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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>A Base Study of the Box and Hopper Car Supply Problem in the United States</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1886659</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The major objective of this study is to identify and analyze national and district trends in boxcar and covered hopper car ownership. The specific objectives of this study are: 1) to review boxcar and covered hopper loadings; 2) to analyze and compare three railroad samples in respect to ownership and loading trends by geographic area; 3) to analyze the economics of current per diem rates; and 4) to describe the physical facilities for unloading boxcars and covered hopper cars at grain port terminal elevators.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 24 Oct 2021 17:10:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1886659</guid>
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      <title>Measuring the Displacement Environment Between a Locomotive and Trailing Car</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1708237</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) funded a project conducted by Transportation Technology Center, Inc.’s (TTCI's) Association of American Railroads (AAR) Natural Gas Fuel Tender (NGFT) Technical Advisory Group (TAG) in developing industry standards for NGFT tenders. The objective was to measure and understand the triaxial displacement environment that interconnections (e.g., gas, cooling system loop, electrical, air, etc.) between the locomotive and adjacent tender vehicle will face during normal full-scale freight train operations in revenue service. The worst-case scenario of a displacement environment between a common line-haul locomotive and a trailing vehicle (i.e., simulating a fuel tender) were documented. This included measuring and understanding the dynamic environment where equipment passing natural gas (NG) between the locomotive and tender will be required to survive in mainline train operations. The AAR NGFT TAG analyzed the data gathered in the development of specification requirements for NG tender fuel transfer components (e.g., hoses, wires and connectors for gas/heat exchange fluids/electrical power/control), and testing of such components. Additionally, this report describes the measurement of relative longitudinal, lateral and vertical displacements and accelerations between the locomotive and simulated fuel tender.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2020 18:44:34 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1708237</guid>
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      <title>Safety Margin Testing of a 70-Ton Boxcar with Shifted Plywood Lading: Summary Results</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1497867</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Tests were performed at the Transportation Test Center, Pueblo, Colorado, in a joint Association of American Railroads (AAR) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) effort in the April-May-June period of 1982. AAR objectives were to perform a "pilot" test on the Vibration Test Unit (VTU) as a demonstration that the facility could meet their requirements for lading damage prevention testing. Pilot test results have been reported by the AAR. The FRA performed "Safety Margin Tests" of a plywood lading that is suspected of being a derailment cause factor, with the objectives of determining conditions that cause the plywood to shift and the effect of the shifted plywood on derailment margins. Volume 1 presents a summary of the safety margin tests performed and test results. Volume 2 contains the data from which the summary was extracted.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 11 Feb 2018 18:33:58 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1497867</guid>
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      <title>Safety Margin Testing of a 70-Ton Boxcar with Shifting Plywood Lading: Test Results Data</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1497868</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Tests were performed at the Transportation Test Center, Pueblo, Colorado, in a joint Association of American Railroads (AAR) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) effort in the April-May-June period of 1982. AAR objectives were to perform a "pilot" test on the Vibration Test Unit (VTU) as a demonstration that the facility could meet their requirements for lading damage prevention testing. Pilot test results have been reported by the AAR. The FRA performed "Safety Margin Tests" of a plywood lading that is suspected of being a derailment cause factor, with the objectives of determining conditions that cause the plywood to shift and the effect of the shifted plywood on derailment margins. Volume 1 presents a summary of the safety margin tests performed and test results. Volume 2 contains the data from which the summary was extracted.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 11 Feb 2018 18:33:57 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1497868</guid>
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      <title>Data Analysis Results of 70 Ton Boxcar Vibration Tests</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1493788</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This is the second of three volumes covering tests performed in April and May of 1981 at the Transportation Test Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado on a 70 ton boxcar with Barber S-2-C trucks. The objective of the testing was to define the dynamic properties of the freight car for use in validating a mathematical model. The testing was conducted in two phases: (1) static tests were performed on each truck to characterize its stiffness and damping properties; (2) vibration tests were performed on the complete boxcar, loaded and empty, to determine resonant frequencies. Final results of Phase 1 have been documented in FRA/ORD-82/23 "Summary Results of 70 Ton Boxcar Testing", prepared by MITRE in April 1982. Results of the Phase 2 testing are covered in this report. This report defines the roll, bounce, pitch and yaw vibration characteristics of the boxcar; it also defines the carbody torsion and bending frequencies and resonant frequencies of the lading and presents comparisons between test results and the boxcar model to be validated. Results of the validation of the boxcar version of the computer program FRATE will be contained in FRA/ORD-(to be issued), "Validation of FRATE for Boxcars", the third and final report of the series.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jan 2018 15:19:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1493788</guid>
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      <title>Summary Results of 70 Ton Boxcar Testing</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1493769</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Tests were performed at the Transportation Test Center in Pueblo, Colorado on a 70 ton boxcar with Barber S-2C trucks in April and May of 1981. The objective of the tests was to provide definition of the dynamic properties of the freight car for application to the validation of a mathematical model. The testing was conducted in two phases: static tests were performed on each truck to characterize their stiffness and damping properties; and vibration tests were performed on the complete boxcar, loaded and empty, to determine resonant frequencies. This report presents final results of the truck stiffness tests and preliminary results of vibration tests. A comparison is presented between tests results and the math model to be validated.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jan 2018 15:19:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1493769</guid>
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      <title>User's Manual for FRATXl and FRATF1 Freight Car Dynamic Analysis Computer Programs</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1485736</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This is a user’s manual for two versions of a computer program to calculate the dynamic response of freight cars to track inputs. The basic program is nonlinear, written in FORTRAN for Control Data Corporation (CDC) computers with solution in the time domain by numerical integration methods. The two versions are FRATXl, which is set up specifically for the analysis of boxcars, and FRATF1 which is for trailer on flatcar (TOFC) analysis. The program permits the user to perform time history analyses where various track profile variations can be simulated and the resulting freight car responses are calculated. The user can select from a large set of input and response functions for time history plotting by high speed printer.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Oct 2017 12:32:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1485736</guid>
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      <title>A Market in Repair</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1351904</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As freight-rail traffic grows in the United States, the need for freight car repair work grows. Executives believe that 2015 will be a major year for repair work for tank cars and freight cars. The United States Department of Transportation is issuing changes to tank car design standards, which will require retrofitting work. It is likely that there will be an increase in repairs for box cars and specialty hoppers, with unit coal train cars remaining steady or declining slightly. Railroad companies are preparing for the increase in work by expanding capacity with new repair shops.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2015 08:39:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1351904</guid>
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      <title>Nice Ride!: From Boxcars to Covered Hoppers, Here's How Grain Rides the Rails</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/890868</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This article, part of a special issue on grain transportation, traces the movement of grain by railroads, beginning in the 19th and early 20th centuries when most grain was transported in sacks. In 1911, boxcars outfitted with grain doors were introduced, and these became the primary transport mode for grain. In 1961, Southern Railway introduced the "Big John", a 4,700-cubic-foot car which enabled grain to be moved in 100-ton covered hopper cars. The 1965 lower freight rate approval by the Interstate Commerce Commission further solidified the role of the 100-ton car. The early 1990s saw a trend toward heavier cars, and in 1995, the railroad industry adopted a 286,000-pound maximum. The article concludes with a discussion on two trends: the growing usage of 110-car shuttle trains and the push toward shorter and higher capacity cars.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:32:57 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/890868</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Seeds of History: Before Shuttle Trains and Jumbo Covered Hoppers, Locals and Boxcars Did the Work</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/890883</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This article, part of a special issue on grain transportation, offers a detailed look at the history of grain transportation by rail. It discusses various important trends, highlights, and other details that offer insight into the current situation. The article traces the way grain was transported prior to the steam era. Grain was bagged since shipments were routinely small. Grain elevators stepped in, improving efficiency and offering shipping in bulk. As agricultural production increased in the U.S., new handling and processing centers emerged, and the demand for boxcars grew. Eventually, boxcars billed in single lots were replaced by covered hopper cars in multiple carload lots.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:32:55 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/890883</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Combining Optimizer and Metamodelling for Railcar Structural Optimization</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/758474</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This article proposes a technique combining a sizing optimizer with metamodelling for railcar structural optimization.  The authors describe a two-level or hierarchical, interactive, and meta-model-based optimization (HIMO) approach.  At the lower level, a sizing optimizer finds feasible and optimal solutions in terms of sizing variables (plate thickness in continuum structures).  Performance constraints such as stress, displacement, and stability, are handled only at this level. At the upper level, a metamodel is built to fit all the optimal solutions found at the lower level and is optimized for topology design.  This results in the number of topology design variables being much smaller than those used in many other topology optimization approaches. The authors describe how this HIMO approach was applied to two boxcar design projects, resulting in 18 per cent and 36 per cent weight savings and significant reductions in manufacturing cost and total cost.  The authors conclude that both the pilot tests and the real applications demonstrate that the HIMO approach works for real layout optimization.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2005 07:49:57 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/758474</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>BIG CHALLENGE, BIG RESPONSE</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/742640</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The article describes the program that resulted in a prototype of a largest boxcar ever built.  The effort involved Norfolk Southern's research and test, marketing, mechanical, equipment planning, and industrial engineering/operations research departments working closely with General Motors and the major freight car suppliers.  The car's vital statistics show overall height of 19 feet, total capacity of 11,053 cubic feet, 16 inch tall racks, and capacity increase of 50%.  This boxcar design provides auto manufacturers with a cost effective truck alternative while at the same time improving door safety and ride quality.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 22 Oct 2004 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/742640</guid>
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      <title>ANALYSIS OF RAIL CAR COMPONENTS EXPOSED TO A TUNNEL FIRE ENVIRONMENT</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/644225</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rail car components recovered from the train involved in the July 18, 2001 Howard Street Tunnel, Baltimore, Maryland, train derailment and fire were used to estimate the fire duration and temperatures achieved by the components.  Steel samples including sections of the box car panels and a bolt from an air brake assembly were analyzed using standard metallurgical methods to determine oxide layer thickness and the amount of metal lost as a result of the elevated temperature exposure. Aluminum alloy air brake valve assemblies, which melted as a consequence of the fire, were analyzed using a heat transfer model.  Analyses of the recovered components suggest the surface temperature of the steel reached 700 to 850 degrees C (1,292 to 1,562 degrees F) assuming an exposure time of 4 hours at the elevated temperatures.  Independent assessment of fire duration could not be obtained from the steel components because the oxide-scale thickness and metal loss are dependent on both time and temperature.  Several limitations to the assessment of temperature were noted including the effects of oxide-scale spalling and post-fire atmospheric exposure for a period of more than one year.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 21 Jun 2003 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/644225</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>FLEET STATS 2002</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/721280</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Freight rail-car builders are bracing for what they expect to be their worst sales year since 1987, when they produced 13,600 cars. Several analysts have predicted since earlier this year that orders for freight cars would total approximately 20,000 in 2002. The number of orders has been declining since the boom years of 1998 and 1999, when orders for new freight cars totaled around 75,000 in each year]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 31 Jul 2002 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/721280</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SQUEEZING ASSETS : HOW CLASS 1S PLAN TO DEVELOP A BETTER ASSET- MANAGEMENT GRASP</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/709736</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This article relates how some Class 1 railroads are focusing on the concept of asset-management. Union Pacific Railroad is using an executive asset-management team to formulate and evaluate  asset- management strategies.  Efforts at Burlington Northern Santa Fe  are geared towards increasing utilization of existing equipment as  well as acquiring higher-horsepower units. Norfolk Southern Railway  has adopted a Thoroughbred Operating Plan (TOP) which allows the  railroad to reduce car handlings, shorten routes and improve transit  times. CN is focusing on better utilization of locomotives and cars by  trying to keep schedules intact, tighten trip plans, and avoid idling equipment.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Apr 2002 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/709736</guid>
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