- ASTM A551, 2008 Edition reaffirmed in 2013, Standard Specification for Carbon Steel Tires for Railway and Rapid Transit Applications
- BS EN 13231-1, 2013 Edition (replaces BS EN 13231-2), Railway applications. Track. Acceptance of works. Works on ballasted track. Plain line, switches and crossings
- BS EN 15085-1, 2007 Edition with A1 Amendment, Railway applications. Welding of railway vehicles and components. General
- BS EN 15734-1, Technical Corrigendum for 2010 Edition, Railway applications. Braking systems of high speed trains . Requirements and definitions
- BS EN 15734-2, Technical Corrigendum for 2010 Edition, Railway applications. Braking systems of high speed trains . Test methods
- BS EN 15954-1, 2013 Edition, Railway applications. Track. Trailers and associated equipment. Technical requirements for running and working
- BS EN 15954-2, 2013 Edition, Railway applications. Track. Trailers and associated equipment. General safety requirements
- BS EN 15955-1, 2013 Edition, Railway applications. Track. Demountable machines and associated equipment. Technical requirements for running and working
- BS EN 15955-2, 2013 Edition, Railway applications. Track. Demountable machines and associated equipment. General safety requirements
- BS EN 16286-1, 2013 Edition, Railway applications. Gangway systems between vehicles. Main applications
- BS EN 16286-2, 2013 Edition, Railway applications. Gangway systems between vehicles. Acoustic measurements
- BS EN 50388, Corrigendum 2 for 2012 Edition, Railway Applications. Power supply and rolling stock. Technical criteria for the coordination between power supply (substation) and rolling stock to achieve interoperability
- BS EN 50547, 2013 Edition, Railway applications. Batteries for auxiliary power supply systems
- BS EN 60349-4, 2013 Edition, Electric traction. Rotating electrical machines for rail and road vehicles . Permanent magnet synchronous electrical machines connected to an electronic converter
- IEC 62497-1, Edition 1.1, Railway applications - Insulation coordination - Part 1: Basic requirements - Clearances and creepage distances for all electrical and electronic equipment
- IEC 62718, Edition 1.0, Railway applications - Rolling stock - DC supplied electronic ballasts for lighting fluorescent lamps
Similar Standards may be found by following the links on the Document Center List of Standards on Railway Engineering.
Of course, it sometimes seems as though it takes a disaster (or in this case 2 disasters) to bring the importance of standards to the public's attention. Today I was reading the article in the Wall Street Journal about the review of Federal Safety Regulations for Tank Cars. It seems certain that this regulatory review is in part due to the rail disaster in Canada. And of course, one cannot forget the recent train derailment in Spain.
However for the student of standards, railways were actually among the first areas of industry to be normalized. Why? Like many cases, trade was being negatively impacted by the proliferation of many small railway lines using different gauges when railroading first became widespread in the U.S. So back in the mid 18th century, the use of a standard gauge was introduced, most notably with the Pacific Railway Act in 1863.
And like many cases, the current review stems from the fact that the industry standards in this area have moved ahead of the federal regulatory requirements. The primary problem? While new industry standards are being implemented for new design, older cars have not been retrofitted. (With this caveat, human error still is one of the most intractable safety issues).
A number of diverse associations, like CGA (the Compressed Gas Assocation), are using the opportunity to provide additional input to increase rail safety when transporting hazardous materials. With the increased rail traffic of fuels both in Canada and the U.S. as some pipeline development remains stalled, industry and government is coming to realize that increased vigilance is required to protect the public safety.
If you need help in identifying and purchasing standards on railway applications or any other area of standardization, please get in touch with us here at Document Center Inc. We are able to provide you with professional and expert assistance for your standards requirements. Make us your Standards Experts!