Engineering Data Characterizing the Fleet of U.S. Railway Rolling Stock. Volume I: User's Guide

摘要

This report contains engineering parameter descriptions of major and distinctive freight vehicle configurations covering approximately 96% of the U.S. freight vehicle fleet. This data has been developed primarily for use in analytical simulation modeling of rail vehicles to analyses of vehicle/track dynamic interaction dynamics. To characterize loaded freight vehicles, representative ladings and average load conditions were defined, and load-dependent characterizations were developed for each major vehicle/lading combination. Freight truck design data was assembled and correlated with carbody descriptions, and some typical freight vehicle wheel profiles were defined based on a field measurement survey. Population data and estimates of total annual mileage traveled by each vehicle and vehicle/lading combination are also provided. Engineering parameter descriptions of major locomotive and passenger vehicle design groups are also provided. The concept of generically similar railcar configurations is also introduced as a practical and cost effective approach to analyzing large numbers of vehicles in rail system dynamics studies. This volume is user oriented containing (a) a summary description of data developed, (b) a detailed data directory to facilitate access to data contained in appendices of Volume II, and (c) supplemental comments on elements of the detailed methodology.