NUCARS®

M-976 Turnout Negotiation Evaluation

MxV Rail R&D, Railway Age July 2022 Issue: As part of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) Car and Truck Systems Strategic Research Initiative project, MxV Rail (formerly TTCI) was tasked by

Impact Control With Limited Slack Action: Measuring Long-Travel Draft System Performance

RAILWAY AGE, JULY 2020 ISSUE, TTCI R&D: Draft systems are important contributors to train performance because, among effects, these systems limit the relative motion between coupled vehicles in a train and absorb energy during impact events. An end-of-car cushioning (EOCC) unit is a type of long-travel draft system that uses hydraulic cylinders in place of standard friction draft gears to absorb energy and improve yard impact performance. EOCC units absorb energy when coupler forces are applied by forcing oil from a high-pressure inner cylinder to a low-pressure outer casing through various preloaded orifices over a long displacement stroke, which is typically 10 or 15 inches.