Railway systems engineering

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Railway systems engineering is a multi-faceted engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction and operation of all types of railway systems. It encompasses a wide range of engineering disciplines, including Civil engineering, Computer engineering, Electrical engineering, Mechanical engineering and Production engineering. A great many other engineering sub-disciplines are also called upon.

Contents

[edit] History

With the advent of the railways in the early nineteenth century, a need arose for a specialized group of engineers capable of dealing with the unique problems associated with Railway engineering. As the railways expanded and became a major economic force, a great many engineers became involved in the field, probably the most notable being Richard Trevithick, George Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Today, railway systems engineering continues to be a vibrant field of engineering, with many major projects such as the Channel Tunnel in progress.

[edit] Subfields

  • Command, Control & Signaling
  • Energy Electrification
  • Infrastructure Permanent Way engineering
  • Light rail systems
  • On-track plant
  • Rail Systems Integration
  • Train control systems
  • Railway Vehicle Engineering
  • Wheel-rail interface
  • Systems Engineering
  • Systems Integration

[edit] Professional organizations

In the UK: The Railway Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

In the US The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association

[edit] See also

[edit] External links