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Coordinates: 38°26′04″N 104°17′06″W / 38.43444°N 104.28500°W / 38.43444; -104.28500
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{{Short description|Railroad equipment testing and training facility near Pueblo, Colorado, USA}}
{{Short description|Railroad equipment testing and training facility in Colorado, US}}
{{for|the testing facility owned by the Federal Railroad Administration|Transportation Technology Center}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox company
{{Infobox company
| name = Transportation Technology Center
| name = MxV Rail
| logo = Transportation Technology Center logo.jpg
| logo = MxV_Rail_logo.jpg
| logo_size = 150
| logo_caption = TTCI logo<br/>
| logo_alt =
| type =
| type =
| image = TTCI Facility.jpg
| image =
| image_caption = Aerial view of Transportation Technology Center
| image_caption =
| image_size = 240px
| image_size =
| industry = Railroad equipment testing and training
| industry = Railroad equipment testing and training
| predecessor = High Speed Ground Test Center
| predecessor = Transportation Technology Center, Inc.
| successor = <!-- or: | successors = -->
| successor = <!-- or: | successors = -->
| founded = {{Start date and age|1971}}
| founded = {{Start date and age|1998}}
| hq_location_city = [[Pueblo, Colorado]]
| hq_location_city = [[Pueblo, Colorado]]
| hq_location_country = [[United States]]
| hq_location_country = [[United States]]
| area_served = [[North America]]
| area_served = [[North America]]
| key_people = Lisa Stabler, President
| key_people = Kari Gonzales, CEO and President
| num_employees = 300
| num_employees = 300
| num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) -->
| num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) -->
| parent = [[Association of American Railroads]]<br/>[[Federal Railroad Administration]]
| parent = [[Association of American Railroads]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.ttci.tech/}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.ttci.tech/}}
}}
}}
⚫
'''MxV Rail''' (full legal name: '''Transportation Technology Center, Inc.''') is a [[subsidiary]] of the [[Association of American Railroads]] (AAR) which conducts railroad equipment testing and training for member railroads.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Testing Facilities & Equipment |url=https://railroads.dot.gov/program-areas/testing-facilities-equipment/testing-facilities-equipment |access-date=March 24, 2021 |website=[[Federal Railroad Administration]]}}</ref>
'''Transportation Technology Center (TTC)''', is a railroad equipment testing and training facility located northeast of [[Pueblo, Colorado]].


From 1982 until October 2022, AAR managed operations at the [[Transportation Technology Center]] (TTC) as part of [[public-private partnership]] between AAR and the TTC's owner, the [[Federal Railroad Administration]] (FRA). The TTC is a railroad equipment testing facility located northeast of [[Pueblo, Colorado]]. AAR formed its Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) subsidiary in 1998, and TTCI assumed the contract.
It originated as the '''High Speed Ground Test Center''' (HSGTC) for the [[Department of Transportation]] (DOT) in 1971 as a site to test several [[hovertrain]] concepts. When those projects were completed in the 1970s, the site was handed to the [[Federal Railroad Administration]] (FRA).


In March 2021, TTCI lost the contract to operate the TTC, effective October 2022. In March 2022, AAR rebranded TTCI as MxV Rail, as it works to establish its own testing facility in Pueblo.
⚫
The TTC is managed under a "care, custody, and control" contract with '''Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI)''', a [[subsidiary]] of the [[Association of American Railroads]] (AAR) and serves member railroads.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Testing Facilities & Equipment |url=https://railroads.dot.gov/program-areas/testing-facilities-equipment/testing-facilities-equipment |access-date=March 24, 2021 |website=[[Federal Railroad Administration]]}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
The facility operations and maintenance for TTC has been the responsibility of a contractor since July 1972.<ref name=HSGTA-1977>{{cite report |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/ien.35556029490174 |title=The Tenth and Final Report on the High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965 |date=1977 |author=Secretary of Transportation |publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation |hdl=2027/ien.35556029490174 |access-date=16 September 2021}} [https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/fra_net/15927/1977_TENTH%20AND%20FINAL%20REPORT%20ON%20THE%20HIGH%20SPEED%20GROUND%20TR.PDF alternative PDF link]</ref>{{rp|89–92}} Due to reduced funding that threatened to close TTC, the FRA entered a public-private partnership with AAR in 1982, who would take over "care, custody, and control" of the facility.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ndholmes.com/trip-reports/a-look-inside-the-transportation-test-center/ |title=A Look Inside the Transportation Test Center |author=Holmes, Nathan D. |date=April 19, 2008 |access-date=15 September 2021}}</ref> AAR formed its TTCI subsidiary to administer the contract in 1998<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.ttci.tech/evolution |title=TTCI Is Evolving |date=March 5, 2021 |publisher=Transportation Technology Center, Inc. |access-date=15 September 2021}}</ref> and the contract was renewed periodically as a single-source award.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/federal-railroad-administration-announces-contract-agreement-transportation-technology |title=Federal Railroad Administration Announces Contract Agreement with the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. |date=September 15, 2000 |publisher=Federal Railroad Administration |access-date=15 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.railwayage.com/regulatory/ttc-management-transitioning-to-dot-wide-contract/ |title=TTC Management Transitioning to 'DOT-Wide' Contract |author=Luczak, Marybeth |date=March 8, 2021 |work=Railway Age |access-date=15 September 2021}}</ref>
Two [[United States Department of Commerce]] initiatives are credited with the genesis of the HSGTC: the [[Northeast Corridor]] Transportation Project (1964) and the [[High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965]], which created the Office of High Speed Ground Transportation (OHSGT). OHSGT was absorbed by the FRA, part of the DOT, following that agency's creation in 1967. At the time, OHSGT, whose charter was to research and develop high speed rail transit, was investigating the use of magnetic or air cushion levitation of rail vehicles, but there were no suitable test sites. A proposed test site was investigated at the former [[Lowry Air Force Base]] near [[Denver, Colorado]], but abandoned as the terrain was too rough; further site evaluation led the Secretary of Transportation to select the site for HSGTC near Pueblo in December 1969.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pueblorailway.org/roster/rocket-cars/test-center/ |title=The Test Center |publisher=Pueblo Railway Museum |access-date=7 April 2021}}</ref>


In March 2021, the FRA awarded the operations and maintenance contract to [[ENSCO, Inc.]], who assumed responsibility for research and development, testing, engineering, and training services at TTC from TTCI starting in October 2022. In addition, ENSCO plans to expand the use of TTC to support more general ground transportation research.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.progressiverailroading.com/rail_industry_trends/news/ENSCO-awarded-contract-to-manage-Transportation-Technology-Center--62899 |title=ENSCO awarded contract to manage Transportation Technology Center |date=March 9, 2021 |work=Progressive Railroading |access-date=7 April 2021}}</ref>
The Rail Transit Test Track (RTTT) was dedicated on October 12, 1972, during a ceremony that also included the unveiling of the [[State-of-the-Art Car]] (SOAC); the principal speaker was [[United States Secretary of Transportation]] [[John A. Volpe]].<ref name=URSTP-FY73>{{cite report |url=https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/10993 |title=Urban Rail Supporting Technology Program, Fiscal Year 1973, Year End Summary {{!}} Report No. UMTA-MA-06-0025-74-9 |author=Madigan, Ronald J. |date=October 1974 |publisher=Office of Research and Development, Urban Mass Transportation Administration, United States Department of Transportation |access-date=7 April 2021}}</ref>{{rp|3}} Initially, just {{convert|2.4|mi}} of the RTTT were built in Fiscal Year 1971; the remaining {{convert|6.7|mi}} were completed in September 1972 and checked on September 8 using locomotive DOTX 001<!--GE U30C, now retired and at the Pueblo Railway Museum--> and two NYCTA [[R42 (New York City Subway car)|R42 subway cars]].<ref name=URSTP-FY73/>{{rp|3;20}} In addition to SOAC testing, early tests conducted at HSGTC included the evaluation of the [[US Standard Light Rail Vehicle]].<ref name=URSTP-FY73/>{{rp|9}}


In April, TTCI announced plans to build a new, independent research facility in Pueblo after reaching an agreement with the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation (PEDCO).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.railwayage.com/regulatory/ttci-to-start-next-chapter-at-new-pueblo-facility/ |title=TTCI to Start 'Next Chapter' at New Pueblo Facility |author=Luczak, Marybeth |date=April 27, 2021 |work=Railway Age |access-date=20 September 2021}}</ref> The new facility would be in the PuebloPlex industrial park (site of the former [[Pueblo Chemical Depot]]), just south of the TTC.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.pedco.org/news/celebrating-the-past-present-and-future-of-rail-research-testing-and-development-in-pueblo/ |title=Celebrating the Past, Present and Future of Rail Research, Testing and Development in Pueblo! |date=April 26, 2021 |publisher=Pueblo Economic Development Corporation |access-date=27 September 2021}}</ref>
==Facility==
The Transportation Technology Center occupies a {{convert|30,000|acre|adj=on}} site northeast of Pueblo, Colorado and just north of the [[US Army]]'s [[Pueblo Chemical Depot]]. The site has laboratories and approximately {{Convert|48|mi}} of railroad track used to test locomotives, vehicles, track components, and signaling devices. The tracks are designed to replicate conditions seen on service environments, varying from precisely engineered high-speed tracks to track intentionally designed with irregularities.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 13, 1971 |title=Pueblo: Test-tube for tomorrow's railroads |magazine=[[Railway Age]] |pages=38-42}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=On-Site Track at TTCI |url=https://www.ttci.tech/onsitetrack |access-date=March 25, 2021 |website=Transportation Technology Center, Inc. |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.railway-research.org/Transportation-Technology-Center|title=Transportation Technology Center Inc. (TTCI) - Railway Research (developed by UIC)|website=www.railway-research.org|language=en|access-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=July 29, 1998 |title=Having a smashing time in Pueblo |magazine=[[Rail (magazine)]] |issue=336 |pages=36-40}}</ref>


In March 2022, the AAR announced that TTCI would be rebranded into MxV Rail, a name based on the mathematical formula for [[momentum]]: mass x velocity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-15 |title=Building Momentum: Railroad Industry Introduces MxV Rail |url=https://www.aar.org/article/building-momentum-railroad-industry-introduces-mxv-rail/ |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=Association of American Railroads |language=en-US}}</ref>
*'''Railroad Test Track''' (RTT): {{Convert|13.5|mi|km|adj=on}} loop permitting speeds of {{Convert|165|mph}} and equipped with [[overhead catenary]] capable of supplying power at [[List of railway electrification systems|12.5 kV, 25 kV, and 50 kV]]. The RTT is used to test the performance and endurance of vehicles at high speeds. The track has one {{convert|1525|m|adj=on}} radius curve, four {{convert|800|m|adj=on}} radius curves, and a balloon loop to turn trains around and test a tighter curve. The RTT also has a section of track called the High Speed Adjustable Perturbation Slab (HS-APS), that can be adjusted to introduce irregularities.
*'''Transit Test Track''' (TTT): {{Convert|9.1|mi|km|adj=on}} loop permitting speeds of {{Convert|80|mph}} and equipped with a DC electrified [[third rail]] capable of supplying power at up to 1,150 volts and up to 12,000 amps. It incorporates six different types of construction to simulate track conditions at various rail transit agencies,<ref>{{cite report |url=https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/11544 |title=SOAC - State-of-the-Art Car Engineering Tests at Department of Transportation High Speed Ground Test Center |volume=1: Program Description and Test Summary |pages=1-8 to 1-11 |chapter=1.3 Rail Transit Test Track |author1=Neat, George W. |author2=Oren, Raymond |date=January 1975 |publisher=Urban Mass Transportation Administration |access-date=7 April 2021}}</ref> with grades ranging from -1.4665% to +0.8497%.<ref name=URSTP-FY73/>{{rp|24}} The TTT also has a section of track called the Tight Turn Loop, with a {{convert|150|ft|adj=on}} radius, used to investigate wheel noise and car curving performance.<ref name=URSTP-FY73/>{{rp|25–26}}
*'''High Tonnage Loop''' (HTL), also known as the '''Facility for Accelerated Service Testing''' (FAST): {{Convert|2.7|mi|km|adj=on}} loop designed to quickly test both rolling stock and track components, such as [[Track (rail transport)|rail]], [[Railway ties|ties]], [[Track switch|switches]], [[Track ballast|ballast]], and bridges. As part of the FAST program, a full-scale train with three [[EMD SD70 series|EMD SD70 locomotives]] and 110 cars each loaded with 315,000-pound of weight regularly operates over the HTL at speeds of up to {{Convert|40|mph}}. The equipment used is on loan from AAR member railroads, and the program is funded by AAR member railroads and railroad suppliers often contribute their components for testing. Since 1976, the FAST program has operated up to 140-million gross tons per year over the HTL.
*'''Wheel/Rail Mechanism Track''' (WRM): {{Convert|3.5|mi|km|adj=on}} loop designed to test vehicle performance over track that has several different types of curves and intentional irregularities designed to induce poor performance.
*'''Precision Test Track''' (PTT): {{Convert|6.2|mi|km|adj=on}} loop designed with intentional irregularities to test vehicles for dynamic pitch and bounce, dynamic twist and roll, and dynamic yaw and sway.
*'''Train Dynamics Track''' (TDT), also known as the '''Impact Facility''': Track designed for crash-testing to determine crashworthiness and crash energy management. Facility is built to withstand loads of 3,000,000 lbs as vehicles impact a stationary object. Two trains can also be crashed into each other at the facility.


==Facilities==
<gallery mode=packed heights=150px>
At the PuebloPlex, MxV Rail plans to build a high-tonnage loop for accelerated service testing and curve negotiation loops, along with related infrastructure to support certification testing by the AAR.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.progressiverailroading.com/rail_industry_trends/news/TTCI-changes-name-to-MxV-Rail-prepares-for-new-campus--66117 |title=TTCI changes name to MxV Rail, prepares for new campus |date=March 15, 2022 |work=Progressive Railroading |access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref>
File:Transportation Technology Center.png|Map of TTCI facilities and tracks
{{clear left}}
File:TTCI Train.jpg|Locomotive painted in [[Association of American Railroads]] (AAR) livery that is used on test tracks
File:Chessie System hopper cars crash test.jpg|Aftermath of a 2011 test at the TTC in which a [[GE C39-8|GE C39-8 locomotive]] intentionally hit a [[hopper car]] formerly used by the [[Chessie System]]
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category inline}}
*[https://railroads.dot.gov/program-areas/testing-facilities-equipment/testing-facilities-equipment Federal Railroad Administration Testing Facilities & Equipment]
*[https://www.ttci.tech/ Transportation Technology Center, Inc.]
*[https://www.ttci.tech/ Transportation Technology Center, Inc.]
*[http://www.aar.org/ Association of American Railroads]
*[http://www.aar.org/ Association of American Railroads]
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[[Category:Transportation in Pueblo County, Colorado]]
[[Category:Transportation in Pueblo County, Colorado]]
[[Category:1971 establishments in Colorado]]
[[Category:1971 establishments in Colorado]]

{{US-rail-transport-stub}}
{{Colorado-transport-stub}}

Latest revision as of 20:16, 3 September 2023

For the testing facility owned by the Federal Railroad Administration, see Transportation Technology Center.

MxV Rail
IndustryRailroad equipment testing and training
PredecessorTransportation Technology Center, Inc.
Founded1998; 26 years ago (1998)
Headquarters
Pueblo, Colorado
,
United States
Area served
North America
Key people
Kari Gonzales, CEO and President
Number of employees
300
ParentAssociation of American Railroads
Websitewww.ttci.tech

MxV Rail (full legal name: Transportation Technology Center, Inc.) is a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) which conducts railroad equipment testing and training for member railroads.[1]

From 1982 until October 2022, AAR managed operations at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) as part of public-private partnership between AAR and the TTC's owner, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The TTC is a railroad equipment testing facility located northeast of Pueblo, Colorado. AAR formed its Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) subsidiary in 1998, and TTCI assumed the contract.

In March 2021, TTCI lost the contract to operate the TTC, effective October 2022. In March 2022, AAR rebranded TTCI as MxV Rail, as it works to establish its own testing facility in Pueblo.

History

[edit]

The facility operations and maintenance for TTC has been the responsibility of a contractor since July 1972.[2]: 89–92  Due to reduced funding that threatened to close TTC, the FRA entered a public-private partnership with AAR in 1982, who would take over "care, custody, and control" of the facility.[3] AAR formed its TTCI subsidiary to administer the contract in 1998[4] and the contract was renewed periodically as a single-source award.[5][6]

In March 2021, the FRA awarded the operations and maintenance contract to ENSCO, Inc., who assumed responsibility for research and development, testing, engineering, and training services at TTC from TTCI starting in October 2022. In addition, ENSCO plans to expand the use of TTC to support more general ground transportation research.[7]

In April, TTCI announced plans to build a new, independent research facility in Pueblo after reaching an agreement with the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation (PEDCO).[8] The new facility would be in the PuebloPlex industrial park (site of the former Pueblo Chemical Depot), just south of the TTC.[9]

In March 2022, the AAR announced that TTCI would be rebranded into MxV Rail, a name based on the mathematical formula for momentum: mass x velocity.[10]

Facilities

[edit]

At the PuebloPlex, MxV Rail plans to build a high-tonnage loop for accelerated service testing and curve negotiation loops, along with related infrastructure to support certification testing by the AAR.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Testing Facilities & Equipment". Federal Railroad Administration. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  2. ^ Secretary of Transportation (1977). The Tenth and Final Report on the High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965 (Report). U.S. Department of Transportation. hdl:2027/ien.35556029490174. Retrieved September 16, 2021. alternative PDF link
  3. ^ Holmes, Nathan D. (April 19, 2008). "A Look Inside the Transportation Test Center". Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "TTCI Is Evolving" (Press release). Transportation Technology Center, Inc. March 5, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  5. ^ "Federal Railroad Administration Announces Contract Agreement with the Transportation Technology Center, Inc" (Press release). Federal Railroad Administration. September 15, 2000. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  6. ^ Luczak, Marybeth (March 8, 2021). "TTC Management Transitioning to 'DOT-Wide' Contract". Railway Age. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "ENSCO awarded contract to manage Transportation Technology Center". Progressive Railroading. March 9, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Luczak, Marybeth (April 27, 2021). "TTCI to Start 'Next Chapter' at New Pueblo Facility". Railway Age. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  9. ^ "Celebrating the Past, Present and Future of Rail Research, Testing and Development in Pueblo!" (Press release). Pueblo Economic Development Corporation. April 26, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  10. ^ "Building Momentum: Railroad Industry Introduces MxV Rail". Association of American Railroads. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  11. ^ "TTCI changes name to MxV Rail, prepares for new campus". Progressive Railroading. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
[edit]

38°26′04″N 104°17′06″W / 38.43444°N 104.28500°W / 38.43444; -104.28500

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