Railroads and the Environment:Estimation of Fuel Consumption in Rail Transportation. Volume III. Comparison of Computer Simulations with Field Measurements.

摘要

The report documents comparisons between extensive rail freight service measurements (previously presented in Volume II) and simulations of the same operations using a sophisticated train performance calculator computer program. The comparisons cover a variety of lengthy freight movements over a differing terrain,for TOFC, boxcar,and branchline operations. The simulation shows excellent agreement (within 2%) for aggregated data,although some specific runs or run segments show substantial deviations. Uncertainty is typically plus or minus 10% to 15%, a range equivalent to the scatter generally found within sets of measured data. The report also includes a full description of the simulation program and a general analysis of the major factors which bear upon the validity and accuracy of train performance calculations. Proposed modifications to conventional train resistance equations are suggested.