A series of tests were conducted for the AAR at Miner’s Geneva, Ill., facility on boxcar plug doors. These tests included railcar impact, water spray, and light leakage tests on Miner’s state-of-the art Research and Development impact track. Miner custom-built a water spray fixture for one of the S-213 tests.
“We see our R&D and testing capabilities not as a profit center, but as a service to the industry,” said Miner Enterprises Manager of Mechanical Testing Services, Research and Development Andrew Kries. “Our R&D Department offers one of the most complete supplier-owned, AAR-approved test facilities in the railroad industry.”
Providing product development and quality assurance testing services for Miner’s entire product line, the R&D Department consists of a comprehensive physical test laboratory, a railcar impact track, and the capability to perform unmanned field service testing. The Department is staffed with engineers and technicians with years of expertise in instrumentation, stress analysis, load cell design, and test machine/fixture design and fabrication.
“Originally founded in 1894 as W.H. Miner, our company provided spring draft rigging and then friction gears for railroads transitioning from wooden frames,” explained Executive Director Global Sales Bill O’Donnells. “Since 1894, Miner has focused on improving the performance and value of its products and the freight cars that use them through frequent testing, in-depth service analysis, and industry-related experience spanning 120 years.”