A railway harness enquiry usually names several documents at once. This chart groups the ones listed on the APAR coach and locomotive harness pages by what they govern. The buyer’s drawing and purchase specification remain the controlling documents, and the revision called up there is the one to follow.
Documents named on the APAR harness pages
| Document | What it governs | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| ELRS/SPEC/ELC/0019, Rev. 4 | Cables and wires | Coach and locomotive harnesses |
| EDTS 132, Rev. C | Cables and wires | Coach and locomotive harnesses |
| RDSO/PE/SPEC/AC/0138/2009 | Cable management systems | Conduits, sleeving and fixing that protect the harness |
| EDTS-200 and EDTS-201 | Crimping sockets | Terminations on the harness |
| ICF/SK-7-2-166 and ICF/SK-7-2-528 | Crimping sockets | Terminations on coach harnesses |
| EDTS specifications for each coach type | Harness requirements for that coach type | Coach harnesses |
How the documents divide the work
The cable standards fix what the wire is: copper conductor, insulation compound and temperature rating. APAR rail cables are electron beam irradiated, thin-walled and flexible, with printed identification showing grade, size, voltage and applicable standard. The crimping socket documents fix the terminal that is pressed onto that wire. The cable management document fixes how the finished bundle is carried and protected. A drawing that names only one of these has left the other two to interpretation.
What to send with an enquiry
- The harness drawing with the revision of every specification it calls up.
- The from-to wire list and connector cavity table.
- The coach type or locomotive model, such as WAG-9 or WAP-7, and the circuit groups involved: main, auxiliary, control, sensor, roof, battery and earthing.
The full list of what a quote needs is in the wiring harness RFQ checklist. Routing and protection practice is in the rolling stock harness routing guide.
Where APAR fits
APAR supplies harnesses built to customer schematics. See the railway coach harness page and the locomotive harness page. The underlying cable range is on the railway, locomotive and rolling stock cables page. Testing is carried out in APAR’s NABL-accredited laboratory, and test details for a given project are available on request.