Purdue CE361/List of Classes

Purdue University
School of Civil Engineering
CE 361 Introduction to Transportation Engineering
Wed. 20 November 2019

Lesson on Freight Transportation (Rail)

Steep rail climb

Instructional Objectives: By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to ...

Calculate the power needed to propel a train, given specified operating conditions.

Prep: Read FTE Chapter 12 Section 3

Photos and Videos:

Video: Union Pacific coal train climbing line to Soldier Summit. 2:26, esp. "pulled knuckle" after 2:00.
Photo Source: Coal train climbs steep grade in New South Wales, Australia. www.hermes.net.au/bayling/NSWrail/111_36.jpg
Video: Horseshoe Curve near Altoona PA. 2:55, esp. after 0:40.
Photo Source: kkc.pennsyrr.co/art/calendar.html
Video: Train stalls uphill in rain, at 4:00 of 15:40.
Video: Coal train breaks apart, after 2:20 of 4:45.

Theme music:

Freight Train Boogie, Chet Atkins and Doc Watson, 2:41
Freight Train by Peter, Paul, and Mary, 1963, 2:50.
Long Train Running, Doobie Brothers, 3:25
Runaway Train, Soul Asylum with Tom Petty, 1987, 4:23
Crazy Train, Ozzy Osbourne?
Trainspotters, Frank and Walters, 1993, 3:36.

Outline of Likely Topics

Resistance to motion by a train
Propulsion and tractive effort