WHEN WHEEL MEETS RAIL

Railroaders have long engaged in discussions about wheels and rails, vehicles and track, and how they interact. In the past, these discussions often took place in the field, as track and mechanical departments struggled to understand the cause of derailments. The article discusses the annual Advanced Rail Management (ARM) seminar which explores new thinking and understanding of wheel/rail interaction and enhances the level of communication between people with responsibility for wheel and rail, vehicle and track maintenance. The participants in these seminars have an opportunity to share results of and investigations into improving vehicle/track interaction and extending wheel and rail component life.