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railPrime
12/5/2016
Dayton T. Brown Inc. Perspective: Efficient approaches and revisions to the PTC master qualification integration plan
By Thomas J. Volpe, director of business development-transportation systems
Dayton T. Brown Inc. is the largest independent engineering and test laboratory operating for over 60 years on the East Coast. The company offers one-stop shopping for EMI/EMC, environmental, vibration, dimensional, metallurgical, stress and fatigue engineering and various other testing services under one roof. Dayton T. Brown has taken the test and engineering evaluation experience gained over the past decades in serving the railroad industries and has applied it to meeting the railroads’ and suppliers’ PTC objectives and deadlines. As an independent testing laboratory, we have been qualifying radios, trackside, wayside, and carborne equipment to strict design and test standards.
MTA Metro-North Railroad (MNR) has called upon Dayton T. Brown to recommend efficient approaches and revisions to the PTC master qualification integration plan. Our expertise in engineering, test and evaluation to railway standards has been welcomed by MNR, as well as MTA Long Island Rail Road, Bombardier, Siemens GE and other major suppliers, to assist them in defining qualification testing for their products. Our streamlined approach to identifying proper laboratory test protocols for various suites of equipment has proven to minimize test and evaluation efforts in the field where the logistics are more difficult.
Laboratory testing to rigorous, yet realistic, environments enhances equipment reliability when it is installed in its operating environment. Testing the operation of the equipment in the lab, while integrated as a system and exposed to simulated operating conditions, is key to ensuring that reliable service is yielded from the initial installation. Dayton T. Brown has proven to be a valuable member of railroads’ and suppliers’ PTC integration team. It will be a great satisfaction to know that our organization has been instrumental by contributing to and supporting a segment of technology, not only in meeting deadlines, but by providing testing services to ensure reliable, safe transportation for those who rely on the PTC equipment in service.