Rail Signaling & Wayside Equipment worked example

Track Circuit Test Load with test rig connected electrical load of 30 kW: a worked example

What does the result look like when test rig connected electrical load reaches 30 kW? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it when track circuit test load in rail signaling and wayside equipment is being quoted and energy is a real chunk of the rail signaling and wayside equipment cost stack.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Test rig connected electrical load: 30 kW (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 12)
  • Test run duration: 8 hr (unchanged)
  • Blended electricity rate: 0.12 $ / kWh (unchanged)
  • Track circuit units tested during the run: 1,000 units (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total track circuit test load energy cost = track circuit test load connected load × track circuit test load runtime × blended electricity rate) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 240 kWh for track circuit test load energy used, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 28.8 $ for total track circuit test load energy cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.03 $ / piece for energy cost per kwh.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 3.6 $ / hr for hourly track circuit test load energy cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where test rig connected electrical load sits at 12 kW and the headline result is 96 kWh, this scenario comes in 150% above the baseline at 240 kWh.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when test rig connected electrical load is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes the rig draws its full connected load for the whole run, so intermittent or partial-load testing will overstate the energy and cost.

Results at a glance

  • Track circuit test load energy used: 240 kWh (headline result)
  • Total track circuit test load energy cost: 28.8 $
  • Energy cost per kWh: 0.03 $ / piece
  • Hourly track circuit test load energy cost: 3.6 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Track Circuit Test Load calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.