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Over a recent 10 year period, Class I railroads1, which own 82 percent of the nation’s 100,000 railroad bridges, have experienced an 8 percent increase in average train loads, from 2,662 tons in 1988 to 2,861 tons in 1997. In addition, technological advancements have allowed use of larger, longer freight cars, increasing carload capacity from 263,000 to 315,000 pounds2 . Railroads have also introduced double-stacked container railcars for their intermodal rail service3 which, according to the Association of American Railroads, has grown from 3 million trailers and containers in 1980 to 8.7 million in 1997. FRA officials project that rail traffic will increase annually through the year 2006. Therefore, there is a clear need to focus on the structural integrity of bridges due to the trend toward heavier loads and increased traffic levels.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
