Manufacturing line/Rail systems/Autorack
Autonomous · Rail systems

Autorack

Fifteen cars or ten SUVs in a locked, watched car. The decks move themselves between the two settings in under five minutes.

Phase 6 · 2033+Concept design
Capacity
15 vehicles
Gross rail load
83.5 t
Deck change
under 5 min
Top speed
120 km / h
I · Blueprint
Side elevation, live systems
SIDE ELEVATION · ENCLOSED AUTORACK, TRI-LEVEL, 15 VEHICLES0102030405060708091011121314151617181928.6 m (93 ft 10 in) over couplers · 83.5 t gross rail load6.15 mTruck centres 19.5 m · 4 axles at 20.9 t
SECTION A–A · TRI-LEVEL, 15 VEHICLES3.25 mRoof — aluminium,6.15 m over railSedan —1.6 m clear per levelScrew jack in each postDeck C — 4.42 mSide panel —perforatedDeck B — 2.73 mLock pin at each postFlatcar deck — 1.05 mSECTION A–A · BI-LEVEL, 10 VEHICLESDeck C —stowed under the roofSUV or pickup to 2.2 mDeck B —raised to 3.50 m2.35 m clear per levelBoth decks move in under 5 min,car stopped and empty.DETAIL B · DECK SCREW JACKGear motor —48 V, 120 WAbsolute encoder —±1 mmWorm gear —self-lockingTrapezoidal screwDeck edge beamNut and bracketEnd-of-travel switchPostSolenoidLock pinLock pin: spring-applied, releasedby the solenoid only to move.
01Flatcar — 89 ft, cushioned underframeStructure
02Side panels & roof — aluminium, enclosedStructure
03Posts — 17 per side, carry the decksStructure
04End-of-car cushioning unitsStructure
05Vehicles — 15 tri-level or 10 bi-levelVehicles
06Deck B — 2.73 m or 3.50 mVehicles
07Deck C — 4.42 m or stowed at the roofVehicles
08Deck screw jacks — 8 per deck, 120 WVehicles
09Deck lock pins — spring-appliedVehicles
10End doors — two-piece, 250 W per leafVehicles
11Axle-end generators — 2 × 300 WPower
12Power packs — 2 × 2.4 kWh LFP, 48 VPower
13ECP trainline — 230 V DC and dataPower
14Car nodes, ECP valve & reservoirBrakes
15Interior cameras — 6, two per levelBrakes
16Thermal cameras — 3, one per levelBrakes
17Gas detectors — 6, battery off-gasBrakes
18Derailment detectors — each bolsterBrakes
19Trucks — 4 axles, truck-mounted brakesBrakes
II · Power & drivetrain

Decks that move themselves.

Sixteen electric screw jacks carry the two upper decks between tri-level and bi-level in under five minutes, with the car stopped and empty. Four powered door leaves close and lock the ends. Axle generators and two 48 V packs run it all.

Decks, jacks & doors — rotating view
A 6 m slice of the car. The two upper decks ride on screw jacks inside the posts and rise to the bi-level setting; they move only when the car is empty. At the end, the two door leaves swing open. The power pack and the car nodes hang under the floor.
01Flatcar deck — 1.05 m over rail
02Posts — screw jack inside each
03Deck B — rises 0.77 m
04Deck C — rises 1.53 m, stows at the roof
05Jack motors — 48 V, 120 W
06End doors — two leaves, 250 W each
07Side panel — perforated aluminium
08Power pack & nodes — 2.4 kWh, 2 × 12 W
Deck screw jack
Motor48 V, 120 W
DriveWorm gear and trapezoidal screw, self-locking
Speed6 mm/s
Load3.2 kN lifting, 12 kN rated
SyncEncoders ±1 mm; stop at 5 mm
HoldSpring-applied lock pin at each setting
Naked system — power, decks, doors and brakes
Wheelsets · 965 mmAxle-end generator300 W · 660 rpm at 120 km/hRectifier & chargerto 48 V DCECP TRAINLINE · 230 V DC POWER AND DATA, CAR TO CARDC/DC 230 → 48 V10 W per car48 V DC CAR BUSBattery A · 2.4 kWh LFPwith B: parked 40 days at 5 WCar nodes A & B2 × 12 W, certifiedCameras & detectors6 video · 3 thermal · 6 gasDeck jacks16 × 120 W, 48 VEnd doors4 × 250 W, 48 VBrake channelSIL 3 on the nodesbrake command from the locomotiveECP brake valvepressure loop 1 kHzReservoir0.1 m³ at 6.2 barBRAKE PIPE · 6.2 BAR AIRBrake cylindertruck-mountedShoe on every wheelSecond pack · 2.4 kWh LFPone per end, on the same bus
III · How it is put together

A rack built onto a finished flatcar.

The flatcar with its cushioning units goes onto trucks first; seventeen posts a side, panels and roof close the rack; two decks hang on sixteen screw jacks; doors, power packs and sensors go in; then both decks cycle, the brakes are tested and the car is weighed.

An 89 ft flatcar is built with long-travel cushioning, then set on trucks.
Seventeen posts a side go up, then aluminium panels and roof close it.
Two decks hang on sixteen jacks; lock pins set each deck level.
Powered end doors, power packs, nodes, cameras and gas detectors go in.
Both decks run tri-level to bi-level and back; doors, brakes and weight checked.
I
Flatcar, cushioning units, trucks
II
Posts, side panels, roof
III
Decks, screw jacks, lock pins
IV
End doors, power, sensors
V
Deck-cycled, brake-tested, weighed
IV · Specification

Design specification.

Design targets for the autonomous autorack.

Capacity
15 tri-level · 10 bi-level
Gross rail load
83.5 t (184,000 lb)
Tare
44 t
Payload
39.5 t
Length
28.6 m over couplers
Height
6.15 m over rail
Inside
4.95 m high, 2.95 m wide
Deck change
under 5 min
Deck jacks
16 × 120 W, 6 mm/s
End doors
4 × 250 W, 20 s
Axle load
20.9 t · 4 axles
Top speed
120 km / h
Brakes
ECP on every car
Car power
2 × 300 W + 4.8 kWh
Fire watch
3 thermal + 6 gas
Metal content
≈ 96%
Onboard compute
Two certified nodes run the decks and doors and watch the load
Modules2 car nodes — certified safety controllers, one at each end. No AI module on the car
CPU8 lockstep cores (2 × 4)
AI throughput80 TOPS total (2 × 40) — intrusion, heat, bearing and wheel models
Memory2 × 8 GB with error correction at 50 GB/s; 256 GB flash, 90-day car record
Power draw24 W compute; ≈ 60 W running with cameras, detectors and modem; 5 W parked
Process nodeMature 16 nm node, 15-year supply. Nodes are line-replaceable, swapped at mid-life
RedundancyEvery sensor is wired to both nodes. Node A is primary for the A end, its door and the deck jacks; node B for the B end, its door and the fire watch; each is hot standby for the other. Loss of both nodes or of the trainline applies the brakes and leaves the decks and doors locked.
Sensors6 interior cameras and 3 thermal cameras on automotive Ethernet, 6 gas detectors, 8 bearing sensors, 4 wheel-impact sensors, GNSS
Safety sensorsThe deck, door and brake channel reads its own: jack encoders and end-of-travel switches, lock-pin and door-lock switches, 2 axle-speed sensors, hand-brake switch, brake pressure transducers, derailment accelerometers
LinkECP trainline to the locomotive, relayed car to car; cellular and satellite modem when parked
Commands reach the jacks, doors and brakes only through the certified channel. A deck moves only when the car is stopped and braked, its level is empty, and all eight jacks track within 5 mm; lock pins drop at every setting. The doors open only when the car is stopped and braked, and lock before the brakes release. The drivers close their current loops at 1 kHz. A software fault can never drive the autorack outside its certified safe envelope.
Today vs IC
Loading and security: today’s autorack beside the IC design
Today · enclosed tri-level autorackIC design
Size and load93 ft 10 in over couplers; 19 ft high; 176,000–184,000 lb gross rail loadSame length; 6.15 m (20 ft 2 in) high; 83.5 t (184,000 lb)
Tare98,500–104,000 lb (44.7–47.2 t)44 t (97,000 lb): aluminium side panels and roof
DecksAdjustable decks: bi-level up to 10 vehicles, tri-level up to 15Same counts; electric screw jacks reset the decks in under 5 min
DoorsTwo-piece locking end doorsPowered, interlocked with the brakes; every opening logged with time and place
SensingGPS on each car, plus door, deck and theft detection6 interior and 3 thermal cameras, 6 gas detectors, bearings and wheels
BrakesAir brakesECP on every car: all cars brake at once
The IC column is the design shown on this page. Sources for the Today column are listed in BUILD_NOTES.md.
Runs on The Brain
Every autorack reports to The Brain: which vehicle rides where, every door event, every deck setting and the first sign of heat.
See how it works →
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