Saving Ears or Fuel

This article discusses that freight carriers have their own sets of issues. Faced with the same economic pressures as long-haul trucks on the nation’s highways, freight trains are getting heavier and heavier, increasing axle loads and the forces that bear on the tracks. The challenges of minimizing wear and energy consumption are becoming more demanding for railroads. Managing friction between the wheel and the rail is an increasingly tough job, but a critical one for avoiding a host of performance problems and high costs. Friction modifiers are coatings that provide a controlled coefficient of friction at the contact point between the wheel tread and the top of the rail. The key point is control, which makes it possible to achieve a specific friction range. This is the main difference between friction modifiers and ordinary grease. CSX Corp. has begun tests of the two systems in cooperation with the Transportation Technology Center. The center has installed instrumentation in a section of track, and CSX has bought five TracGlide systems and five locomotive-mounted Lubriquip systems that will apply Kelsan’s friction modifier.