Dimensions and tolerances in the “wheelset — railway track” system are interconnected, since the normative values of geometric parameters and shape of the elements of the wheelsets and the track's upper structure are directly de pendent. In 2018– 2019 in order to establish the minimum permissible thickness of wheel flanges for freight cars in operation and to determine the influence of the thickness and shape of wheel flanges on the safe passage of turnout elements, JSC “VNIIZhT” conducted comprehensive stu dies, including the development of a methodo logy and mathematical modeling of the interaction of wheelsets and turnout elements. Features of modeling the dynamic proces ses of the entry of the first bogie of a freight car into the railway turnout when running to the side track are presented. The process of moving a freight car along the turnout is described de pending on the geometric parameters of the wheelset and track elements of the turnout, the position in the gauge of its first bogie before running into the switch point. Results of calculations of the lateral forces of the interaction of the wheelset and the turnout show that when running on, the maximum forces occurred during wheel impacts in the turnout elements, which depend on the conditions of the bogie entering the turnout. The initial position of the bogie and the peculiarities of its motion in the gauge determine the position of the meeting point and the value of the angle of incidence, their combination determines the maximum value of the force when moving to the lateral track, which, depending on the entry conditions, can differ by more than twice. Calculations showed that a change in the angle of inclination of the flange from 60 to 70° leads to a decrease in the safety factor of rolling stock on the turnout by 1.5 times. Required minimum value of the inclination of the wheel flange, ensuring safety (qR parameter), is determined by the creation of conditions that do not allow the wheel to run onto the tip of the switch point. Under existing norms of wear of turnout elements and the relative position of their rail elements, as well as taking into account the results of the calculations, the permissible value of qR should be in the range of 6.0...6.5 mm.