Transportation Technology Center Inc

MxV Rail will continue to lead the Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI) program, “an important industry effort that aims to improve all aspects of rail transportation,” AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies reported on March 15.

TTCI: New Name, Same Aim

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on March 15 reported that its wholly owned subsidiary, the Transportation Technology Center, Inc., has a new name: MxV Rail.

Figure 1. Comparison of EMAT principle with conventional piezoelectric-based UT principle.

Wheel Defect Detection Using EMATs

RAILWAY AGE MARCH 2022 ISSUE: Since 2020, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) has been conducting tests to evaluate the capability of electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technology to detect internal defects in railroad wheels.

Pictured: Parallel’s prototype railcar loaded with a shipping container. (Photo courtesy of Parallel Systems)

Parallel Systems Wins $4.4MM DOE Grant

Culver City, Calif.-based Parallel Systems has been awarded a $4.4 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant to test its autonomous, battery-electric-powered railcar technology. DOE is distributing a total of $175 million to 68 projects through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

The Rail Escort Vehicle (pictured) was designed in accordance with Association of American Railroads Standard S-2043 for trains used to transport spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.

‘No Ordinary Caboose’

The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have developed a new Rail Escort Vehicle to transport security personnel during the shipment of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste; it is on its way to the Transportation Technology Center, Inc., (TTCI) for the final phase of testing.

A wheel with an internal crack detected by ACWDS before the wheel was removed from the FAST train. The inset photo is an example of a broken wheel that might result from such a defect.

TTCI R&D: ACWDS Implementation

RAILWAY AGE, JANUARY 2022 ISSUE: The Automated Cracked Wheel Detector System safely detects wheels with internal defects, without interrupting revenue service.

(Duos Technologies)

By the Wayside

RAILWAY AGE, DECEMBER 2021 ISSUE: Wayside inspection equipment is helping railroads ensure that rolling stock operates safely and efficiently.

Pictured on Nov. 5 with Caltrain’s Stadler-built KISS trainset are John Putnam, USDOT Deputy General Counsel; Cindy Terwilliger, Federal Transit Administration Region 8 Regional Administrator; Michelle Bouchard, acting Executive Director of Caltrain; Martin Ritter, CEO of Stadler US; Kari Gonzales, President and CEO of TTCI; and other industry professionals.

USDOT Officials Ride New Caltrain EMU

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Transportation recently had a test ride of Caltrain’s Stadler-built KISS EMU (electric multiple-unit), which is now in the final stages of testing at Transportation Technology Center, Inc. in Pueblo, Colo.

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For LRW, New Education, Membership Deputies

The League of Railway Women (LRW) has added BNSF Logistics’ Vickie Vaughn and Trinity Industries’ Shundrekia Stewart to its Board of Directors; they will serve as Deputy Chairs of Education and Membership, respectively.

TTCI Setting Up New Pueblo Facility

Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), is establishing an independent training and on-track testing facility in Pueblo, Colo., the company says “is capable of meeting the needs of today’s rail industry and testing tomorrow’s transportation solutions.” Located south of TTCI’s existing USDOT-owned facility, it will be operational in 2022.

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