Abstract
Appreciating the limitations imposed by conventional railroad heating and air-conditioning equipment on thermal environment from the passenger viewpoint, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway undertook a research program to develop means for improving substantially the thermal comfort in cars. Various controls and their components were investigated. Radiant panel and floor heating and cooling were tested in a car in the Budd Company cold room and on the road. Then the car was completely re-equipped with means for accomplishing the objective and put into service test. It features effective control of humidity in the summer, no recirculating air in the overhead system, forced-convection heating and cooling panels, low temperature gradients, and lack of draft. This paper is a progress report on the project, which is continuing.
