USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Technical Reports

Subscribe to RSS

Wheel/Truck Tolerance Experiment at FAST

The test program described in this report covers the investigation of the performance of trucks in freight cars influenced by various mechanical factors. The primary issue was the effect of axle misalignment on the behavior of three-piece trucks. Secondary tests were carried out to investigate the...

Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Train Dynamic and Train Mobility Evaluation

Tests were performed on the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison (PKRG) Train which included track worthiness, train handling, and train mobility. The track worthiness tests were conducted according to specifications in Chapter XI of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), Manual of Standards and...

Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Test of Engineering Model Fuel Car

Tests were performed on the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Fuel Car, according to specifications in Chapter XI of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices. The car was tested in three discrete configurations: loaded, half-loaded, and unloaded. The...

Gas-Spray Repair of Rail Surface Defects

An alternative weld repair process (gas-spray) was devised by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) which incorporates a oxyacetylene flame and a powdered filler metal. The gas-spray process was designed to operate either semi-automatic or fully automatic and was intended to reduce operator errors...

Fatigue Defect Origination and Growth Experiment

Between 1985-87 a number of different rail steels were tested at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) in the High Tonnage Loop using 100-ton capacity cars. Fatigue data on the formation of shells and detail fractures and growth rates of detail fractures were obtained. The tendency of...

FAST/HAL Turnout and Frog Performance Tests

Turnouts on the High Tonnage Loop were monitored for component failures and maintenance demand during 160 MGT of Heavy Axle Load operation at the Transportation Test Center, Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST), Pueblo, Colorado. A "frog farm" was included to increase the scope of the...

FAST/HAL Track Loads Evaluation

The FAST/HAL Track Loads Evaluation was conducted to quantify vertical and lateral forces at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing, Transportation Test Center, Pueblo, Colorado, under 33- and 39-ton axle load cars. Vertical rail forces beneath the 39-ton axle load cars were found to be 25...