Railcar Component Testing & Evaluation
CTLGroup’s Structural & Transportation Laboratory has worked with the railroad industry for over 40 years, supporting qualification and R&D testing of rolling stock components. Testing is performed to evaluate the acceptability of the design and manufacturing process of critical passenger or freight rail car components. CTLGroup has gained the experience to perform component failure evaluation and design change recommendations.
Our Testing Capabilities
Our experts develop and implement customized test plans to meet the rigorous requirements of any project. Our test programs include fixture design and fabrication, engineering for load application and control, as well as data acquisition system and instrumentation design. We are equipped to perform tests ranging from a single load condition to multiple static and/or dynamic loads. Our instrumentation has the capacity for hundreds of channels of sensors recorded simultaneously at high-speed data acquisition rates.
The Structural & Transportation Laboratory is approved to perform testing of freight car bolsters in accordance with Association of American Railroads (AAR) Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP) specification M-202. In addition, we have testing capabilities for side frames (M-203), yokes (M-205), couplers (M-211), knuckles (M-211, M-216), and friction wedges (M-980). We continue to add new capabilities to stay at the forefront of industry needs.
CTLGroup works closely with suppliers, associations, Class I Railroads, transit authorities, and regional and commuter railways, improving the specifications and recommendations implemented within the industry.
