> >All full-size locomotives and freight cars most definitely have > tapered wheels! The taper is 1 in 20, as set by the American > Association of Railroads and strictly enforced by >the Federal Railroad > Administration.
Hello List, Dr. Magdy El-Sibaie, is the Chief of FRA's Track Research Divison. Below is a quote from Dr. El-Sibaie taken from a recent interview in "Interface" the Journal of Wheel/Rail Interaction. "El-Sibaie: Let's look at wheel and rail profiles. Currently, FRA does not have safety standards that explicitly address wheel and rail profiles. The closest thing we have is in the high-speed rules in the area that addresses the risk of wheel climb. We know that flange angle is an important parameter in the wheel climb mechanism, but we haven't set a minimum requirement for flange angle. That's left up to the industry. But we take flange angle into account when analyzing the derailment quotient - the lateral to vertical load ratio - in the qualification of specific vehicles and equipment." The entire article can be read at: http://www.interfacejournal.com/features/05-05/fra/1.html The FRA does NOT enforce any regulation concerning locomotive wheel profile in the USA. K.H. Taylor _______________________________________________ SSLiveSteam mailing list Send messages: [email protected] Cancel subscription: http://postfix.45mm.com/mailman/listinfo/sslivesteam Rules: http://www.45mm.com/sslivesteam_guide.html
