Title:

COG Railway Electric Multipurpose Vehicle

Poster

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Abstract

The vehicle utilizes dual truck assemblies for uphill propulsion and downhill braking. The drive truck incorporates and electric motor, traction gearing, and cog-drive engagement to deliver sufficient torque for ascent, while the brake truck utilizes and oil-shear braking system designed to provide controlled deceleration under high load and quickly, if necessary. A modular flatbed superstructure enables multi-use functionality, including maintenance, transport, and emergency response. A MATLAB simulator was developed to model vehicle performance under real-world operating conditions. This tool allows for informative design decisions and energy consumption, thermal behavior, and operational feasibility. The results from this simulator and eventually the vehicle will help prove that a battery-electric solution is viable for cog railway applications, offering reduced emissions, lower noise, and improved operational efficiency compared to the current fleet of diesel engines. Future work entails subsystem and control system integration, and full-scale field validation to achieve a service-ready vehicle.

Authors

First Name Last Name
Mitchell Hauser
Zachary Beardsley
Jesse Franklin
Wyatt McLaughlin
Matthew Yates

Advisors:

Full Name
Ivaylo Nedyalkov

File Count: 1


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Submission Details

Conference URC
Event Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (ISE)
Department Mechanical Engineering (ISE)
Group Mechanical Engineering- Industry
Added April 20, 2026, 3:33 p.m.
Updated April 20, 2026, 3:34 p.m.
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