ANALYSIS OF COVERED HOPPER CAR DERAILMENTS ON THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAILROAD

Covered hopper car derailments on the B&O system during 1967 were analyzed to update previous work. The analysis confirmed and strengthened the conclusions found earlier. The conclusions reached were that (1) in-service life has a significant effect on rock-off derailments, and (2) the April 1964 speed restriction was effective in reducing early age derailments of the cars covered. For the year 1967, it was found that derailments of C&O-B&O covered hopper cars that generated L&D claims were nonexistent. The B&O series 602000 cars have made it through their critical first-year period with only two minor derailments, neither of which generated L&D claims. This fact tends to indicate that the increased snubbing in the trucks under this series of cars has reduced their early life derailment susceptibility. Based on these results as well as on the fact that all new 100-ton covered hopper cars in AAR interchange service must now have increased snubbing, it is recommended that the April 1964 speed restrictions be expanded to cover all covered hopper cars built in 1967 which have not been modified to control the roll problem. The restriction could be withdrawn in January 1969, when all cars of this type either will have completed their "wear-in" period or will have been equipped with additional snubbing.

• Corporate Authors:

  Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

  Baltimore & Ohio Building, 2 North Charles Street
  Baltimore, MD  United States  21201

  Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

  Terminal Tower, PO Box 6419
  Cleveland, OH  United States  44101
• Authors:
  • LUEBKE, R W
• Publication Date: 1967

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 8 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Derailments; Freight cars; Hopper cars; Railroad cars; Rocking; Snubbers; Speed control; Suspensions; Technology; Vehicle dynamics; Velocity
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Old TRIS Terms: Car rocking; Velocity control
• Subject Areas: Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00040452
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 68-108 Test Rpt
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 22 1976 12:00AM