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About 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.
   

You are here:  Experts > Industry > Logistics/Supply Chain > Rails/Railroad

SubjectDate AskedExpert

Railroad cart10/9/2009Chris 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 ...
Markings7/17/2009Akhilesh 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 system7/16/2009Akhilesh 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 sidings5/25/2009Akhilesh 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 ground5/4/2009Chris 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)4/8/2009Chris 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 width3/25/2009Chris 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 ...
Conductor3/25/2009Chris 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 Cars2/20/2009Chris 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 material2/12/2009Chris 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 railroad12/28/2008Chris 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?12/4/2008Chris 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 transformers11/18/2008Chris 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 spikes10/23/2008Chris 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 platform10/17/2008Akhilesh 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 gate9/28/2008Akhilesh 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 ...
trains9/6/2008Akhilesh 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 cart7/28/2008Chris 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 construction7/19/2008Chris 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 entity7/11/2008Chris 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 ...
Railway Maintenance of Way Machines6/23/2008Chris Holliday
  Q: Where can I get a current Industry Review 2008 of the Railway Maintenance of Way equipment & ...
  A: There are a number of monthly industry periodical publications which can provide insight into the ...
Vertical train lift / elevator?6/18/2008Chris Holliday
  Q: I was wondering if there are any examples of a vertical lift or elevator used to transfer a train ...
  A: I believe you are looking for an example of some sort of elevator system being used in regular ...
communication between dispatcher and train in early sixties.5/27/2008Akhilesh Yadav
  Q: I would like to know by what means the dispatcher communicated with the engineer of a coal train ...
  A: sorry for the delay. Unfortunately system did not prompt me this time since it does not prompt for ...
plastic subway seats5/7/2008Chris Holliday
  Q: Certain NYC subway seats provide great relief to my lower back. The best are the yellow, gold and ...
  A: The NY City subway operates about 6000 subway cars, one of the world's largest fleets. There are ...
railcar brakes5/2/2008Chris Holliday
  Q: I am involved in the trucking business,familiar with how trailer brakes work in that application ...
  A: I am guessing that when you refer to hoses, you may be referring to the hoses which connect the ...
Railcars going round a curve4/10/2008Chris Holliday
  Q: What is the relative movement between two adjacent say 65 ft railcsrs when going around a typical ...
  A: Believe it or not, this issue is typically dealt with as a matter of geometry using a relatively ...
something strange3/30/2008Akhilesh Yadav
  Q: This past winter I saw something I'd never seen on a railroad and am super curious as to why. Along ...
  A: Your eyes are perfectly all right. Actually during winter some sections of tracks known as switch ...
railcar air brakes3/12/2008Chris Holliday
  Q: This is additional information for my original question. I am trying to convert a dining car from a ...
  A: It appears you may be looking to upgrade the brake valve in order to move this car in regular ...
Railway Track buckles due to Heat3/9/2008Chris Holliday
  Q: I am in the final stages of being granted a British patent for a device to prevent heat buckles and ...
  A: It seems to me that you might want to introduce your device to the Class I freight railroads who ...
railroad rails2/5/2008Chris Holliday
  Q: My 6 year old grandson is a railroad fanatic. He is bugging me to find a couple of short rails to ...
  A: Most railroads replace rail on a periodic basis. When they do, they typically sell the old rail ...
grade crossing bell1/30/2008Akhilesh Yadav
  Q: I bet I get you on this one. I found a crossing bell (U.S & S. Co.) patented Feb.20-1917 number ...
  A: Joe, i can not tell this without actually having a look at it. But i feel it should be a 10v dc bell ...
ITS and Railroad Crossing12/13/2007Chris Holliday
  Q: What are the ITS technologies to inform passengers about train approaching, how long its takes or ...
  A: I believe you are asking if ITS technologies are being applied to railroad grade crossings in a way ...
Offloading stone12/9/2007Akhilesh Yadav
  Q: I work for a construction company that is interested in moving stone by rail to various locations. ...
  A: Railroad will be economical for point to point movement if both the start and destination are on ...
Rail composition and loadbearing11/30/2007Chris Holliday
  Q: 1) What types of metals and in what percentages are they used in a typical rail? 2) How much weight ...
  A: Joe: Thanks for your question. Here is some information in response to your question. There is an ...
train detection11/1/2007Akhilesh Yadav
  Q: is there a kind of train detection available which does not use rails for sending and receiving ...
  A: If you mean just the current in rails, then yes, axle counter is the detection system which does not ...
TOC's10/24/2007Norman T. Eisengart
  Q: Which railway station (UK) currently holds the record for being served by the most TOC's? ANSWER: ...
  A: I will be able to get an answer from a friend of mine who owned the EWS Railway. Ed Burkhardt who ...
Signalling Criteria10/15/2007Gary Wilson
  Q: What is the criteria for using four indication signalling (R-Y-FL Y-G) vs. three indication (R-Y-G)? ...
  A: Hey George That is a very good question and a very long answer would be in order. The lights ...
Is it possible to rehire with NS railway?9/20/2007Gary Wilson
  Q: Will NS rehire a former employee who abruptly quit them? I was going through a divorce and quit ...
  A: Hey Mark It may be hard to get past the hiring manager. Class ones would like to hire ...
retainer valves9/15/2007Gary Wilson
  Q: I was recently promoted to conductor. The instructor gave us a handout on using retainer valves in ...
  A: Retainers are not to be used in place of hand brakes. First lesson you learn is that air brakes are ...
Railroad Tie Replacement9/7/2007Chris Holliday
  Q: I occasionally see lots of railroad equipment working on maintenance of the railways. How do the ...
  A: All those machines belong to a class of equipment call "Maintenance Of Way" or MOW equipment. These ...

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