RR Track Design
Workshop | Available
WHAT THIS IS ABOUT
This 2½ day class addresses the design of railroad track, including horizontal and vertical alignment, cross section, turnouts and crossings, component selection, earthwork, drainage, and clearances. The design approaches highlight applicable AREMA recommendations and general industry practices. The attendee will learn how traffic characteristics and operational requirements affect design. The coverage distinguishes between high-speed, conventional, rapid transit, and light-rail systems. The course includes examples that showcase and help the student understand typical design procedures.
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Overview and introduction
Design controls
Track location
Track engineering
• Track structure
• Loads
• Track behavior
• Stress analysis
- Rail
- Crossties/fasteners
- Ballast
- Subgrade
Basic geometric design
• Cross Section
• Horizontal alignment
- Curves
- Spirals
- Superelevation
• Vertical alignment
- Grades
- Vertical curves
Advanced geometric design
- Turnouts and track
crossings
- Track junctions
- Yard and terminal layout
- Capacity and operational
considerations
Rail-highway grade crossings
Railway structures
Drainage
Review and wrap-up
Dave Clarke
Dr. Clarke is the Director the Center for Transportation Research and a research associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Tennessee. His over 30 years of experience encompass a variety of railroad related design, inspection, research and education activities. He has taught railway related courses including this one, to college students and professionals since 1990. Dr. Clarke is well versed in the Federal Track Safety Standards covered in this course, and is frequently engaged as an expert to assess track conditions. As a licensed civil engineer, Dr. Clarke prepares specifications and designs for railroad track construction and maintenance. He is a licensed civil engineer in South Carolina and Tennessee and is active in AREMA, ASCE and TRB.