This paper describes how rail vehicle end hoses, that form the connection between the brake equipment on adjacent vehicles, have been traditionally tested for flexibility and a new test method that was recently introduced in The Association of American Railroads Specification (AAR) M-601 [1]. The Railroads had expressed a need to be able to perform both initial hose assembly specification compliance and subsequent quality assurance performance tests under controlled temperature conditions. This led to the development of a new test device and a simplified test procedure, which closely simulates the actions of railroad personnel when connecting end hoses in the train yard. This paper describes how end hoses have traditionally been tested, the evolution of a new test device, and the steps taken to qualify it for acceptance by the AAR as the test method in the recently revised Specification M-601.

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