ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW

E. C. Honath

Experiences measuring ride quality

Russell: You said you were involved with ride quality measurements?

Honath: Well this was a simple short of ride recorder that was really a pendulum system. It operated by setting it over the bolster up in the passenger car. It had a tape with heated stylist that recorded longitudinal forces and vertical forces and we got the speed by punching mileposts. For work at night we had a diesel light we could hang in the markers bracket on side of various passenger cars. They were all equipped with marker hangers and that way we could get the speed. The tape moved at a constant speed 6 inches per minute and the forces were recorded in relationship to g forces. As I recall we could measure up to about 1/3 or 1/2 g.

Russell: These were to evaluate cars or track maintenance.

Honath: Both! They were used to give a list for track repair. The normal procedure was when using for a track situation was to make the trip then go over the track with the roadmaster to mark the location needing track repair. For the cars it was used on some cars that had ride quality problems. In those cases they would assign one mechanical department employee and one of us. Such things as snubbers were changed or developed and out side swing hangers and that sort of thing were changed. One of the type cars the Santa Fe had a good many of was the Valley type car. Which was a combination of pullmans roomettes and bedrooms and because of the configuration of the combination of accommodations it was one received some of the newer equipment for ride comfort.. Because in the estimation of some their was a ride quality problem.

Russell: You were trying to find out what was the problem with those particular cars.

Honath: Thatâs correct. Some improvements were made by the mechanical department and the quality of the track was improved. Not to the extent that it is with the geometry car today, or with the convienets of the geometry car today but it did work will.

Russell: It was the for runner of the Geometry car.

Honath: Yes! And for its day. Infact, it was the first instrument that removed the seat of the pants as the only source of ride quality.

Russell: So the Santa Fe was an innovator in this area of improving ride quality to the passengers.

Honath: That's correct.

Russell: Was this also used in this era to set speeds through turnouts.

Honath: I did use it in connection with AAR test. The AAR was trying to confirm the speeds that had been set through various calculations. We did use it the report was about 1963 and the test were somewhat before.

Russell: So this was quite a bit latter in your career.

Honath: In the early 60's we did that. It was used in test to verify speeds on turnouts

Transcribed in altered from for the Web By Russell Crump