Overview
FRA DOTX 219 (commonly shortened to DOTX 219; originally known as T-19) is a self-propelled track geometry car owned by the Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP), a division of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in the United States. DOTX 219 measures several different aspects of track geometry, such as track gauge and rail cant. DOTX 219 was built by ENSCO, Plasser & Theurer, and Colorado Railcar, and began service in late April 2007. DOTX 219 and its collected data has had several uses, such as in train derailment investigations.
Specifications
DOTX 219 has several systems onboard for measuring different aspects of track geometry. The Track Geometry Measurement System (TGMS) measures track gauge (the width between the rails), rail cant (how much higher one rail is to the other), and calculates speed limits for curves; the Transverse Rail Profile System (TRPS) measures rail profile (the shape of the rail) in real time; the Differential Global Positioning System DGMS/LDS (DGPS) uses a geographic coordinate system to give coordinates to a track defect; and the Ride Quality Measurement System (RQMS) measures the ride quality for passenger trains. DOTX 219 can move under its own power, but it can also be towed by a locomotive. DOTX 219 uploads its collected track data to the Track Data Management System (TDMS) — an archive of track data collected since 1998 — via the satellite-based Mobile Broadband Internet System (MBIS).
The crew of DOTX 219 uses the Digital Survey Log (DSL) to log information about a survey's progress and delays. The crew also uses the Digital Track Notebook (DTN), a handheld computer which can be used as a reference manual for railroad regulations, and can synchronize data from the other measurement systems.
History
The Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP) is a division of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) which oversees automated track inspections on railroads in the United States. At the time, the FRA focused its automated track inspections for frequently used railroad lines, especially lines which carried hazardous materials and passengers. Track inspections would have to be , as opposed to manual inspections where subtle track defects would be difficult to identify. DOTX 219 entered service in late April 2007.
Operations
in Decatur, Alabama, 2016 The predominant use of DOTX 219 is to perform track geometry inspections in the United States. DOTX 219 surveys about of track annually. DOTX 219 is frequently paired with DOTX 223 — a buffer car with no measurement systems — during inspections. DOTX 219 was connected with "the instrumented tank car" to provide coordinates and new track geometry data with the data measured by the tank car. From February 28, 2010, to March 2, 2010, DOTX 219 and the tank car were moved from Baldwin, Florida to Tampa, Florida. From March 4, 2010, to March 7, 2010, DOTX 219 and the tank car were moved three times between Tampa, Florida and Waycross, Georgia. The data collected by DOTX 219 has been used in train derailment investigations. The FRA used data from DOTX 219 for a derailment in Riddleville, Georgia, which occurred on August 7, 2015.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched an investigation for a derailment in Fort Worth, Texas, which occurred on April 24, 2019. A track inspection report created with DOTX 219 on April 10, 2012, was used in the investigation.