A CAR ROCKING MECHANISM

A car rocking mechanism has been designed and constructed at the Southern Railway's Test Laboratory in Alexandria, Virginia. The mechanism can accept any 100-ton freight car with high center of gravity. Its two electro-hydraulic cradle units impart a rocking motion to the car, which then behaves as it would when moving over rail with staggered joints. Size of low joints, wave form, forward speed, length of rail, and curve conditions can be varied. Any car response, such as roll angle or wheel lift, can be observed and recorded in laboratory conditions.