Cold Climate Ride Safety Testing

Specialist real time safety analysis monitoring and warning system with data collection in Oslo.

DATS performed cold climate ride safety, comfort collection and analysis in Norway. Due to the harsh climate in Norway the oil dampers on the railway coach bogies needed to be investigated as performance had become degraded in the cold temperature.

The resistance to derailment and ride quality index was measured to determine if this was correct, in addition there had been reports of poor riding vehicles when the suspension airbags had become deflated.

Further testing was carried out in deflated condition to determine the safe operating speed of the coaches in the deflated full condition. Our test route was Oslo to Lillehammer.

A row of stacked woven synthetic bags on a seating area, with a laptop plugged into a power source on a side table, surrounded by tangled wires, with a shopping bag and an electronic device on the seat, and a toolbox on the floor nearby.

Instrumentation took place on depot in Oslo during the winter months, to collect the worst case weather scenario results. Instruments were low frequency responsive DC accelerometers, mounted to triaxial weighted mounting blocks. These were mounted at three locations across two vehicles, one coach in tare condition and one coach laden with sandbags providing mass. (see left image)

Data was analysed in real time with a DATS bespoke measurement script. This allowed the test staff to warn the driver if the vehicle became unstable in deflated condition. Data was analysed post process to EN 14363 and GM/RT 2141. Vehicle speed and location was collected using high speed Gyro backed GPS, and doppler ground speed radar. This enabled the data to characterise both the jointed and welded track sections

A modern electric train painted in red, black, and gray, standing on snow-covered railway tracks at a station during winter, with overhead electrical wires and streetlights above.

Inside a train car with multiple gray seats arranged in rows, some seats have armrests. There are large windows along the sides, and an electronic display overhead showing the time 12:05. The train is empty except for a few bags on seats and a yellow safety vest hanging on a seat at the back. There are emergency buttons and fire alarm indicators on the wall beside the door at the back of the car.

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