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Rail FAQ

  • I need to carry out regular brake efficiency tests on tramway vehicles.I don’t think brake meters used in cars are suitable. Is there a simple easy to use brake tester available for tramways?

    Datron’s Vericom VC4000 Brake Tester is ideal for this application.Using a precision internal clock and decelerometers the VC4000 accurately calculates deceleration,speed, distance and time.Installed in seconds,it records and displays results moments after the vehicle has stopped.It can be set up specifically for Tram and Light-Rail use.

  • The doppler radar sensor I’m using at the moment gives a positive speed reading whichever direction the train is moving.When I’m post processing data I can’t tell from the recording which way the train moves after it has stopped.Is there any way of overcoming this?

    Datron’s GSS11 and GSS20 doppler radar sensors have a direction output signal which can be recorded to show the relative directional movement of the train.

  • How do I avoid the speed reading errors caused by wheel slippage from electro-mechanical tacho’s on the wheelsets of rail vehicles?

    Non-contact Doppler Radar sensors are available for temporary or permanent mounting on all types of railway rolling stock Loco’s,EMU’s,DMU’s,etc.They work completely independantly of the wheels or drive systems.

  • How can the performance and ride quality of a locomotive or passenger rolling stock be measured?

    By using a Datron/OXTS RT3200 Vehicle Dynamics measuring system a full range of performance and ride parameters can be logged during a test run. Speed, acceleration and braking, plus roll, pitch and yaw parameters can be measured. This gives valuable feedback to design engineers involved in traction, braking and suspension systems design. The compact RT3200 can be fitted to a test vehicle in a matter of minutes. If an RT3200 is mounted in a powered rail vehicle and another in a non-powered, then a comparative study of the ride qualities of both can be made and the interactive effects studied.

  • How can an accurate track map of a railway system be produced?

    By mounting a Datron/OXTS RT3000 GPS/INS system onto a rail vehicle which is then driven along the track(s) to be mapped. Data gathered from the RT3000′s array of sensors is then used to provide a very accurate log of the position of the vehicle. When the data is extracted from the RT3000 system this positional information can be processed to produce a very accurate track map.