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University of Birmingham
MSc in Rail Systems Engineering and Integration

LMR32 Railway Rolling Stock Systems Design
Derailment Mechanisms
m
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f
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e Dr. Charles Watson
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School of Civil Engineering

Introduction
m
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Derailment mechanisms on plain line,

Derailment mechanisms on switches and
crossings,
Derailment mechanisms due to other odd
things,
Accident investigation.
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Slide No: 2
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MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration
Page 1
Plain Line
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Derailment mechanisms on plain line:
Collision,
Component failure,
Gauge spread,
Dynamic reaction to track geometry,
Flange climb,
Track buckle.
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Slide No: 3
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Collision
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Trains can collide with;

Other trains;
Head on,
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Slide No: 4
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Page 2
Collision
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Other trains;
Rear on,
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Slide No: 5
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MSc in Railway SystemsPhoto

Engineering
courtesyand
AEAIntegration
Technology Rail
Collision
Other trains;
Flanking,
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Slide No: 6
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Page 3
Collision
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Other trains;
Broadside.
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Well, not so often, the last one was in 1957.
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Slide No: 7
Collision
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Items on the line;
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Maintenance equipment,
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Slide No: 8
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Page 4
Collision
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Items on the line;
Motor vehicles at level crossings,
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Slide No: 9
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Collision
Items on the line;
or not,
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Slide No: 10
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Page 5
Collision
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Items on the line;
Jetsam;
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Accidental (old furniture etc. dumped on the line),

Deliberate (vandals put concrete blocks, sleepers etc on tracks).
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Slide No: 11
Collision
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Items on the line;
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Trees can fall over,

Landslides, falling rocks, floods, etc.,
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Slide No: 12
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Page 6
Collision
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Items on the line;
Animals (big ones),
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Slide No: 13
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Collision
Items on the line;
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Previously derailed trains.
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Slide No: 14
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Page 7
Collision
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Items near the line that stray out of the Structure

Gauge;
Cranes,
Scaffolding,
etc.
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Slide No: 15
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Trains Blow Over
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Slide No: 16
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Page 8
Component Failure
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Wheels and axles, suspension components, etc.,

Usually designed with high factor of safety to
guard against fatigue and failure.
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Slide No: 17
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Component Failure
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Slide No: 18
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Photo courtesy AEA Technology Rail

Page 9
Component Failure
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Nuts & bolts etc. can fail causing components

to detach;
Coming undone is also a failure of sorts.
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Slide No: 19
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Component Failure
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Rails and fixings.
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Slide No: 20
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Photo courtesy HSE Report into Hatfield Derailment

Page 10
Gauge Spread
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Gauge spread is where the wheels of the train

drop into the four foot,
A form of component failure,
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Fixings are not necessarily secure,

More common where there are wooden sleepers
Can also be caused by excessive sidewear of rails
combined with increased dynamic gauge.
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Slide No: 21
m
a
Dynamic Reaction to Track Geometry
h
g
Cyclic Top;
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At certain speeds cyclic top can excite one of the

natural frequencies of the vehicle;
= v/ cycles/second
Slide No: 22
Page 11
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Cyclic Top
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Slide No: 23
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Cyclic Top;
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The most vulnerable frequencies are between 0.5

and 1.5 Hertz;
Lower range for body modes, higher for bogie modes,

Freight vehicles can have different natural frequencies
depending on load,
Slide No: 24
Page 12
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3.5
Frequency (Hz.)
3
2.5
2
1.5
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1
0.5
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Wavelength (m)
30
50
70
90
10
0
12
5
15
0
17
5
20
0
22
5
25
0
30
0
32
5
35
0
75
50
B
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irm
Slide No: 25
Speed (km/h)
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Wagon in Various Load Conditions
30
16.8 Tonnes
21.1 Tonnes
Wheel Displacement (mm)
25
20
15
25.8 Tonnes
10
45.0 Tonnes
Slide No: 26
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
Wagon Speed (mph)
Data courtesy AEA Technology Rail

Page 13
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Track Twist;
Sudden changes in the height of one rail can cause

the train to derail,
When entering a twist fault one wheel unloads
relative to the other wheel on the same axle,
The maximum allowable wheel unloading is 60%,
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Referred to as Q/Q (Q = wheel load).
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Slide No: 27
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Track Twist;
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According to GC/RT5021 Track System

Requirements;
Slide No: 28
Twist faults > 1 in 200 must not remain in the track,

Trains must not use track where twist fault > 1 in 90,
Time allowed to repair fault varies with amount of twist,
Twist faults are measured over 3m.
Page 14
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Track Twist.
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Slide No: 29
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Flange Climb
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Flange climb is where the flange of the wheel

rides up the gauge side of the rail and then over
the rail head,
Generally more common at lower speeds,
Takes time for this to happen;
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Less than 1 second.
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Slide No: 30
Page 15
Derailment by Flange Climb
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Slide No: 31
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of
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Derailment by Flange Climb h
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n
Y/Q= ratio of lateral force over vertical
force
i
m
Nadal's Formula:
r
i
Y/Q=(tan() - )/(1 + B
tan())
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Slide No: 32
Page 16
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Slide No: 33
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Slide No: 34

Page 17
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Slide No: 35
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B

m
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The length of the marks on the railhead
gives an
n
i
indication of whether Y or Q ism
abnormal
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Low Q
Slide No: 36
High Y
Page 18
Track Buckle
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A track buckle is a local shift in track position

laterally,
Technically a failure of the ballast to hold the
track in position,
Usually occur in very hot weather;
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yas train is passing,
Tend to happen
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Technically
derailment is by flange climb;
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Relative to stress free temperature of the rails,

In UK SFT is 27oC.
Very high lateral force.
Slide No: 37
Track Buckle
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Slide No: 38
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Page 19
Track Buckle
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Strict rules cover digging in ballast during hot

weather,
Countries with extreme temperature variations
have different SFTs for both winter and
summer.
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Frost heave canycause buckling in colder
t
months. si
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Welding gangs go out twice a year and insert and

remove short sections of rail.
Slide No: 39
Track Buckle
Can also be caused by
poor track maintenance
procedures,
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Slide No: 40
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Page 20
Switches and Crossings (S&C)
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Derailment Mechanisms on Switches and

Crossings;
Flange climb,
Split switch,
Switch reversal,
Crossing derailment.
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e
Mainly occurring;
m
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B
At hand operated points,

During facing moves.
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Slide No: 41
m
a
Flange Climb on Switches h
g
Switches have their own problems when
it
n
i
comes to flange climb,
m
r
i
Y is very high when on a B
diverging route,
can be very small, f
o
Wear of switch blade
side can create a sharp
y
t
i
edge which can
dig into the flange;
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Farringdon Edge
A spiral groove is cut into flange.
Slide No: 42
Page 21
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Flange Climb on
Switches
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Slide No: 43
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Split Switch
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Wheel passes between closed switch blade

and stock rail,
Train derails as diverging stock rail distance
becomes greater than distance between
outside of wheels,
A number of causes;
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Slide No: 44
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Thin flange,
Worn or damaged switch rail,
Worn or damaged stock rail,
Worn or damaged stretcher bars or other bits,
Poorly adjusted switch,
Tight vehicle suspension.
Page 22
Split Switch
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Slide No: 45
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Switch Reversal
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The points change from through route to

diverging route, or vice versa, while a train is
passing over them.
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Slide No: 46
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Page 23
Crossing Derailments
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Damaged crossing noses can cause a wheel to

take the wrong path,
Improperly adjusted check rails can cause a
wheel to take the wrong path.
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Slide No: 47
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Other Odd Causes
Shifted load,
Safety derailment,
Wind,
Stringlining,
Other odd odd things.
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Slide No: 48
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Page 24
Shifted Load
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Improperly loaded freight can upset vehicle

balance.
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Slide No: 49
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Deliberate Derailment
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Safety systems exist to derail trains on purpose

to protect other tracks.
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Slide No: 50
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Page 25
Sometimes You Just Have a Bad Day
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Slide No: 51
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Slide No: 52
y fin
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Page 26

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University of Birmingham

MSc in Rail Systems Engineering and Integration

School of Civil Engineering

Derailment mechanisms on plain line,

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Derailment mechanisms on plain line:

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Trains can collide with;

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Trains can collide with;

MSc in Railway SystemsPhoto

Trains can collide with;

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Trains can collide with;

Well, not so often, the last one was in 1957.

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Trains can collide with;

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Trains can collide with;

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Trains can collide with;

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Trains can collide with;

Accidental (old furniture etc. dumped on the line),

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Trains can collide with;

Trees can fall over,

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Trains can collide with;

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Previously derailed trains.

Trains can collide with;

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Trains can collide with;

Items near the line that stray out of the Structure

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Trains Blow Over

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Wheels and axles, suspension components, etc.,

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Photo courtesy AEA Technology Rail

Nuts & bolts etc. can fail causing components

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Rails and fixings.

Photo courtesy HSE Report into Hatfield Derailment

Gauge spread is where the wheels of the train

Fixings are not necessarily secure,

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

At certain speeds cyclic top can excite one of the

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Dynamic Reaction to Track Geometry

Photo courtesy AEA Technology Rail

The most vulnerable frequencies are between 0.5

Lower range for body modes, higher for bogie modes,

MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Dynamic Reaction to Track Geometry

Wagon in Various Load Conditions

Wheel Displacement (mm)

Wagon Speed (mph)

Data courtesy AEA Technology Rail

Dynamic Reaction to Track Geometry

Sudden changes in the height of one rail can cause

Referred to as Q/Q (Q = wheel load).