ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Under research funded by Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Transportation Technology Center, Inc. conducted an investigation of heavy point frog (HPF) performance in operations of passenger vehicles at speeds up to 175 km/h. The simulation study was performed with various conditions of the track and vehicle systems, and for each case the results demonstrated that the HPFs can be used for FRA Class 6 track speed with passenger equipment without risk of exceeding vehicle track interaction safety criteria. The simulation results were verified with revenue service measurements. Limited test data collected on the Chicago to St. Louis high-speed rail line at 125 km/h provided good validation of the NUCARS® (Transportation Technology Center, Inc.) models. HPFs are used extensively by North American railways in freight service. Very often they are installed on shared freight and passenger corridors; however, the HPF track panel does not satisfy requirements for track classes with higher speeds. Application to higher speed passenger operations requires assessment of the potential derailment risks and dynamic effects of HPFs.
