Rolling Stock

The moving component of a railway system are called as Rolling

stock of the railways.
It includes all types of:

Locomotives

Wagons

Coaches

Organizatio
ns
The following authorities, agencies and organizations are
responsible for designing the rolling stock:

FRA (Federal Railroad Administration)

APTA (American Public Transportation Association)

AAR (Association of American Railroads)

State of Colorado

NFPA (National Fire Protection Association)

OSHA (Occasional Safety and Health Association)

Factors Affecting Rolling Stock Design

The technical factors which are considered while designing rolling
stock are:

Weight of rolling stock

Dimensions of rolling stock

Design of Wheels

Vehicle brakes

Traction control

Coupling Mechanism

1.Weight
The Rolling stock weight is designed according to Concessionaire's
Proposal.
For weight calculations, passenger weight shall be assumed to be
165 lbs/person.
Car weights shall be classified as follows:

AW0 Empty Car operating weight;

AW1 AW0 weight plus full seated passenger load and train crew;

AW2 structural mean fatigue load, propulsion and dynamic braking

performance load);

AW3 friction braking performance load); and

AW4 (structural design load, not contemplated for revenue operation)

2. Dimensions of Rolling stock

Dimensions of rolling stock is also a most important factor

kept in mind while designing the rolling stock.

The dimensions of rolling stock depend on the type of gauge

of the railway track.

3. Design of Wheels
Design of wheels includes two parameters:

Size of wheels

Arrangement of wheels

3. Design of Wheels (continued)

Size of Wheels:
There are two types of wheels:

Idle wheels (They only distribute the weight)

Driving wheels ( They are directly connected to piston)

Arrangement of Wheels:
The rolling stock wheels are numbered
as X-Y-Z.
X=No. of idle wheels in-front of driving wheels
Y= No. of driving wheels

Z=No. of idle wheels after driving wheels

4. Braking System
The rolling stock brakes can be classified as:

Hand Brakes (Used to slow down locomotive or stop in slow

speed)

Steam Brakes(Used to slow down locomotive or stop in slow

speed)

Continuous Brakes ( Used to stop the locomotive at high

speed)

5. Traction Control
Traction:
Traction is the power mechanism of the locomotive. It
can be of following types:

Diesel traction

Steam traction

Electric traction

Diesel-electric traction

6. Coupling Mechanism
A coupling or coupler is a mechanism for connecting rolling stock
in a train.
There are following types of couplers:

Buffer and chain coupler

Janney coupler

Meatchopper

Automatic couplers

Buffer and chain coupler

Janney Coupler

Meat-Chopper

Operational Parameters
The operational parameters which are considered while designing rolling stock
are following:

Noise

Vibrations

Electromagnetic Compatibility

Thermal Insulation

Acoustic Insulation

Passenger Seat

Doors and windows

Luggage Storage

Heat Ventilation and Air Conditioning

Lightening system

Operation Parameters

System Architecture

Communication System

Interior and exterior styling

Conclusion

In conclusion, I want to say that rolling stock design

plays a vital role in railway engineering.