Railway rolling stock sizing

Of all the components of the rail system (cf. ), rolling stock is its center of gravity. As a vital interface with customers, it is subject to rigorous specifications that vary widely from one type of rolling stock to another, in order to meet increasingly specific demand.

We'll begin by analyzing these specific operational features. However, this wealth of adapted solutions is based on a common methodology: the sizing of railway equipment, whatever its use, is based on the same simple criteria: a load to be towed on a typical route within a given timetable. The solutions must satisfy the constraints of an existing rail system that is particularly difficult to manage. We need to draw up an exhaustive inventory of these constraints, and measure their relative importance in order to meet demand under the most economical conditions.

A theoretical presentation needs to be illustrated by a practical exercise, so we'll be "sizing" an engine, bearing in mind that the method is applicable to all types of equipment.

Finally, we'll give a brief but representative overview of the latest equipment on the road worldwide.