve routable utilization from 50% with closed M1 to 85% maximum. Moving to 6T cells, the combination of reduced cell area and high 85% utilization of result in a 60% area reduction vs the original 7.5T cells. We have shown that combining 6-track cells and smart routing results in up to 60% lower area than 7.5-track cells in N5 technology. Open M1 and vertical PDN are main area boosters for any cell architecture, boosting utilization from 50% to 85% already for the 7.5T cells.

Chicago-St. Louis high speed rail plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stead, M.E.

1994-12-31

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), in cooperation with Amtrak, undertook the Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail Financial and Implementation Plan study in order to develop a realistic and achievable blueprint for implementation of high speed rail in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor. This report presents a summary of the Price Waterhouse Project Team`s analysis and the Financial and Implementation Plan for implementing high speed rail service in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor.

Atlanta Rail Yard Study: Evaluation of local-scale air pollution ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Intermodal rail yards are important nodes in the freight transportation network, where freight is organized and moved from one mode of transport to another, critical equipment is serviced, and freight is routed to its next destination. Rail yard environments are also areas with multiple sources of air pollutant emissions (e.g., heavy-duty vehicles, locomotives, cranes), which may affect local air quality in residential areas nearby. In order to understand emissions and related air quality impacts, two field studies took place over the time span of 2010-2012 to measure air pollution trends in close proximity to the Inman and Tilford rail yard complex in Atlanta, GA. One field study involved long-term stationary monitoring of black carbon, fine particles, and carbon dioxide at two stations nearby the rail yard. In addition, a second field study performed intensive mobile air monitoring for a one month period in the summer of 2012 at a roadway network surrounding the rail yard complex and measured a comprehensive array of pollutants. Real-time mobile particulate measurements included particle counts, extinction coefficient, black carbon via light-absorption and particle incandescence, and particle composition derived by aerosol mass spectrometry. Gas-phase measurements included oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and air toxics (e.g., benzene). Both sets of measurements determined detectable local influence from rail yard-related emissions.

Assessment of the Crashworthiness of Existing Urban Rail Vehicles. Volume 1. Analyses and Assessments of Vehicles, Chapters 1 through 7.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-11-01

The crashworthiness of existing urban rail vehicles (passenger cars) and the feasibility of improvements in this area were investigated. Both rail-car structural configurations and impact absorption devices were studied. Recommendations for engineeri...

Algorithms and Parametric Studies for Assessing Effects of Two-Point Contact

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1984-02-01

This report describes analyses conducted to assess the effects of two-point wheel rail contact on a single wheel on the prediction of wheel-rail forces, and for including these effects in a computer program for predicting curving behavior of rail veh...

High-Speed Rail and Local Land Development : Case Studies in London and Las Vegas

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-11-01

The efficacy of a high-speed rail system depends, in part, upon locating rail stations close to urban centers and integrating them into broader transportation networks and the urban realm. In addition, through economies of agglomeration, successful h...

Design Considerations and Experimental Verification of a Rail Brake Armature Based on Linear Induction Motor Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakamoto, Yasuaki; Kashiwagi, Takayuki; Hasegawa, Hitoshi; Sasakawa, Takashi; Fujii, Nobuo

This paper describes the design considerations and experimental verification of an LIM rail brake armature. In order to generate power and maximize the braking force density despite the limited area between the armature and the rail and the limited space available for installation, we studied a design method that is suitable for designing an LIM rail brake armature; we considered adoption of a ring winding structure. To examine the validity of the proposed design method, we developed a prototype ring winding armature for the rail brakes and examined its electromagnetic characteristics in a dynamic test system with roller rigs. By repeating various tests, we confirmed that unnecessary magnetic field components, which were expected to be present under high speed running condition or when a ring winding armature was used, were not present. Further, the necessary magnetic field component and braking force attained the desired values. These studies have helped us to develop a basic design method that is suitable for designing the LIM rail brake armatures.

A survey of wheel-rail contact models for rail vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meymand, Sajjad Z.; Keylin, Alexander; Ahmadian, Mehdi

2016-03-01

Accurate and efficient contact models for wheel-rail interaction are essential for the study of the dynamic behaviour of a railway vehicle. Assessment of the contact forces and moments, as well as contact geometry provide a fundamental foundation for such tasks as design of braking and traction control systems, prediction of wheel and rail wear, and evaluation of ride safety and comfort. This paper discusses the evolution and the current state of the theories for solving the wheel-rail contact problem for rolling stock. The well-known theories for modelling both normal contact (Hertzian and non-Hertzian) and tangential contact (Kalker's linear theory, FASTSIM, CONTACT, Polach's theory, etc.) are reviewed. The paper discusses the simplifying assumptions for developing these models and compares their functionality. The experimental studies for evaluation of contact models are also reviewed. This paper concludes with discussing open areas in contact mechanics that require further research for developing better models to represent the wheel-rail interaction.

Fuel Savings and Aerodynamic Drag Reduction from Rail Car Covers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Storms, Bruce; Salari, Kambiz; Babb, Alex

2008-01-01

The potential for energy savings by reducing the aerodynamic drag of rail cars is significant. A previous study of aerodynamic drag of coal cars suggests that a 25% reduction in drag of empty cars would correspond to a 5% fuel savings for a round trip [1]. Rail statistics for the United States [2] report that approximately 5.7 billion liters of diesel fuel were consumed for coal transportation in 2002, so a 5% fuel savings would total 284 million liters. This corresponds to 2% of Class I railroad fuel consumption nationwide. As part of a DOE-sponsored study, the aerodynamic drag of scale rail cars was measured in a wind tunnel. The goal of the study was to measure the drag reduction of various rail-car cover designs. The cover designs tested yielded an average drag reduction of 43% relative to empty cars corresponding to an estimated round-trip fuel savings of 9%.

A Regional Approach to Rail Transit Training for the New York Metropolitan Area. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKnight, Claire E.; Rotter, Naomi

A study examined the feasibility of a regional approach to rail transit training in the New York metropolitan area. First, case studies were collected to document existing training practices at the five agencies currently responsible for training rail transit workers in the New York metropolitan area and to identify mutual training needs that…

Static stall alleviation using a rail plasma actuator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Young-Joon; Gray, Miles; Sirohi, Jayant; Raja, Laxminarayan L.

2018-07-01

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the ability of a rail plasma actuator (RailPAc) to alleviate static stall on an airfoil. The RailPAc device consists of parallel rails flush mounted on the upper surface of a VR-12 airfoil, with a high-current (∼1.3 kA) arc bridging the gap between the rails. A Lorentz force (∼0.3 N lasting  ∼1 ms) generated on the arc propels it along the airfoil chord and transfers momentum to the surrounding flow. Experiments were conducted in a low speed wind tunnel at two different Reynolds numbers ( and ) and various static angles of attack (up to  ∼30°). Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure the flow over the passive and actuated airfoil, while the airfoil lift was measured using a force balance. The experiments showed that the RailPAc promotes flow reattachment and can suppress static stall over a wide range of angles of attack. Operation of a single RailPAc resulted in  ∼40 improvement in post-stall lift and  ∼4° increase in stall angle compared to a passive airfoil with an unpowered RailPAc. The results provide insight into the actuation mechanism and demonstrate, for the first time, the ability of the RailPAc to alleviate static stall on an airfoil.

Development of Public Rail Track Transport in Nord-Western Area of Bratislava

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koštial, Matej; Schlosser, Tibor; Schlosser, Peter

2017-10-01

The article deals with the development plans and possibilities of the Bratislava north-west expansion direction. Its focus is on the sites in the Lamačská Brána area - Bory and CENTROP - which with their size of approximately 817 hectares are owned by two major developers. The article describes variants of possible rail transport system extension, as it is classified as the cordial system of public transport by the Bratislava urban planning documentation. The traffic service proposal deals with the new traffic infrastructure on given future and realised locations and generates input for the traffic planning itself, which will define the build intensity restriction using the traffic model. Particular variants of the rail transport in given area are proposed to be the primary tool for future area development possibility. Along with the urban tram with narrow gauge of 1000 mm defined in urban planning documentation, the area service is considered by the introduced standard gauge (1435 mm) tram-train track connected to the international railway link. This track is intended to be a part of the integrated suburban public transport system aiming to access the satellite town Stupava inside the Bratislava city agglomeration.

Energy study of rail passenger transportation. Volume 4. Efficiency improvements and industry future. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Henderson, C.; Wilhelm, J.P.

1979-08-01

Measures that offer promise of efficiency improvements or economy in energy usage in rail passenger transportation are identified and described; the future of rail passenger transportation in the US is discussed; and possible future roles of Federal agencies are discussed.

Propagation analysis of transverse defects originating at the lower gage corner of rail

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-12-01

This report describes analyses performed to examine the growth rate of a particular transverse defect that forms in the rail head. The most common transverse defect found in rail, known as the detail fracture, has been studied in previous work. The p...

Pedestrian/bicyclist warning devices and signs at CTA rail-highway grade crossings.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-14

In the last 10 years, contrary to a decrease in the number of train-vehicle collisions at highway-rail grade crossings, the number of pedestrian and bicycle fatalities at highway-rail grade crossings has increased. The objective of this study was to ...

49 CFR 37.71 - Purchase or lease of new non-rail vehicles by public entities operating fixed route systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... buses were to be lift-equipped and were to be otherwise accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities; (2) Hydraulic, electromechanical, or other lifts for such new buses could not be provided by any qualified lift manufacturer to the manufacturer of such new buses in sufficient time to comply with the...

49 CFR 37.71 - Purchase or lease of new non-rail vehicles by public entities operating fixed route systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... buses were to be lift-equipped and were to be otherwise accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities; (2) Hydraulic, electromechanical, or other lifts for such new buses could not be provided by any qualified lift manufacturer to the manufacturer of such new buses in sufficient time to comply with the...

Computation of wheel-rail contact force for non-mapping wheel-rail profile of Translohr tram

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Yuanjin; Ren, Lihui; Zhou, Jinsong

2017-09-01

Translohr tram has steel wheels, in V-like arrangements, as guide wheels. These operate over the guide rails in inverted-V arrangements. However, the horizontal and vertical coordinates of the guide wheels and guide rails are not always mapped one-to-one. In this study, a simplified elastic method is proposed in order to calculate the contact points between the wheels and the rails. By transforming the coordinates, the non-mapping geometric relationship between wheel and rail is converted into a mapping relationship. Considering the Translohr tram's multi-point contact between the guide wheel and the guide rail, the elastic-contact hypothesis take into account the existence of contact patches between the bodies, and the location of the contact points is calculated using a simplified elastic method. In order to speed up the calculation, a multi-dimensional contact table is generated, enabling the use of simulation for Translohr tram running on curvatures with different radii.

Atlanta Rail Yard Study: Evaluation of local-scale air pollution trends using stationary and mobile monitoring

EPA Science Inventory

Intermodal rail yards are important nodes in the freight transportation network, where freight is organized and moved from one mode of transport to another, critical equipment is serviced, and freight is routed to its next destination. Rail yard environments are also areas with ...

Low volume highway-rail grade crossing treatments for the Oregon high speed rail corridor : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-04-01

This study defines how to gather information and how to obtain the communication and response necessary for safety at highway-rail crossings. It examines technologies for low-cost, high-safety treatments for low volume (less than 200 ADT) highway cro...

FEASIBILITY STUDY OF AIR BEARING ROCKET SLED SLIPPERS

DTIC Science & Technology

a simple self-acting type of bearing can support a typical monorail rocket sled, without contact between the slipper and the rail, at speeds between...slipper bearing is capable of preventing slipper-rail contact over the entire speed range of typical monorail and dual rail sleds. However, the weight and

A 3D Laser Profiling System for Rail Surface Defect Detection

PubMed Central

Li, Qingquan; Mao, Qingzhou; Zou, Qin

2017-01-01

Rail surface defects such as the abrasion, scratch and peeling often cause damages to the train wheels and rail bearings. An efficient and accurate detection of rail defects is of vital importance for the safety of railway transportation. In the past few decades, automatic rail defect detection has been studied; however, most developed methods use optic-imaging techniques to collect the rail surface data and are still suffering from a high false recognition rate. In this paper, a novel 3D laser profiling system (3D-LPS) is proposed, which integrates a laser scanner, odometer, inertial measurement unit (IMU) and global position system (GPS) to capture the rail surface profile data. For automatic defect detection, first, the deviation between the measured profile and a standard rail model profile is computed for each laser-imaging profile, and the points with large deviations are marked as candidate defect points. Specifically, an adaptive iterative closest point (AICP) algorithm is proposed to register the point sets of the measured profile with the standard rail model profile, and the registration precision is improved to the sub-millimeter level. Second, all of the measured profiles are combined together to form the rail surface through a high-precision positioning process with the IMU, odometer and GPS data. Third, the candidate defect points are merged into candidate defect regions using the K-means clustering. At last, the candidate defect regions are classified by a decision tree classifier. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed laser-profiling system in rail surface defect detection and classification. PMID:28777323

Emulation study on system characteristic of high pressure common-rail fuel injection system for marine medium-speed diesel engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qinpeng; Yang, Jianguo; Xin, Dong; He, Yuhai; Yu, Yonghua

2018-05-01

In this paper, based on the characteristic analyzing of the mechanical fuel injection system for the marine medium-speed diesel engine, a sectional high-pressure common rail fuel injection system is designed, rated condition rail pressure of which is 160MPa. The system simulation model is built and the performance of the high pressure common rail fuel injection system is analyzed, research results provide the technical foundation for the system engineering development.

Multiple pole electromagnetic propulsion system with separated ballistic guidance and electrical current contact surfaces

DOEpatents

Sims, Jr., James R.

2008-07-15

An electromagnetic propulsion system is disclosed having separate rails for ballistic guidance and for carrying current. In this system, one or more pairs of ballistic guidance rails are provided, with each ballistic guidance rail having a pair of current carrying rails joined to it to form a combined rail. Each combined rail is separated electrically from adjacent combined rails by electrically insulating blocks. Each of the current carrying rails in a given combined rail pair have the same electrical polarity, and the polarities alternate between adjacent combined rails. Armatures contact current carrying rails to complete the circuit to generate the accelerating Lorentz force on the armatures. Bore riders on the sabot and/or projectile are in contact with the ballistic guide rails. Separation of the current carrying and ballistic guidance functions increases resistance of the system to rail movement and bending, as well as reduced wear/damage to the rails. In further embodiments, a circumferential over wrap providing compressive force on the rails further increases resistance of the system to rail movement and bending.

GMT azimuth bogie wheel-rail interface wear study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teran, Jose; Lindh, Cory; Morgan, Chris; Manuel, Eric; Bigelow, Bruce C.; Burgett, William S.

2016-07-01

Performance of the GMT azimuth drive system is vital for the operation of the telescope and, as such, all components subject to wear at the drive interface merit a high level of scrutiny for achieving a proper balance between capital costs, maintenance costs, and the risk for downtime during planned and unplanned maintenance or replacement procedures. Of particular importance is the interface between the azimuth wheels and rail, as usage frequency is high, the full weight of the enclosure must be transferred through small patches of contact, and replacement of the rail would pose a greater logistical challenge than the replacement of smaller components such as bearings and gearmotors. This study investigates tradeoffs between various wheel-rail and roller-track interfaces, including performance, complexity, and anticipated wear considerations. First, a survey of railway and overhead crane industry literature is performed and general detailing recommendations are made to minimize wear and the risk of rolling contact fatigue. Second, Adams/VI-Rail is used to simulate lifetime wear of four specific configurations under consideration for the GMT azimuth wheel-rail interface; all studied configurations are shown to be viable, and their relative merits are discussed.

A rational fraction polynomials model to study vertical dynamic wheel-rail interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correa, N.; Vadillo, E. G.; Santamaria, J.; Gómez, J.

2012-04-01

This paper presents a model designed to study vertical interactions between wheel and rail when the wheel moves over a rail welding. The model focuses on the spatial domain, and is drawn up in a simple fashion from track receptances. The paper obtains the receptances from a full track model in the frequency domain already developed by the authors, which includes deformation of the rail section and propagation of bending, elongation and torsional waves along an infinite track. Transformation between domains was secured by applying a modified rational fraction polynomials method. This obtains a track model with very few degrees of freedom, and thus with minimum time consumption for integration, with a good match to the original model over a sufficiently broad range of frequencies. Wheel-rail interaction is modelled on a non-linear Hertzian spring, and consideration is given to parametric excitation caused by the wheel moving over a sleeper, since this is a moving wheel model and not a moving irregularity model. The model is used to study the dynamic loads and displacements emerging at the wheel-rail contact passing over a welding defect at different speeds.

77 FR 17121 - RailAmerica, Inc., Palm Beach Rail Holding, Inc., RailAmerica Transportation Corp., RailTex, Inc...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-23

... Group, LLC, and RR Acquisition Holding, LLC--Control Exemption--Wellsboro & Corning Railroad, LLC Rail.... (RTC), RailTex, Inc. (RailTex), Fortress Investment Group, LLC (Fortress), and RR Acquisition Holding... acquire indirect control of the Wellsboro & Corning Railroad, LLC (W&C), a Class III rail carrier, through...

Design and optimisation of wheel-rail profiles for adhesion improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, B.; Mei, T. X.; Bruni, S.

2016-03-01

This paper describes a study for the optimisation of the wheel profile in the wheel-rail system to increase the overall level of adhesion available at the contact interface, in particular to investigate how the wheel and rail profile combination may be designed to ensure the improved delivery of tractive/braking forces even in poor contact conditions. The research focuses on the geometric combination of both wheel and rail profiles to establish how the contact interface may be optimised to increase the adhesion level, but also to investigate how the change in the property of the contact mechanics at the wheel-rail interface may also lead to changes in the vehicle dynamic behaviour.

Rail-lex Slovenia--A Modern Railway Dictionary (Joint Venture Case Study).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jakopin, Primoz

Rail-lex Slovenia is a project to develop a dictionary of railway terminology in the Slovenian language, part of a larger undertaking of the International Union of Railways to develop a modern, multilingual communication infrastructure. Participating organizations represent 22 European languages. Two partners in the Rail-lex Slovenia venture are…

High speed rail : a study of international best practices and identification of opportunities in the U.S.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-08-01

In the United States, passenger rail has always been less competitive than in other parts of the : world due to a number of factors. Many argue that in order for a passenger rail network to be : successful major changes in service improvement have to...

Economic benefits of additional rail bridge capacity: a case study on the benefits of replacing the Merchants Bridge main spans at Saint Louis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-11-01

The Merchants Memorial Mississippi Rail Bridge and MacArthur Bridge over the Mississippi River make up the most heavily : used Mississippi River rail crossing in the country. A large contributor to the popularity of the Merchants Bridge is its : acce...

Union Pacific Sedalia and Jefferson City subdivisions freight & passenger rail capacity analysis--phase 2 : final report, July 2009.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-08-01

The objective of this study was to analyze a list of rail enhancements that addresses current passenger and : freight rail performance on the Union Pacific line from St. Louis to Kansas City in order to improve on-time : passenger service and reduce ...

Railroad system of Texas: A component of the state and national transportation infrastructure. Research report, September 1996--November 1998

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roop, S.S.; Warner, J.E.; Rosa, D.

1998-11-01

Railroads continue to play an important role in the Texas transportation system. This study addresses the potential for implementing a rail planning process in the Texas Department of Transportation. The study is documented in three reports, produced in coordinated and parallel efforts by the Center for Transportation Research and the Texas Transportation Institute. This report documents the work performed by TTI, whereby a rail planning framework is presented which formalizes the planning process and presents the key elements as a series of discrete and logical steps. These steps may be used to guide TxDOT in the formation of goals, identificationmore » of issues and affected parties, selection of appropriate analytical methodologies, location of data sources, and implementation of results. The report also presents an in-depth discussion of several key issues facing transportation agencies. These include rail line abandonment, intermodal service planning, and urban rail rationalization. A discussion of the Texas rail system covers the Class 1 railroads, shortline railroads, Amtrak, and the Mexican rail system.« less

Further study on the wheel-rail impact response induced by a single wheel flat: the coupling effect of strain rate and thermal stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jing, Lin; Han, Liangliang

2017-12-01

A comprehensive dynamic finite-element simulation method was proposed to study the wheel-rail impact response induced by a single wheel flat based on a 3-D rolling contact model, where the influences of the structural inertia, strain rate effect of wheel-rail materials and thermal stress due to the wheel-rail sliding friction were considered. Four different initial conditions (i.e. pure mechanical loading plus rate-independent, pure mechanical loading plus rate-dependent, thermo-mechanical loading plus rate-independent, and thermo-mechanical loading plus rate-dependent) were involved into explore the corresponding impact responses in term of the vertical impact force, von-Mises equivalent stress, equivalent plastic strain and shear stress. Influences of train speed, flat length and axle load on the flat-induced wheel-rail impact response were discussed, respectively. The results indicate that the maximum thermal stresses are occurred on the tread of the wheel and on the top surface of the middle rail; the strain rate hardening effect contributes to elevate the von-Mises equivalent stress and restrain the plastic deformation; and the initial thermal stress due to the sliding friction will aggravate the plastic deformation of wheel and rail. Besides, the wheel-rail impact responses (i.e. impact force, von-Mises equivalent stress, equivalent plastic strain, and XY shear stress) induced by a flat are sensitive to the train speed, flat length and axle load.

Impact and injury patterns in between-rails frontal crashes of vehicles with good ratings for frontal crash protection.

PubMed

Morgan, Richard M; Cui, Chongzhen; Digges, Kennerly H; Cao, Libo; Kan, Cing-Dao Steve

2012-01-01

This research investigated (1) what are the key attributes of the between-rail, frontal crash, (2) what are the types of object contacted, and (3) what is the type of resulting trauma. The method was to study with both weighted and in-depth case reviews of NASS-CDS crash data with direct damage between the longitudinal rails in frontal crashes. Individual case selection was limited to belted occupants in between-rail, frontal impacts of good-rated, late-model vehicles equipped with air bags.This paper evaluates the risk of trauma for drivers in cars and LTVs in between-rail, frontal crashes, and suggests the between-rail impact is more dangerous to car drivers. Using weighted data-representing 227,305 tow-away crashes-the resulting trauma to various body regions was analyzed to suggest greatest injury is to the chest, pelvis/thigh/knee/leg, and foot/ankle. This study analyzed the type of object that caused the direct damage between the rails, including small tree or post, large tree or pole, and another vehicle; and found that the struck object was most often another vehicle or a large tree/pole. Both the extent of damage and the occupant compartment intrusion were explored, and suggest that 64% of the serious injuries are associated with increasing intrusion. Individual NASS cases were reviewed to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanical particulars in the between-rail crash.

Impact and Injury Patterns in Between-Rails Frontal Crashes of Vehicles with Good Ratings for Frontal Crash Protection

PubMed Central

Morgan, Richard M.; Cui, Chongzhen; Digges, Kennerly H.; Cao, Libo; Kan, Cing-Dao (Steve)

2012-01-01

This research investigated (1) what are the key attributes of the between-rail, frontal crash, (2) what are the types of object contacted, and (3) what is the type of resulting trauma. The method was to study with both weighted and in-depth case reviews of NASS-CDS crash data with direct damage between the longitudinal rails in frontal crashes. Individual case selection was limited to belted occupants in between-rail, frontal impacts of good-rated, late-model vehicles equipped with air bags. This paper evaluates the risk of trauma for drivers in cars and LTVs in between-rail, frontal crashes, and suggests the between-rail impact is more dangerous to car drivers. Using weighted data—representing 227,305 tow-away crashes—the resulting trauma to various body regions was analyzed to suggest greatest injury is to the chest, pelvis/thigh/knee/leg, and foot/ankle. This study analyzed the type of object that caused the direct damage between the rails, including small tree or post, large tree or pole, and another vehicle; and found that the struck object was most often another vehicle or a large tree/pole. Both the extent of damage and the occupant compartment intrusion were explored, and suggest that 64% of the serious injuries are associated with increasing intrusion. Individual NASS cases were reviewed to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanical particulars in the between-rail crash. PMID:23169135

Impact of the rail-pad multi-discrete model upon the prediction of the rail response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazilu, T.; Leu, M.

2017-08-01

Wheel/rail vibration has many technical effects such as wear of the rolling surfaces, rolling noise, settlement of the ballast and subgrade etc. This vibration is depending on the rail pad characteristic and subsequently, it is important to have an accurate overview on the relation between the rail pad characteristic and the level of the wheel/rail vibration. To this end, much theoretical and experimental research has been developed in the past, and for the theoretical approach the track model, in general, and, particularly, the rail pad model is of crucial importance. Usually, the rail pad model is discrete model one, neglecting the length of the rail pad. This fact is questionable because the sleepers span is only 4 times the rail pad length. Using the rail pad discrete model, the rail response is overestimated when the frequency of the excitation equals the pinned-pinned resonance frequency. In this paper, a multi-discrete model for the rail pad, consisting in many Kelvin-Voigt parallel systems, is inserted into an analytical model of the track. The track model is reduced to a rail taken as infinite Timoshenko beam, discretely supported via rail pad, sleeper and ballast. The influence of the number of Kelvin-Voigt systems of the rail pad model on the rail response is analysed.

Structure and Properties of Thermite Welds in Premium Rails

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1985-12-01

Thermite welds were used to join combinations of premium rails and AREA Controlled Cooled Carbon rails (i.e., standard rails). The premium rails comprised head-hardened rails and CrMo, CrV and Cr alloy rails. A major objective was to determine the fe...

Rail-dbGaP: analyzing dbGaP-protected data in the cloud with Amazon Elastic MapReduce.

PubMed

Nellore, Abhinav; Wilks, Christopher; Hansen, Kasper D; Leek, Jeffrey T; Langmead, Ben

2016-08-15

Public archives contain thousands of trillions of bases of valuable sequencing data. More than 40% of the Sequence Read Archive is human data protected by provisions such as dbGaP. To analyse dbGaP-protected data, researchers must typically work with IT administrators and signing officials to ensure all levels of security are implemented at their institution. This is a major obstacle, impeding reproducibility and reducing the utility of archived data. We present a protocol and software tool for analyzing protected data in a commercial cloud. The protocol, Rail-dbGaP, is applicable to any tool running on Amazon Web Services Elastic MapReduce. The tool, Rail-RNA v0.2, is a spliced aligner for RNA-seq data, which we demonstrate by running on 9662 samples from the dbGaP-protected GTEx consortium dataset. The Rail-dbGaP protocol makes explicit for the first time the steps an investigator must take to develop Elastic MapReduce pipelines that analyse dbGaP-protected data in a manner compliant with NIH guidelines. Rail-RNA automates implementation of the protocol, making it easy for typical biomedical investigators to study protected RNA-seq data, regardless of their local IT resources or expertise. Rail-RNA is available from http://rail.bio Technical details on the Rail-dbGaP protocol as well as an implementation walkthrough are available at https://github.com/nellore/rail-dbgap Detailed instructions on running Rail-RNA on dbGaP-protected data using Amazon Web Services are available at http://docs.rail.bio/dbgap/ : anellore@gmail.com or langmea@cs.jhu.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

A comparative study of rail-pedestrian trespassing crash injury severity between highway-rail grade crossings and non-crossings.

PubMed

Zhang, Meng; Khattak, Asad J; Liu, Jun; Clarke, David

2018-08-01

Rail-trespassing crashes that involve various levels of injuries to pedestrians are under-researched. Rail trespassing could occur at crossings where pedestrians are present at the wrong time and at non-crossings where pedestrians are not legally allowed to be present. This paper presents a comparative study examining rail-trespassing crashes in two contexts: highway-rail grade crossings vs. non-crossings. How pre-crash trespassing behaviors and other factors (e.g., crash time, locations, and socio-demographics) differ between grade crossings and non-crossings are explored. The analysis relies on a ten-year (2006-2015) database of rail-pedestrian trespassing crash records extracted from a Federal Railroad Administration safety database. Of these 7157 rail-pedestrian trespassing crashes, 6236 (87%) occurred at non-crossings, while 921 (13%) occurred at grade crossings. About 60% of the crashes were fatal at both crossings and non-crossings. The most prevalent pre-crash trespassing behavior is running or walking, 63% at grade crossings and 44% at non-crossings. Lying or sleeping account for 29% of non-crossing crashes, whereas they are 3.6% at grade crossings. A unique aspect of the study is that a diverse set of variables based on geographic variations across counties along with crash or injury data are modeled. Considering the data structure and heterogeneity that may exist due to unobserved factors, the multilevel mixed-effect ordered logistic regressions models are estimated. The results show that the correlates of injury severity differ across highway-rail grade crossings and non-crossings. For example, lying or sleeping on or near tracks contributed to higher chances of fatal injury in both contexts, however, they were relatively more injurious at grade crossings. The analytical results can provide guidance on railway safety improvement plans. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Improving fatigue performance of rail thermite welds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jezzini-Aouad, M.; Flahaut, P.; Hariri, S.; Winiar, L.

2010-06-01

Rail transport development offers economic and ecological interests. Nevertheless, it requires heavy investments in rolling material and infrastructure. To be competitive, this transportation means must rely on safe and reliable infrastructure, which requires optimization of all implemented techniques and structure. Rail thermite (or aluminothermic) welding is widely used within the railway industry for in-track welding during re-rail and defect replacement. The process provides numerous advantages against other welding technology commonly used. Obviously, future demands on train traffic are heavier axle loads, higher train speeds and increased traffic density. Thus, a new enhanced weld should be developed to prevent accidents due to fracture of welds and to lower maintenance costs. In order to improve such assembly process, a detailed metallurgical study coupled to a thermomechanical modelling of the phenomena involved in the thermite welding process is carried out. Obtained data enables us to develop a new improved thermite weld (type A). This joint is made by modifying the routinely specified procedure (type B) used in a railway rail by a standard gap alumino-thermic weld. Joints of type A and B are tested and compared. Based on experimental temperature measurements, a finite element analysis is used to calculate the thermal residual stresses induced. In the vicinity of the weld, the residual stress patterns depend on the thermal conditions during welding as it also shown by litterature [1, 2]. In parallel, X-Ray diffraction has been used to map the residual stress field that is generated in welded rail of types A and B. Their effect on fatigue crack growth in rail welds is studied. An experimental study based on fatigue tests of rails welded by conventional and improved processes adjudicates on the new advances and results will be shown.

76 FR 55335 - Alternate Passenger Rail Service Pilot Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-07

... proceeding to develop a pilot program that permits a rail carrier or rail carriers that own infrastructure... develop a pilot program that permits a rail carrier or rail carriers that own infrastructure over which... that permits a rail carrier or rail carriers that own infrastructure over which Amtrak operates a...

77 FR 12107 - RailAmerica, Inc., Palm Beach Holding, Inc., RailAmerica Transportation Corp., RailTex, Inc...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-28

...., Palm Beach Holding, Inc., RailAmerica Transportation Corp., RailTex, Inc., Fortress Investment Group, LLC, and RR Acquisition Holding, LLC--Control Exemption--Marquette Rail, LLC AGENCY: Surface...), RailTex, Inc., Fortress Investment Group, LLC (Fortress), and RR Acquisition Holding, LLC (RR...

Atlanta Rail Yard Study (ARYS): Evaluation of local-scale air pollution trends and emissions quantification using stationary and mobile monitoring strategies

EPA Science Inventory

Intermodal rail yards are important nodes in the freight transportation network, where freight is organized and moved from one mode of transport to another, critical equipment is serviced, and freight is routed to its next destination. Rail yard environments are also areas with ...

75 FR 76520 - Tennessee Southern Railroad Company, Patriot Rail, LLC, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC, and Patriot...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-08

... family by converting two of its subsidiaries from corporations into limited liability companies: (1... Railroad Company, Patriot Rail, LLC, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC, and Patriot Rail Corp.--Corporate Family... Railroad Company (TSRR), Patriot Rail, LLC (PRL) and its subsidiaries, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC (PRH) and...

Case Study, California Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis corturniculus): Science Foundation Chapter 5, Appendix 5.1 in The Baylands and climate change: What can we do?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Evens, Jules G.; Thorne, Karen M.

2015-01-01

The Black Rail is the smallest member of the avian family Rallidae and has a wide-ranging but highly scattered distribution throughout the New World. Of five subspecies, two occur in North America—the Eastern Black Rail (L.j. jamaicensis) and the California Black Rail (L.j. coturniculus). Throughout its range, the Black Rail is a secretive inhabitant of tidal and freshwater wetlands and rarely ventures out from the cover of dense marsh vegetation. It is more likely to be heard than seen; spontaneous vocalizations tend to be concentrated in the nesting season and are much less common during the rest of the year.

Preliminary evaluation of fiber composite reinforcement of truck frame rails

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Faddoul, J. R.

1977-01-01

The use of graphite fiber/resin matrix composite to effectively reinforce a standard steel truck frame rail is studied. A preliminary design was made and it was determined that the reinforcement weight could be reduced by a factor of 10 when compared to a steel reinforcement. A section of a 1/3 scale reinforced rail was fabricated to demonstrate low cost manufacturing techniques. The scale rail section was then tested and increased stiffness was confirmed. No evidence of composite fatigue was found after 500,000 cycles to a fiber stress of 34,000 psi. The test specimen failed in bending in a static test at a load 50 percent greater than that predicted for a non-reinforced rail.

Fast rail corrugation detection based on texture filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Jie; Lu, Kaixia

2018-02-01

The condition detection of rails in high-speed railway is one of the important means to ensure the safety of railway transportation. In order to replace the traditional manual inspection, save manpower and material resources, and improve the detection speed and accuracy, it is of great significance to develop a machine vision system for locating and identifying defects on rails automatically. Rail defects exhibit different properties and are divided into various categories related to the type and position of flaws on the rail. Several kinds of interrelated factors cause rail defects such as type of rail, construction conditions, and speed and/or frequency of trains using the rail. Rail corrugation is a particular kind of defects that produce an undulatory deformation on the rail heads. In high speed train, the corrugation induces harmful vibrations on wheels and its components and reduces the lifetime of rails. This type of defects should be detected to avoid rail fractures. In this paper, a novel method for fast rail corrugation detection based on texture filtering was proposed.

Securing America’s Passenger-Rail Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

around the world highlight the vulnerability of rail travel and the importance of rail security for these passengers. The use of passenger rail and...take to U.S. railways. Recent attacks on passenger-rail systems around the world highlight the vulnerability of rail travel and the importance of rail...rails (Boardman, 2005), making more than 3.5 billion trips (APTA, 2006).1 And these estimates do not count the passengers traveling on the National

Switch Panel wear loading - a parametric study regarding governing train operational factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiensch, E. J. M.; Burgelman, N.

2017-09-01

The acting forces and resulting material degradation at the running surfaces of wheels and rail are determined by vehicle, track, interface and operational characteristics. To effectively manage the experienced wear, plastic deformation and crack development at wheels and rail, the interaction between vehicle and track demands a system approach both in maintenance and in design. This requires insight into the impact of train operational parameters on rail- and wheel degradation, in particular at switches and crossings due to the complex dynamic behaviour of a railway vehicle at a turnout. A parametric study was carried out by means of vehicle-track simulations within the VAMPIRE® multibody simulation software, performing a sensitivity analysis regarding operational factors and their impact on expected switch panel wear loading. Additionally, theoretical concepts were cross-checked with operational practices by means of a case study in response to a dramatic change in lateral rail wear development at specific switches in Dutch track. Data from train operation, track maintenance and track inspection were analysed, providing further insight into the operational dependencies. From the simulations performed in this study, it was found that switch rail lateral wear loading at the diverging route of a 1:9 type turnout is significantly influenced by the level of wheel-rail friction and to a lesser extent by the direction of travel (facing or trailing). The influence of other investigated parameters, being vehicle speed, traction, gauge widening and track layout is found to be small. Findings from the case study further confirm the simulation outcome. This research clearly demonstrates the contribution flange lubrication can have in preventing abnormal lateral wear at locations where the wheel-rail interface is heavily loaded.

Rail vs truck transport of biomass.

PubMed

Mahmudi, Hamed; Flynn, Peter C

2006-01-01

This study analyzes the economics of transshipping biomass from truck to train in a North American setting. Transshipment will only be economic when the cost per unit distance of a second transportation mode is less than the original mode. There is an optimum number of transshipment terminals which is related to biomass yield. Transshipment incurs incremental fixed costs, and hence there is a minimum shipping distance for rail transport above which lower costs/km offset the incremental fixed costs. For transport by dedicated unit train with an optimum number of terminals, the minimum economic rail shipping distance for straw is 170 km, and for boreal forest harvest residue wood chips is 145 km. The minimum economic shipping distance for straw exceeds the biomass draw distance for economically sized centrally located power plants, and hence the prospects for rail transport are limited to cases in which traffic congestion from truck transport would otherwise preclude project development. Ideally, wood chip transport costs would be lowered by rail transshipment for an economically sized centrally located power plant, but in a specific case in Alberta, Canada, the layout of existing rail lines precludes a centrally located plant supplied by rail, whereas a more versatile road system enables it by truck. Hence for wood chips as well as straw the economic incentive for rail transport to centrally located processing plants is limited. Rail transshipment may still be preferred in cases in which road congestion precludes truck delivery, for example as result of community objections.

Rail Inspection Systems Analysis and Technology Survey

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-09-01

The study was undertaken to identify existing rail inspection system capabilities and methods which might be used to improve these capabilities. Task I was a study to quantify existing inspection parameters and Task II was a cost effectiveness study ...

Rochester rail link feasibility study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of connecting Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Rochester International Airport with a high-speed rail line to move passengers and cargo. The primary goal of this study is to deter...

Recent changes in costs of shipping forest products by rail.

Treesearch

Kristine C. Jackson

1988-01-01

Costs for shipping lumber, plywood, and paper by rail are used by the USDA Forest Service in periodic timber assessments to measure the average cost of transporting forest products from producing locations to the point of final consumption. The Staggers Rail Act of 1980 authorized deregulation of the Nation's railroads. The purposes of this study were to determine...

Rail-suicide prevention: Systematic literature review of evidence-based activities.

PubMed

Barker, Emma; Kolves, Kairi; De Leo, Diego

2017-09-01

Rail-related suicide is a relatively rare but extremely lethal method of suicide that can have far-reaching consequences. The aim of the systematic literature review was to analyze the existing literature on the effectiveness of rail-suicide prevention activities. Databases used were Scopus, Medline, and ProQuest. The search terms used were "suicid*," "prevent*," "rail*," or "train." English-language studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1 January 1990 and 30 April 2015 that presented an overview of rail-related suicide prevention activities and included an analysis of effectiveness were used. We retrieved 1,229 results in the original search with nine papers presenting empirical evidence. Three studies in the review analyzed the effectiveness of platform screen doors and another three analyzed the installation of blue lights, two papers analyzed the effectiveness of suicide pits, and one included the influence of media reporting guidelines. Platform screen doors, suicide pits, blue lights, and improved media guidelines all have the potential to reduce rail-related suicide events and deaths. The review was restricted to English-language peer-reviewed papers published within the chosen time period. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

An Intrusion Detection System for the Protection of Railway Assets Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

PubMed Central

Catalano, Angelo; Bruno, Francesco Antonio; Pisco, Marco; Cutolo, Antonello; Cusano, Andrea

2014-01-01

We demonstrate the ability of Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) sensors to protect large areas from unauthorized activities in railway scenarios such as stations or tunnels. We report on the technological strategy adopted to protect a specific depot, representative of a common scenario for security applications in the railway environment. One of the concerns in the protection of a railway area centers on the presence of rail-tracks, which cannot be obstructed with physical barriers. We propose an integrated optical fiber system composed of FBG strain sensors that can detect human intrusion for protection of the perimeter combined with FBG accelerometer sensors for protection of rail-track access. Several trials were carried out in indoor and outdoor environments. The results demonstrate that FBG strain sensors bonded under a ribbed rubber mat enable the detection of intruder break-in via the pressure induced on the mat, whereas the FBG accelerometers installed under the rails enable the detection of intruders walking close to the railroad tracks via the acoustic surface waves generated by footsteps. Based on a single enabling technology, this integrated system represents a valuable intrusion detection system for railway security and could be integrated with other sensing functionalities in the railway field using fiber optic technology. PMID:25268920

Investigation on CWR longitudinal restraint behavior in winter rail break and summer destressing operations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-08-01

This report presents the results of investigations on the rail anchor/fastener effects on rail movement and the resulting rail force distribution in continuous welded rail (CWR) track during rail breaks and destressing operations. Two types of tests ...

49 CFR 210.9 - Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. 210.9 Section 210.9 Transportation Other Regulations... locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. A locomotive, rail car, or consist of a...

49 CFR 210.9 - Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. 210.9 Section 210.9 Transportation Other Regulations... locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. A locomotive, rail car, or consist of a...

49 CFR 210.9 - Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. 210.9 Section 210.9 Transportation Other Regulations... locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. A locomotive, rail car, or consist of a...

49 CFR 210.9 - Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. 210.9 Section 210.9 Transportation Other Regulations... locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. A locomotive, rail car, or consist of a...

49 CFR 210.9 - Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. 210.9 Section 210.9 Transportation Other Regulations... locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. A locomotive, rail car, or consist of a...

Rail capacity improvement study for heavy rail transit operations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-10-01

This study offers a combination of considerations and evaluation tools pertaining to relevant means of capacity improvements (technology, operations, route, and vehicle upgrades), both conventional and emerging. Guidance regarding the economics is of...

The LeRC rail accelerators: Test designs and diagnostic techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zana, L. M.; Kerslake, W. R.; Sturman, J. C.; Wang, S. Y.; Terdan, F. F.

1983-01-01

The feasibility of using rail accelerators for various in-space and to-space propulsion applications was investigated. A 1 meter, 24 sq mm bore accelerator was designed with the goal of demonstrating projectile velocities of 15 km/sec using a peak current of 200 kA. A second rail accelerator, 1 meter long with a 156.25 sq mm bore, was designed with clear polycarbonate sidewalls to permit visual observation of the plasma arc. A study of available diagnostic techniques and their application to the rail accelerator is presented. Specific topics of discussion include the use of interferometry and spectroscopy to examine the plasma armature as well as the use of optical sensors to measure rail displacement during acceleration. Standard diagnostics such as current and voltage measurements are also discussed.

Track dynamic behavior at rail welds at high speed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Guangwen; Xiao, Xinbiao; Guo, Jun; Wen, Zefeng; Jin, Xuesong

2010-06-01

As a vehicle passing through a track with different weld irregularities, the dynamic performance of track components is investigated in detail by using a coupled vehicle-track model. In the model, the vehicle is modeled as a multi-body system with 35 degrees of freedom, and a Timoshenko beam is used to model the rails which are discretely supported by sleepers. In the track model, the sleepers are modeled as rigid bodies accounting for their vertical, lateral and rolling motions and assumed to move backward at a constant speed to simulate the vehicle running along the track at the same speed. In the study of the coupled vehicle and track dynamics, the Hertizian contact theory and the theory proposed by Shen-Hedrick-Elkins are, respectively, used to calculate normal and creep forces between the wheel and the rails. In the calculation of the normal forces, the coefficient of the normal contact stiffness is determined by transient contact condition of the wheel and rail surface. In the calculation of the creepages, the lateral, roll-over motions of the rail and the fact that the relative velocity between the wheel and rail in their common normal direction is equal to zero are simultaneously taken into account. The motion equations of the vehicle and track are solved by means of an explicit integration method, in which the rail weld irregularities are modeled as local track vertical deviations described by some ideal cosine functions. The effects of the train speed, the axle load, the wavelength and depth of the irregularities, and the weld center position in a sleeper span on the wheel-rail impact loading are analyzed. The numerical results obtained are greatly useful in the tolerance design of welded rail profile irregularity caused by hand-grinding after rail welding and track maintenances.

Radar analysis of free oscillations of rail for diagnostics defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaydurov, G. Y.; Kudinov, D. S.; Kokhonkova, E. A.; Potylitsyn, V. S.

2018-05-01

One of the tasks of developing and implementing defectoscopy devices is the minimal influence of the human factor in their exploitation. At present, rail inspection systems do not have sufficient depth of rail research, and ultrasonic diagnostics systems need to contact the sensor with the surface being studied, which leads to low productivity. The article gives a comparative analysis of existing noncontact methods of flaw detection, offers a contactless method of diagnostics by excitation of acoustic waves and extraction of information about defects from the frequency of free rail oscillations using the radar method.

Rail accelerator technology and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zana, L. M.; Kerslake, W. R.

1985-01-01

Rail accelerators offer a viable means of launching ton-size payloads from the Earth's surface to space. The results of two mission studies which indicate that an Earth-to-Space Rail Launcher (ESRL) system is not only technically feasible but also economically beneficial, particularly when large amounts of bulk cago are to be delivered to space are given. An in-house experimental program at the Lewis Research Center (LeRC) was conducted in parallel with the mission studies with the objective of examining technical feasibility issues. A 1 m long - 12.5 by 12.5 mm bore rail accelerator as designed with clear polycarbonate sidewalls to visually observe the plasma armature acceleration. The general character of plasma/projectile dynamics is described for a typical test firing.

The light-footed clapper rail: An update

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilburn, Cynthia A.; Jorgensen, Paul D.; Massey, Barbara W.; Basham, Venita A.

1979-01-01

A preliminary report on the Light-footed Clapper Rail, Rallus longirostris levipes, estimated a population of 500-750 birds in California (Wilbur, Am. Birds 28:868-870, 1974). Since then, additional work has been accomplished, most notably: (1) an intensive study of Carpinteria Marsh, Santa Barbara County, 1976-1977 (Basham); (2) a series of winter high tide counts at Anaheim Bay, Orange County, 1975-1977 (Massey, C. Collins, J. Lindell, M. Silbernagle); and (3) a detailed investigation of the rail population of Tijuana Slough, San Diego County, 1973-1974 (Jorgensen). These, plus short-term studies by the authors and K. Bender, D. Pinkler, P. Johns, and S. Lockhart, have shown that the original estimate was unrealistic. A more probable winter total is 300 rails, distributed as described below.

Bubble propagation on a rail: a concept for sorting bubbles by size

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franco-Gómez, Andrés; Thompson, Alice B.; Hazel, Andrew L.; Juel, Anne

We demonstrate experimentally that the introduction of a rail, a small height constriction, within the cross-section of a rectangular channel could be used as a robust passive sorting device in two-phase fluid flows. Single air bubbles carried within silicone oil are generally transported on one side of the rail. However, for flow rates marginally larger than a critical value, a narrow band of bubble sizes can propagate (stably) over the rail, while bubbles of other sizes segregate to the side of the rail. The width of this band of bubble sizes increases with flow rate and the size of the most stable bubble can be tuned by varying the rail width. We present a complementary theoretical analysis based on a depth-averaged theory, which is in qualitative agreement with the experiments. The theoretical study reveals that the mechanism relies on a non-trivial interaction between capillary and viscous forces that is fully dynamic, rather than being a simple modification of capillary static solutions.

Real-time and accurate rail wear measurement method and experimental analysis.

PubMed

Liu, Zhen; Li, Fengjiao; Huang, Bangkui; Zhang, Guangjun

2014-08-01

When a train is running on uneven or curved rails, it generates violent vibrations on the rails. As a result, the light plane of the single-line structured light vision sensor is not vertical, causing errors in rail wear measurements (referred to as vibration errors in this paper). To avoid vibration errors, a novel rail wear measurement method is introduced in this paper, which involves three main steps. First, a multi-line structured light vision sensor (which has at least two linear laser projectors) projects a stripe-shaped light onto the inside of the rail. Second, the central points of the light stripes in the image are extracted quickly, and the three-dimensional profile of the rail is obtained based on the mathematical model of the structured light vision sensor. Then, the obtained rail profile is transformed from the measurement coordinate frame (MCF) to the standard rail coordinate frame (RCF) by taking the three-dimensional profile of the measured rail waist as the datum. Finally, rail wear constraint points are adopted to simplify the location of the rail wear points, and the profile composed of the rail wear points are compared with the standard rail profile in RCF to determine the rail wear. Both real data experiments and simulation experiments show that the vibration errors can be eliminated when the proposed method is used.

Risk assessment of flange climb derailment of a rail vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlakhova, A. V.

2015-01-01

We study the wheel flange climb onto the railhead, which is one of the most dangerous regimes of motion and can lead to derailment. The tangential components of the wheel-rail interaction forces are described by the creep model with small slips taken into account. We pass to the limit of infinite rigidity of the interacting bodies (zero slip velocities). It is shown that, in the actual service conditions of rail vehicle motion, neglecting the wheel-rail slip is not justified; namely, the limit model is determined by the primary Dirac constraints, i.e., finite relations between coordinates and momenta arising owing to the system Lagrangian degeneration. The obtained nonclassical model allows one to study the efficiency of some railway motion safety criteria and analytically estimate derailment conditions, which depend on the flange shape, the track curvature radius, the height of the vehicle center of mass, the wheel-rail interaction forces, the coefficients of friction of the interacting surfaces, and the external perturbation forces and moments.

Measurement of Velocity Induced by a Propagating Arc Magnetohydrodynamic Plasma Actuator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Young Joon; Gray, Miles; Sirohi, Jayant; Raja, Laxminarayan

2016-09-01

Plasma actuators can substantially improve the maneuverability and efficiency of aerial vehicles. These solid state devices have low mass, small volume, and high bandwidth that make them excellent alternatives to conventional mechanical actuators. In particular, a Rail Plasma Actuator (RailPAc) has the potential to delay flow separation on an aerodynamic surface by generating a large body force. A RailPAc consists of parallel rails and an electrical arc that propagates along the rails with a self-induced Lorentz force. The motion of the arc transfers momentum to the surrounding neutral air. A study was conducted to understand how the motion and shape of a propagating arc couples with the fluid momentum. In particular, we used Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) and seedless PIV based on Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) technique to measure the induced velocity of a propagating arc in one atmosphere. Results obtained provide insight into how the flow field responds to the passage of a RailPAc electrical arc. A complete description of the RailPAc actuation mechanism can be obtained if the fluid momentum measurements from PIV and seedless PIV are compared to the transit characteristics of an arc. US ARL Grant W911NF1410226.

[The status of travel by severely handicapped patients by railroads].

PubMed

Mittler, H

1989-02-01

An essential prerequisite for integrating disabled persons is their mobility. The special transport approach, both in terms of handling capacity and cost involved, is increasingly turning out to be unable to achieve future-oriented solutions in this context. Disabled people wish to use the transport services available to the general public. They therefore demand public transportation policies to provide for their access to the mainstream system, ideally independent of outside assistance. Deutsche Bundesbahn, the German federal railways, in the field of tension between the need to orient its business policies on economic and financial considerations and disabled persons' demands that vehicles and premises be designed in a barrier-free manner, seeks to achieve solutions that are responsive to users' needs and at the same time economically justifiable. On account of the 19th century infrastructure legacy and a wide range of rolling stock in long- and short-distance rail travel, this can however be realized only step by step. The facilities offered to disabled people so far range from free use of short-distance trains to the accessibility-oriented design of coaches for the Intercity Express, the future of the railways in the European rapid transit network. The various services and facilities provided are hoped to foster disabled persons' decision in favour of the environmentally compatible rail mode of travelling.

77 FR 44710 - Information Collection Activities (Depreciation Studies)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-30

... (Depreciation Studies) ACTION: 60-day notice and request for comments. SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort... Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the information collection--Rail Depreciation Studies--further... information collection: Title: Rail Depreciation Studies. OMB Control Number: 2140-XXXX. Form Number: None...

Rail Transportation Requirements for Coal Movement in 1980

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1976-12-01

This rail-oriented coal transportation study is one of a series conducted by the Department of Transportation to identify and quantify transportation requirements for energy materials. Information provided by these studies will be used by government ...

Influence of uneven rail irregularities on the dynamic response of the railway track using a three-dimensional model of the vehicle-track system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naeimi, Meysam; Zakeri, Jabbar Ali; Esmaeili, Morteza; Shadfar, Morad

2015-01-01

A mathematical model of the vehicle-track interaction is developed to investigate the coupled behaviour of vehicle-track system, in the presence of uneven irregularities at left/right rails. The railway vehicle is simplified as a 3D multi-rigid-body model, and the track is treated as the two parallel beams on a layered discrete support system. Besides the car-body, the bogies and the wheel sets, the sleepers are assumed to have roll degree of freedom, in order to simulate the in-plane rotation of the components. The wheel-rail interface is treated using a nonlinear Hertzian contact model, coupling the mathematical equations of the vehicle-track systems. The dynamic interaction of the entire system is numerically studied in time domain, employing Newmark's integration method. The track irregularity spectra of both the left/right rails are taken into account, as the inputs of dynamic excitations. The dynamic responses of the track system induced by such irregularities are obtained, particularly in terms of the vertical (bounce) and roll displacements. The numerical model of the present research is validated using several benchmark models reported in the literature, for both the smooth and unsmooth track conditions. Four sample profiles of the measured rail irregularities are considered as the case studies of excitation sources, examining their influences on the dynamic behaviour of the coupled system. The results of numerical simulations demonstrate that the motion of track system is significantly influenced by the presence of uneven irregularities in left/right rails. Dynamic response of the sleepers in the roll direction becomes more sensitive to the rail irregularities, as the unevenness severity of the parallel profiles (quantitative difference between left and right rail spectra) is increased. The severe geometric deformation of the track in the bounce-pitch-roll directions is mainly related to such profile unevenness (cross-level) in left/right rails.

Carbody elastic vibrations of high-speed vehicles caused by bogie hunting instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Lai; Zeng, Jing; Chi, Maoru; Wang, Jianbin

2017-09-01

In particular locations of the high-speed track, the worn wheel profile matched up with the worn rail profile will lead to an extremely high-conicity wheel-rail contact. Consequently, the bogie hunting instability arises, which further results in the so-called carbody shaking phenomenon. In this paper, the carbody elastic vibrations of a high-speed vehicle in service are firstly introduced. Modal tests are conducted to identity the elastic modes of the carbody. The ride comfort and running safety indices for the tested vehicle are evaluated. The rigid-flexible coupling dynamic model for the high-speed passenger car is then developed by using the FE and MBS coupling approach. The rail profiles in those particular locations are measured and further integrated into the simulation model to reproduce the bogie hunting and carbody elastic vibrations. The effects of wheel and rail wear on the vehicle system response, e.g. wheelset bifurcation graph and carbody vibrations, are studied. Two improvement measures, including the wheel profile modification and rail grinding, are proposed to provide possible solutions. It is found that the wheel-rail contact conicity can be lowered by decreasing wheel flange thickness or grinding rail corner, which is expected to improve the bogie hunting stability under worn rail and worn wheel conditions. The carbody elastic vibrations caused by bogie hunting instability can be further restrained.

Sea-level rise and refuge habitats for tidal marsh species: can artificial islands save the California Ridgway's rail?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Overton, Cory T.; Takekawa, John Y.; Casazza, Michael L.; Bui, Thuy-Vy D.; Holyoak, Marcel; Strong, Donald R.

2014-01-01

Terrestrial species living in intertidal habitats experience refuge limitation during periods of tidal inundation, which may be exacerbated by seasonal variation in vegetation structure, tidal cycles, and land-use change. Sea-level rise projections indicate the severity of refuge limitation may increase. Artificial habitats that provide escape cover during tidal inundation have been proposed as a temporary solution to alleviate these limitations. We tested for evidence of refuge habitat limitation in a population of endangered California Ridgway's rail (Rallus obsoletus obsoletus; hereafter California rail) through use of artificial floating island habitats provided during two winters. Previous studies demonstrated that California rail mortality was especially high during the winter and periods of increased tidal inundation, suggesting that tidal refuge habitat is critical to survival. In our study, California rail regularly used artificial islands during higher tides and daylight hours. When tide levels inundated the marsh plain, use of artificial islands was at least 300 times more frequent than would be expected if California rails used artificial habitats proportional to their availability (0.016%). Probability of use varied among islands, and low levels of use were observed at night. These patterns may result from anti-predator behaviors and heterogeneity in either rail density or availability of natural refuges. Endemic saltmarsh species are increasingly at risk from habitat change resulting from sea-level rise and development of adjacent uplands. Escape cover during tidal inundation may need to be supplemented if species are to survive. Artificial habitats may provide effective short-term mitigation for habitat change and sea-level rise in tidal marsh environments, particularly for conservation-reliant species such as California rails.

40 CFR 201.13 - Standard for rail car operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Standard for rail car operations. 201... Interstate Rail Carrier Operations Standards § 201.13 Standard for rail car operations. Effective December 31, 1976, no carrier subject to this regulation shall operate any rail car or combination of rail cars...

40 CFR 201.13 - Standard for rail car operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Standard for rail car operations. 201... Interstate Rail Carrier Operations Standards § 201.13 Standard for rail car operations. Effective December 31, 1976, no carrier subject to this regulation shall operate any rail car or combination of rail cars...

40 CFR 201.13 - Standard for rail car operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Standard for rail car operations. 201... Interstate Rail Carrier Operations Standards § 201.13 Standard for rail car operations. Effective December 31, 1976, no carrier subject to this regulation shall operate any rail car or combination of rail cars...

40 CFR 201.13 - Standard for rail car operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Standard for rail car operations. 201... Interstate Rail Carrier Operations Standards § 201.13 Standard for rail car operations. Effective December 31, 1976, no carrier subject to this regulation shall operate any rail car or combination of rail cars...

40 CFR 201.13 - Standard for rail car operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Standard for rail car operations. 201... Interstate Rail Carrier Operations Standards § 201.13 Standard for rail car operations. Effective December 31, 1976, no carrier subject to this regulation shall operate any rail car or combination of rail cars...

78 FR 32007 - Environmental Impact Statement for Tulsa-Oklahoma City Passenger Rail Corridor, Oklahoma, Lincoln...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-28

... Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for the State of Oklahoma High-Speed Rail Initiative: Tulsa--Oklahoma... South Central High Speed Rail Corridor and is a federally-designated high-speed rail (HSR) corridor...-Speed Rail Initiative: Tulsa--Oklahoma City Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan. The proposed route...

Bus Driver Fatigue and Stress Issues Study. Final Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1984-04-01

The study has determined the safety effectiveness of various types of motorist warning devices in reducing accidents at rail-highway crossings. The study was based on analysis of data included in the DOT-AAR Rail-Highway Crossing Inventory and the FR...

Solar panel truss mounting systems and methods

DOEpatents

Al-Haddad, Tristan Farris; Cavieres, Andres; Gentry, Russell; Goodman, Joseph; Nolan, Wade; Pitelka, Taylor; Rahimzadeh, Keyan; Brooks, Bradley; Lohr, Joshua; Crooks, Ryan; Porges, Jamie; Rubin, Daniel

2015-10-20

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a solar panel truss mounting system comprising a base and a truss assembly coupled to the base. The truss assembly comprises a first panel rail mount, second panel rail mount parallel to the first panel rail mount, base rail mount parallel to the first and second panel rail mounts, and a plurality of support members. A first portion of the plurality of support members extends between the first and second panel rail mounts. A second portion of the plurality of support members extends between the first panel rail mount and the base rail mount. A third portion of the plurality of support members extends between the second panel rail mount and the base rail mount. The system can further comprise a plurality of connectors for coupling a plurality of photovoltaic solar panels to the truss assembly.

Solar panel truss mounting systems and methods

DOEpatents

Al-Haddad, Tristan Farris; Cavieres, Andres; Gentry, Russell; Goodman, Joseph; Nolan, Wade; Pitelka, Taylor; Rahimzadeh, Keyan; Brooks, Bradley; Lohr, Joshua; Crooks, Ryan; Porges, Jamie; Rubin, Daniel

2016-06-28

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a solar panel truss mounting system comprising a base and a truss assembly coupled to the base. The truss assembly comprises a first panel rail mount, second panel rail mount parallel to the first panel rail mount, base rail mount parallel to the first and second panel rail mounts, and a plurality of support members. A first portion of the plurality of support members extends between the first and second panel rail mounts. A second portion of the plurality of support members extends between the first panel rail mount and the base rail mount. A third portion of the plurality of support members extends between the second panel rail mount and the base rail mount. The system can further comprise a plurality of connectors for coupling a plurality of photovoltaic solar panels to the truss assembly.

Microhabitat selection, demography, and correlates of home range size for the King Rail (Rallus elegans)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pickens, Bradley A.; King, Sammy L.

2013-01-01

Animal movements and habitat selection within the home range, or microhabitat selection, can provide insights into habitat requirements, such as foraging and area requirements. The King Rail (Rallus elegans) is a wetland bird of high conservation concern in the United States, but little is known about its movements, habitats, or demography. King Rails (n = 34) were captured during the 2010–2011 breeding seasons in the coastal marshes of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas. Radio telemetry and direct habitat surveys of King Rail locations were conducted to estimate home ranges and microhabitat selection. Within home ranges, King Rails selected for greater plant species richness and comparatively greater coverage of Phragmites australis, Typha spp., and Schoenoplectus robustus. King Rails were found closer to open water compared to random locations placed 50 m from King Rail locations. Home ranges (n = 22) varied from 0.8–32.8 ha and differed greatly among sites. Home range size did not vary by year or sex; however, increased open water, with a maximum of 29% observed in the study, was correlated with smaller home ranges. Breeding season cumulative survivorship was 89% ± 22% in 2010 and 61% ± 43% in 2011, which coincided with a drought. With an equal search effort, King Rail chicks and juveniles observed in May-June decreased from 110 in 2010 to only 16 in the drier year of 2011. The findings show King Rail used marsh with ≤ 29% open water and had smaller home ranges when open water was more abundant.

Review on Selection and Suitability of Rail Transit Station Design Pertaining to Public Safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akabal, Farah Mohd; Masirin, Mohd Idrus Haji Mohd; Abidin Akasah, Zainal; Rohani, Munzilah Md

2017-08-01

Railway has emerged as a fast, convenient, safe, clean, and low-cost alternative to air and road transportation. Many countries have invested in rail transportation. In America, Europe and Asia, large investments are planned for rail transportation. This is because congestion problems can be reduced with the introduction of rail transportation. Rail transportation involves several components which are important to ensure the smooth and safe delivery of services such as locomotives, rail stations and railway tracks. Rail transit stations are places where trains stop to pick-up and drop-off passengers. Stations are vital for many to enable them to engage in work and social commitments. This paper focuses only on the rail transit station as it is one of the important components in rail transportation. It is also considered as a key public meeting place and space for interactions in a community. The role of rail transit station and the requirements of a good rail transit station are also described in this paper. Steps in selecting the location of rail transit station include the function and facilities in rail transit station are discussed with reference to best practices and handbooks. Selection of the appropriate rail transit station locations may help users indirectly. In addition, this paper will also elucidate on the design considerations for an efficient and effective rail transit station. Design selections for the rail transit station must be balanced between aesthetic value and functional efficiency. The right design selection may help conserve energy, assure and facilitate consumers even thought a rail transit station plays a smaller role in attracting consumers compared to a shopping complex or a residential building. This will contribute towards better and greener building for a green transportation facility. Thus, with this paper it is expected to assist the relevant authority to identify important elements in the selection and determination of suitable rail transit station design for the future. It is also important to ensure the design is appropriate from the selection and suitability perspective as design and operation will assist to facilitate the success of the national rail network and encourage the public to use rail transit system. A conducive and neatly design railway station will not only add to the passenger experience but also, as a supporting facility to the economic, social and environmental benefits of the rail industry.

Modern Methods of Rail Welding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozyrev, Nikolay A.; Kozyreva, Olga A.; Usoltsev, Aleksander A.; Kryukov, Roman E.; Shevchenko, Roman A.

2017-10-01

Existing methods of rail welding, which are enable to get continuous welded rail track, are observed in this article. Analysis of existing welding methods allows considering an issue of continuous rail track in detail. Metallurgical and welding technologies of rail welding and also process technologies reducing aftereffects of temperature exposure are important factors determining the quality and reliability of the continuous rail track. Analysis of the existing methods of rail welding enable to find the research line for solving this problem.

Has successful terror gone to ground?

PubMed

Barnett, Arnold

2015-04-01

This article considers all 87 attacks worldwide against air and rail transport systems that killed at least two passengers over the 30-year period of 1982-2011. The data offer strong and statistically significant evidence that successful acts of terror have "gone to ground" in recent years: attacks against aviation were concentrated early in the three decades studied whereas those against rail were concentrated later. Recent data are used to make estimates of absolute and comparative risk for frequent flyers and subway/rail commuters. Point estimates in the "status quo" case imply that mortality risk from successful acts of terror was very low on both modes of transportation and that, whereas risk per trip is higher for air travelers than subway/rail commuters, the rail commuters experience greater risk per year than the frequent flyers. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Crack propagation life of detail fractures in rails

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1988-10-01

The results of a comprehensive study of the crack propagation behavior of detail fractures in railroad rails are presented. The study includes full-scale crack growth experiments in a test track under simulated heavy freight train service, similar fi...

Experimental Study of Residual Stresses in Rail by Moire Interferometry

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-09-01

The residual stresses in rails produced by rolling cycles are studied experimentally by moire interferometry. The dissection technique is adopted for this investigation. The basic principle of the dissection technique is that the residual stress is r...

46 CFR 28.410 - Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs. 28..., lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs. (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d) of this section... with a bulwark, chain link fencing, wire mesh, or an equivalent. (f) A suitable storm rail or hand grab...

46 CFR 28.410 - Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs. 28..., lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs. (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d) of this section... with a bulwark, chain link fencing, wire mesh, or an equivalent. (f) A suitable storm rail or hand grab...

46 CFR 28.810 - Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails and hand grabs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails and hand grabs. 28..., storm rails and hand grabs. (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d) of this section, deck... bulwark, chain link fencing, wire mesh, or an equivalent. (f) A suitable storm rail or hand grab must be...

46 CFR 28.810 - Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails and hand grabs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails and hand grabs. 28..., storm rails and hand grabs. (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d) of this section, deck... bulwark, chain link fencing, wire mesh, or an equivalent. (f) A suitable storm rail or hand grab must be...

46 CFR 28.810 - Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails and hand grabs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails and hand grabs. 28..., storm rails and hand grabs. (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d) of this section, deck... bulwark, chain link fencing, wire mesh, or an equivalent. (f) A suitable storm rail or hand grab must be...

46 CFR 28.410 - Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs. 28..., lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs. (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d) of this section... with a bulwark, chain link fencing, wire mesh, or an equivalent. (f) A suitable storm rail or hand grab...

46 CFR 28.410 - Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs. 28..., lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs. (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d) of this section... with a bulwark, chain link fencing, wire mesh, or an equivalent. (f) A suitable storm rail or hand grab...

46 CFR 28.410 - Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs. 28..., lifelines, storm rails, and hand grabs. (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d) of this section... with a bulwark, chain link fencing, wire mesh, or an equivalent. (f) A suitable storm rail or hand grab...

46 CFR 28.810 - Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails and hand grabs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails and hand grabs. 28..., storm rails and hand grabs. (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d) of this section, deck... bulwark, chain link fencing, wire mesh, or an equivalent. (f) A suitable storm rail or hand grab must be...

46 CFR 28.810 - Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails and hand grabs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Deck rails, lifelines, storm rails and hand grabs. 28..., storm rails and hand grabs. (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d) of this section, deck... bulwark, chain link fencing, wire mesh, or an equivalent. (f) A suitable storm rail or hand grab must be...

Crashworthiness evaluation of light rail vehicle interiors.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-12-01

Statistically, light rail transit (LRT) systems have higher injury rates on a perpassengermile basis than heavy rail and commuter rail systems, because in most cities, light rail vehicles (LRVs) operate on city streets. Passenger safety is depe...

National University Rail Transportation Center : Tier 1 : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-10-17

This project was a collaborative effort between Michigan Techs Rail Transportation Program (RTP), a member of the National University Rail Center (NURail) and the Michigan Dept of Transportation (MDOT), Office of Rail to advance rail transportatio...

Solar panel truss mounting systems and methods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Al-Haddad, Tristan Farris; Cavieres, Andres; Gentry, Russell

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a solar panel truss mounting system comprising a base and a truss assembly coupled to the base. The truss assembly comprises a first panel rail mount, second panel rail mount parallel to the first panel rail mount, base rail mount parallel to the first and second panel rail mounts, and a plurality of support members. A first portion of the plurality of support members extends between the first and second panel rail mounts. A second portion of the plurality of support members extends between the first panel rail mount and the basemore » rail mount. A third portion of the plurality of support members extends between the second panel rail mount and the base rail mount. The system can further comprise a plurality of connectors for coupling a plurality of photovoltaic solar panels to the truss assembly.« less

Estimation of rail wear limits based on rail strength investigations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-12-01

This report describes analyses performed to estimate limits on rail wear based on strength investigations. Two different failure modes are considered in this report: (1) permanent plastic bending, and (2) rail fracture. Rail bending stresses are calc...

2000 Montana state rail plan update

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-01-01

This 2000 Montana Rail Plan Update is a comprehensive update of the State Rail Plan. The purpose of this update is to review the State's role in rail planning, retain eligibility for Local Rail Freight Assistance (LRFA) funding, update the descriptio...

49 CFR 37.83 - Remanufacture of rail vehicles and purchase or lease of remanufactured rail vehicles by public...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... lease of remanufactured rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.83... operating rapid or light rail systems. (a) This section applies to any public entity operating a rapid or... operates a rapid or light rail system any segment of which is included on the National Register of Historic...

49 CFR 37.83 - Remanufacture of rail vehicles and purchase or lease of remanufactured rail vehicles by public...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... lease of remanufactured rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.83... operating rapid or light rail systems. (a) This section applies to any public entity operating a rapid or... operates a rapid or light rail system any segment of which is included on the National Register of Historic...

49 CFR 37.83 - Remanufacture of rail vehicles and purchase or lease of remanufactured rail vehicles by public...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... lease of remanufactured rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.83... operating rapid or light rail systems. (a) This section applies to any public entity operating a rapid or... operates a rapid or light rail system any segment of which is included on the National Register of Historic...

49 CFR 37.83 - Remanufacture of rail vehicles and purchase or lease of remanufactured rail vehicles by public...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... lease of remanufactured rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.83... operating rapid or light rail systems. (a) This section applies to any public entity operating a rapid or... operates a rapid or light rail system any segment of which is included on the National Register of Historic...

49 CFR 37.83 - Remanufacture of rail vehicles and purchase or lease of remanufactured rail vehicles by public...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... lease of remanufactured rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.83... operating rapid or light rail systems. (a) This section applies to any public entity operating a rapid or... operates a rapid or light rail system any segment of which is included on the National Register of Historic...

Fatigue crack growth and fracture behavior of bainitic rail steels.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-08-01

"The microstructuremechanical properties relationships, fracture toughness, fatigue crack growth and fracture surface morphology of J6 bainitic, manganese, and pearlitic rail steels were studied. Microstructuremechanical properties correlation ...

Fatigue crack growth and fracture behavior of bainitic rail steels.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-09-01

"The microstructuremechanical properties relationships, fracture toughness, fatigue crack growth and fracture surface morphology of J6 bainitic, manganese, and pearlitic rail steels were studied. Microstructuremechanical properties correlation ...

Development of a TL-3 deep beam tubular backup bridge rail.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-12-01

The objective of this study is to investigate the performance of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Deep Beam bridge rail system per the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 TL-3. Analytical study, computer simul...

Commuter-Intercity Rail Improvement Study (Boston-New York)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-05-01

This study was carried out under the direction of a departmental task force. The 226 page report identifies and characterizes the costs and benefits of improvements that could be achieved in commuter and intercity rail passenger service on the Boston...

DART Fixed-Route Service Review Study: Executive Summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-02-01

This study analyzes the probable impact of new light rail transit and commuter rail service into the Dallas Central Business District on existing Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) bus service. It looks at possible route and schedule modifications to e...

Hudson Bergen light rail customer impact and retention study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-03-01

In order to understand the customer impact and ridership retention of the Hudson : Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) extension, NJ TRANSIT and the New Jersey Department of : Transportation (NJDOT) gathered a research team to conduct a study composed of a : pl...

On the non-proportionality between wheel/rail contact forces and speed during wheelset passage over specific welds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correa, Nekane; Vadillo, Ernesto G.; Santamaria, Javier; Blanco-Lorenzo, Julio

2018-01-01

This study investigates the influence on the wheel-rail contact forces of the running speed and the shape and position of weld defects along the track. For this purpose, a vertical dynamic model in the space domain is used. The model is obtained from the transformation between the domains of frequency and space using a Rational Fraction Polynomials (RFP) method, which is modified with multiobjective genetic algorithms in order to improve the fitting of track receptance and to assist integration during simulations. This produces a precise model with short calculation times, which is essential to this study. The wheel-rail contact is modelled using a non-linear Hertz spring. The contact forces are studied for several types of characteristic welds. The way in which forces vary as a function of weld position and running speed is studied for each type of weld. This paper studies some of the factors that affect the maximum forces when the vehicle moves over a rail weld, such as weld geometry, parametric excitation and contact stiffness. It is found that the maximum force in the wheel-rail contact when the vehicle moves over a weld is not always proportional to the running speed. The paper explains why it is not proportional in specific welds.

Multi-point contact of the high-speed vehicle-turnout system dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Zunsong

2013-05-01

The wheel-rail contact problems, such as the number, location and the track of contact patches, are very important for optimizing the spatial structure of the rails and lowering the vehicle-turnout system dynamics. However, the above problems are not well solved currently because of having the difficulties in how to determine the multi-contact, to preciously present the changeable profiles of the rails and to establish an accurate spatial turnout system dynamics model. Based on a high-speed vehicle-turnout coupled model in which the track is modeled as flexible with rails and sleepers represented by beams, the line tracing extreme point method is introduced to investigate the wheel-rail multiple contact conditions and the key sections of the blade rail, longer nose rail, shorter rail in the switch and nose rail area are discretized to represent the varying profiles of rails in the turnout. The dynamic interaction between the vehicle and turnout is simulated for cases of the vehicle divergently passing the turnout and the multi-point contact is obtained. The tracks of the contact patches on the top of the rails are presented and the wheel-rail impact forces are offered in comparison with the contact patches transference on the rails. The numerical simulation results indicate that the length of two-point contact occurrence of a worn wheel profile and rails is longer than that of the new wheel profile and rails; The two-point contact definitely occurs in the switch and crossing area. Generally, three-point contact doesn't occur for the new rail profile, which is testified by the wheel-rails interpolation distance and the first order derivative function of the tracing line extreme points. The presented research is not only helpful to optimize the structure of the turnout, but also useful to lower the dynamics of the high speed vehicle-turnout system.

Movements of radio-marked California Ridgway's rails during monitoring surveys: Implications for population monitoring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bui, Thuy-Vy D.; Takekawa, John Y.; Overton, Cory T.; Schultz, Emily R.; Hull, Joshua M.; Casazza, Michael L.

2015-01-01

The California Ridgway's rail Rallus obsoletus obsoletus (hereafter California rail) is a secretive marsh bird endemic to tidal marshes in the San Francisco Bay (hereafter bay) of California. The California rail has undergone significant range contraction and population declines due to a variety of factors, including predation and the degradation and loss of habitat. Call-count surveys, which include call playbacks, based on the standardized North American marsh bird monitoring protocol have been conducted throughout the bay since 2005 to monitor population size and distribution of the California rail. However, call-count surveys are difficult to evaluate for efficacy or accuracy. To measure the accuracy of call-count surveys and investigate whether radio-marked California rails moved in response to call-count surveys, we compared locations of radio-marked California rails collected at frequent intervals (15 min) to California rail detections recorded during call-count surveys conducted over the same time periods. Overall, 60% of radio-marked California rails within 200 m of observers were not detected during call-count surveys. Movements of radio-marked California rails showed no directional bias (P = 0.92) irrespective of whether or not playbacks of five marsh bird species (including the California rail) were broadcast from listening stations. Our findings suggest that playbacks of rail vocalizations do not consistently influence California rail movements during surveys. However, call-count surveys may underestimate California rail presence; therefore, caution should be used when relating raw numbers of call-count detections to population abundance.

Rail-to-rail differential input amplification stage with main and surrogate differential pairs

DOEpatents

Britton, Jr., Charles Lanier; Smith, Stephen Fulton

2007-03-06

An operational amplifier input stage provides a symmetrical rail-to-rail input common-mode voltage without turning off either pair of complementary differential input transistors. Secondary, or surrogate, transistor pairs assume the function of the complementary differential transistors. The circuit also maintains essentially constant transconductance, constant slew rate, and constant signal-path supply current as it provides rail-to-rail operation.

Public-Private Sector Passenger Rail Intelligence and Terrorism Information Sharing

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

surrounding the illegal activities of the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro ( BNL ) and the Bank of Credit and Commercial International (BCCI) during the early...IC_Information_Sharing_Strategy.pdf (accessed June 8, 2008). 2 presented in the BNL case. Indeed, as the conclusions set forth below indicate, there are...4 Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, The Intelligence Community’s Involvement in the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro ( BNL ) Affair (Washington, D.C

Analysis of minimum rail size in heavy axle load environment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-04-15

The effects of increasing axle loads on rail integrity are examined in this paper. In the present context, rail integrity refers to the prevention and control of rail failures. Rail failures usually occur because cracks or defects develop and grow fr...

Developing course lecture notes on high-speed rail.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-07-15

1. Introduction a. World-wide Development of High-Speed Rail (Japan, Europe, China) b. High-speed Rail in the U.S. 2. High-Speed Rail Infrastructure a. Geometric Design of High Speed Rail i. Horizontal Curve ii. Vertical Curve iii. Grade and Turnout ...

Influence of Surface Abrasion on Creep and Shrinkage of Railway Prestressed Concrete Sleepers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dan; Ngamkhanong, Chayut; Kaewunruen, Sakdirat

2017-10-01

Ballasted railway track is very suitable for heavy-rail networks because of its many superior advantages in design, construction, short- and long-term maintenance, sustainability, and life-cycle cost. The sleeper, which supports rail and distributes loads from rail to ballast, is a very important component of rail track system. Prestressed concrete is very popular used in manufacturing sleepers. Therefore, improved knowledge about design techniques for prestressed concrete (PC) sleepers has been developed. However, the ballast angularity causes differential abrasions on the soffit or bottom surface of sleepers. Furthermore, in sharp curves and rapid gradient change, longitudinal and lateral dynamics of rails increase the likelihood of abrasions in concrete sleepers. This paper presents a comparative investigation using a variety of methods to evaluate creep and shrinkage effects in railway prestressed concrete sleepers. The outcome of this study will improve the material design, which is very critical to the durability of railway track components.

The electric rail gun for space propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauer, D. P.; Barber, J. P.; Vahlberg, C. J.

1981-01-01

An analytic feasibility investigation of an electric propulsion concept for space application is described. In this concept, quasistatic thrust due to inertial reaction to repetitively accelerated pellets by an electric rail gun is used to propel a spacecraft. The study encompasses the major subsystems required in an electric rail gun propulsion system. The mass, performance, and configuration of each subsystem are described. Based on an analytic model of the system mass and performance, the electric rail gun mission performance as a reusable orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) is analyzed and compared to a 30 cm ion thruster system (BIMOD) and a chemical propulsion system (IUS) for payloads with masses of 1150 kg and 2300 kg. For system power levels in the range from 25 kW(e) to 100 kW(e) an electric rail gun OTV is more attractive than a BIMOD system for low Earth orbit to geosynchronous orbit transfer durations in the range from 20 to 120 days.

The toxicity of p,p'-DDT to the clapper rail

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Velzen, A.; Kreitzer, J.F.

1975-01-01

The LC50 (concentration of toxicant in the diet expected to kill half of the test birds in 5 days) for p,p' -DDT in clapper rails (Rallus longirostris) was found to be 1,612 ppm for males and 1,896 ppm for females. Amounts of DDT + DDD in the brains of birds that died were significantly greater (P < 0.01) than those in the brains of survivors. Thirty ppm DDT + DDD approximated the lower limit of these compounds in the brains of rails diagnostic of death from DDT poisoning. Residues in livers and carcasses are reported. Considering the relatively high resistance of the clapper rail to DDT poisoning, we concluded that exposure to this pesticide in marshes is not likely to be a significant factor in mortality of adult rails. Effects other than direct mortality were not evaluated in this study.

Simulation of vertical dynamic vehicle-track interaction in a railway crossing using Green's functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, X.; Torstensson, P. T.; Nielsen, J. C. O.

2017-12-01

Vertical dynamic vehicle-track interaction in the through route of a railway crossing is simulated in the time domain based on a Green's function approach for the track in combination with an implementation of Kalker's variational method to solve the non-Hertzian, and potentially multiple, wheel-rail contact. The track is described by a linear, three-dimensional and non-periodic finite element model of a railway turnout accounting for the variations in rail cross-sections and sleeper lengths, and including baseplates and resilient elements. To reduce calculation time due to the complexity of the track model, involving a large number of elements and degrees-of-freedom, a complex-valued modal superposition with a truncated mode set is applied before the impulse response functions are calculated at various positions along the crossing panel. The variation in three-dimensional contact geometry of the crossing and wheel is described by linear surface elements. In each time step of the contact detection algorithm, the lateral position of the wheelset centre is prescribed but the contact positions on wheel and rail are not, allowing for an accurate prediction of the wheel transition between wing rail and crossing rail. The method is demonstrated by calculating the wheel-rail impact load and contact stress distribution for a nominal S1002 wheel profile passing over a nominal crossing geometry. A parameter study is performed to determine the influence of vehicle speed, rail pad stiffness, lateral wheelset position and wheel profile on the impact load generated at the crossing. It is shown that the magnitude of the impact load is more influenced the wheel-rail contact geometry than by the selection of rail pad stiffness.

Study of State Programs for Rail-Highway Grade Crossing Improvements

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-02-01

In response to a DOT study of rail-highway grade crossing safety in the United States, the Congress passed the Highway Safety Act of 1973 which earmarked funds specifically for grade crossing improvements. Law requires the states to establish program...

A study of the use of bio-based technologies (lubricant and grease) in rail applications.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

The objective of the project was to study the efficacy of using bio-based lubricant and grease technologies in railroad applications : (locomotives and maintenance of way equipment). Several commercially available rail curve greases were identified a...

Effect of Isothermal Bainitic Quenching on Rail Steel Impact Strength and Wear Resistance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Çakir, Fatih Hayati; Çelik, Osman Nuri

2017-09-01

The effect of heat treatment regimes on hardness, impact strength, and wear resistance of rail steel for high-speed tracks (rail quality category R350HT) is studied. Analysis of steel properties with a different structure is compared: pearlitic, and upper and lower bainite. It is shown that the steel with bainitic structure has the best impact strength, but wear resistance is better for steel with a lower bainite structure.

Assessment of Rail Seat Abrasion Patterns and Environment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-05-01

Rail seat abrasion (RSA) of concrete ties is manifested by the loss of material under the rail seat area and, in extreme cases, results in loss of rail clip holding power, reverse rail cant, and gauge widening. RSA was measured in several curves on t...

Field homogeneity improvement of maglev NdFeB magnetic rails from joints.

PubMed

Li, Y J; Dai, Q; Deng, C Y; Sun, R X; Zheng, J; Chen, Z; Sun, Y; Wang, H; Yuan, Z D; Fang, C; Deng, Z G

2016-01-01

An ideal magnetic rail should provide a homogeneous magnetic field along the longitudinal direction to guarantee the reliable friction-free operation of high temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev vehicles. But in reality, magnetic field inhomogeneity may occur due to lots of reasons; the joint gap is the most direct one. Joint gaps inevitably exist between adjacent segments and influence the longitudinal magnetic field homogeneity above the rail since any magnetic rails are consisting of many permanent magnet segments. To improve the running performance of maglev systems, two new rail joints are proposed based on the normal rail joint, which are named as mitered rail joint and overlapped rail joint. It is found that the overlapped rail joint has a better effect to provide a competitive homogeneous magnetic field. And the further structure optimization has been done to ensure maglev vehicle operation as stable as possible when passing through those joint gaps. The results show that the overlapped rail joint with optimal parameters can significantly reduce the magnetic field inhomogeneity comparing with the other two rail joints. In addition, an appropriate gap was suggested when balancing the thermal expansion of magnets and homogenous magnetic field, which is considered valuable references for the future design of the magnetic rails.

Rail capacity improvement study for commuter operations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-11-01

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) notes that over the last decade, commuter rail systems have experienced increased ridership that closely matches the increases in gasoline prices. FTA also identified highway congestion and environmental conce...

Rail Transit System Cost Study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-01-01

The Transportation Systems Center serves as Systems Manager for the Rail Supporting Technology Program of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. One task under this program has been to assess the cost of constructing, operating and maintaining...

Intercity passenger rail : assessing the benefits of increased federal funding for Amtrak and high-speed passenger rail systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-03-21

The Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 created Amtrak to provide intercity passenger rail service. Like other major national intercity passenger rail systems in the world, Amtrak has received substantial government support-nearly $24 billion for capi...

46 CFR 169.329 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Storm rails. 169.329 Section 169.329 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Construction and Arrangement Rails and Guards § 169.329 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

46 CFR 169.329 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Storm rails. 169.329 Section 169.329 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Construction and Arrangement Rails and Guards § 169.329 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

46 CFR 169.329 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Storm rails. 169.329 Section 169.329 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Construction and Arrangement Rails and Guards § 169.329 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

46 CFR 169.329 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 169.329 Section 169.329 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Construction and Arrangement Rails and Guards § 169.329 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

46 CFR 169.329 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Storm rails. 169.329 Section 169.329 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Construction and Arrangement Rails and Guards § 169.329 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

Effect of temperature- and frequency-dependent dynamic properties of rail pads on high-speed vehicle-track coupled vibrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Kai; Wang, Feng; Wang, Ping; Liu, Zi-xuan; Zhang, Pan

2017-03-01

The soft under baseplate pad of WJ-8 rail fastener frequently used in China's high-speed railways was taken as the study subject, and a laboratory test was performed to measure its temperature and frequency-dependent dynamic performance at 0.3 Hz and at -60°C to 20°C with intervals of 2.5°C. Its higher frequency-dependent results at different temperatures were then further predicted based on the time-temperature superposition (TTS) and Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) formula. The fractional derivative Kelvin-Voigt (FDKV) model was used to represent the temperature- and frequency-dependent dynamic properties of the tested rail pad. By means of the FDKV model for rail pads and vehicle-track coupled dynamic theory, high-speed vehicle-track coupled vibrations due to temperature- and frequency-dependent dynamic properties of rail pads was investigated. Finally, further combining with the measured frequency-dependent dynamic performance of vehicle's rubber primary suspension, the high-speed vehicle-track coupled vibration responses were discussed. It is found that the storage stiffness and loss factor of the tested rail pad are sensitive to low temperatures or high frequencies. The proposed FDKV model for the frequency-dependent storage stiffness and loss factors of the tested rail pad can basically meet the fitting precision, especially at ordinary temperatures. The numerical simulation results indicate that the vertical vibration levels of high-speed vehicle-track coupled systems calculated with the FDKV model for rail pads in time domain are higher than those calculated with the ordinary Kelvin-Voigt (KV) model for rail pads. Additionally, the temperature- and frequency-dependent dynamic properties of the tested rail pads would alter the vertical vibration acceleration levels (VALs) of the car body and bogie in 1/3 octave frequencies above 31.5 Hz, especially enlarge the vertical VALs of the wheel set and rail in 1/3 octave frequencies of 31.5-100 Hz and above 315 Hz, which are the dominant frequencies of ground vibration acceleration and rolling noise (or bridge noise) caused by high-speed railways respectively. Since the fractional derivative value of the adopted rubber primary suspension, unlike the tested rail pad, is very close to 1, its frequency-dependent dynamic performance has little effect on high-speed vehicle-track coupled vibration responses.

The Effect of Light Rail Transit on Physical Activity: Design and Methods of the Travel-Related Activity in Neighborhoods Study.

PubMed

Durand, Casey P; Oluyomi, Abiodun O; Gabriel, Kelley Pettee; Salvo, Deborah; Sener, Ipek N; Hoelscher, Deanna M; Knell, Gregory; Tang, Xiaohui; Porter, Anna K; Robertson, Michael C; Kohl, Harold W

2016-01-01

Use of mass transit has been proposed as a way to incorporate regular physical activity into daily life because transit use typically requires additional travel to access and depart the stop or station. If this additional travel is active, a small but potentially important amount of physical activity can be achieved daily. Although prior research has shown that transit use is associated with physical activity, important questions remain unanswered. Utilizing a major expansion of the Houston, TX, USA light-rail system as a natural experiment, the Houston Travel-Related Activity in Neighborhoods (TRAIN) Study was developed to address these unanswered questions. The purpose of the TRAIN Study is to determine if the development of light-rail lines in Houston, TX, USA will prospectively affect both transit use and physical activity over 4 years. We also aim to understand how contextual effects (i.e., moderators or interaction effects), such as the neighborhood built environment and socioeconomic factors, affect the primary relations under study. The TRAIN Study is a longitudinal cohort design, in which participants are recruited at baseline from a 3-mile buffer around each of the three new lines and measured annually four times. Recruitment is accomplished via telephone contact, ads in newspapers and advertising circulars, and targeted community outreach. Data are collected via mail and include questionnaire-assessed factors, such as perceived neighborhood characteristics, attitudes about transportation, demographics, and reported physical activity; a travel diary; and accelerometry. Additionally, field-based neighborhood audits are conducted to capture micro-scale environmental features. To assess macro-scale environmental characteristics, we utilize GIS mapping and spatial analyses. Statistical analyses will be conducted using latent growth curve modeling and discrete choice models, with a focus on identifying moderating factors (i.e., statistical interaction effects). Selection bias will be controlled via propensity score analysis. The TRAIN study is a unique opportunity to study how a multi-billion dollar investment in mass transit can simultaneously affect transportation needs and physical activity behavior. This comprehensive evaluation will provide needed evidence for policy makers, and can inform health impact assessments of future transportation projects around the world.

A Laboratory Railgun for Terminal Ballistics and Arc Armature Research Studies

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-06-01

Projectile Velocity Profile 3000 2500 - 2000 U.4J 500 0 1000 -Bank Energy - 4.5 MJ Rail Height - 3 cm Rail Thickness - I cm Injection Vel . - 300 rn/s...1250 Rail Height - 3 cm Rail Thickness - i cm Injection Vel . - 300 m/s 1000 c 750 L U 500 250 0 I I 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 Time. ms Figure 2.10... Vel . - 300 m/s L/R - 5 ms U S200 L ISO C- Si i5 to-000 50 0 0 2 3 Position Wm) Figure 2.11. Baseline Design Pressure Profile barrel length to

76 FR 77716 - Alternate Passenger Rail Service Pilot Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-14

... program that permits a rail carrier or rail carriers that own infrastructure over which Amtrak operates... develops a pilot program that permits a rail carrier or rail carriers that own infrastructure over which... the infrastructure as described in Sec. 269.7 of this final rule. In addition, such information...

Simulation of rail yard emissions transport to the near-source environment

EPA Science Inventory

Rail yards are critical nodes in the freight transportation network and locations of clustered emission sources. When people reside in close proximity to an active rail yard, the near-field effect of rail yard emissions is of concern. Field characterization of near-rail yard ai...

46 CFR 169.327 - Deck rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Construction and Arrangement Rails and Guards § 169.327 Deck rails. (a) All rails or lifelines must be at least 30 inches high... through bolted or welded to the deck. (b) Rails or lifelines must consist of evenly spaced courses. The...

46 CFR 169.327 - Deck rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Construction and Arrangement Rails and Guards § 169.327 Deck rails. (a) All rails or lifelines must be at least 30 inches high... through bolted or welded to the deck. (b) Rails or lifelines must consist of evenly spaced courses. The...

46 CFR 169.327 - Deck rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Deck rails. 169.327 Section 169.327 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Construction and Arrangement Rails and Guards § 169.327 Deck rails. (a) All rails or lifelines must be at least 30 inches high...

46 CFR 169.327 - Deck rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Deck rails. 169.327 Section 169.327 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Construction and Arrangement Rails and Guards § 169.327 Deck rails. (a) All rails or lifelines must be at least 30 inches high...

76 FR 22747 - RailAmerica, Inc., Palm Beach Holdings, Inc., RailAmerica Transportation Corp., RailTex, Inc...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-22

...., Palm Beach Holdings, Inc., RailAmerica Transportation Corp., RailTex, Inc., Fortress Investment Group, LLC, and RR Acquisition Holding, LLC--Continuance in Control Exemption-- Conecuh Valley Railway, LLC...), Fortress Investment Group, LLC (Fortress), and RR Acquisition Holding, LLC (RR Acquisition) (collectively...

46 CFR 177.920 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 177.920 Section 177.920 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 177.920 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

46 CFR 177.920 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Storm rails. 177.920 Section 177.920 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 177.920 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

46 CFR 108.221 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Storm rails. 108.221 Section 108.221 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Construction and Arrangement Rails § 108.221 Storm rails. Each unit must have a storm rail in the following...

46 CFR 177.920 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Storm rails. 177.920 Section 177.920 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 177.920 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

46 CFR 108.221 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 108.221 Section 108.221 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Construction and Arrangement Rails § 108.221 Storm rails. Each unit must have a storm rail in the following...

46 CFR 108.221 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Storm rails. 108.221 Section 108.221 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Construction and Arrangement Rails § 108.221 Storm rails. Each unit must have a storm rail in the following...

46 CFR 108.221 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Storm rails. 108.221 Section 108.221 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Construction and Arrangement Rails § 108.221 Storm rails. Each unit must have a storm rail in the following...

46 CFR 127.320 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Storm rails. 127.320 Section 127.320 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) OFFSHORE SUPPLY VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENTS Rails and Guards § 127.320 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails must be installed in each passageway and at...

46 CFR 127.320 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 127.320 Section 127.320 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) OFFSHORE SUPPLY VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENTS Rails and Guards § 127.320 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails must be installed in each passageway and at...

46 CFR 177.920 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Storm rails. 177.920 Section 177.920 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 177.920 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

46 CFR 127.320 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Storm rails. 127.320 Section 127.320 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) OFFSHORE SUPPLY VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENTS Rails and Guards § 127.320 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails must be installed in each passageway and at...

46 CFR 127.320 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Storm rails. 127.320 Section 127.320 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) OFFSHORE SUPPLY VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENTS Rails and Guards § 127.320 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails must be installed in each passageway and at...

46 CFR 177.920 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Storm rails. 177.920 Section 177.920 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 177.920 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

46 CFR 108.221 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Storm rails. 108.221 Section 108.221 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Construction and Arrangement Rails § 108.221 Storm rails. Each unit must have a storm rail in the following...

46 CFR 127.320 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Storm rails. 127.320 Section 127.320 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) OFFSHORE SUPPLY VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENTS Rails and Guards § 127.320 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails must be installed in each passageway and at...

Cedar-Iowa River Rail transit project feasibility study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-11-09

Five Seasons Transportation & Parking (FSTP) and the Johnson County Council of : Governments (JCCOG) are interested in evaluating the feasibility of prospective passenger rail : service(s) that would operate over existing trackage of the Cedar Rapids...

Railroad Rails Containing Electrode-Induced Pitting from Pressure Electric Welding

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-04-18

This paper describes the forensic evaluations of three railroad rails containing electrode-induced pitting. These evaluations include: magnetic particle inspection to nondestructively detect cracks emanating from the pitting; fractography to study th...

A capping case study : integrating freight rail into a community setting.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-11-01

"This investigation seeks to explore specific design solutions that could potentially enhance the capabilities of heavy rail facilities while increasing : their safety and reducing their environmental and community impacts. : Using Portland's Brookly...

Northeast Rail Operations Study (NEROps) : Phase I Final Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-06-01

The I-95 Corridor Coalition is a partnership of state departments of transportation (DOT), regional and local transportation agencies, toll authorities, and related organizations (including law enforcement, transit, port, and rail organizations) from...

An Evaluation of the Potential for Shifting of Freight from Truck to Rail and Its Impacts on Energy Use and GHG Emissions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Yan; Vyas, Anant D.; Guo, Zhaomiao

This report summarizes our evaluation of the potential energy-use and GHG-emissions reduction achieved by shifting freight from truck to rail under a most-likely scenario. A sensitivity analysis is also included. The sensitivity analysis shows changes in energy use and GHG emissions when key parameters are varied. The major contribution and distinction from previous studies is that this study considers the rail level of service (LOS) and commodity movements at the origin-destination (O-D) level. In addition, this study considers the fragility and time sensitivity of each commodity type.

Comparative evaluation of rail and truck fuel efficiency on competitive corridors : final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-11-19

This study provides a comparative evaluation of rail and truck fuel efficiency on corridors and services in which both modes compete. For the purposes of this study, competitive movements are defined as those of the same commodity having the same (or...

A Regional Approach to Rail Transit Training for the New York Metropolitan Area

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1991-06-01

The purpose of this project was to study the feasibility of a regional approach : to rail transit training in the New York metropolitan area and to recommend a : means for implementing such a cooperative training effort. The study had two : parts. Th...

U.S. Transit Track Restraining Rail. Volume I : Study of Requirements and Practices

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-12-01

This report covers a study of restraining rails in transit track, which is part of the current research program of UMTA and was initiated: (1) to assist in the analysis, design, and maintenance and operation of transit track; (2) to compile guideline...

75 FR 51331 - Draft Tier II Environmental Impact Statement: Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor-Richmond, VA...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-19

... Carolina Department of Transportation Rail Division (NCDOT) and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public... Raleigh,'' in the subject heading; or Ms. Christine Fix, Department of Rail & Public Transportation, 600... Department of Rail and Public Transportation Office at 600 East Main Street, Suite 2102, Richmond, VA; and...

49 CFR 174.59 - Marking and placarding of rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Marking and placarding of rail cars. 174.59... RAIL General Handling and Loading Requirements § 174.59 Marking and placarding of rail cars. No person may transport a rail car carrying hazardous materials unless it is marked and placarded as required by...

49 CFR 174.59 - Marking and placarding of rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Marking and placarding of rail cars. 174.59... RAIL General Handling and Loading Requirements § 174.59 Marking and placarding of rail cars. No person may transport a rail car carrying hazardous materials unless it is marked and placarded as required by...

49 CFR 174.59 - Marking and placarding of rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Marking and placarding of rail cars. 174.59... RAIL General Handling and Loading Requirements § 174.59 Marking and placarding of rail cars. No person may transport a rail car carrying hazardous materials unless it is marked and placarded as required by...

49 CFR 174.59 - Marking and placarding of rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Marking and placarding of rail cars. 174.59... RAIL General Handling and Loading Requirements § 174.59 Marking and placarding of rail cars. No person may transport a rail car carrying hazardous materials unless it is marked and placarded as required by...

49 CFR 174.59 - Marking and placarding of rail cars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Marking and placarding of rail cars. 174.59... RAIL General Handling and Loading Requirements § 174.59 Marking and placarding of rail cars. No person may transport a rail car carrying hazardous materials unless it is marked and placarded as required by...

49 CFR 212.231 - Highway-rail grade crossing inspector.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Highway-rail grade crossing inspector. 212.231... § 212.231 Highway-rail grade crossing inspector. (a) The highway-rail grade crossing inspector is required, at a minimum, to be able to conduct independent inspections of all types of highway-rail grade...

49 CFR 212.231 - Highway-rail grade crossing inspector.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Highway-rail grade crossing inspector. 212.231... § 212.231 Highway-rail grade crossing inspector. (a) The highway-rail grade crossing inspector is required, at a minimum, to be able to conduct independent inspections of all types of highway-rail grade...

49 CFR 212.231 - Highway-rail grade crossing inspector.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Highway-rail grade crossing inspector. 212.231... § 212.231 Highway-rail grade crossing inspector. (a) The highway-rail grade crossing inspector is required, at a minimum, to be able to conduct independent inspections of all types of highway-rail grade...

46 CFR 190.25-5 - Where rails required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Where rails required. 190.25-5 Section 190.25-5 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 190.25-5 Where rails required. (a) All vessels shall have efficient guard rails...

NCHRP report 350 test 3-11 of the modified T8 bridge rail.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-04-01

A new flexible bridge rail system, referred to as the T8 rail, was designed as a replacement for the T6 rail in high-speed applications on culverts and thin deck structures. The T8 rail failed a crash test when the breakaway posts failed the thin dec...

77 FR 54655 - Genesee & Wyoming Inc.-Control-RailAmerica, Inc., et al.

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-05

... & Wyoming Inc.--Control--RailAmerica, Inc., et al. AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. ACTION: Decision No... August 6, 2012, by Genesee and Wyoming Inc. (GWI) and RailAmerica, Inc. (RailAmerica). The application seeks Board approval under 49 U.S.C. 11323-11325 of the acquisition of control of RailAmerica, a...

Appraisal on Rail Transit Development: A Review on Train Services and Safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordin, Noor Hafiza binti; Masirin, Mohd Idrus Haji Mohd; Ghazali, Mohd Imran bin; Azis, Mohd Isom bin

2017-08-01

The ever increasing problems faced by population around the world have made demands that transportation need to be improved as an effective and efficient communication means. It is considered as a necessity especially when rapid development and economic growth of a country is the agenda. Among the transportation modes being focused as critical facilities are the bus system, rail system, road network, shipping system and air transportation system. Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In Malaysia, the railway network has evolved tremendously since its inception in the early 19th century. It has grown proportionally with the national development. Railway network does not only mean for rural transportation, but it also considered as a solution to urban congestion challenges. Currently, urban rail transit is the most popular means of urban transportation system especially as big cities such as Kuala Lumpur. This paper presents the definition of rail transportation system and its role in urban or sub-urban operation. It also describes the brief history of world railway transportation including a discussion on Malaysian rail history perspective. As policy and standard are important in operating a railway system, this paper also illustrates and discusses some elements which have an impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of train operation. Towards the end, this paper also shares the importance of railway safety based on real case studies around the world. Thus, it is hoped that this paper will enable the public to understand the rail transit development and appreciate its existence as a public transportation system.

A Mathematical Study of Accessibility and Cohesion Degree in a High-Speed Rail Station Connected to an Urban Bus Transport Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mota, Carmen; López, Miguel A.; Martínez-Rodrigo, Arturo

2017-04-01

In the last twenty years, the implementation of High-Speed Rail (HSR) has been one of the major strategies for territorial structuring used by various countries. This model has enhanced the development of countries such as France, Spain, Germany and Japan. At present, the United States and China are also starting to implement this model. Nevertheless, the lack of social and economic profitability of several networks is being increasingly analysed. Many networks located in particular regions serve populations that are not large enough to recover the initial investment. For this reason, it is necessary to evaluate the population served by this transport mode, beyond the number of users. In this sense, it is essential to identify the deficiencies and potentials of implementing a network linked to other secondary networks in a specific territory which can compensate for the so-called tunnel effect. This article proposes to apply a mathematical approach based on graph theory to measure the Degree Accessibility Node (DAN) in a constrained Geographic Information System (GIS) model. Hence, it would be possible to compare regions, especially medium-sized cities, where the implementation of HSR could represent a qualitative leap due to incorporation into large transport networks. The DAN function uses static and dynamic studies to evaluate the level of connection of stations to secondary transport networks—local public transport in this case. Thus, the impact of high-speed trains could be spread to greater territorial and population ranges. Four cases have been studied, two in Germany (one of them, Fulda, is analysed in depth throughout this article) and two in Spain. These two countries were selected since HSR was implemented in the same relative period of time, in comparison with other European countries. Results show relevant differences, suggesting a review of inappropriate policies of transport integration in a city that could weaken the expansion of the positive effects of HSR integration.

Identification and prioritization of rail squat defects in the field using rail magnetisation technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaewunruen, Sakdirat

2015-04-01

Inevitably, rail squats and studs are continuing to be a serious problem for railway organisations around the world in the 21st century. They are typically classified as the growth of any cracks that have grown longitudinally through the subsurface and some of the cracks propagating to the bottom of rails transversely, and have branched from initial longitudinal cracks with a depression of rail surface. The horizontal crack, which results in a depression of rail surface, induces increased maintenance level, more frequent monitoring, compromised rail testing (as the crack shields the signal echoes), and possible broken rails. This paper presents field investigations using a magnetised-rail testing device developed by MRX Technologies to identify and prioritise the rail squats. Most of the in situ squats were found on the high rail of the transition (variable-radius curved track), which is associated with rolling contact fatigue (RCF). This investigation highlights the field performance of the MRX's surface crack detection technology in comparison with the traditional ultrasonic method and detailed walking inspection. Visually, it was found in the field that the size of the RCF squats varies from very small to moderate. The predicted crack data were obtained by scanning the magnitised rails. The comparison of the actual crack depths (ultrasonic) and the predicted crack depths (MRX device) shows: • A possible correlation for small RCF/ squat cracks. • Poor interpretation of larger defects and welds. The field assessment also suggests some practical issues required for further development, including the detection of rail spalling, deep transverse crack, welding, and so on.

LOFT. Reactor support apparatus inside containment building (TAN650). Camera is ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

LOFT. Reactor support apparatus inside containment building (TAN-650). Camera is on crane rail level and facing northerly. View shows top two banks of round conduit openings on wall for electrical and other connections to control room. Ladders and platforms provide access to reactor instrumentation. Note hatch in floor and drain at edge of floor near wall. Date: 1974. INEEL negative no. 74-219 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Area North, Scoville, Butte County, ID

28. VIEW EAST FROM DECKING ON SOUTHWEST CORNER OF PIVOT ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

28. VIEW EAST FROM DECKING ON SOUTHWEST CORNER OF PIVOT PIER, DRIVE SYSTEM FOR SWING-SPAN INCLUDES: (from left to right) ELECTRIC LINE FROM SHORE (bottom left), TRACK AND RAIL ON CONCRETE PIER, ELECTRIC MOTOR, GASOLINE MOTOR, SHAFTS TO WEDGE DRIVE CRANKS, WEDGE DRIVE DRIVE SHAFT, WEDGE DRIVE GEAR BOX, AND (on right) GEARING FOR MANUAL WEDGE DRIVE ACCESSED THROUGH BRIDGE DECK - Tipers Bridge, Spanning Great Wicomico River at State Route 200, Kilmarnock, Lancaster County, VA

Beating the Red Gold Rush: Copper Theft and Homeland Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

with the bulk 52 of the copper wiring rendering each of the turbines inoperable.116 Electrical infrastructure is, of course, not the only kind of...resulted in significant speed restrictions and stop orders for the country’s premier TGV high- speed service.119 Aside from rail lines and wind turbines ... Wind Turbines ,” France 24, May 28, 2014, http://www.france24.com/en/20140528-france-metal-organised-thefts- wind - turbines -copper, accessed August 22

Development of university-industry partnerships in railroad engineering education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lautala, Pasi T.

Rail transportation has been an important part of the North American transportation network since the 19th century and it continues to be a major contributor to the economic well-being and the global competitiveness of the U.S. The recent expansion in freight rail volumes and forecasts for continuous growth, together with more favorable attitudes for urban passenger rail present several challenges for the rail industry. One of the challenges is the availability of a well educated engineering workforce. The rail industry has recognized a need to attract new railroad professionals from various disciplines for management and technical positions, but most universities eliminated railroad engineering from their curricula after the recruitment levels faded several decades ago. Today, railroad expertise and related engineering courses exist at only a few universities and most students graduate without any exposure to rail topics. While industry representatives have expressed their concern about a future workforce, little data is available on the extent of the demand, on the characteristics and skills of preferred candidates, and on the role that universities can play. A benchmarking study was undertaken to investigate the demand for university engineering graduates and assess whether current methods are sufficient to attract, educate, recruit, train and retain engineering students in the railroad profession. Data was collected from industry human resources and training managers to define the quantitative and qualitative needs for railroad engineers. In addition, recently hired engineers working in the rail industry were surveyed to determine the extent of their university exposure in rail topics and how it affected their career choice. The surveys indicated an increase of over 300 percent in the annual recruitment for railroad engineers by the participating companies between 2002 and 2005. Recruitment levels are expected to remain high for the next five to ten years due to high demand for rail transportation and an older engineering workforce with the greatest demand for civil, electrical and mechanical engineers with bachelor's degrees. The rail industry and universities have grown apart over the past several decades, as rail programs and courses were abandoned at universities and there were very limited recruitment and research activities by the railroads at universities. Today, specialized course(s) in rail topics are offered at approximately three percent of ABET accredited civil engineering programs in the U.S. and only 16 percent of engineers who responded to the survey had received university exposure to rail topics. The research findings suggest that increased university participation has the potential to assist the rail industry in all aspects related to attracting, educating, recruiting, training and retaining engineering graduates. The primary advantages would be greater industry visibility and student knowledge in rail topics. Increased prior knowledge, on the other hand, improves the effectiveness of industry training programs and offers a potential for sizable training cost reductions. As a final conclusion, the research suggests that the most effective approach for developing future railroad engineers is a balancing act where the responsibilities should be shared by the rail industry and universities based on each others strengths. University participation should include multiple types and levels, including introductory lectures, co-op/internship programs, courses in railroad engineering, and a minor or certificate in railroad engineering that would include several courses. Due to the urgent demand for railroad engineers and time it takes to rebuild the expertise on campuses, the development process should begin immediately, be incremental, and utilize concepts, such as cooperation with other universities or engineer-in-residence, that reduce the demand of internal university resources. The challenges to the process, such as willingness of partners to understand each others needs and motivations for the relationship should be alleviated by developing performance goals and measures of success. While it is impossible to evaluate all aspects of university level railroad engineering education in one study, this research suggests that there are opportunities for a partnership between the rail industry and universities. The purpose of this research was to identify those opportunities and increase the understanding of the forces that shape the demand for railroad engineers and engineering education. The findings can be used both by the rail industry and the universities as they initiate change in the current processes and thrive to develop railroad engineers to meet the demands of the 21 st century.

Stability and Curving Performance of Conventional and Advanced Rail Transit Vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1984-01-01

Analytical studies are presented which compare the curving performance and speed capability of conventional rail transit trucks with self steering (cross-braced) and forced steering (linkages between carbody and wheelsets) radial trucks. Truck curvin...

Rail-highway crossing accident prediction analysis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1987-04-01

This report contains technical results that have been produced in a study : to revise and update the DOT rail-highway crossing resource allocation : procedure. This work has resulted in new accident prediction and severity : formulas, a modified and ...

High speed rail distribution study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

The Texas Central Partners are in the process of developing a high speed rail line connecting : Houston and Dallas, Texas. Ultimately, plans are for 8 car trains that accommodate 200 people per : vehicle scheduled every 30 minutes. In addition, Texas...

Rail Passenger Vehicle Truck Design Methodology

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-01-01

A procedure for the selection of rail passenger truck design parameters to meet dynamic performance indices has been developed. The procedure is based upon partitioning the design task into three tradeoff studies: (1) a vertical ride quality-secondar...

Buzzards Bay commuter rail extension feasibility study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-01-01

At present, the nearest commuter rail service to points in Barnstable County is provided at the outer terminals of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Kingston and Middleborough/Lakeville lines. These are each about 20 miles north o...

Private Sector Involvement in Urban Transportation: Case Studies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1984-07-01

This report describes the development of formulas which predict the severity of accidents at public rail-highway crossings. They employ the previously developed DOT accident prediction formula, U.S. DOT-AAR National Rail-Highway Crossing Inventory, a...

Stable isotopes reveal rail-associated behavior in a threatened carnivore.

PubMed

Hopkins, John B; Whittington, Jesse; Clevenger, Anthony P; Sawaya, Michael A; St Clair, Colleen Cassady

2014-01-01

Human-wildlife conflict is a leading cause of adult mortality for large carnivores worldwide. Train collision is the primary cause of mortality for threatened grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in Banff National Park. We investigated the use of stable isotope analysis as a tool for identifying bears that use the railway in Banff. Rail-associated bears had higher δ(15)N and δ(34)S values than bears sampled away from the rail, but similar δ(13)C values. Because elevated δ(15)N values are indicative of higher animal protein consumption, rail-associated bears likely preyed on ungulates that foraged along the rail or scavenged on train-killed animals. The higher δ(34)S values in bear hair could have resulted from bears consuming sulfur pellets spilled on the rail or through the uptake of sulfur in the plants bears or animals consumed. Similar δ(13)C values suggest that the two types of bears had generally similar plant-based diets. Results from this study suggest that stable isotopes analysis could be used as a non-invasive, affordable, and efficient technique to identify and monitor bears that forage on the railway in Banff and potentially other transportation corridors worldwide.

Stable isotopes reveal rail-associated behavior in a threatened carnivore

PubMed Central

Hopkins, John B.; Whittington, Jesse; Clevenger, Anthony P.; Sawaya, Michael A.; St. Clair, Colleen Cassady

2014-01-01

Human–wildlife conflict is a leading cause of adult mortality for large carnivores worldwide. Train collision is the primary cause of mortality for threatened grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in Banff National Park. We investigated the use of stable isotope analysis as a tool for identifying bears that use the railway in Banff. Rail-associated bears had higher δ15N and δ34S values than bears sampled away from the rail, but similar δ13C values. Because elevated δ15N values are indicative of higher animal protein consumption, rail-associated bears likely preyed on ungulates that foraged along the rail or scavenged on train-killed animals. The higher δ34S values in bear hair could have resulted from bears consuming sulfur pellets spilled on the rail or through the uptake of sulfur in the plants bears or animals consumed. Similar δ13C values suggest that the two types of bears had generally similar plant-based diets. Results from this study suggest that stable isotopes analysis could be used as a non-invasive, affordable, and efficient technique to identify and monitor bears that forage on the railway in Banff and potentially other transportation corridors worldwide. PMID:24936982

Population status and habitat associations of the King Rail in the midwestern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bolenbaugh, Jason R.; Cooper, Tom; Brady, Ryan S.; Willard, Karen L.; Krementz, David G.

2012-01-01

The migratory population of the King Rail (Rallus elegans) has declined dramatically during the past 50 years, emphasizing the need to document the distribution and status of this species to help guide conservation efforts. In an effort to guide King Rail breeding habitat protection and restoration, a landscape suitability index (LSI) model was developed for the Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Region Joint Venture (JV). To validate this model, 264 sites were surveyed across the JV region in 2008 and 2009 using the National Marshbird Monitoring protocol. Two other similarly collected data sets from Wisconsin (250 sites) and Ohio (259 sites) as well as data from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's eBird database were added to our data set. Sampling effort was not uniform across the study area. King Rails were detected at 29 sites with the greatest concentration in southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. Too few detections were made to validate the LSI model. King Rail detection sites tended to have microtopographic heterogeneity, more emergent herbaceous wetland vegetation and less woody vegetation. The migrant population of the King Rail is rare and warrants additional conservation efforts to achieve stated conservation population targets.

The literature of the California black rail

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilbur, Sanford R.

1974-01-01

Few birds have remained so little known as the California black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus). Although first collected in 1859 or before and reported in 1874 (Ridgway 1874), its life history, distribution, and status have remained so obscure that even a sight record of the bird is deemed worthy of a report in some ornithological publications. Because degradation and loss of freshwater and saltwater marshlands in California may be detrimentally affecting the black rail, both the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (1973) and the California Department of Fish and Game (1972) have classified it as rare and worthy of further study. The 84 papers and notes both summarized in this report and included in its bibliography include essentially all that is currently known about the California black rail. Only 11 of these papers consider the life history of this rail in any detail. The rest are distribution notes and some of the more important papers on the closely related eastern black rail (L. j. jamaicensis). The latter are included for comparative purposes, or because they may lend clues to currently unknown facets of the life history of the western race.

49 CFR 213.352 - Torch cut rail.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Torch cut rail. 213.352 Section 213.352... Torch cut rail. (a) Except as a temporary repair in emergency situations no rail having a torch cut end shall be used. When a rail end with a torch cut is used in emergency situations, train speed over that...

49 CFR 37.89 - Remanufacture of intercity and commuter rail cars and purchase or lease of remanufactured...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Remanufacture of intercity and commuter rail cars and purchase or lease of remanufactured intercity and commuter rail cars. 37.89 Section 37.89... commuter rail cars and purchase or lease of remanufactured intercity and commuter rail cars. (a) This...

49 CFR 37.89 - Remanufacture of intercity and commuter rail cars and purchase or lease of remanufactured...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Remanufacture of intercity and commuter rail cars and purchase or lease of remanufactured intercity and commuter rail cars. 37.89 Section 37.89... commuter rail cars and purchase or lease of remanufactured intercity and commuter rail cars. (a) This...

49 CFR 213.352 - Torch cut rail.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Torch cut rail. 213.352 Section 213.352... Torch cut rail. (a) Except as a temporary repair in emergency situations no rail having a torch cut end shall be used. When a rail end with a torch cut is used in emergency situations, train speed over that...

46 CFR 190.25-10 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Storm rails. 190.25-10 Section 190.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 190.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

46 CFR 92.25-10 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Storm rails. 92.25-10 Section 92.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 92.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

46 CFR 190.25-10 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Storm rails. 190.25-10 Section 190.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 190.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

46 CFR 190.25-10 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 190.25-10 Section 190.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 190.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

46 CFR 92.25-10 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Storm rails. 92.25-10 Section 92.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 92.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

46 CFR 92.25-10 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 92.25-10 Section 92.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 92.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

46 CFR 92.25-10 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Storm rails. 92.25-10 Section 92.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 92.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

46 CFR 190.25-10 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Storm rails. 190.25-10 Section 190.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 190.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

46 CFR 190.25-10 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Storm rails. 190.25-10 Section 190.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 190.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

46 CFR 92.25-10 - Storm rails.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Storm rails. 92.25-10 Section 92.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 92.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

78 FR 36017 - MCM Rail Services LLC, d/b/a Baltimore Industrial Railroad-Operation Exemption-Hilco SP Rail, LLC

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-14

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35725] MCM Rail Services LLC, d/b/a Baltimore Industrial Railroad-- Operation Exemption--Hilco SP Rail, LLC MCM Rail Services LLC, d/b/a Baltimore Industrial Railroad (MCM), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption...

76 FR 16538 - Solid Waste Rail Transfer Facilities

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-24

... circumstances. Upon receiving a land-use-exemption permit issued by the Board, a solid waste rail transfer... new application for a land-use-exemption permit if the rail line associated with the solid waste rail... transportation of solid waste by rail. (2) The Board will not grant a land-use-exemption permit for a solid waste...

Modeling and Simulating Passenger Behavior for a Station Closure in a Rail Transit Network

PubMed Central

Yin, Haodong; Han, Baoming; Li, Dewei; Wu, Jianjun; Sun, Huijun

2016-01-01

A station closure is an abnormal operational situation in which the entrances or exits of a rail transit station have to be closed for some time due to an unexpected incident. A novel approach is developed to estimate the impacts of the alternative station closure scenarios on both passenger behavioral choices at the individual level and passenger demand at the disaggregate level in a rail transit network. Therefore, the contributions of this study are two-fold: (1) A basic passenger behavior optimization model is mathematically constructed based on 0–1 integer programming to describe passengers’ responses to alternative origin station closure scenarios and destination station closure scenarios; this model also considers the availability of multi-mode transportation and the uncertain duration of the station closure; (2) An integrated solution algorithm based on the passenger simulation is developed to solve the proposed model and to estimate the effects of a station closure on passenger demand in a rail transit network. Furthermore, 13 groups of numerical experiments based on the Beijing rail transit network are performed as case studies with 2,074,267 records of smart card data. The comparisons of the model outputs and the manual survey show that the accuracy of our proposed behavior optimization model is approximately 80%. The results also show that our model can be used to capture the passenger behavior and to quantitatively estimate the effects of alternative closure scenarios on passenger flow demand for the rail transit network. Moreover, the closure duration and its overestimation greatly influence the individual behavioral choices of the affected passengers and the passenger demand. Furthermore, if the rail transit operator can more accurately estimate the closure duration (namely, as g approaches 1), the impact of the closure can be somewhat mitigated. PMID:27935963

Modeling and Simulating Passenger Behavior for a Station Closure in a Rail Transit Network.

PubMed

Yin, Haodong; Han, Baoming; Li, Dewei; Wu, Jianjun; Sun, Huijun

2016-01-01

A station closure is an abnormal operational situation in which the entrances or exits of a rail transit station have to be closed for some time due to an unexpected incident. A novel approach is developed to estimate the impacts of the alternative station closure scenarios on both passenger behavioral choices at the individual level and passenger demand at the disaggregate level in a rail transit network. Therefore, the contributions of this study are two-fold: (1) A basic passenger behavior optimization model is mathematically constructed based on 0-1 integer programming to describe passengers' responses to alternative origin station closure scenarios and destination station closure scenarios; this model also considers the availability of multi-mode transportation and the uncertain duration of the station closure; (2) An integrated solution algorithm based on the passenger simulation is developed to solve the proposed model and to estimate the effects of a station closure on passenger demand in a rail transit network. Furthermore, 13 groups of numerical experiments based on the Beijing rail transit network are performed as case studies with 2,074,267 records of smart card data. The comparisons of the model outputs and the manual survey show that the accuracy of our proposed behavior optimization model is approximately 80%. The results also show that our model can be used to capture the passenger behavior and to quantitatively estimate the effects of alternative closure scenarios on passenger flow demand for the rail transit network. Moreover, the closure duration and its overestimation greatly influence the individual behavioral choices of the affected passengers and the passenger demand. Furthermore, if the rail transit operator can more accurately estimate the closure duration (namely, as g approaches 1), the impact of the closure can be somewhat mitigated.

System and prospects of China's intercity rail transit technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Ming

2018-06-01

City clusters and metropolitan areas in China are flourishing in the midst of the deepening urbanization in the country, thereby resulting in the emergence of intercity rail transit. Intercity railways connect mainline and urban railways for an integrated regional transportation system that underpins and leads the development of city clusters and metropolitan areas. This study explores the development mode and service characteristics of intercity rail transit, as well as proposes overviews on this system and prospects of its future technology in China.

Safety assessment of underground vehicles passing over highly resilient curved tracks in the presence of a broken rail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suárez, B.; Rodriguez, P.; Vázquez, M.; Fernández, I.

2012-01-01

Vehicle-track interaction for a new resilient slab track designed to reduce noise and vibration levels was analysed, in order to assess the derailment risk on a curved track when encountering a broken rail. Sensitivity of the rail support spacing of the relative position of the rail breakage between two adjacent rail supports and of running speed were analysed for two different elasticities of the rail fastening system. In none of the cases analysed was observed an appreciable difference between either of the elastic systems. As was expected, the most unfavourable situations were those with greater rail support spacing and those with greater distance from the breakage to the nearest rail support, although in none of the simulations performed did a derailment occur when running over the broken rail. When varying the running speed, the most favourable condition was obtained for an intermediate speed, due to the superposition of two antagonistic effects.

The influence of rail surface irregularities on contact forces and local stresses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersson, Robin; Torstensson, Peter T.; Kabo, Elena; Larsson, Fredrik

2015-01-01

The effect of initial rail surface irregularities on promoting further surface degradation is investigated. The study concerns rolling contact fatigue formation, in particular in the form of the so-called squats. The impact of surface irregularities in the form of dimples is quantified by peak magnitudes of dynamic contact stresses and contact forces. To this end simulations of two-dimensional (later extended to three-dimensional) vertical dynamic vehicle-track interaction are employed. The most influencing parameters are identified. It is shown that even very shallow dimples might have a large impact on local contact stresses. Peak magnitudes of contact forces and stresses due to the influence of rail dimples are shown to exceed those due to rail corrugation.

Effect of azimuthal diversion rail on an ATON-type Hall thruster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Zhang; Liqiu, Wei; Liang, Han; Yongjie, Ding; Daren, Yu

2017-03-01

A newly designed azimuthal diversion rail (ADR) is studied and used to enhance the ionization process in an ATON-type Hall thruster. The diversion rail efficiently reduces the neutral flow axial velocity, and hence, increases the resistance time of atoms in the discharge channel of the Hall thruster. Thrust performances, in terms of thrust, anode efficiency and ion beam divergence, are found to be improved because of the application of the diversion rail, especially at low mass flow rate conditions. Experiment results reveal that the ADR increases the mass utilization under insufficient mass flow rate operating conditions. The design of the ADR broadens the efficient operating range of Hall thrusters and has significant contribution to multi-mode Hall thruster development.

A contact-area model for rail-pads connections in 2-D simulations: sensitivity analysis of train-induced vibrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrara, R.; Leonardi, G.; Jourdan, F.

2013-09-01

A numerical model to predict train-induced vibrations is presented. The dynamic computation considers mutual interactions in vehicle/track coupled systems by means of a finite and discrete elements method. The rail defects and the case of out-of-round wheels are considered. The dynamic interaction between the wheel-sets and the rail is accomplished by using the non-linear Hertzian model with hysteresis damping. A sensitivity analysis is done to evaluate the variables affecting more the maintenance costs. The rail-sleeper contact is assumed extended to an area-defined contact zone, rather than a single-point assumption which fits better real case studies. Experimental validations show how prediction fits well experimental data.

Feasibility study for detection and quantification of corrosion in bridge barrier rails.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-04-01

Technical challenges exist with infrastructure that can be addressed by nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods, such as detecting corrosion damage to reinforcing steel that anchor concrete bridge railings to bridge road decks. Moisture and chloride ...

Best practices and strategies for improving rail energy efficiency

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-28

In support of the FRA Energy, Environment, and Engine (E3) program, this study reviews and evaluates technology development opportunities, equipment upgrades, and best practices (BPs) of international and U.S. passenger and freight rail industry segm...

A study of the proposed Virginia Rail Transportation Development Authority.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-01-01

Virginia Senate Bill 1279 (2003) calls for the creation of the Virginia Rail Transportation Development Authority. The purpose of this authority is "to finance or assist in the financing of the construction, repair, renovation, restoration, acquisiti...

On-line high-speed rail defect detection, phase III : research results.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-10-01

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Research and Developments Track and Structures Program sponsored a study for developing and testing a rail defect detection system based on ultrasonic guided waves and non-contact probing. Curren...

Analysis of Commuter Rail Costs and Cost Allocation Methods

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1983-07-01

The report addresses the issues of commuter rail service costs and the compensation methods used to allocate railroad expenses to the commuter service function. The report consists of six sections. Section 1 describes the study purpose, scope, method...

Rail Transit System Maintenance Practices for Automatic Fare Collection Equipment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1984-05-01

A review of rail transit system maintenance practices for automatic fare collection (AFC) equipment was performed. This study supports an UMTA sponsored program to improve the reliability of AFC equipment. The maintenance practices of the transit sys...

The Past and Future of U.S. Passenger Rail Service

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-09-01

This Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study-prepared at the request of the Senate Budget Committee-reviews past policies toward Amtrak and the fundamental economics of passenger rail service. The review suggests that there are only limited condition...

Use of traffic channelization devices at highway-rail grade crossings

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-08-31

Traffic channelization devices have found new application at highway-rail grade crossings with active warning devices. Numerous studies conducted at locations where they have been installed show positive changes in unsafe driver behavior as a result ...

South Carolina southeast high speed rail corridor improvement study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-02-01

The Southeast Rail Corridor was originally designated as a high-speed corridor in Section 1010 of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991. More specifically, it involved the high-speed grade-crossing improvement program o...

76 FR 4250 - Operating Certain Railroad Tank Cars in Excess of 263,000 Pounds Gross Rail Load; Approval

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-25

... Railroad Tank Cars in Excess of 263,000 Pounds Gross Rail Load; Approval AGENCY: Federal Railroad... certain railroad tank cars in excess of 263,000 pounds gross rail load. SUMMARY: On May 14, 2010, the... to allow certain rail tank cars, transporting hazardous materials, to exceed the gross weight on rail...

FY 1998 Proposed Rail Improvement Program Supplement

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

This FY 1998 Proposed Rail Improvement Program Supplement contains those rail plan amendments which have been published subsequent to the FY 1997 Proposed Rail Improvement program supplement. This document also contains the benefit/cost methodology u...

Indiana rail plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-07-08

The 2009 Indiana Rail Plan was developed as part of the Indiana Multimodal Freight and Mobility Plan to direct the State of Indianas future freight and passenger rail policy, provide a framework to guide future decisions regarding rail system inve...

Preliminary national rail plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-10-15

The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) directed the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to develop a Preliminary National Rail Plan (PNRP or Preliminary Plan) to address the rail needs of the Nation. ...

Distribution and habitat use of king rails in the Illinois and Upper Mississippi River valleys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Darrah, Abigail J.; Krementz, David G.

2009-01-01

The migratory population of the king rail (Rallus elegans) has declined dramatically during the past 40 years, emphasizing the need to identify habitat requirements of this species to help guide conservation efforts. To assess distribution and habitat use of king rails along the Illinois and Upper Mississippi valleys, USA, we conducted repeated call-broadcast surveys at 83 locations in 2006 and 114 locations in 2007 distributed among 21 study sites. We detected king rails at 12 survey locations in 2006 and 14 locations in 2007, illustrating the limited distribution of king rails in this region. We found king rails concentrated at Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge, an adjacent private Wetlands Reserve program site, and B. K. Leach Conservation Area, which were located in the Mississippi River floodplain in northeast Missouri. Using Program PRESENCE, we estimated detection probabilities and built models to identify habitat covariates that were important in king rail site occupancy. Habitat covariates included percentage of cover by tall (> 1 m) and short (<= 1 m) emergent vegetation, percentage of cover of woody vegetation, and interspersion of water and vegetation ( 2007 only) within 50 m of the survey location. Detection probability was 0.43 (SE = 0.12) in 2006 and 0.35 (SE = 0.03) in 2007 and was influenced by observer identity and percentage of cover by tall herbaceous vegetation. Site occupancy was 0.11 (SE = 0.04) in 2006 and 0.14 (SE = 0.04) in 2007 and was negatively influenced most by percentage of cover by woody vegetation. In addition, we found that interspersion of vegetation and water was positively related to occupancy in 2007. Thus, nesting king rails used wetlands that were characterized by high water-vegetation interspersion and little or no cover by woody vegetation. Our results suggest that biologists can improve king rail habitat by implementing management techniques that reduce woody cover and increase vegetation-water interspersion in wetlands.

Transportation, social and financial impacts of light and commuter rail.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-09-01

While transportation impacts are often masked by heavy growth in corridor traffic and latent travel demand, : modeling enables measuring the real transportation impacts of rail projects. Rail transit is both safe and : environmentally friendly. Rail ...

49 CFR 213.135 - Switches.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... point to the stock rail. Broken or cracked switch point rails will be subject to the requirements of... of the stock rail. (d) The heel of each switch rail shall be secure and the bolts in each heel shall...

49 CFR 213.135 - Switches.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... point to the stock rail. Broken or cracked switch point rails will be subject to the requirements of... of the stock rail. (d) The heel of each switch rail shall be secure and the bolts in each heel shall...

Potential scenarios of concern for high speed rail operations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-03-16

Currently, multiple operating authorities are proposing the : introduction of high-speed rail service in the United States. : While high-speed rail service shares a number of basic : principles with conventional-speed rail service, the operational : ...

Rail Integrity Experience on the Washington Metro System

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-04-12

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) provides passenger rail service to the nations capital. Although the rail system carries only passenger trains, the rail integrity issues that WMATA must manage are similar to those that f...

Different haptic tools reduce trunk velocity in the frontal plane during walking, but haptic anchors have advantages over lightly touching a railing.

PubMed

Hedayat, Isabel; Moraes, Renato; Lanovaz, Joel L; Oates, Alison R

2017-06-01

There are different ways to add haptic input during walking which may affect walking balance. This study compared the use of two different haptic tools (rigid railing and haptic anchors) and investigated whether any effects on walking were the result of the added sensory input and/or the posture generated when using those tools. Data from 28 young healthy adults were collected using the Mobility Lab inertial sensor system (APDM, Oregon, USA). Participants walked with and without both haptic tools and while pretending to use both haptic tools (placebo trials), with eyes opened and eyes closed. Using the tools or pretending to use both tools decreased normalized stride velocity (p < .001-0.008) and peak medial-lateral (ML) trunk velocity (p < .001-0.001). Normalized stride velocity was slower when actually using the railing compared to placebo railing trials (p = .006). Using the anchors resulted in lower peak ML trunk velocity than the railing (p = .002). The anchors had lower peak ML trunk velocity than placebo anchors (p < .001), but there was no difference between railing and placebo railing (p > .999). These findings highlight a difference in the type of tool used to add haptic input and suggest that changes in balance control strategy resulting from using the railing are based on arm placement, where it is the posture combined with added sensory input that affects balance control strategies with the haptic anchors. These findings provide a strong framework for additional research to be conducted on the effects of haptic input on walking in populations known to have decreased walking balance.

Testing of the fracture resistance of rails

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swiderski, Zdzislaw

Various grades of rail steel as well as whole rail sections were subjected to fracture resistance tests according to the unified method. It was found that heat treatment of rails increased fracture resistance by 50 percent. However, residual stresses also had a substantial effect. Apparent durability values N(sub c) from the Wilson formula have been derived. The influence of residual stresses on rail durability is stated.

77 FR 12182 - Safety Standard for Portable Bed Rails: Final Rule

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-29

... of ASTM F2085- 10a, comply with the following: (i) 1.4.1 Foam and inflatable bed rails need meet only...--portable bed rail constructed primarily of nonrigid materials such as fabric or foam. 3.1.11 inflatable bed..., inflatable bed rail, are terms that are now incorporated as non-rigid bed rail under new section 3.1.12 in...

49 CFR 37.81 - Purchase or lease of used rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.81 Section 37.81 Transportation Office of the Secretary... operating rapid or light rail systems. (a) Except as provided elsewhere in this section, each public entity operating a rapid or light rail system which, after August 25, 1990, purchases or leases a used rapid or...

49 CFR 37.81 - Purchase or lease of used rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.81 Section 37.81 Transportation Office of the Secretary... operating rapid or light rail systems. (a) Except as provided elsewhere in this section, each public entity operating a rapid or light rail system which, after August 25, 1990, purchases or leases a used rapid or...

49 CFR 37.81 - Purchase or lease of used rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.81 Section 37.81 Transportation Office of the Secretary... operating rapid or light rail systems. (a) Except as provided elsewhere in this section, each public entity operating a rapid or light rail system which, after August 25, 1990, purchases or leases a used rapid or...

49 CFR 37.81 - Purchase or lease of used rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.81 Section 37.81 Transportation Office of the Secretary... operating rapid or light rail systems. (a) Except as provided elsewhere in this section, each public entity operating a rapid or light rail system which, after August 25, 1990, purchases or leases a used rapid or...

49 CFR 37.81 - Purchase or lease of used rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.81 Section 37.81 Transportation Office of the Secretary... operating rapid or light rail systems. (a) Except as provided elsewhere in this section, each public entity operating a rapid or light rail system which, after August 25, 1990, purchases or leases a used rapid or...

Growth Life of Surface Cracks in the Rail Web

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-01-01

The results of a theoretical study of the propagation behavior of surface cracks in the web of railroad rails are presented. Two fracture mechanics models are presented: (1) a conventional LEFM model of an elliptical surface crack of constant aspect ...

Rural freight rail and multimodal transportation improvements - the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-01

Affordable freight transportation is a requirement for survival for rural industries, and in many : cases requires the presence of freight rail systems. This study investigated the transportation : system in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (U.P.). Th...

An assessment of high-speed rail safety issues and research needs

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-12-01

The objectives of the study were to provide the Federal Railroad Administration Office of Research and Development with the following information: A general description and operating characteristics of high-speed rail systems likely to be installed i...

Integrating light rail transit into traditional bus systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-07-01

This document identifies those dynamics that facilitate a citys addition of light rail as a successful component of its urban system, with success deemed to be opening on schedule with minimal start-up issues. The study examines several new system...

NYSDOT consideration of potential intermodal sites for Long Island.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-09

This Study was prepared in response to the Governor's directive to conduct an extensive analysis of the feasibility of a truck/rail : facility on Long Island. It was designed to answer three questions: : Is an intermodal truck/rail transfer facil...

Rail transit shared use and control systems study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-03-01

Since the 1990s, there has been growing interest in shared use of general railway system railroad rights-of-way and tracks by transit : vehicles (such as light rail vehicles) that do not fully comply with Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulat...

Estimating workforce development needs for high-speed rail in California.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-03-01

This study provides an assessment of the job creation and attendant education and training needs associated with the creation of the California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) network, scheduled to begin construction in September 2012. Given the high profile ...

Testing of New Bridge Rail and Transition Designs Vol. XIII Appendix L 32-in (813-mm) Thrie-Beam Transition

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-06-01

This report presents the results of a State Planning and Research (SP&R) pooled-fund study to develop safer bridge rail and transition designsThis pooled-fund study was sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, 23 States, and the District of C...

Combustibility of Electrical Wire and Cable for Rail Rapid Transit Systems. Volume 1. Flammability.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1983-05-01

The objective of this study was to examine the flammability of wires and cables used in rapid rail transit systems. The overall goal of the study was to quantify the fire properties of wires and cables in a manner so that the relative fire hazards co...

Combustibility of Electrical Wire and Cable for Rail Rapid Transit Systems. Volume 2. Toxicity.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1983-05-01

The objective of this study was to examine the flammability of wires and cables used in rapid rail transit systems. The overall goal of the study was to quantify the fire properties of wires and cables in a manner so that the relative fire hazards co...

Wheel/Rail Noise and Vibration Control

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1974-05-01

Reported here are the interim results of a program under the UMTA Urban Rail Supporting Technology Program to develop a basic understanding of urban transit wheel/rail noise generation for application to the evaluation and improvement of wheel/rail n...

76 FR 19914 - Safety Standard for Portable Bed Rails: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-11

... constructed primarily of nonrigid materials, such as fabric or foam. An ``inflatable bed rail'' is defined as..., such as fabric or foam; Inflatable bed rail is a portable bed rail constructed primarily of nonrigid...

49 CFR 213.119 - Continuous welded rail (CWR); plan contents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... following items: (i) Loose, bent, or missing joint bolts; (ii) Rail end batter or mismatch that contributes... amount and length of rail end batter or ramp on each rail end; the amount of tread mismatch; the vertical...

49 CFR 213.119 - Continuous welded rail (CWR); plan contents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... following items: (i) Loose, bent, or missing joint bolts; (ii) Rail end batter or mismatch that contributes... amount and length of rail end batter or ramp on each rail end; the amount of tread mismatch; the vertical...

Analysis of Rail Transit Vehicle Dynamic Curving Performance

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1984-06-01

An analytical model is developed for determining the dynamic curving performance of rail transit vehicles. The dynamic wheel/rail interaction forces, vehicle suspension and body motions and track displacement are computed, as well as wheel and rail w...

Control of rolling contact fatigue on premium rails in revenue service.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-11-01

Effective rail maintenance strategies are : essential for controlling rolling contact fatigue : (RCF) and reducing wear of rails under heavy : axle load (HAL) operations. In an effort to : optimize rail maintenance strategies in revenue : service, Tr...

Another look at the question of density and rail transit.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-07-01

Long community discussions about rail often include whether a citys spatial distribution of : housing, employment and other trip generators is conducive to supporting rail transit. A citys : decision to construct rail transit is based on an arr...

A desire named streetcar : fantasy and fact in rail transit planning

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-06-30

The forecasts that led local officials in eight U.S. cities to advocate rail transit projects over competing, less capital-intensive options grossly overestimated rail transit ridership and underestimated rail construction costs and operating expense...

Undergraduate Certificate in Rail Transportation/Engineering.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-05-05

A shift in the U.S. transportation environment has led to a revival in rail transport, especially in : freight rail1. In the meantime, an aging rail employee demographic presents a severe threat to : sufficient level of individuals equipped to handle...

Hazardous Materials Flow by Rail

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-03-01

The report presents a quantitative overview of the movement of hazardous materials by rail in the United States. The data used is a hazardous materials rail waybill sample developed at TSC from the 1983 Rail Waybill Sample. The report examines (1) th...

Three-dimensional train track model for study of rail corrugation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, X. S.; Wen, Z. F.; Wang, K. Y.; Zhou, Z. R.; Liu, Q. Y.; Li, C. H.

2006-06-01

Rail corrugation is a main factor causing the vibration and noise from the structures of railway vehicles and tracks. A calculation model is put forward to analyse the effect of rail corrugation with different depths and wavelengths on the dynamical behaviour of a passenger car and a curved track in detail. Also the evolution of initial corrugation with different wavelengths is investigated. In the numerical analysis, Kalker's non-Hertzian rolling contact theory is modified and used to calculate the frictional work density on the contact area of the wheel and rail in rolling contact. The material loss per unit area is assumed to be proportional to the frictional work density to determine the wear depth of the contact surfaces of the curved rails. The combined influences of the corrugation development and the vertical and lateral coupled dynamics of the passenger car and the curved track are taken into account. The numerical results indicate that: (1) the corrugation with high passing frequencies has a great influence on the dynamical performance of the wheelset and track, but little on the car-body and the bogie frame; (2) the deeper the corrugation depth is, the greater the influence and the rail material wear are; but the longer the corrugation wavelength is, the smaller the influence and the wear are; and (3) the initial corrugation with a fixed wavelength on the rail running surface decreases with increasing number of the passenger car passages.

Public transit research: Rail, bus, and new technology, 1991. Transportation Research Record

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kassabian, N.C.; Tobias, A.G.; Crayton, L.

1991-01-01

The report contains: Image of Rail Transit; Train Operations Computer Simulation Case Study: Single-Tracking Operations for Philadelphia's Market-Frankford Subway Elevated Rail Rapid Transit Line; Transit Railcar Quantities: Scale Economies; Evaluation of Training Programs in Rail Transit: Its Role and Status; Methodology for Evaluating Out-of-Direction Bus Route Segments; Integration of Fixed- and Flexible-Route Bus Systems; Downtown Space for Buses--The Manhattan Experience; Implications of Transit Drug Testing and Maintenance Service Procurement for Small Urban and Rural Systems; Challenges for Integration of Alternative Fuels in the Transit Industry; Short History of the Transbay Transit Terminal and the Relocation of the San Francisco Greyhoundmore » Depot Thereto; Airport Development with Automated People Mover Systems; Review of Four Alternative Airport Terminal Passenger Mobility Systems.« less

The commuter rail circulator network design problem : formulation, solution methods, and applications

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-08-01

Commuter rail is increasingly popular as a means to introduce rail transportation to metropolitan transportation systems. The long-term benefits of commuter rail include the addition of capacity to the transportation system, providing a quality commu...

On-line high-speed rail defect detection.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-10-01

This report presents the results of phase 2 of the project On-line high-speed rail defect detection aimed at improving the reliability and the speed of current defect detection in rails. Ultrasonic guided waves, traveling in the rail running di...

Analyses of rail chill effect

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-06-01

The principles of heat transfer are applied to analyze the so-called "rail chill" effect, which refers to hear loss by conduction from a hot rail vehicle wheel through the contact area into a cold rail, the wheel having been heated by friction brakin...

Home school student visit and introduction to rail transportation and engineering.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-06-22

This project consisted of hosting local Champaign-Urbana, Illinois home school students for a visit to : the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) at the University of Illinois at Urbana- : Champaign (UIUC). Beyond visiting RailTEC, st...

49 CFR 236.711 - Bond, rail joint.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Bond, rail joint. 236.711 Section 236.711 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Bond, rail joint. A metallic connection attached to adjoining rails to insure electrical conductivity. ...

49 CFR 236.752 - Joint, rail, insulated.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Joint, rail, insulated. 236.752 Section 236.752 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Joint, rail, insulated. A joint in which electrical insulation is provided between adjoining rails. ...

Hydrazine Blending and Storage Facility, Wastewater Treatment and Decommissioning Assessment. Technical Plan, Version 3.2

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-04-01

o CHEMICAL TREATMENT - CHLORINE (VARIOUS FORMS) AND CHLORINE/ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT (UV) - OZONE AND OZONE/UV - PERMANGANATE - HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AND...and placed in drums, rail cars or trucks (Hazard 3 Abatement Plan, 1982). The existing hydrazine blending facility area is a limited access site which...Area 40’-0" x 26’-0" Volume 44,000 gallons Function Receive wastewater and stormwater runoff m Construction Material Concrete 7. Building 759 Size 40’-0

Environmental Impact Analysis Process. Environmental Assessment for Replacement Medical Clinic 61st Medical Squadron, Los Angeles Air Force Base

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-12-01

mass transit (buses, commuter trains and light rail ) serves Los Angeles County. Immediate public transit access to Los Angeles AFB is by bus only. 3.8...mostly paved. As a result, surface drainage enters the storm sewer system. Stormwater run-off from Area B of Los Angeles AFB, and specifically from...leaves the installation in the form of stormwater run-off. Little infiltration of rainfall is expected. 3.4 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES As a result of the

Phase I Cultural Resources Survey and Archeological Inventory of a Proposed 1.12 ha (2.87 ac) Borrow Pit and an Associated Access Road, Ascension Parish, Louisiana

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-10-01

proximus orarius Westemn Ribbon Snake Thamnophis proximus proximus Eastern Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis Red-eared Slider Trachemys scripta ... elegans Rough Earth Snake Virginia striatula Western Earth Snake Virginia valeriae elegan 19 R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc. Chapter H...King Rail Ra::* nllus elegans 24 R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc. Chapter I: Natural Setting Table 5, continued COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME

A Chance in Hell: Evaluating the Efficacy of U.S. Military Health Systems in Foreign Disaster Relief

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-10

no direct access to rail or sea. Many of these roads were severed in the 2005 quake due to landslides.127 Regional tensions with India and...to the timing of the quake , many of the dead and injured were schoolchildren whose classrooms collapsed around them. 132Sharon Wiharta et al., The...139According to NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Response Center Report dated October 8, the top two priorities were rescue/cargo helicopters and earth moving

A Big Data Analysis Approach for Rail Failure Risk Assessment.

PubMed

Jamshidi, Ali; Faghih-Roohi, Shahrzad; Hajizadeh, Siamak; Núñez, Alfredo; Babuska, Robert; Dollevoet, Rolf; Li, Zili; De Schutter, Bart

2017-08-01

Railway infrastructure monitoring is a vital task to ensure rail transportation safety. A rail failure could result in not only a considerable impact on train delays and maintenance costs, but also on safety of passengers. In this article, the aim is to assess the risk of a rail failure by analyzing a type of rail surface defect called squats that are detected automatically among the huge number of records from video cameras. We propose an image processing approach for automatic detection of squats, especially severe types that are prone to rail breaks. We measure the visual length of the squats and use them to model the failure risk. For the assessment of the rail failure risk, we estimate the probability of rail failure based on the growth of squats. Moreover, we perform severity and crack growth analyses to consider the impact of rail traffic loads on defects in three different growth scenarios. The failure risk estimations are provided for several samples of squats with different crack growth lengths on a busy rail track of the Dutch railway network. The results illustrate the practicality and efficiency of the proposed approach. © 2017 The Authors Risk Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Risk Analysis.

Providing wireless bandwidth for high-speed rail operations : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-07-01

This project examined the possibility of providing wireless communication for train control systems on American high-speed trains. In this : study, the key issue is that the frequencies allocated for rail operations in the U.S. and the frequencies us...

The Effects of Commuter Rail on Population Deconcentration and Commuting : A Salt Lake City Case Study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-30

All transportation systems have the ability to transform human settlement patterns, which can affect a range of social, economic and environmental issues. Considering investments in rail infrastructure have increased in recent decades (Bureau of Tran...

Evaluation of retroreflective markings to increase rail car conspicuity

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-10-01

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 sta...

Stray Current Corrosion in Electrified Rail Systems - Final Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-05-01

The objectives of this study were (1)to assess the scope of stray-current corrosion on electrified rail systems based upon information in the literature and from interviews with selected transit system operators, and (2)to determine whether new or ad...

Wheel/Rail Force Measurement at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority - Phase II. Volume II. Test Report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1983-06-01

In support of the Office of Rail and Construction Technology of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration, the Transportation Systems Center (TSC) is conducting analytical and experimental studies to relate transit truck design characteristics, wh...

U.S. Transit Track Restraining Rail. Volume II : Guidelines.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-12-01

This report covers a study of restraining rails in transit track, which is part of the current research program of UMTA and was initiated: (1) to assist in the analysis, design, and maintenance and operation of transit track; (2) to compile guideline...

Reducing major rule violations in commuter rail operations : the role of distraction and attentional errors

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-10-22

Recent accidents in commuter rail operations and analyses of rule violations have highlighted the need for : better understanding of the contributory role of distraction and attentional errors. Distracted driving has : thoroughly been studied in rece...

Integration of passenger and freight rail scheduling : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-02-02

In the United States, freight railway are one of the major way to transport goods from ports to inland destinations. According to an Association of American Railroad's study, rail companies move more than 40% of the nation's total freight. Given the ...

Federal funding of rail rehabilitation : a review of alternative approaches

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-09-01

This study explores the proposed mechanisms for injecting federal funds into the rehabilitation of the fixed plant of U.S. railroads--that is, the roadbed, ballast, ties, signaling systems, yards and terminals that make up the physical rail system. T...

Wheel/Rail Force Measurement at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority - Phase II. Volume I. Analysis Report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1983-06-01

In support of the Office of Rail and Construction Technology of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration, the Transportation Systems Center (TSC) is conducting analytical and experimental studies to relate transit truck design characteristics, wh...

NYSDOT consideration of potential intermodal sites for Long Island : appendices.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-09

This Study was prepared in response to the Governor's directive to conduct an extensive analysis of the feasibility of a truck/rail facility on Long Island. It was designed to answer three questions: Is an intermodal truck/rail transfer facility ...

Feasibility of Retrofitting Lifts on Commuter and Light Rail Vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1980-09-01

The objectives of this study were to determine if lift retrofit applications to rail vehicles are technically feasible, and if so, the extent to which existing bus lift technology can be utilized. This report examines some of the technical issues ass...

The influence of service planning decisions on rail transit success or failure.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-06-01

Some United States metropolitan areas with rail transit systems enjoy ridership and productivity success while : others do not. This study examines the experiences of 11 U.S. metropolitan areas with between onr million and : five million persons to b...

Suicides on commuter rail in California : possible patterns-a case study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-12-01

Suicides on rail systems constitute a significant social concern. Reports in local media, whether in newspapers, television, or radio, have brought awareness to this very sensitive and personal subject. This is also true for the San Francisco Bay Are...

Design of an electromagnetic accelerator for turbulent hydrodynamic mix studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susoeff, A. R.; Hawke, R. S.; Morrison, J. J.; Dimonte, G.; Remington, B. A.

1993-12-01

An electromagnetic accelerator in the form of a linear electric motor (LEM) has been designed to achieve controlled acceleration profiles of a carriage containing hydrodynamically unstable fluids for the investigation of the development of turbulent mix. The Rayleigh-Taylor instability is investigated by accelerating two dissimilar density fluids using the LEM to achieve a wide variety of acceleration and deceleration profiles. The acceleration profiles are achieved by independent control of rail and augmentation currents. A variety of acceleration-time profiles are possible including: (1) constant, (2) impulsive and (3) shaped. The LEM and support structure are a robust design in order to withstand high loads with deflections and to mitigate operational vibration. Vibration of the carriage during acceleration could create artifacts in the data which would interfere with the intended study of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The design allows clear access for diagnostic techniques such as laser induced fluorescence radiography, shadowgraphs and particle imaging velocimetry. Electromagnetic modeling codes were used to optimize the rail and augmentation coil positions within the support structure framework. Results of contemporary studies for non-arcing sliding contact of solid armatures are used for the design of the driving armature and the dynamic electromagnetic braking system. A 0.6MJ electrolytic capacitor bank is used for energy storage to drive the LEM. This report will discuss a LEM design which will accelerate masses of up to 3kg to a maximum of about 3000g(sub o), where g(sub o) is accelerated due to gravity.

Analysis of the Influence of Cracked Sleepers under Static Loading on Ballasted Railway Tracks

PubMed Central

Montalbán Domingo, Laura; Zamorano Martín, Clara; Palenzuela Avilés, Cristina; Real Herráiz, Julia I.

2014-01-01

The principal causes of cracking in prestressed concrete sleepers are the dynamic loads induced by track irregularities and imperfections in the wheel-rail contact and the in-phase and out-of-phase track resonances. The most affected points are the mid-span and rail-seat sections of the sleepers. Central and rail-seat crack detection require visual inspections, as legislation establishes, and involve sleepers' renewal even though European Normative considers that thicknesses up to 0.5 mm do not imply an inadequate behaviour of the sleepers. For a better understanding of the phenomenon, the finite element method constitutes a useful tool to assess the effects of cracking from the point of view of structural behaviour in railway track structures. This paper intends to study how the cracks at central or rail-seat section in prestressed concrete sleepers influence the track behaviour under static loading. The track model considers three different sleeper models: uncracked, cracked at central section, and cracked at rail-seat section. These models were calibrated and validated using the frequencies of vibration of the first three bending modes obtained from an experimental modal analysis. The results show the insignificant influence of the central cracks and the notable effects of the rail-seat cracks regarding deflections and stresses. PMID:25530998

Accident prediction model for public highway-rail grade crossings.

PubMed

Lu, Pan; Tolliver, Denver

2016-05-01

Considerable research has focused on roadway accident frequency analysis, but relatively little research has examined safety evaluation at highway-rail grade crossings. Highway-rail grade crossings are critical spatial locations of utmost importance for transportation safety because traffic crashes at highway-rail grade crossings are often catastrophic with serious consequences. The Poisson regression model has been employed to analyze vehicle accident frequency as a good starting point for many years. The most commonly applied variations of Poisson including negative binomial, and zero-inflated Poisson. These models are used to deal with common crash data issues such as over-dispersion (sample variance is larger than the sample mean) and preponderance of zeros (low sample mean and small sample size). On rare occasions traffic crash data have been shown to be under-dispersed (sample variance is smaller than the sample mean) and traditional distributions such as Poisson or negative binomial cannot handle under-dispersion well. The objective of this study is to investigate and compare various alternate highway-rail grade crossing accident frequency models that can handle the under-dispersion issue. The contributions of the paper are two-fold: (1) application of probability models to deal with under-dispersion issues and (2) obtain insights regarding to vehicle crashes at public highway-rail grade crossings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A method for improved accuracy in three dimensions for determining wheel/rail contact points

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xinwen; Gu, Shaojie; Zhou, Shunhua; Zhou, Yu; Lian, Songliang

2015-11-01

Searching for the contact points between wheels and rails is important because these points represent the points of exerted contact forces. In order to obtain an accurate contact point and an in-depth description of the wheel/rail contact behaviours on a curved track or in a turnout, a method with improved accuracy in three dimensions is proposed to determine the contact points and the contact patches between the wheel and the rail when considering the effect of the yaw angle and the roll angle on the motion of the wheel set. The proposed method, with no need of the curve fitting of the wheel and rail profiles, can accurately, directly, and comprehensively determine the contact interface distances between the wheel and the rail. The range iteration algorithm is used to improve the computation efficiency and reduce the calculation required. The present computation method is applied for the analysis of the contact of rails of CHINA (CHN) 75 kg/m and wheel sets of wearing type tread of China's freight cars. In addition, it can be proved that the results of the proposed method are consistent with that of Kalker's program CONTACT, and the maximum deviation from the wheel/rail contact patch area of this two methods is approximately 5%. The proposed method, can also be used to investigate static wheel/rail contact. Some wheel/rail contact points and contact patch distributions are discussed and assessed, wheel and rail non-worn and worn profiles included.

Investigation of the residue in an electric rail gun employing a plasma armature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauer, D. P.; Barber, J. P.

1984-01-01

The performance of dc electric rail guns using plasma-armature-accelerated projectiles was studied. It was found that the initial rail launcher acceleration profile was consistent with the simulation, but that after the projectile had traveled approximately 25 to 30 cm along the gun, a considerable portion of the current in the projectile armature commutated into a secondary current path. Also noted were the lower than expected muzzle velocities. It was proposed that the secondary current path was a relatively high conductivity layer of residue on the launcher bore.

Application field and ways to control alternating-current plasma torch with rail electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuznetsov, V. E.; Safronov, A. A.; Vasilieva, O. B.; Shiryaev, V. N.; Dudnik, Yu D.; Pavlov, A. V.; Kuchina, Yu A.

2018-01-01

The paper deals with the investigation of parameters of the high voltage alternating-current plasma torch with rail electrodes. Usage of the injector and its variation allows controlling of operation of the ac plasma torch with rail electrodes. Also the possibility to protect the electric arc chamber without protective gas has been studied. It was found that increasing in the injector power causes the repeated breakdown at lower voltage and hence the arc dimensions decreases. The results of experiments are presented in the paper.

Rail accelerators for space transportation: An experimental investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zana, L. M.; Kerslake, W. R.; Sturman, J. L.

1986-01-01

An experimental program was conducted at the Lewis Research Center with the objective of investigating the technical feasibility of rail accelerators for propulsion applications. Single-stage, plasma driven rail accelerators of small (4 by 6 mm) and medium (12.5 by 12.5 mm) bores were tested at peak accelerating currents of 50 to 450 kA. Streak-camera photography was used to provide a qualitative description of plasma armature acceleration. The effects of plasma blowby and varying bore pressure on the behavior of plasma armatures were studied.

Midwest regional rail system : a transportation network for the 21 century : executive report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-02-01

The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative is an ongoing effort to develop an improved and expanded passenger rail system in the Midwest. Since 1996, the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative (MWRRI) advanced from a series of service concepts, including increas...

36 CFR Appendix F to Part 1191 - Modifications Adopted by the Department of Transportation

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... negotiate steps may have to travel compared to the general public. Modification to 406 of Appendix D 406... shall be 8 inches (205 mm) minimum above top of rail. In light rail, commuter rail, and intercity rail...

Wheel/Rail Noise Control : A Critical Evaluation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-01-01

Noise and vibration are the major sources of environmental impact from urban rail transit operations, and is a concern for both new and existing systems. One of the primary sources of noise on rail transit systems is wheel/rail noise, or, the noise e...

Wheel/Rail Noise and Vibration : Volume 1. Mechanics of Wheel Rail Noise Generation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-05-01

The final reports are reported of a project to develop a basic understanding of urban transit wheel/rail noise control measures. Analytical models of impedance, response, radiation efficiency, and directivity of wheels and rails are presented and com...

75 FR 17462 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-06

... decision may be purchased by contacting the office of Public Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and...-2)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the second quarter 2010 Rail Cost...

Rail transportation : Federal Railroad Administration's new approach to rail safety

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-07-01

In 1980, the Congress passed the Staggers Rail Act, which fostered substantial changes in the railroad industry. By 1995, fewer large freight railroads accounted for most of the industry's revenue and train miles. At the same time, these freight rail...

78 FR 57450 - State Rail Plan Guidance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-18

... development of State rail plans, as appropriate. A commenter recommended that the FRA Regional Manager be... integration of State rail plan development within the statewide/nonmetropolitan transportation planning... Guidance is to describe the processes for the development, submission, and acceptance of State rail plans...

Proceedings : Seminar on the use of Composite Third Rail in Electrified Transit and Commuter Rail Systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-11-01

The seminar was organized at the request of UMTA to disseminate accurate information on, and experience with, composite (aluminum and steel) third, or contact rail, in wayside power distribution systems of electrified urban rail properties. The semin...

Wheel/Rail Noise and Vibration : Volume 2. Applications to Control of Wheel/Rail Noise.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-05-01

The final reports are reported of a project to develop a basic understanding of urban transit wheel/rail noise control measures. Analytical models of impedance, response, radiation efficiency, and directivity of wheels and rails are presented and com...

76 FR 59483 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-26

... the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the fourth quarter 2011 Rail Cost Adjustment...

Effect of Wheel/Rail Loads on Concrete Tie Stresses and Rail Rollover.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-09-21

As a result of vertical and lateral wheel/rail forces, high contact stresses can develop at the interface between the rail base and tie. Under certain conditions, these stresses can exceed the strength of the concrete tie and result in deterioration ...

77 FR 68722 - National Highway-Rail Crossing Inventory Reporting Requirements

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-16

...-0007, Notice No. 2] RIN 2130-AC26 National Highway-Rail Crossing Inventory Reporting Requirements... Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on National Highway-Rail Crossing Inventory Reporting Requirements... National Highway-Rail Crossing Inventory (Crossing Inventory). This notice announces the scheduling of the...

77 FR 48591 - State Rail Plan Guidance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-14

... Plan Guidance AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Request for Public Comment on Proposed State Rail Plan Guidance. SUMMARY: FRA is publishing this notice to... plans. State rail plans are documents that are required under Section 303 of the Passenger Rail...

Data Analysis and Instrumentation Requirements for Evaluating Rail Joints and Rail Fasteners in Urban Track

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-02-01

Rail fasteners for concrete ties and direct fixation and bolted rail joints have been identified as key components for improving track performance. However, the lack of statistical load data limits the development of improved design criteria and eval...

Pedestrian/bicyclist warning devices and signs at highway-rail and pathway-rail grade crossings.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-04-01

Federal reporting shows a relatively constant number of pedestrian and bicycle fatalities at highway-rail and : pathway-rail grade crossings over the past 10 years. This is in contrast to a marked decrease in trainvehicle : collisions at highway-r...

49 CFR 1580.101 - Rail security coordinator.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... the corporate level. (d) Each freight railroad carrier, rail hazardous materials shipper, and rail hazardous materials receiver required to have an RSC must provide to TSA the names, title, phone number(s... any of this information changes. (e) Each freight railroad carrier, rail hazardous materials shipper...

49 CFR 1580.101 - Rail security coordinator.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... the corporate level. (d) Each freight railroad carrier, rail hazardous materials shipper, and rail hazardous materials receiver required to have an RSC must provide to TSA the names, title, phone number(s... any of this information changes. (e) Each freight railroad carrier, rail hazardous materials shipper...

49 CFR 1580.101 - Rail security coordinator.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... the corporate level. (d) Each freight railroad carrier, rail hazardous materials shipper, and rail hazardous materials receiver required to have an RSC must provide to TSA the names, title, phone number(s... any of this information changes. (e) Each freight railroad carrier, rail hazardous materials shipper...

New Hampshire state rail plan 2001

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-04-01

This report is the 2001 update to the New Hampshire Statewide Rail Plan, which was last updated in 1991 and amended in 1993. The Rail Plan presents an overview of the current status of the New Hampshire Rail System, who operates it and how it is util...

Natal plumage characters in rails

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wetherbee, D.K.; Meanley, B.

1965-01-01

The downy young of the Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris), King Rail (Rallus elegans), and Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) are described as totally black in all literature examined by us. Wetherbee (Bird-Banding, 32: 141-159, 1961) noted that some neonates of Virginia Rail from Storrs, Connecticut, had patches of white down below the wings. "Neonatal" pertains to the developmental condition or characters at hatching distinct from the much abused term "natal" which in ornithology pertains to the condition or characters from hatching to acquisition of teleoptile plumage. The presence of similar patches of white down was observed by us in the Clapper Rails at Chincoteague, Virginia (Figure 1). An examination of many hundreds of specimens from the ranges of most of the subspecies of Clapper Rails, including the strongly contrasting R. longirostris saturatus from Louisiana, revealed the almost invariable presence of at least 1 and sometimes as many as 30 white neossoptiles in the anterior abdominal regions of the ventral pterylae. Conversely, no King Rail neonate examined by us has shown a white neossoptile.

Railroad Tie Responses to Directly Applied Rail Seat Loading in Ballasted Tracks : A Computational Study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-04-17

This paper describes work in-progress that applies the : finite element (FE) method in predicting the responses of : individual railroad crossties to rail seat pressure loading in a : ballasted track. Both wood and prestressed concrete crossties : ar...