ON March 20 MxV
Rail announced the completion of a new test loop at the research and test
centre that it operates in Pueblo, Colorado, for its parent, the Association of
American Railroads (AAR).
The new 4.5km
loop has been built to support the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing
(Fast), which enables rolling stock and infrastructure to be tested by the
subjecting them to 127 million gross tonnes or more of heavy axleload traffic a
year.
MxV says that
testing at Fast is important component of AAR’s Strategic Research Initiatives
programme to test new technology in a real-world freight railway environment.
Over 30 research
and test projects are now underway at Fast. Work includes:
- developing new technology to detect defective
wheels and broken rails
- testing the safety and longevity of new
metallurgical formulations and processing techniques for wheels and rail
from suppliers around the world
- monitoring the performance and stability of new
track structure through frequent assessment of strength, movement and
loading
- comparative assessment of the ability of
different types of sleeper and rail fastening systems to resist rail
rollover and mitigate the risks of track buckling, and
- testing the safety and longevity of new designs
of bridge deck components.
AAR and the
United States Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) jointly developed the
original Fast design requirements in 1975. MxV Rail says that the design of the
new loop was discussed with the rail industry to ensure that it will be able to
support innovation well into the future.
The new loop has
capabilities similar to its predecessors, including the ability to balance
efficient tonnage accumulation and rail temperature while maintaining a test
speed of 64km/h.
It also features
a reduced number of curves to provide a longer section of straight or tangent
track, and a longer and sharper reverse curve. This has a radius of 6°,
designed to increase the rate of wear, while allowing more rail to be tested at
any given time.
