Track Class. & Track Inspections

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Hi,

Two questions:

  1. Re: track classifications- As an example–If you would only feel safe at 25 mph with freight over Class 2 track, how is it deemed safe to put passengers over it at 30 mph? Is it possibly because freight would weigh more than a passenger train?

  2. Re: track inspections: Are tourist RR exempt from track inspections during the winter months if they are not operating during that time frame? I’m thinking probably yes, but I didn’t see this any place.

Thanks in advance for information. I am eager to learn all I can!

2
  1. If you’re asking why train lines often have speed limit signs with two different speeds - like 60 for passenger and 45 for freight - I think it has to do with factors like freight trains being much much heavier than passenger trains, and so take much much longer to stop…like at a red signal. Also freight cars can have things “loose” on them like flatcar loads that may not be able to take the greater speeds. I imagine the amount of superelevation on curves might factor into it too.
3

The largest part of the speed difference is the uniform loading and center of gravity of passenger equipment which allows passenger equipment to pass thru curves using a much higher unbalance elevation in the curve speed calculations. The 3.5 inches you see in the Cls 1-5 track calculations is the MAXIMUM (ie most forgiving) case in the speed calculations. Freight trains use a lower unbalance elevation , usually between 1.75 inches and 2.0 inches to allow more variation in carloading of freight equipment. (Paul, the lecture on equilbrium speed and vector mechanics needs to come some other day, suffice it to say the whole point is to balance forces against both rails equally as much as possible before the gods of centripital force get mean and throw the train off the high side of the curve)

4

The largest part of the speed difference is the uniform loading and center of gravity of passenger equipment which allows passenger equipment to pass thru curves using a much higher unbalance elevation in the curve speed calculations. The 3.5 inches you see in the Cls 1-5 track calculations is the MAXIMUM (ie most forgiving) case in the speed calculations. Freight trains use a lower unbalance elevation , usually between 1.75 inches and 2.0 inches to allow more variation in carloading of freight equipment.

(Paul, the lecture on equilbrium speed and vector mechanics needs to come some other day, suffice it to say the whole point is to balance forces against both rails equally as much as possible before the gods of centripital force get mean and throw the train off the high side of the curve)

5

To answer your question about FRA track inspections on tourist roads, the FRA track safety standards, (49 CFR Part 213) only apply to “standard gage track in the general railroad system of transportation” (sec 213.3). Please don’t post a reply saying I’m a barabarian because I can’t spell “gauge”. I may well be a barbarian, but not because of this. “Gage” is the spelling FRA uses consistently in its track rules.

Most tourist roads aren’t part of the “general railroad system of transportation”. Therefore, the track rules as a whole, and the inspection intervals specified in the track rules don’t apply to these roads. For further information on FRA’s treatment of tourist roads, see FRA’s “Statement of Agency Policy Concerning Enforcement of the Federal Railroad Safety Laws”, 49 CFR PArt 209, Appendix A (see the discussion under the heading “The Extent and Exercise of FRA’s Safety Jurisdiction”).

For those tourist roads which are part of the “general system”, track inspection intervals are provided in 49 CFR 213.233. Tourist roads would not normally have track higher than FRA Class 3. The chart shown in this section is unclear how it applies to Class 3 and lower track used for passenger service during during