On the design of a scaled railroad vehicle for the validation of computational models

•The design of a scaled railroad vehicle be used in a scale railroad track is presented.•The vehicle is designed to be used for the validation of numerical algorithms when they are compared to the experimental results acquired by the vehicle.•A scaling strategy to obtain a dynamic behavior similar to a full scale vehicle is analyzed.•The scaling conflicts and the adopted final requirements are discussed.•Experimental results of the sensors installed on the vehicle together with a parameter identification of its mechanical properties are included.