Minutes of Committee Meeting
AP070(1) SELF POWERED RAIL CAR TECHNOLOGIES SUBCOMMITTEE
Wednesday January 13, 2010 at 10:15 AM
David Nelson, Chairman Thomas Cornillie, Acting Secretary
Webpage: http://trbsprc.blogspot.com/
Call to Order
Committee Chair, David Nelson (Jacobs Engineering), called the meeting to order at 10:15 AM.
Attendence
Members and friends of the subcommittee introduced themselves. A total of 21 people were in attendance. Please see the attached sign-in sheet.
Agenda
See attached meeting agenda.
Committee Secretary Position
Chairman Nelson reported that the position of Committee Secretary remains and requested a volunteer to fill the role for today’s meeting. Thomas Cornillie agreed to take notes and prepare minutes for this meeting. Anyone interested in filling the position should speak to the Chair.
Website
Chairman Nelson noted that the subcommittee has a website: http://trbsprc.blogspot.com where meeting notes, agenda, and other information are available.
Committee Name
Sub-committee members in attendance voted unanimously to re-affirm the sub-committee’s name: “Self-Powered Rail Car Technologies Subcommittee”
Presentations
Two presentations were made to the committee:
- Research to Support the RSAC Task Force: Presentation by David Tyrell of US
- Introduction to US Rail: Presentation by Michael Pracht, President and CEO
Update on Research to Support the Rail Safety Advisory Committee Task Force
Mr. Tyrell gave a presentation about the US DOT Volpe Center’s efforts to develop criteria and procedures for evaluating rail vehicle crashworthiness. The results were published in the Federal Register on January 8, 2010 and are viewable at the following address: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2010-01-08/html/E9-31411.htm
The ensuing discussion covered collision speeds, collision survivability and car deformity, and the relationship between crash energy management and buff-strength.
Introduction to US Rail
Mr. Pratt, the President and CEO of US Railcar gave a presentation about the acquisition of the assets of the bankrupt Colorado Railcar corporation by the Value Recovery Group of
The presentation included an overview of the accomplishments of Colorado Railcar in developing its DMU design and their plans to adapt the design based on revenue service experience.
Recent Industry and Service Developments
The committee briefly discussed the following recent developments:
- Challenges facing the SunRail project
- The role in the FRA and the commencement of revenue service on the Austin-Leander MetroRail system
Mid-Year Meeting
The mid-year meeting tentatively set for mid-June in
Proposed Research and Session Topics For 2010 Annual Conference
1. Strategies for “bridging the gap” to permit true level boarding.
2. Potential to use PTC to facilitate interoperability of equipment of varying structural standards
3. Documentation of best practices developed in existing services
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 11:58 AM.
Distribution: Subcommittee members
Section Chair
Group Council Chair
TRB Staff Representative
