Re: Flat Wheels in Sydney

[David Johnson <trainman@ozemail.com.au>]

Ron BESDANSKY (formerly Ron BEST) wrote:

> AFAIK, wheel "flats" are due to the wheel locking up during braking, so that
> it slides along the rail. Same problem in motor vehicles has been mainly
> overcome by ABS braking systems - a computer detects that a wheel has locked
> up and eases off the braking pressure, then re-applies it. Do any suburban
> trains  in Aust. have wheel-slip detection and correction for BRAKING (as
> opposed to accelerating)?

The tangaras have ABS.  When the computer detects an axle locking up, it dumps
the air from the brake cylinder for that axle or bogie.  It doesn't work very
well, as the brakes are then re-apply at the same full pressure they were at
before and lock up again.

--
David Johnson
CityRail Guard
trainman@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~trainman/