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Rails/Railroad/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Axle Counters | 7/14/2011 | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Q: Which are the best axle counters to use on a high speed railway (a) Alcatel AZLM or (b) Frauscher ... A: Terry, I have been hearing about Frauscher for last few years. Their product is highly modular and ... | ||
| Historical train question | 4/8/2011 | Jeffrey Albright |
| Q: Albright, I'm doing research for a story I'm writing set in 1930 and I have a couple questions ... A: In the early 1900's New York City passed an ordnance eliminating steam locomotives from their city ... | ||
| train travel | 3/26/2011 | Jeffrey Albright |
| Q: AS my wife and I sat waiting for a freight train to pass she asked how they turn the train around to ... A: Generally speaking "trains" do not need to be turned "around". The cars whether they be freight or ... | ||
| rail | 2/2/2011 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: I am looking to ship freight by rail but the rail providers (UP, CSX, Etc) are giving me outrageous ... A: What you have is a shipping logistics challenge. You are attempting to work directly with the ... | ||
| Locomotive sensor | 1/13/2011 | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Q: Does any manufacturer make a device to sense when a locomotive has passed or rolled over it. If so, ... A: I think you are looking for an specific application. If you can send me required functionality and ... | ||
| train trip specifics | 11/29/2010 | Jeffrey Albright |
| Q: are there any trains running from vancouver canada to san francisco for passengers and if so how ... A: The simple answer is no there aren't any through route trains. However Amtrak does have service ... | ||
| adams and westlake lantern | 10/27/2010 | Jeffrey Albright |
| Q: Sir: I have a adams and westlake lantern and would like to know whatC&D.T. Co stamped on the top ... A: You did not say what your locale is, or where you got the lantern or where it came from. That would ... | ||
| Wood railroad ties | 9/30/2010 | Jeffrey Albright |
| Q: Are there any special methods for handling or placing wood railroad ties? If yes, what are they? A: You were not real specific on the nature of your use, so I will try to cover most of the normal ... | ||
| Axle Counter | 9/28/2010 | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Q: Please advise me on the safety aspect of using an Axle Counter device in contrast to the Track ... A: Well, axle counter has its pros and cons. It certainly can't detect track shunting ( any metal ... | ||
| Axle Counter | 9/26/2010 | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Q: Please advise me on the safety aspect of using an Axle Counter device in contrast to the Track ... A: Axle counter detects train wheels crossing at the boundaries of monitored track section and based on ... | ||
| Axle Counter | 9/15/2010 | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Q: Please advise me on the safety aspect of using an Axle Counter device in contrast to the Track ... A: Axle counters are normally validated for conformity with Cenelec safety standards for electronic and ... | ||
| Railroad Gate Damaged Car | 8/20/2010 | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Q: Odd Story: I was approaching a railroad crossing and noticed about 50 yards beyond the crossing was ... A: This must have been automatic barrier crossing which is not seen by a human before closing the gate. ... | ||
| CSX | 8/12/2010 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: wHAT DOES (CSX) STAND FOR ON THE RAIL ROAD COMPANY?? A: CSX was formed on July 1, 1986 as the result of a merger between the Chessie System Railroad and the ... | ||
| Dimensions of passenger coaches | 5/2/2010 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: I'd like to know the dimensions of Pullman passenger coaches. I believe they are all 70ft long? ... A: The name Pullman refers to a company which was founded in 1862 by George Pullman to build luxury ... | ||
| crossing gates | 4/29/2010 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: I had begun to cross a UP track in Chicago, when the crossing signals came on. There was a van in ... A: You are VERY lucky. In most cases there is no sensor of any kind in the crossing gate arm itself at ... | ||
| crossimgs | 3/25/2010 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: Can you tell me how the Railroad decides when to put crossing arms and lights up at uncontrolled ... A: Planning the installation of warning devices at railroad grade crossings with roadways is a decision ... | ||
| government support of public railways | 3/18/2010 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: Is it true that Canada, the United States, and Cuba are the only countries in the Hemisphere with ... A: In this hemisphere, those countries which operate passenger railways do tend to have some level of ... | ||
| RR spikes | 2/18/2010 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: While metal detecting in a wooded area of Alabama a buddy found several spikes that are 3-4 inches ... A: The idea that the spikes were part of some sort of narrow gage industrial railroad which was set up ... | ||
| Box Car vs. Trailer Truck Capacity | 2/5/2010 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: Will a Trailer Truck carry the same amount of Cargo that a Boxcar Can. We are about to lose almost ... A: A quick comparison of a standard 53' dry cargo semi-trailer van against a 60' Hi Cube railroad box ... | ||
| Tram network length | 12/17/2009 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: Hope you can help with this. I'm trying to find out the average length of tram networks as they ... A: David: Thanks for your question. A comprehensive answer to your question will require some ... | ||
| Railroad cart | 10/9/2009 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: My fiancee picked up a railroad cart at an auction and were wondering if you could possibly tell us ... A: It is hard to say. I have seen similar carts in contemporary passenger stations. That does not mean ... | ||
| Markings | 7/17/2009 | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Q: What is the industry standard as to how far back from the track the white line for cars to stop at? ... A: Generally distance should not be less than infringement dimensions of Railroad stock running on the ... | ||
| Breaking system | 7/16/2009 | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Q: when train moves then its wheels have kinetic energy i want to know r we using this energy in other ... A: Kunal, The kinetic energy in most of vehicles in use goes waste as heat while braking. But Recent ... | ||
| Track sidings | 5/25/2009 | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Q: What is the average length of sidings in the south?? A: Wayne, Length of siding is a highly variable parameter depending on user needs. Siding could be as ... | ||
| transient protection with floating ground | 5/4/2009 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: If I am installing controls equipment in the track area for a 600VDC floating ground system what is ... A: The ballast membrane is there to keep "fines" of sand, silt and other small size materials from ... | ||
| goods vans (boxcars) | 4/8/2009 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: Re goods vans (boxcars in American English), I have an idea that they are (or at least were) usually ... A: I can only speak to this issue as it relates to North American operations. Operations in the rest of ... | ||
| standard rail width | 3/25/2009 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: I need to know the top width of a standard size freight rail. Not the span from rail to rail. The ... A: Like so many things, the answer is "it depends". This dimension will vary by the weight of the rail ... | ||
| Conductor | 3/25/2009 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: is the a lot of math involved as a conductor or locomotive engineer? A: I am not really able to gauge what "a lot of math" is for you. For some folks a lot of math might be ... | ||
| Safe Loading of Rail Cars | 2/20/2009 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: We load our own rail cars with our pipe products what is the safest form of fall protection for our ... A: There is additional information which would help anyone who you might engage to assist you with your ... | ||
| Railroad spike material | 2/12/2009 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: My 12 year old daughter is doing a project for school on the railroad. We have been scouring the ... A: Railroad spikes are a component of the track fixation system which is intended to keep railroad ... | ||
| transcontinental railroad | 12/28/2008 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: Chris , do train tours of the transcontinental railroad route exist ? can you partial or full ... A: Denny: Thanks for your question. Just so we are sure to be discussing the same thing, the first ... | ||
| NS age limit? | 12/4/2008 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: Is there an age limit as to hiring of conductors on the NS or CSX? I'm 49 and have considered ... A: Robert: Thanks for your question. The freight railroads are the same as any other employer, they ... | ||
| 72 volt transformers | 11/18/2008 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: We need to purchase a 72 volt transformer. We repair and service a/c units and need this transformer ... A: I have to infer a few things from your question, so I may make an incorrect assumption or two, but ... | ||
| Old railroad spikes | 10/23/2008 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: Chris, While recently visiting my Aunt in Dighton,Kansas, my husband found an old railroad spike in ... A: Sounds like you have a little piece of American history in the family. While my area of expertise is ... | ||
| signs on a platform | 10/17/2008 | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Q: I have seen many signs on platforms which light up when a train arrives and leaves the platform ... A: Mark, These are signs and indicators used for coordination between various parties involved in ... | ||
| railroad crossing gate | 9/28/2008 | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Q: once the railroad crossing lights come on is there a min. or max. time that the crossing gate is ... A: The crossing arrangement and hence sequence of operation and timing differs from country to country ... | ||
| trains | 9/6/2008 | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Q: I have been seeing a bnsf coal train with two engines and one engine at the rear. A: The engine in rear of train is also called Banker and it is mostly used in heavy gradient sections ... | ||
| Old railway baggage cart | 7/28/2008 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: I'm not sure this is you area but maybe you can direct me to the proper place or person. I haven't ... A: While this is outside my area, I can offer a couple suggestions. Something like this baggage cart ... | ||
| UK Railway construction | 7/19/2008 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: I have noticed 'gauges' affixed to the lower walls of platforms at stations. They are slim metal, ... A: Derryl: Thanks for your question. Without more detailed information than provided in your ... | ||
| Creating a Quiet Zone for a private entity | 7/11/2008 | Chris Holliday |
| Q: Chris, I have been asked to research establishing a quiet zone for a private, instead of public ... A: For a privately owned grade crossing, State law would usually apply. If the grade crossing is a ... | ||
Rails/Railroad
Answers by Expert:
Chris Holliday
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Questions related to contemporary passenger rail vehicles and their technology, including subway, light rail, commuter and intercity rolling stock. Includes all vehicle systems and features along with integration of the vehicles into the general railroad system.
Experience
I have over 22 years of experience in the passenger rail vehicle business as both an engineering manager at a car builder and as a provider of engineering services to commuter railroads and transit agencies in the US. I have worked to apply the latest technologies to passanger rail equipment. I have worked with leaders in our industry to develop and establish Standards and Recommended practices.
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