Achieving consistent locomotive braking performance

THIS PAPER reviews previous locomotive braking experiments and presents results from recent locomotive braking experiments with a focus on quantifying the variability of braking performance. Experiments were conducted in Mackay and Bundaberg in 2004 to measure the braking performance of a large number of locomotives at various locations. Further experiments conducted in Mackay examined the effect of skidding on braking performance. Experiments conducted in Giru and Proserpine in 2007 and 2008 examined the effect of an anti-lock braking system on braking performance. From the analysis of previously presented data, brake van braking, either with locomotive braking or by itself, has been found to provide more consistent train braking performance than locomotive braking alone. Skidding has been shown to introduce considerable variability into braking performance, adversely affecting deceleration by a factor of two. Some measure of control over skidding can be obtained through the fitting of an anti-lock braking system to locomotives. Results comparing anti-lock braking to manual braking by experienced drivers were mixed although it is expected, but not tested, that an anti-lock braking system will improve the performance of an inexperienced driver.