July 2012 | www.rtands.com
Fasteners take hold plus
Rail Welding Special Trackwork And also AREMA News p.37
Contents July 2012
News
RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES
Features
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Industry Today 5 Supplier News 9 People
The world of track fastening systems is gripping While it’s one of the smallest components on a railroad, fasenting systems do much more than hold their own .
Columns
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25
Suppliers answer rail welding challenges Advancements in the rail welding processes fuse quality and costeffectiveness in one hot package.
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Looking to enhance special trackwork Service life is an important factor when it comes to one of the railroad’s more expensive purchases.
25 Departments 11 TTCI R&D 37 Arema News 42 Products 43 Calendar 44 Advertisers Index
Pandrol USA’s VICTOR fastening system for wood ties, which utilizes an ‘e’ clip fastening system.
3
On Track Reversing the formula
10 48
NRC Chairman’s Column Safety under the summer sun Field Report A different way of doing things
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44 Sales Representatives 45 Classified Advertising 46 Professional Directory
Story on page 17.
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Railway Track & Structures
July 2012 1
On Track
RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES
Vol. 108, No. 7 Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South Clark Street, Suite 2450 Chicago, Ill. 60603 Telephone (312) 683-0130 Fax (312) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com Mischa Wanek-Libman/Editor, mischa@sbpub-chicago.com Jennifer Nunez/Assistant Editor, jnunez@sbpub-chicago.com CORPORATE OFFICES 345 Hudson Street New York, N.Y. 10014 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr./ President and Chairman Jonathan Chalon/Publisher Robert P. DeMarco/Publisher Emeritus George S. Sokulski/Associate Publisher Emeritus Mary Conyers/Production Director Maureen Cooney/Circulation Director Jane Poterala/Conference Director
Railway Track & Structures (Print ISSN 0033-9016, Digital ISSN 2160-2514), (USPS 860-560), (Canada Post Cust. #7204654), (Bluechip Int’l, Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Agreement # 41094515) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 345 Hudson Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10014. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices. Pricing, Qualified individual in the railroad employees may request a free subscription. Non-qualified subscriptions printed or digital version: 1 year Railroad Employees (US/ Canada/Mexico) $16.00; all others $46.00; foreign $80.00; foreign, air mail $180.00. 2 years Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $30.00; all others $85.00; foreign $140.00; foreign, air mail $340.00. BOTH Print & Digital Versions: 1 year Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $24.00; all others $69.00; foreign $120.00; foreign, air mail $220.00. 2 years Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $45.00; all others $128.00; foreign $209.00; foreign, air mail $409.00. Single Copies are $10.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only. COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2012. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact: PARS International Corp., 102 W 38th St., 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10018 Phone (212) 221-9595 Fax (212) 221-9195. For Subscriptions & address changes, Please call (800) 895-4389, (402) 346-4740, Fax (402) 346-3670, e-mail circulation@sbpub.com or write to: Railway Track & Structures, Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 10, Omaha, NE 68101-0010.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Railway Track & Structures, PO Box 10, Omaha, NE 68101-0010.
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Reversing the formula
T
he main purpose of this column is to inform, comment and put a personal spin on a greater industry topic, which, if I’m doing my job correctly, leaves the reader with a relatable and entertaining account of rail engineering and construction. As there have been some questionable parallels made on this page over the years, I realize that mark isn’t always hit, but I continue to take aim. This month, I would like to try something a little different. Rather than reaching out to the greater industry and bringing the focus in, I would like to flip the formula and discuss some ways we here at RT&S are reaching out to the industry. The magazine has gone through a number of changes over the past few months. On the print side of things, the most obvious change is our redesign, which we inaugurated in March. Additionally, this month will kick off a series of stories from the field. “Field Repor t” can be found on the last page of the issue and is meant to be a summer series where we leave the comfort of our climate-controlled offices to report on those maintenance and improvement activities happening across North America’s rail network this time of year. Some of these reports are snap shots of what will develop into larger stories, while others may be smaller projects but the people and techniques being utilized deser ve recognition. First up is a horizontal directional drilling project on BNSF, next month will highlight one of Norfolk Southern’s tie gangs and several more subjects are being developed. We are a monthly print trade publication first, but covering the people and events that shape our industry
is a daily effort. We have also introduced new and enhanced tools for the digital platform. Rail Brief, our weekly e-newsletter focused on the engineering side of the rail industry debuted in April and, in mid-June, we launched an enhanced rtands.com. If it’s been awhile since you visited www.rtands.com, I invite you to take a moment and view our new website. The new site better organizes our articles and breaking news into eight key criteria called channels. We find this approach to be more userfriendly and, most importantly, it’s also more interactive. While we have been busy during the first half of the year and have several more developments scheduled, all these changes are designed to augment our singular focus: keeping you informed of rail engineering news. We are the only publication in North America to report solely on rail infrastructure. However, just because we’re the only one, doesn’t mean we are allowed to slack off. We still aim to be the most informative and the most useful to our readers. We spend a lot of time putting o u t i n f o r m at i o n a n d r e c o g n i z e that communication is a two-way street. We would appreciate any and all feedback on the new site, new design, new newsletters and new magazine sections. Please feel free to leave a comment, send out a tweet, send an e-mail or, for you traditionalists out there, our editorial and publishing team is always available by phone.
Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor
Railway Track & Structures
July 2012 3
INDUSTRY TODAY AECOM Technology Corporation was named part of a consortium awarded a $555-million contract for a package of work on Australia’s Regional Rail Link in the state of Victoria; the company was also named lead design subconsultant to a joint venture contracted to design, build and finance a spur line and passenger station as part of Ontario’s Air Rail Link. Boatright Companies is building a $55-million, 400,000-square-foot crosstie plant in Chilton County, Ala., on 100 acres in the Chilton County Industrial Park, giving the company the ability to more than double its current railroad tie production capacity. California Santa Clara Valley Transportation awarded RGW Construction, Inc., a $45,040,277 contract for the Mission/Warren/ Freight Railroad Relocation Program improvements. GE Transportation will relocate its global headquarters from Erie, Pa., to Chicago, Ill., and plans to keep its GE Transportation global locomotive business and key manufacturing site in Erie. Hatch Mott MacDonald
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Three tunneling projects hit milestones A trio of tunnel projects across Nor th America reached marked construction acheivements in the past month. The first mile (1.6 kilometers) of twin tunnels for the Toronto Transit Commission Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE) in Canada has been completed. The new tunnels represent one complete section of the twin tunnels that will connect the future Sheppard West and Finch West Stations. Two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) named On May 29, 2012, the TBM shown here completed “Holey” and “Moley” bored mining the third East Side Access tunnel in Queens. the tunnels. This photo shows the machine being reassembled as The TYSSE project is crews prepared it for the tunnel mining operation. a 5.3-mile (8.6-kilometer) extension of the TTC’s Yonge-University-Spadina subway line from its present terminus at Downsview Station to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre at Highway 7. It will have six new stations, including one at York University. The expansion of the subway will bring the line into York Region, the fastest-growing region in the Greater Toronto Area during the past 10 years. Crews working on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s East Side Access project brought a 642-ton TBM to a halt underneath Sunnyside Yard in Queens, seven weeks ahead of schedule, completing the third of four tunnels the MTA is building in Queens. The machine began building the tunnel on March 26, 2012. Trains using this tunnel will be traveling eastbound from Grand Central Terminal toward Long Island. They will use it to merge onto the Long Island Rail Road mainline eastbound tracks that lead to Jamaica and Port Washington. The machines used build the concrete tunnel walls as they progress, giving the tunnels shape and strength at the same time that they excavate the ground from beneath the railroad tracks. In digging this eastbound tunnel, the machine installed 441 precast, segmented concrete rings and excavated 875,169 cubic feet of soil over nine weeks as it built the 2,200-foot-long, 22.5-foot diameter tunnel. Moving to the West Coast, Sound Transit contractors connected the University Link light-rail tunnels with the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) in Washington state. The TBM nicknamed “Brenda” recently completed its one-mile trip on the second tunnel between Capitol Hill and downtown. The TBM arrival and removal of a headwall between the mining operations and the DSTT means there are now twin tunnels running 3.1 miles between downtown Seattle and the University of Washington. The contractor team, JCM U-Link Joint Venture, mined two tunnels about a mile long between the site of the future Capitol Hill Station and downtown Seattle. A separate contractor completed the twin tunnels between UW and Capitol Hill in early April. The contractors will now focus on completing 21 cross passages between the twin tunnels by early 2013. Overall, the $1.9 billion project is about halfway complete and scheduled to open in 2016. Between now and then, contractors have to finish stations at UW and Capitol Hill, install communications and power systems and test the new line.
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July 2012 5
New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Supplier News
INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News acquired Engineering Northwest Ltd., a professional consulting engineering firm located in Thunder Bay, ON, Canada. Holland L.P. purchased L.B. Foster’s railway securement business. Parsons was awarded a contract by Canadian Pacific for the structural monitoring and advanced condition assessment of its La Crosse Rail Bridge, which spans between La Crescent, Minn., and La Crosse, Wis. Protran Technology was
6 Railway Track & Structures
BNSF details $591 million capital program taking place across seven states BNSF laid out details of its plan to spend an estimated $591 million across seven states. The planned capital investments are part of BNSF’s total 2012 capital commitment of $3.9 billion. BNSF’s California network will see an estimated $120 million in improvements including installation of an automated gate system at its Hobart Intermodal Facility, perform surfacing and undercutting work along 786 miles of track, replacement of 40 miles of rail and about 377,000 ties, as well as signal upgrades. The railroad’s Minnesota property can expect a $100 million investment in projects that include upgrades to rail sidings and signals, surface and undercutting work on 1,817 miles of track, replacing 42 miles of rail and approximately 325,000 ties. North Dakota will see improvements to the tune of $86 million including surfacing and undercutting along 1,232 miles of track, replacement of 67 miles of rail, installation of 122,000 ties and signal upgrades. BNSF
July 2012
will also raise the track at Devils Lake that is threatened by rising water. The railroad will spend an estimated $80 million in Colorado including the construction of a new maintenance-ofway facility, signal upgrades, replacing 50 miles of rail, installing 211,000 ties, signal upgrades and 325 miles of track surfacing and undercutting work. An additional $80 million will be spent in Arizona including 377 miles of track surfacing and undercutting work, replacing 26 miles of rail and about 233,000 ties, as well as signal upgrades. The New Mexico track can expect to see $65 million to surface and undercut 560 miles of track, replace 22 miles of rail, perform signal upgrades and install 142,000 ties. Finally, BNSF plans to invest an estimated $60 million on projects in Wyoming including 1,115 miles of track surfacing and undercutting work, replacing 31 miles of rail and about 36,000 ties.
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Illinois Department of Transportation
Chicago to St. Louis high(er)-speed rail corridor enters final stage of construction
The Illinois Department of Transportation and Union Pacific are beginning the final phase of 2012 upgrades to Illinois’ signature high-speed route, Chicago-St. Louis, for future high(er)-speed Amtrak trains. The improvements for 110 mph service include the installation of new
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Supplier News
premium rail with concrete ties and ballast; upgrades to bridges, culver ts and drainage; signal and wayside equipment installations and g radecrossing improvements. Union Pacific’s track renewal train crews will improve infrastr ucture to enable Amtrak service to travel at speeds up to 110 mph, an increase from the current maximum of 79 mph. Illinois DOT and Amtrak are planning to preview high(er)-speed trains in September 2012 between Dwight and Pontiac. The Dwight to Pontiac segment will be the first part of the corridor to experience trains traveling at the higher speed. This is the last scheduled year of large-scale construction leading to alternate transpor tation on the corridor. When work began with a ground-breaking north of Alton, Ill., in 2010, it was among the first high-speed rail projects in the country to begin construction.
awarded its first major contract from Brazil’s Belo Horizonte Metro for the “Protracker / PTC” track worker protection overlay system. Racine Railroad Products acquired a 103,000 square foot multi-building property in Mount Pleasant, Wis., which will increase capacity and size of large ride-on equipment. Railliance, Inc., a manufacturer’s rep agency specifically focused on rail (freight, transit and industrial) industries was launched.
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INDUSTRY TODAY TIGER IV grants marked for freight and passenger rail projects The fourth round of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s ever-popular Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants will aid 47 transportation projects in 34 states and the District of Columbia. While the percentage of rail-specific projects declined, several key rail-related projects will benefit from the latest
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round of federal funding. Transit projects received 16 percent of the funding, high-speed and intercity passenger projects received 13 percent, while 12 percent will go to freight rail projects and an additional 12 percent will help build port projects, many of which have rail elements tied into them. Rail-related identified as TIGER IV
recipients include: • The State of Illinois will receive a $10.4 million grant, which will complete a $370 million funding package of 15 local projects in the CREATE program and include new track and signal systems that will ease freight, Amtrak and Metra congestion. • Three station projects including $20 million for the Chicago Transit Authority to proceed with the 95th Street Terminal Improvement Project; $15 million to restore the Sacramento Valley Station in California and $15 million to build Rochester, N.Y.’s Rochester Intermodal Transportation Center. • $10.9 million will be used to expand rail infrastructure at the West Memphis Port in Arkansas by strengthening current rail to allow for heavier cargo loads and extending the existing rail spur by approximately 13,500 feet to the base of the St. Francis Levee. • $10 million will go to Washington state’s North Spokane Corridor project, which includes plans to relocate 7.5 miles of BNSF right-of-way. • An $18 million grant will go toward the first phase of the Fort Lauderdale Wave Streetcar Project that will eventually have streetcars running along a 2.7-mile corridor in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Fla. • Vermont will use its $7.9 million grant to upgrade the New England Central Railroad in northern Vermont by rehabilitating 19 miles of track between St. Albans and the Canadian border in Alburgh with new rail, ballast and ties and to make structural and deck repairs on six bridges. • SEPTA’s Wayne Junction Substation, which provides power for half of the regional rail system, will benefit from a $12.8 million grant. • The Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad will use a $7 million to finance repairs needed to reopen the Siskiyou rail route, linking Medford, Ore., and Weed, Calif. USDOT is authorized to award $500 million in TIGER grants in 2012 and received 703 applications for TIGER IV grants asking for a total of $10.2 billion. The previous three rounds of the TIGER program provided $2.6 billion to 172 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. www.rtands.com
PEOPLE AECOM appointed Angela Iannuzziello, P. Eng., F.E.C., as vice president and leader of its Canadian transit practice within its Americas transportation business. Gage McCotter, CFO at Auto Truck Group retired, effective June 1, 2012. Cana d i an Pac i f i c e l e c t e d Pa u l Haggis to chairman of the company’s board of directors. The California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors hired Jeff Morales as its new chief executive officer. Genesee & Wyoming Inc. named David Brown the successor to GWI’s current chief operating officer, James Benz. Eugene Truett, vice president of investor r e l a t i o n s a n d c r e d i t a t Harsco Corporation, will retire, effective
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Supplier News early September. Dr. Arnold Kerr, founder of the Institute for Railroad Engineering in Wilmington, Del., and author of Fundamentals of Railroad Track Engineering, passed away on May 27, at the age of 84. The North Carolina Department of T rans po rtat i on a p p o i n t e d Anthony Fuller as the new director of the Rail Division. The Oregon International Port of C oos Bay Po r t C o m m i s s i o n selected David Koch as its new chief executive officer. Parsons Brinckerhoff named Greg Kelly chief operating officer; Clifford Eby succeeds Kelly as president of Parsons Brinckerhoff’s Americas Transportation operating company.
Skanska signed a $148million contract with the Moynihan Station Development Corporation to complete the first phase of an expansion to New York City’s Penn Station, to create the new Moynihan Station; the company was also awarded a $66 million contract from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to design and construct a test track, commissioning facility, parking garage and other facilities near the existing Greenbelt Maintenance Yard in Prince George’s County, Md.
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NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN
Safety under the summer sun
The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association, Inc. 500 New Jersey Ave., N. W. Suite 400 Washington D. C. 20009 Tel: 202-715-2920 Fax: 202-318-0867 www.nrcma.org info@nrcma.org
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We are in the midst of the summer work season, facing the hazards and problems we face each year at this time. With high temperatures, high humidity and dry ground conditions affecting our workers, we must take the extra time and precautions to address these issues with our employees. These conditions can lead to expensive property damage in the way of grass/brush fires, overheating equipment and even track buckling. Our most valuable asset, our employees, must be given the knowledge and training to protect themselves and learn the signs of overheating, not only for themselves, but for their fellow employees. Contractors, Class 1s, regionals, shortlines and rail transit agencies are hiring new employees every day. Safety awareness has to be at a high level at every worksite and it needs to be even higher with our new employees. We all have extensive training programs, but there is no better teacher than experience and experience takes time, so make sure to pay special attention to the safety habits of your newest employees. While we focus on getting our work done safely, on time and on budget out in the field every day, I’m also pleased to announce that the NRC is investing in the next generation of rail industry leaders. We have recently made contributions to two outstanding rail education programs: the Michigan State Railway Management Program and the Michigan Tech University Rail Transportation Program. Michigan State University’s certificate course in railway management offers a comprehensive course designed to help railroad employees grow professionally and increase their management capabilities. For more information, visit: www.raileducation.com. Michigan Technical University’s Rail Transportation Program serves the rail industry by offering an interdisciplinary program in railroad engineering and urban rail transit that provides opportunities for students and faculty to participate in the development and operation of rail transportation for the 21st century. For more information, visit: www.rail.mtu.edu.
July 2012
Our NRC staff in D.C. is still working away on the surface transpor tation reauthorization legislation. This legislation is very important to essentially all of our customers: rail transit agencies, streetcar systems, intercity passenger rail operators, freights railroads from the largest Class 1 to the smallest shortline and even ports. The NRC has written a letter to the congressmen and senators working on this legislation in Conference Committee focusing on our priorities, which include: • Dedicated funding for the Section 130 Rail-Highway Grade Crossing Safety Program; • Flexibility for State DOTs to invest in freight rail projects; • Funding for the multimodal meritbased Projects of National & Regional Significance program; • Provisions to expedite project delivery and streamline environmental permitting processes; • Expansion of the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program; • Maintaining the current truck size and weight limits; • Improving the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan program and • Restoring parity between the pre-tax commuter benefits for parking and transit use. If you’d like to also weigh in with your congressmen and senators directly (and I strongly encourage you to do so), you can do it very easily online at www.capwiz. com/nrcma. Finally, save the date for the next NRC Conference, January 9-12, 2013, at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel in Miami, Fla. Registration information will be announced shortly in this column, via the NRC e-mail bulletin and online at www.nrcma.org/go/conference. I hope to see you there. Work safe and keep those around you working safe. by Terry Benton, NRC Chairman
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TTCI R&D Performance evaluation of:
A vintage riveted steel deck plate girder under heavyaxle-loads at FAST
by Lucy Tunna, engineer, and Duane Otter, principal investigator II, TTCI.
TTCI tests a vintage riveted span at FAST with expectations for a longer service life.
I
n an effort to extend the life of railroad bridges and to develop recommended practices for life extension maintenance and cost-effective repair procedures, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., in Pueblo, Colo., is evaluating a vintage riveted steel span from 1912. Norfolk Southern donated
Figure 1 shows a 1912 vintage riveted span with ballasted deck near Lafayette,Ind.
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the span. Pr ior to installation at the Facility for Accelerated Ser vice Testing (FAST), TTCI crews instrumented the bridge span in revenue ser vice. Compar isons between the vintage r iveted span perfor mance at FAST and in revenue service, as well as between the vintage span and the previous welded steel span, are made based on measurements to date. Comparisons are also made to values c a l c u l a t e d b a s e d o n t h e o r e t i c a l m o d e l s. Observations include: • T h e 3 1 5 , 0 0 0 - p o u n d h e av y - a x l e - l o a d environment to which the vintage riveted span is subjected at FAST is considerably more severe than the axle-load environment this span experienced in revenue service. The stresses and deflections in the vintage span at FAST are likewise almost twice as large as those measured in revenue service. • Effective inspection, maintenance, repairs, and safety methods including ongoing stress and deflection measurements have successfully extended the service life of the vintage steel span at FAST. • Measured stresses in the vintage riveted span are similar to the measured stresses in the previous welded span. However, due to a lower yield point in the steel in the vintage span, the stresses are 20 percent higher as a fraction of steel strength, thereby reducing the maximum live-load capacity. • M e a s u r e d d e f l e c t i o n s i n t h e v i n t a g e riveted span are somewhat less than those measured in the previous welded steel span; this reduction is expected given that Railway Track & Structures
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TTCI R&D Figure 2 top, shows the vintage riveted span at FAST. Figure 3 middle, shows a comparison of average peak live-load stresses for the vintage riveted span. Figure 4 bottom, is a comparison of typical peak stresses of the vintage riveted span and the welded steel span at FAST.
•
the vintage span is 15 percent deeper than the welded span. Deflections are well within American Railway Eng ineer ing and Maintenance-of-Way Association recommendations. 1 For both the vintage riveted span and the previous welded steel span, theoretical models predict
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stresses about 10 percent higher than measured but deflections about 20 percent lower than measured. • Conversion of the span from a ballasted deck in revenue service to an open deck at FAST resulted in an increase in live-load capacity of nearly 50 percent. 2 The conver sion also increased the impor tance of bracing member s, as the floor pans provided considerable lateral stiffness and redundancy while the span was in revenue service on the NS. The span was installed in the steel bridge at FAST in December 2009 for testing under 315,000-pound HAL traffic as part of the Association of American Railroads’ Strategc Research Initiatives Program. The 100-year-old span was originally constructed for the Wabash Railroad and was in service over Wildcat Creek in Lafayette, Ind. The 55-foot-five-inch span is a typical example of a riveted steel deck plate girder span, similar to thousands of steel girder bridge spans still in revenue service today. It replaced a similar length welded steel span that was provided by Conrail when the steel bridge was originally constructed at FAST. Prior to installation at FAST, the vintage riveted span carried very little HAL traffic when compared to HAL traffic at FAST. Approximately 75 percent of the traffic at FAST is heavier than any traffic measured on the vintage riveted span while it was monitored in revenue service for a brief period in 2009.2 Traffic in revenue service consisted primarily of mixed freight, automotive and road railer service. None of the revenue service traffic had axle loads exceeding those under the 315,000-pound cars at FAST. Figure 1 shows the span in service near Lafayette, Ind. Strain gauges and displacement transducers were installed on the vintage riveted span while it was still in place in revenue service at Lafayette. This was done so that a full comparison could be made with the data collected at FAST. The original welded steel span at FAST, which was replaced, had similar instrumentation to provide data for comparison. Mid-span vertical deflections were measured. Strain gauges were attached near mid-span at the top and at the bottom of both girders to determine peak stresses. Also, strain gauges were placed at various heights on the web of the span to determine the effects that the conversion from ballasted deck to open deck had on bending stress distribution. Figure 2 displays the vintage riveted span installed at FAST and the location of the instrumentation. www.rtands.com
Figure 5 top, is a comparison of mid-span live-load deflections for the vintage riveted span. Figure 6 bottom, is a comparison of live-load deflections of the vintage riveted span and the welded steel span.
Figure 3 compares the average peak stresses in the vintage riveted span measured at FAST and in revenue service. As expected, because of the higher-axle-loads at FAST, the corresponding stress is higher. The typical peak live-load stresses experienced at FAST are about 80 to 90 percent greater than those in revenue service. Figure 4 shows the measured stress values are about seven to 15 percent less than the theoretical calculated stress values for both the vintage riveted span and the previous welded steel span. Similar results have been reported by Sweeney, et al. 3 Possible contributing factors include partial fixity of the bridge bearings and distribution of wheel loads by the rails. I n f o r m at i o n p r ov i d e d b y N S and Conrail indicates that the yield strength of the steel in the vintage span is 30 ksi and in the welded span is 36 ksi. Due to the lower yield point in the steel in the vintage span, the stresses are 20 percent higher as a fraction of steel strength, thereby reducing the maximum live-load capacity. Comparison of the mid-span liveload deflections at FAST to revenue s e r v i c e i n d i c at e s t h e s p a n h a d smaller deflections in revenue service than at FAST, as expected. This is due primarily to the heavier-axleloads operated at FAST. It might also be due in par t to additional span stiffness from the concrete floor pans supporting the ballasted deck. In revenue service, the span experienced many lighter weight and empty train cars. Figure 5 displays the typical measured peak deflection and calculated deflection for the vintage riveted span. The mid-span deflection of the vintage span at FAST is approximately 50 percent greater than the deflection of the span in revenue service. www.rtands.com
Theoretical values were calculated for the vintage riveted span and the previous welded steel span at FAST. A theoretical value was not calculated for the span in revenue service (see Figure 6). The typical peak deflection measured for the vintage span at FAST is less than that for the previous welded steel span. This result is also predicted in the theoretical models. The primar y reason for the lower deflections is that the vintage riveted span is 15 percent deeper than the previous welded span. Note that the theoretical deflection values are less than the measured values. There are
several possible contributing factors that might explain this. First, the theoretical deflection model considers only beam bending. It does not include shear defor mations. Nor does the theoretical model at this point, consider displacements in the bearings, bearing pads or foundations. When the vintage span was in ser vice on the NS, five strain gauges were attached to each girder near mid-span. These gauges were placed on the bottom angle, on the top angle and at various heights in between. Figure 7 shows the results from these strain gauges from the Railway Track & Structures
July 2012 13
TTCI R&D Figure 7 presents stresses at mid-span of the vintage riveted span.
bottom of the girder to the top. Note that the neutral axis (location of zero bending stress) is lower in the span at FAST than it was in revenue service. This is most likely due to composite action of the concrete floor pans while the span was in revenue service. With the concrete floor pans removed for service at FAST, the resulting neutral axis shifted lower. Because more of the steel is in compression without the floor pans, bracing becomes more impor tant to provide stability to the span. The presence of the concrete floor pans in revenue service provided redundancy in the case of corroded or missing bracing. The vintage span has carried more than 300 mgt of HAL traffic since installation at FAST. The span has performed acceptably, only requiring repairs to corroded bracing elements. Bracing repairs noted in an earlier RT&S article are still performing well.2 NS not only donated the vintage riveted span but also assisted with field testing. In particular, this work would not have been possible without the suppor t and assistance of James N. Carter, Jr., chief engineer, bridges and structures and Howard C. Swanson, assistant chief engineer, bridges. References 1. Amer ican Railway Eng ineer ing and Maintenance-of-Way Association. 2011. Manual for Railway Engineering. Chapter 15. Lanham, Md. 2. Otter, D., Tunna, L. and Ninness, K. November 2011. “Preliminary test results from the vintage steel span at FAST.” Railway Track & Structures. pp. 17-19. 3. Sweeney, A. R. P., Oommen, G. and Le. H. May 1996. “A Summary of Seven Years of Railway Bridge Testing on Canadian National Railway,” Bulletin No. 756, Proceedings Volume 97, American Railway Engineering Association. pp. 333-347.
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Fascinating Fasteners for keeping track tight by Jennifer Nunez, assistant editor
Small in size, fasteners keep a tight grip on track.
A close look at L.B. Foster’s fastening system.
K
eeping track in place is imporant to all railroads, whether it’s a Class 1, regional, shortline or transit line. The following pages highlight this year’s most advanced fastening systems and an overall market outlook.
Amsted RPS For Amsted RPS, business is up, which it attributes to steady volumes in its core rail anchor products, a broader portfolio of fasteners and complementary components, increased share in the direct fixation fastening marketing for transits and adoption of its long-life products like the MACRO Armor for concrete ties. During the past three years, Amsted RPS (formerly Unit Rail) has acquired Advanced Track Products and AirBoss Railway Products. “Through those acquisitions, we significantly expanded our product line and since those acquisitions, we have leveraged our broad design expertise to successfully develop and market another 32 products,” noted John Stout, director of sales at Amsted RPS. “We are the only North American rail supply firm with the experience and expertise in the design and manufacturing of fastening products for wood tie, concrete tie, direct fixation and embedded rail systems. We combine our design expertise with resources like our in-house test lab and rapid prototyping capabilities to quickly react to our customers’ needs and take a product from the drawing board to the field in times not www.rtands.com
traditionally seen in the railroad industry.” The bulk of the company’s business is driven by its Class 1 customers, who need to expand capacity to serve forecasted increases in demand and achieve operational efficiency. The company now has long-term agreements in place to supply rail anchors to all seven Class 1 railroads and has sold more than 800 million rail anchors during its history. Now, with in-house clip manufacturing capabilities, Amsted RPS aims to deliver value to a broader range of customers and grow its sales of fasteners and components. “Our passenger rail group has experienced double-digit growth over the past year, driven by penetration into the maintenance market for direct fixation, system expansions and our new partnership with edilon)(sedra for embedded block and embedded rail systems,” explained Stout. Amsted RPS is supplying 130,000 of its SW-31 System Wide direct fixation fasteners to Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority in Washington, D.C., for replacement of existing fasteners to maintain a state of good repair and for Phase 1 of the system expansion to Dulles Airport. During the past year, the company has also participated in projects for Amtrak, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority in Buffalo, N.Y., Long Island Rail Road, Chicago Transit Authority, Dallas Area Rapid Transit and NJ Transit. “Our most robust direct fixation f astener, the ATP Railway Track & Structures
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fascinating fasteners The new Amsted RPS test lab in Atchison, Kan.
Loadmaster will be installed on the new Eagle P3 commuter rail project near Denver,” said Stout. “Amsted RPS is the only manufacturer of bonded resilient fasteners to be approved for use in heavy-
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haul, high-speed and transit applications. T h e AT P L o a d m a s t e r wa s s e l e c t e d because of the product’s durable dualstiffness design and its 25-year history of maintenance-free performance.” For freight railroads, Amsted RPS offers its MACRO Armor product line of abrasion resistant products for concrete ties, which has evolved over the past year with installations on four Class 1 railroads. “It is our goal to solve the issues of rail seat abrasion and insulator wear that have plagued concrete ties for several years,” explained Stout. “We have adapted the unique properties of MACRO Armor from its origin in military and aerospace applications to railroad use. This represents a major step forward in technology. We recently introduced a MACRO Armor Repair Plate to repair abraded concrete ties that acts as a form and allows epoxy to be pumped through the repair plate to fill the void. The product provides uniform
bearing and restores the tie to the original geometry, providing a permanently-bonded wear-resistant surface. Not only does our MACRO Armor Repair Plate repair abraded concrete ties, but because of the lightweight design and improved installation methodology, crews install our system 25 percent faster than previous methods, reducing maintenance costs and allowing more time to run trains.” Amsted RPS has recently partnered with edilon)(sedra based in the Netherlands, which is known for its embedded block and embedded rail systems. With this partnership, Amsted is able to provide noise and vibration reducing products for both transit and heavy-haul to North America, using technology that has been in proven for decades.
L.B. Foster According to Hakan Eksi, general manager, Transit Products, L.B. Foster, the market of 2011 and early 2012 remains challenging, but with signs of optimism. “We continue to operate via a series of
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Fascinating fasteners
Top, shows the VICTOR tie plate with a FASTCLIP fastening from Pandrol. Rail Forge GageLok screws being installed on a bridge.
extensions to our nation’s transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU, instead of a new, robust, long-term transportation bill to fund U.S. transit projects. As a result, agencies are taking a wait-and-see attitude with regard to new projects,” said Eksi. “Transit agencies are also still struggling with their maintenance and capital budgets, due to the impact of the continuing weak U.S. economy. However, on the upside, mass transit ridership continues to increase, with first quarter trips made on various modes of heavy, commuter and light rail up by 5.5 percent, according to the American Public Transportation Association. Ridership trends have seemed to decouple from the traditional relationship with gasoline prices. Ridership has experienced year-over-year gains for each of the past eight quarters. As U.S. demographics change, mass transit is becoming more and more the preferred mode of transportation for the younger generation. So right now, we see some transit agencies begin to move ahead on projects that had been delayed in the past and that has allowed us to aggressively grow our transit products business.” In particular, during the past year, L.B. Foster has participated in the Minnesota C e n t r a l C o r r i d o r P r o j e c t b e t we e n Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Chicago Transit Authority’s Van Buren Loop project, continuing work on the Miami Dade Transit and Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco and the Edmonton Transit Project. Looking ahead, the company cited 20 Railway Track & Structures
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activities in New York City, the Portland TriMet Milwaukie Project, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Irving III Project. On the product development side, L.B. Foster continues to work in a number of areas. According to Eksi, “In the past year, we have developed a new restraining rail fastener for BART. This fastener was custom designed to meet BART’s current stiffness and anchoring requirements. We have also designed a new replacement fastener for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. And we maintain active programs to support a number of other product improvement initiatives. We continue to investigate opportunities to collaborate with our CXT Concrete Ties team in new product development.” L.B. Foster is a supplier of fastening systems globally and has served customers in those markets for almost 40 years.
Lewis Bolt & Nut 2012 has been a good year for Lewis Bolt & Nut Company, as well, with sales comfortably ahead of the same time period in 2011. All of its product categories have seen similar increases. To keep up with the increasing demand, Lewis Bolt is increasing capacity by adding additional space, totaling approximately 50,000 square feet. The additions, to be completed in the fall of this year, will add more space for order staging and inventory, along with additional floor space for more manufacturing equipment. “The bottom line is, we have to be able to continue to meet the needs of our customers,” explained Dave Barry, vice president of sales. “This new addition will certainly provide for that.” Bar r y says the railroad industr y continues to invest heavily in their respective infrastructure and the supply industry as a whole, including Lewis Bolt & Nut Company. In addition, numerous projects at both transit authorities, as well as in the freight sector, have strict Buy America clauses requiring that all fasteners used must be produced in the USA using only domestic, raw materials. This appears as though it will continue for the
foreseeable future, he notes, as more federal dollars are invested in the infrastructure here in the U.S. Another trend he has obseved for some time is customers requesting products made in the USA as opposed to overseas. “There are many reasons for this, but number one has been and continues to be the inconsistent quality of imported fasteners.”
Pandrol “Pandrol USA is proud to announce that 2012 represents Pandrol’s 75th year of meeting the fastening requirements of railroads and transit systems worldwide,” stated Frank Brady, president of Pandrol USA. “Started in 1937, Pandrol has been providing resilient rail fastenings since its inception. Today, Pandrol supplies 411 railways in more than 100 countries and has manufactured more than 1.42 billion rail fastenings.” The demand for high-performance elastic fastenings was strong in 2011, notes Brady, and the current year is turning out to be even stronger. He says that North American railroads continue to improve their track quality and increase their capacity to take advantage of the benefits provided by the lower fuel costs to move freight by rail. “One trend in rail fastening systems that is really growing is pre-plating at the tie plant,” explained Brady. “This trend started to expand rapidly when Pandrol developed the fully-captive FASTCLIP system. By pre-plating, the railroads reduce track installation costs by reducing gang size and equipment requirements and reducing the need for keeping parts inventory. Pandrol has also developed captive systems that use Pandrol SAFELOK fastenings. The most recent of these developments is a cast tie plate, suitable for use with the Pandrol FASTCLIP system on wood ties.” As part of the continuing new product development effort that is ongoing at Pandrol USA, the company is in the final stages of the development program for SAFELOK V. SAFELOK V, like SAFELOK III, is installed at the concrete tie plant with clip, pad and insulators in place. The components are all pre-installed at the tie plant, meaning there is a significant reduction in manpower required during rail installation and adjustment. SAFELOK V features a clip with a new shape that has a single toe. The system www.rtands.com
fascinating fasteners The W tension clamp system from Vossloh. Testing, with 39-ton-axle-loads, has shown a five-fold decrease in gauge widening when using resilient fastenings on wood ties. The Pandrol VICTOR system is demonstrating its value on bridges and curves with significant annual tonnage.” Pandrol is working on modifications to the SAFLOK I system. The modified SAFLOK I clip that will result from this continuing work is expected to be easier to install and remove and will have enhanced holding power characteristics.
Rail Forge LLC will also include an enhanced shoulder with an increased bearing area. The ties designed for the new SAFELOK V system are currently in production and the system should be in track by the end of this year. The Pandrol VICTOR plate system for wood ties has seen a rapid increase in market share, explains Brady. “The Pandrol VICTOR system combines the durability of an AREMA tie plate with the benefits of resilient fastenings,” he noted. “The flat tie plate provides a bearing area 37 percent greater than existing tie plates for resilient fastenings. The use of Pandrol’s fastenings provides all of the advantages of resilient fastenings: holding power, prevention of rail rollover and reduced maintenance.
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“2012 has been an outstanding year for Rail Forge and the GageLok product,” said Rail Forge CEO Keith Ishaug. “GageLok entered the North American market in 2010. We have seen a tenfold increase in adoption rate for sales into this market year-onyear. Rail Forge has secured a 42,000-square-foot space in Morton Grove, Ill., for a factory, which will open this fall to produce GageLok screws for North American and Australian demand.” Ishaug credits the growth in adoption rate to the fact that GageLok is a new product in the North American market that provides significant reductions in ongoing maintenance-of-way costs over the use of traditional spikes in wooden ties. “This is due to the innovative design of the product, which provides strong, reliable fastening against the rail or in the lock position, with a self-tapping feature that eliminates the need to pre-
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fascinating fasteners
drill,” he explained. Rail Forge has been involved in track projects with Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, CapMetro, Herzog, Ferromex and Ferrosur. Additional projects are booked for 2012 with Class 2 and 3 railroads and industrial contractors. “Rail Forge sales growth is driven by railroad track engineers seeking a simple and affordable method to improve fastening performance to reduce MOW expenses and improve track uptime,” Ishaug stated. “These needs can be seen across all sectors, (Class 1, 2, 3, contractors, industrial customers) with the largest volumes coming from the largest (i.e. Class 1) players.” 2012 has seen the full introduction of the GageLok product line with rail fastening products from 5/8-inch to 7/8-inch diameters, suitable for rail fastening applications ranging from use in standard double-shouldered plates (replacing spikes) to use in roll plates and resilient fastening systems (replacing other large screws, which require pre-drilling).
Vossloh Business in 2012 has also been good for Vossloh Fastening Systems. The company is currently working with many of the Class 1s in testing and the approval process and is very pleased with the feedback and results it is experiencing. Vossloh expects to see a steady increase in business over the next several years. Vossloh is investing heavily into the North American
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market to ensure its products meet all requirements for heavy-haul and transit applications. “The variety of products offered allows us to ensure the customers are getting the solutions they require, not just a standard template product supposed to fit any application,” noted Ron Martin, vice president and general manager. “The requirements vary from road to road, let alone from heavy-haul to transit.” The Class 1 market is Vossloh’s main driver right now. As the company gets closer to meeting the Buy America requirements, it has started to work with the transits to introduce some solutions already successful in similar applications in other parts of the world. Vossloh Fastening Systems is constantly looking at the evolution of its products to ensure it meets its high standards for reliability, durability and low maintenance requirements. “We listen intently to the feedback of our customers and experts in the field of engineering and testing,” explained Martin. “We are constantly pushing the limits in the lab of our own products to ensure we have minimized maintenance requirements, exceeded expectation of reliability, provided the lowest life-cycle costs and are easy to work with for those in the field.” Vossloh Fastening Systems is presently taking steps to meet all the Buy America requirements. “This is an important investment for us to show we are committed to the fastening market in the U.S. and we look forward to creating additional jobs,” said Martin.
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Rail welding brings more than
flash Quality, reliability and safety are issues suppliers look to improve when it comes to the subject of welding rail. by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
A welding truck from Holland L.P.
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rack time is always an issue and railroads need welds that can be completed quickly without losing any quality. Whether it’s a turnkey service for better personnel utilization, making sure employees are properly trained, reducing the soft areas of the heat-affected zone or automating the welding process, suppliers are focused on providing welding systems and services to meet the railroads’ needs.
Mobile fleet
Chemetron, a division of Progress Rail Services, has added a boom truck to its mobile welding fleet. The unit has a 20-foot reach, allowing turnouts to be constructed in the field with electric flash-butt welds. The unit has hi-rail, enabling travel between worksites on the highway or rail. It can also be used for many industrial rail welding applications. “Our customers demand safety, quality and reliability in ever-shorter work windows. We have made a number of improvements at our fixed and mobile operations to meet customer expectations for quick train turns at our welding plants and no missed welds in the field. Our electric flash-butt weld quality and equipment reliability has been superior,” said Mark McLean, manager sales. He added, “Chemetron continues to add capacity to meet the growing demand for electric flash-butt welding. We have added a number of trucks to our fleet of mobile www.rtands.com
welders and have extra shifts/crews at most of our fixed plants to meet our customers’ needs.”
Turnkey welding
Holland L.P. has been working with Class 1 railroads to provide turnkey welding services for in-track welding projects. “The turnkey ser vice addresses the logistics and requirements for additional personnel on a temporary basis. This allows the railroad to better utilize their experienced personnel. Our depth of experience allows us to support our core competencies with people and equipment related to in-track welding,” said Richard Morris, director new business development, Welding Group. A two-year development program between Holland L.P. and Edison Welding Institute culminated in June when Holland entered revenue service with its new Head Defect Repair welding equipment. The process removes a railhead defect by cutting a notch from the railhead and electric flash-butt welding a rail steel insert into the notch. Morris says the process has been through extensive testing; including sample welds in track at TTCI that have exceeded 250 mgt to date. The Head Defect Repair welder (HDR) is a process that repairs defects such as transverse defects, detail fractures and small surface defects. The process allows the rail to be repaired without severing the rail or installing a Railway Track & Structures
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Rail welding
Lincoln Electric’s Ranger 305D diesel engine welder fits smaller utility trucks that are used by track equipment mechanics.
replacement rail. “One advantage with this process is the neutral rail temperature is not disturbed. Also, this process requires considerably less manpower than other flash-butt welding processes to complete. The HDR process provides electric flash-butt weld quality at a cost comparable to other methods currently available to the railroads,”
“We see the partnerships expanding to cover new areas in the engineering departments, with new improvements and design changes being considered as a priority.”
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said Morris. Morris points out that the railroad industry in general has been moving away from manufacturing specifications and moving toward performance specifications. “We have been able to use welding technology from other industries to develop welding programs like Low Consumption Welding. This weld program is beneficial in repair welding applications. A Low Consumption Weld reduces the amount of labor required and improves productivity by minimizing the number of rail anchors that must be removed,” said Morris. He also mentions that as the rail steels become more durable, it is necessary to continue to improve the joining process. One area Morris says has room for improvement is the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of a weld, which represents a disruption in the surf ace continuity of the rail and has been a focal point for
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Rail welding weld improvement. He notes that Holland is working on methods to reduce the soft areas of the HAZ without significantly increasing weld hardness. “Holland is committed to continually growing its business by developing products and services that provide a value to the railroad industry. Holland has put together a group specifically for developing new products and services. The group’s first project is the Head Defect Repair Welder. Future projects are looking at field repair of special trackwork, welding turnouts and long rail distribution systems,” said Morris.
Improved training
Lincoln Electric has added more emphasis on technical field support by expanding the current training done with the manganese frog welders to include the roadway equipment repairmen, who have smaller Lincoln Electric engine drive welding machines. Brian Meade, manager railroad technical services-global accounts, said in the past, there was not a specific part of the training program that included equipment mechanics who had the company’s new welding equipment on their trucks and used it for repair welding from time to time but were not full-time welders. “Unlike the manganese frog welding crews that weld on mostly the same castings daily, the repairmen can encounter various types of base metals that need weld repaired. Lincoln has expanded it’s training to include a better understanding of the equipment and how to control the welding output, plus methods to identify the different base metals and how to address welding on the parts. This will allow welders to repair equipment parts that will help reduce the need for purchasing new parts,” said Meade. Meade also mentions that the training of the manganese frog welders is an ongoing process and points to two main reasons: first, the company’s Air Vantage 500 has received new design features over the past several years and the trucks with the new units are being distributed to new locations. Second, the company has new welders coming into the positions for the first time who need to be trained on welding equipment they have no prior experience using. “We see the rail market as continually requiring technical support and growing into areas where training has not been a past focal point. Involving part-time welding with the full-time welding crews will provide immediate solutions to the railroads. As we go forward, we see the partnerships expanding to cover new areas in the engineering departments, with new improvements and design changes being considered as a priority,” said Meade.
Head alloyed welds
“Orgo-Thermit, Inc.’s, patented Thermit® Head Alloyed Welding technology allows Thermite welding of the new high hardness, high strength rail steels, which have Brinnell Hardnesses in excess of 380. These special purpose welds use a unique micro-alloying process, producing excellent wear properties, on the running surface of the rail, while maintaining softer and more ductile properties in the metal at the base of the rail. Ten of these welds were installed in
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Rail welding February of 2011 at TTCI’s FAST track, where they continue under heavy-axle-load testing. The company says that, to date, all of the welds installed have accumulated more than 234 mgt, with no service failures,” said Dave Randolph, president. The company began its Technical Services Division in 2011 to focus on its shortline and transit operations. R a n d o l p h n o t e s t h at s i n c e t h e introduction of the Technical Services Division, Orgo-Thermit’s customers have utilized its ser vices for nondestructive testing for Ultrasonic and Brinell hardness, as well as the
company’s Slow Bend Testing and weld failure analysis services. “We are seeing greater interest in our Safe Start Electronic Ignition System, which is non-hazardous and has no shipping restrictions. We are working on improving this safer method of initiating Thermit reactions via remote control,” said Randolph. “Our customers are very happy that all of our consumable materials continue to be Buy America compliant, with all production at our Manchester, N.J., facility.” He continued, “Our outstanding growth in sales demonstrates that the
“We see the rail market as continually requiring technical support and growing into areas where training has not been a past focal point.”
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rail welding market is very strong. We remain positive about the future of Orgo-Thermit and the railroad market. Our on-going goal is continuing to work toward providing innovative solutions to our customers.”
Robot welding
Plasser American Corp. points to its many years of experience in the production and operation of rail bound, hi-rail and container flash-butt welding machines and mentions that new welding standards have resulted in an increase in welding requirements. “Conventional weld heads used up to now are mostly based on a Russian patent and do not or only partly meet these new requirements,” said Plasser American Corp. “More stringent requirements, combined with Plasser’s knowledge gained over many years resulted in the development of its own automatic welding robot.” The company says a key feature of this new weld head is its working
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Rail welding
Railtech Boutet’s QP Hybrid molds have a ceramic felt lining designed to produce a cleaner and better weld.
parameters of 200mm stroke with 150 tons of force, which allow closure welds to be made without the use of additional rail pullers.
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Welds made by Plasser’s APT 1500 R welding robot utilize a fullyautomatic process. The welding head automatically aligns the height and running surface, as well as crowns the rail. The automatic centering device measures rail alignment via distance transducers located in the weld head. The measurements are saved for quality assurance reasons,” said Plasser. Another special feature the company points to on the weld head is its utilization of alternating current with a medium frequency of 1,000Hz allowing the use of very small transformers in the weld head. The head runs on direct current, which Plasser says has a positive effect on the weld quality. “The built-in welding shear places a load only in the direction of compression utilizing separate hydraulic cylinders. A non-contacting temperature measuring system allows for the precise cooling of high alloy rails with
the help of a post heating process. The hydraulic system allows for very fast movements of the weld head, even for closure welds under full load (low consumption weld). The design of the clamping jaws eliminates the need to grind off company markings on the rail web, thus reducing preparation time,” said Plasser. “With the automatic robot welding process, operator errors can be ruled out. The result is high reliability and documented welds of consistent high quality,” said Plasser.
Aluminothermic weld system
Railtech Boutet says over the past year, it has continued pushing its new ignition system, Startwel®. According to the company, the Star twel Ignition System allows the welder to easily ignite the weld charge to initiate the pour process for the Railtech Aluminothermic Weld System, replacing the tradi¬tional “sparkler” igniter design. “This new electric ignition system is safer than today’s traditional igniters. In addition, Startwel is classified as non-hazardous for transport. Therefore, there are no shipping restrictions (can be shipped overnight if there was an emergency) and it provides more accurate and consistent tap time,” said Oliver Dolder, executive vice president and chief operating officer. Railtech Boutet has also been promoting its new QP Hybrid molds for the past six months. These molds have a ceramic felt lining on the current mold design, which Dolder says virtually eliminates flashing along the web and base of the rail, resulting in a cleaner, better weld. “The response from our customers on this product has been extremely positive and a welcomed improvement for aluminothermic welding,” said Dolder. In addition to promoting Startwel and the QP molds, Railtech Boutet continues its study on high-carbon and high-strength rail. “[The company] is designing a weld kit that is closer to the metallurgical properties of these types of special rails, which will accommodate our customers, which are currently using these types of rails in mainline track and/or tangents and curves,” said Dolder. www.rtands.com
The Special trackwork update
by Jennifer Nunez, assistant editor
Diamonds, frogs, turnouts and other special trackwork make difficult manuevers on the railroad possible. A look at a Progress Rail switch in track.
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s speeds increase on the rails in North America and Mexico, suppliers for specialized trackwork materials and services are upping the ante on product offerings and railroads are answering with increased investment in the areas of diamonds, frogs, turnouts, crossovers and switches.
Cleveland Track Material Cleveland Track Material currently has special trackwork projects in various stages of completion for transits in Portland, Ore., Minneapolis, Minn., Chicago, Ill., Calgary, AB, Canada, Boston, Mass., Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Pa., and in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition, CTM has several trackwork projects for various New York City-based transits. The projects vary from existing maintenance items and upgrades, all the way up to major extensions and line renewals. The company notes that Class 1 trackwork orders have continued to keep business lively. CTM has recently initiated several new product design improvements and new product developments that are currently in various stages and destined for testing and evaluation when completed. CTM is in the processing of upgrading its various facilities with about $5 million worth of new equipment coming on line to improve product flow and targeted to maintain the delivery requirements of customers.
Nortrak-Damy Railroads in Mexico are demanding more innovative specialty trackwork, notes Mexico-based company Nortrak-Damy. “We are following what voestalpine Nortrak is doing in the U.S., said Alex Damy, director general and CEO. “We are in the process to introduce hytronics with the different Class 1 railroads in Mexico. Different switch machines are in the testing process. Railroads are demanding more and more BNSF/UP common standard materials. We have done tests with Class 1s on the jump www.rtands.com
frog and WBM welded boltless manganese frog with a high level of benefits for special traffic applications.” The company has noticed higher budgets during 2011 and 2012 in Mexico. Damy notes that Class 1s are investing in infrastructure projects in order to increase average speeds on their trains and expects a continuous high demand for 2013. Nortrak-Damy is servicing major transit systems in Mexico City and Guadalajara. Development of transit systems within Mexico is still in the early stages. “There are a few projects for passenger transit in some major cities since the mid-2000s but the economic and political environment hasn’t been appropriate,” he explained. Mexican railroads are demanding more anti-vandalism products in order to avoid accidents due to materials missing on track, Damy says. Theft of track materials and goods has increased from year to year, affecting the operations of railroads. Expenses on security features and personnel are increasing to levels never seen before.
Progress Rail Services “At the request of the BNSF, Progress Rail Services has developed a switch to complement our Lift frog, which essentially makes the turnout invisible to mainline traffic,” noted the company. “It has been labeled the Vertical Switch and was built and tested at our Sherman, Texas, facility. It’s now installed at TTCI in Pueblo, Colo., for further equipment testing and will then be placed in service on BNSF later this summer.” In addition, PRS has installed a new table top welder, allowing the company to weld manganese castings to steel rail. The frogs PRS has produced have been tested, installed in track and are performing very well, according to the company. Having this machine allows PRS to increase its product offering to the railroads and respond to their needs. Railway Track & Structures
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special trackwork
Top, a WBM pannel from Nortrak-Damy. A Cleveland Track Material double crossover. Forged compromise and milled transition rails are manufactured at its Danvers, Ill., facility. Transition rails are also produced at the PRS welding plant in Pueblo, Colo. Both compromise and transition rails are machined on programmed milling centers. An induction furnace is used to control heating the rail prior to forging. Compromise rails are flash-butt welded and tested to meet AREMA and customer specifications. Both compromise and transition rails are available in varying rail sizes and lengths per the customer requirements. Turnout frogs and crossing diamonds continue to be the highest impact areas for special track components and require the most maintenance, notes PRS. Since it first introduced the Lift frog in March 2006, the company says it has made great strides in developing other new products to achieve this
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goal. It has delivered four full-flange bearing crossing diamonds to a Class 1 railroad and as of this writing, PRS notes that three are installed and performing very well, with the forth scheduled to be installed soon. Its Clamptite boltless adjustable rail brace has proven itself in new track construction with no reported switches coming apart during installation, says PRS. “This is unheard of with any other boltless adjustable rail brace on the market today. The PRS Clamptite boltless brace is currently approved on BNSF, UP, CSX and CN,� noted the company. Progress Rail Services UK Ltd., PRS’s trackwork group located in the United Kingdom, is currently supplying 780 hollow steel switch tie sets and 344 hollow steel frog tie sets, including operating bars for inclusion with Ansaldo M3 switch machines to Vale in Brazil.
voestalpine Nortrak Last year, voestalpine Nortrak Inc. introduced
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special trackwork
The HY-100: voestalpine Nortrak’s new dual control switch drive.
a family of Buy America-compliant turnouts for embedded street and tram application. The design incorporates a double flexive tongue switch and can be tuned to the specific operating requirements of individual transit operators. It offers the key performance characteristics of European designs, while utilizing 100 percent domestic materials. Most recently, tram systems in New Orleans and Tucson have adopted the design. “We are expecting others to follow
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suit,” noted Brian Abbott, executive vice president engineering. “At the recent RSSI show in Cincinnati, Ohio, we were proud to unveil a new dual control Switch Drive AutomaterTM for the yard automation market,” he explained. “The new HY-100 Automater retains key features that have been the hallmark of the success of our original AutomaterTM: trailability, reliable hydraulic actuation and a solar power source. Operation in manual mode has been greatly improved, however. The original hand pump has been eliminated in favor of a user-friendly mechanical hand throw lever. To operating personnel, the new dual control HY-10 Automater will have the same look and feel as a conventional mainline dual control switch machine.” Last year, voestalpine Nortrak says it had a very strong demand for trackwork
in both the freight and transit sectors. All indications are that demand will remain strong through the current year. The comapny sees the railways adjust their capital plans in response to changes in traffic commodity mix. Nevertheless, the company is anticipating overall levels of investment to remain steady. Another key trend the company sees shaping the industry’s future is the rapid attrition of experienced personnel. “Nortrak anticipates that this loss of practical know-how will drive an increased demand for turnkey solutions,” noted Abbott. “Rail operators will be looking for integrated product offerings comprising of support systems (ties and plates), trackwork, switch drive and monitoring systems. Product integration and factory pre-assembly promise to improve installation efficiency, enhance quality and expedite procurement and field logistics. Again, as a fully-integrated supplier, Nortrak has a unique capability of meeting this challenge.”
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AREMA NEWS Professional Development Upcoming Seminars *new online seminar* Accelerated Rail station construction using prefabricated components July 31 at 2:00 PM EDT. Please see page 41 for more information.
Message from the President
On being a leader for the next generation By Robert J. Verhelle
Seminars being held in conjunction with the AREMA 2012 Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago, IL, September 16-19, 2012:
introduction to practical railway engineering September 14-16
FRA 214: Roadway Worker on TraCk Safety September 15
Rail Bulk terminal design September 15
Environmental Permitting Issues in Railroad construction projects September 16
intermodal design planning September 19-20
Track alignment design September 19-21
FRA 213: Track safety standards September 19-21
Intermodal Design Engineering September 20-21
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Robert J. Verhelle AREMA President 2011-2012 ®
It was my pleasure to host the AREMA staff on May 10 at our Wilmington Control Center and Training facility where they had a chance to sit in the train engineer’s seat and operate one the many electric/diesel electric locomotives in our training simulators. From the control center overview for the Northeast Corridor operations to the System Operations Center for the entire country, they experienced the life most of us experience every day on the railroad. I truly appreciate their dedication and commitment to excellence as they serve all of us in the AREMA organization. It is hard to believe that spring has come and passed us by and all of us are progressing full steam ahead with our production efforts to complete the record year in capital spending. Schedules have come and gone and the capital improvements are taking shape to keep each of our companies on target to meet the demands of our customers. This effort takes leadership at all levels from the system engineering staff, procurement, suppliers and the labor forces completing the work, which we all can be proud to be a part of in our industry. I recently attended my son’s graduation for his master’s degree from NYU – Stern School of Business and the keynote speaker spoke to the 1,300+ graduates on leadership. My wife became annoyed with me when she thought I was texting during the ceremony, but soon realized I was taking notes from CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromomo’s speech. Her comments on remembering that leadership is not defined solely by the leader, but he/she needs a team of individuals to accomplish their goal, a great leader speaks in a plural voice when reporting the accomplishment. A great leader knows how to fail, admit it and take the steps to recover; keeping an eye on the goal. Finally, a great leader has a moral compass that is guided by three questions: what would my mother and father think; how would my family be affected and how are those who support me going to remember me? Just think of some of the men and women that we work with every day and how, for the most part, each of these points are carried out with success and great accomplishments in our industry. I shared later with my son and family that it was good to hear these words from a leader in the news industry in light of some heartbreaking news we hear each day when men and women that we look to for leadership in our country fall short. I wish I could have spoken to Maria after the ceremony and congratulated her on her accomplishments and being on target to this group of graduates as they are going forward in their careers. Considering leadership in our industry, we as an organization continue as leaders with the AREMA Educational Foundation. This year, in September, we will award 34 scholarships totaling $62,000 to students attending 18 universities within North America. Congratulations to the students who are receiving the scholarships, but Railway Track & Structures
July 2012 37
AREMA NEWS
2012 Upcoming Committee Meetings Aug. 13-14 Committee 1 - Roadway & Ballast Salt Lake City, UT Sept. 6-7 Committee 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations Toronto, ON, Canada Sept. 15 Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Sept. 15-16 Committee 24 - Education & Training Sept. 16 Committee 5 - Track Chicago, IL Sept. 16 Committee 6 - Buildings & Support Facilities Chicago, IL Sept. 16 Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction Chicago, IL Sept. 16 Committee 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems Chicago, IL Sept. 16 Committee 12 - Rail Transit Chicago, IL Sept. 16 Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals Chicago, IL Sept. 16 Committee 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations Chicago, IL
FYI… The 2012 Member-Get-A-Member Campaign is under way. Recruit new members today. The first, second and third place recruiters win prizes and are announced during the AREMA 2012 Annual Conference and Exposition in Chicago, IL, September 16-19, 2012. Deadline: July 31, 2012. Sponsorship opportunities for the AREMA 2012 Annual Conference & Exposition are still available. Please contact Lisa Hall at +1.301. 459.3200, ext. 705, or lhall@arema.org for a full listing of available opportunities. AREMA 2012 Exposition - 85% SOLD OUT. Booth sales are still available for the AREMA 2012 Exposition, but they’re going fast. Please contact Vickie Fisher at +1.301.459.3200, ext. 707, or vfisher@arema.org or visit www.arema.org for more information.
Sept. 16 Committee 17 - High-Speed Rail Systems Sept. 16 Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization Sept. 16 Team 40 - Engineering Safety Steering Team Sept. 16 Team 41 - Track Maintenance Steering Team Sept. 18 Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways Sept. 19-20 Committee 38 - Information, Defect Detection & Energy Systems Sept. 20 Committee 39 - Positive Train Control Oct. 2-3 Committee 15 - Steel Structures Oct. 2-4 Committee 39 - Positive Train Control Oct. 10-11 Committee 4 - Rail Oct. 15-17 Committee 37 - Signal Systems
Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL New London, CT Ft. Worth, TX Danbury, CT Germantown, WI
more importantly, congratulations and a hearty “thank you” to those that contributed to the educational fund. We as an organization, continue to surpass the previous years, giving our support to the next generation of rail and transportation professionals. I hope to meet each of the 34 students in Chicago at the conference and trust that all of you will encourage them as they continue their education in pursuit of a rail industry career. Many of our former scholarship recipients and now industry employees will be attending the 7th Annual Meet the Next Generation Event held on the afternoon of Monday, September 17, in conjunction with our annual AREMA Conference and Exposition in Chicago. I trust as an AREMA member you will attend the event and encourage this next generation of railway leadership, as they share what they have experienced and hope to experience as a railway professional. The event provides time for questions and feedback from current railway professionals on how the industry has shaped their career and a networking reception. It is not too late to contact the AREMA headquarters and request a table for recruiting during the event. Our industry is expanding the physical infrastructure to meet the demands of our customers and it is equally important to hire and train new leadership as we move forward. Thank you all for your generous giving in support of the AREMA Educational Foundation.
AREMA’s Official Facebook Page Become a fan of the official AREMA Facebook Page and stay up-to-date on the most recent AREMA information. The Official AREMA LinkedIn Group Join the official AREMA LinkedIn Group by visiting www.linkedin.com and searching groups for “American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association.”
Put your career on the right track with AREMA’s Railway Careers Network. Services are free and include confidential resume posting, job search and e-mail notification when jobs match your criteria. Visit careers.arema.org.
Not an AREMA Member? Join today at www.arema.org 38 Railway Track & Structures
July 2012
President Verhelle with the AREMA staff at the Amtrak Control Center and Training Facility in Wilmington, Del., on May 10, 2012.
www.rtands.com
Getting to know Gregory T. Grissom Each month, AREMA features one of our committee chairmen. We are pleased to announce that the July featured chairman is Gregory T. Grissom, chair of Committee 30 - Ties. AREMA: Why did you decide to choose a career in railway engineering? GRISSOM: As a civil engineering student in my junior year at the University of Delaware, I met Dr. Arnold Kerr, who had three decades of rail industry research and was teaching my analysis of structures course. Dr. Kerr had several ongoing rail research projects and I began doing rail research under his guidance as an undergraduate. I continued this research within the graduate program and developed a master’s thesis on lateral track buckling, which we later co-authored and published in the International Journal of Mechanical Sciences. I was also invited to participate in lectures held within the Institute for Railroad Engineering that Dr. Kerr founded, which gave me a glimpse of the engineering and maintenance issues facing the industry. This was more than enough to set my career direction. AREMA: How did you get started? GRISSOM: Thus far in my career, I have had a wide range of experience ranging from design to maintenance planning and technology applications. I started my career at ZetaTech, in Cherry Hill, N.J., working on various maintenance planning software applications and field studies. This included rail and tie life forecasting models and a five-year GRMSbased tie replacement study funded under the FRA/BAA program and co-sponsored by CSX and the Railway Tie Association. I then held various positions with HNTB Corporation in Philadelphia, Pa., Sioux Falls, S.D., and Omaha, Neb. In these roles, I designed and managed many projects with several different railroads. All of which have given me a diverse rail background that I draw from in my current role at Georgetown Rail Equipment Company. Behind every career, there are individuals who have taken the time to invest in and transfer knowledge to continue to advance the industry. In my case, Chris Aadnesen, Randy Henke and Phil Brake have taught me valuable lessons along the way. AREMA: How did you get involved in AREMA and your committee? GRISSOM: I joined AREMA and Committee 30 in 2001, while working on several projects related to crosstie failure, replacement and tie life. The committee was and continues to be one of the best forums for discussion on the latest developments and approaches to improve crosstie and fastener performance. AREMA: Outside of your job and the hard work you put into AREMA, what are your hobbies? GRISSOM: I have many hobbies and spend a lot of time engaging in activities with my kids, such as soccer and swimming. I enjoy all sports and have taken much grief over the years for being a Philadelphia Eagles fan. I am also locally recognized for making a really good margarita. AREMA: Tell us about your family. GRISSOM: I have been married to my wife, Allison, for eight years and we have three children; Aiden (5), Kaitlyn www.rtands.com
gregory T. grissom Chair, Committee 30 - Ties Vice President Engineering, Georgetown Rail Equipment Company
(3) and Mason (8 months). I also include our German short-haired pointer, Toby, as part of the family. We have an energetic household and I wouldn’t have it any other way. AREMA: If you could share one interesting fact about yourself with the readers of RT&S, what would it be? GRISSOM: All three of our children were born in different states: New Jersey, South Dakota and Nebraska. The industry is full of these stories and it is a testament to the commitment and sacrifice railroad families make every day. AREMA: What is your biggest achievement? GRISSOM: My biggest life accomplishment, by which I am rewarded every day, is my family. Professionally, I have worked on some really great projects and would be omitting some great people without mentioning the former DM&E/PRB project team in Sioux Falls, N.D. I consider being able to serve AREMA and chairing Committee 30 an honor and great achievement. AREMA: What advice would you give to someone who is trying to pursue a career in the railway industry? GRISSOM: There is an infinite amount of opportunity in the railway industry. The influx of proven technologies to the industry will continue to improve inspection, maintenance, material delivery and construction. There are many opportunities for individuals to champion initiatives to reduce track time for these activities and maximize operating capacity. I would strongly encourage hard working, innovative individuals to pursue a career in the industry.
American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association 10003 Derekwood Lane, Suite 210, Lanham, MD 20706-4362 Phone: +1.301.459.3200 / Fax: +1.301.459.8077 www.arema.org
Railway Track & Structures
July 2012 39
AREMA NEWS
Announcement of AREMA Board of Governors 2012 Election
AREMA Publications 2012 Manual for Railway Engineering© NEW CHAPTER 10 - Structures, Maintenance and Construction. There have been numerous updates to more than 5,000 pages of the Manual for Railway Engineering. The chapters are grouped into four general categories, each in a separate volume: • Track • Structures • Infrastructure & Passenger • Systems Management. The Manual is an annual publication, released every April. The Manual’s available in four-volume looseleaf format, CD-ROM, revision set (looseleaf only) and individual chapters (looseleaf format only).
AREMA Bridge Inspection Handbook© The AREMA Bridge Inspection Handbook provides a comprehensive source of information and criteria for bridge inspections for engineers engaged in the assessment of railway bridges. This handbook is published as a guide to establishing policies and practices relative to bridge inspection. It covers such topics as confined spaces, site conditions, loads & forces, nomenclature, bridge decks, timber, concrete & steel bridges, movable bridges, tunnel and culvert inspections, and emergency & post-earthquake inspections. Also included are many color photographed examples in several chapters, as well as a glossary in the back of the book. To order any of the AREMA publications, please log on to www.arema.org or contact Beth Caruso at +1.301.459.3200, ext. 701, or bcaruso@arema.org. 40 Railway Track & Structures
July 2012
2012 Communications & Signals Manual of Recommended Practices© The Communications & Signals Manual is a manual of recommended practices written by AREMA technical committees in the interest of establishing uniformity, promoting safety or efficiency and economy. The Communications & Signals Manual of Recommended Practices is an annual publication released every October.
Practical Guide to Railway Engineering© This guide provides a comprehensive overview and understanding of the railway system. Whether you are new to the rail industry or a long-time contributor wanting to learn more, this bound book and CD-ROM offer in-depth coverage of railway fundamentals and serve as an excellent reference. (Also available in a CD-ROM version only.)
Portfolio of Trackwork Plans© New Edition NOW AVAILABLE. The Portfolio of Trackwork Plans consists of plans and specifications that relate to the design, details, materials and workmanship for switches, frogs, turnouts and crossovers, crossings, rails and other special trackwork. This is a companion volume to the Manual for Railway Engineering.
The Governance Nominating Committee, chaired by Past President, John F. Unsworth, has completed its task and the following nominee has been officially elected. David W. Ferryman will assume his board of governor’s position at the AREMA Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago, IL., September 16 - 19, 2012. Elected as: Governor (2012 – 2015) Name: David W. Ferryman, PE Title: Vice President, System Engineering Organization/Company: Canadian National Railway Company Ferryman is the vice president, system engineering for CN. He started his railroad career in 1989 as an engineering intern and from 1993 – 1995 he was a project manager at Burlington Northern. In 1995 – 1997 he was a roadmaster with BNSF. From 1997 – 1999 he worked at the Illinois Central Railroad as assistant superintendent engineering. In 1999, he started working at CN and held various positions, such as division engineer – Gulf Division, general manager – Michigan Division, chief engineer – Southern Region and in 2005, he was promoted to his current position of vice president – system engineering. He is a member of the Railway Tie and North American Chief Engineers Associations. He is a professional engineer and holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University. He expects to receive his MBA at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 2012.
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www.rtands.com
Railway Track & Structures
July 2012 41
PRODUCTS
Multipurpose machine
Pretreated crosstie
Supertrak introduced the Huddig 1260B Triple Purpose Machine. It’s articulated center pivot, combined with hydrostatic operation, is said to make the transition from on and off track a breeze. The Huddig 1260B TPM has the capacity to power a wide range of hydraulic attachments and is suitable for fastening work, ballast filling, brushcutting, remote control work, rail replacement, allseason rail cleaning, tie replacement, as well as working on projects at height. Phone: 919-935-2595.
Gross & Janes Co. released Tuff-TieTM.The crosstie is treated with borate using a non-pressurized process prior to drying and shipping for creosote treatment. This two-step process eliminates the cost of pressurized application of borate at the time of creosote application, while offsetting the amount of oil-based creosote needed for tie protection; resulting in a lower-cost tie with environmental benefits including less creosote utilization and more environmentally-friendly alternatives for disposal of spent ties. Phone: 636-343-8484.
42 Railway Track & Structures
July 2012
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CALENDAR AUGUST 7-9. RTA Tie Grading Seminar. Denver Renaissance. Denver, Colo. Phone: 770-460-5553. Fax: 770-460-5573. E-mail: ties@rta.org. Website: www.rta.org. SEPTEMBER 5-6. Railway Bridge Engineering. University of WisconsinMadison. Madison, Wis. Contact: Dave Peterson. Phone: 608-262-2813. E-mail: peterson@epd.engr.wisc.edu. Website: http://epdweb.engr.wisc.edu/WEBN391. 8-11. ASLRRA Central Pacific Region Meeting. The Depot Renaissance. Minneapolis, Minn. Phone: 202-628-4500. Website: www.aslrra.org. 16-19. AREMA Annual Conference & Exposition. Hilton Chicago. Chicago, Ill. Contact: Vickie Fisher. E-mail: vfisher@arema.org. Website: www.arema.org. 18-21. InnoTrans 2012. Messe Berlin Convention Center. Berlin, Germany. Phone: 732-933-1118. E-mail: mjbalve@ globaltradeshow.com. Website: www.innotrans.com. 30-Oct. 3. APTA Annual Meeting. Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Washington State Convention and Trade Center. Seattle, Wash. Contact: Anitha Atkins. Phone: 202-4964839. E-mail: aatkins@apta.com. OCTOBER 10-11. Railway Age Passenger Trains on Freight Railroads. Washington Marriott. Washington, D.C. Contact: Jane Poterala. Phone: 212-620-7209. E-mail: jpoterala@sbpub. com. Website: www.railwayage.com. 13-16. ASLRRA Eastern Region Meeting. Hilton Scranton and Radisson Lackawanna Station. Scranton, Pa. Phone: 202-628-4500. Website: www.aslrra.org. 16-17. 2012 Railroad Environmental Conference. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Urbana, Ill. Phone: 217-244-7158. Website: http://ict.uiuc.edu/railroad/ RREC/overview.php. 23-25. Railway Tie Association 94th Annual Symposium and Technical Conference. Tampa Marriott Waterside and Marina. Tampa, Fla. Contact: Debbie Corallo. Phone: 770460-5553. E-mail: dcorallo@rta.org. Website: www.rta.org. NOVEMBER 11-13. ASLRRA Southern Region Meeting. Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort. Birmingham, Ala. Phone: 202-6284500. Website: www.aslrra.org. JANUARY 2013 9-12. 2013 NRC Annual Conference & Exposition. Loews Miami Beach Hotel. Miami Beach, Fla. Phone: 202-7152919. E-mail: info@nrcma.org. Website: www.nrcma.org. 13-17. Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting. Marriott Wardman Park, Omni Shoreham and Washington Hilton. Washington, D.C. Phone: 202334-3504. Website: www.trb.org/AnnualMeeting2013/ AnnualMeeting2013.aspx. www.rtands.com
Railway Track & Structures
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Ad Index Company
Phone #
Fax#
e-mail address
Page #
Amsted RPS 312-922-4516 312-922-4597 kskibinski@amstedrail.com AREMA Marketing Department 301-459-3200 301-459-8077 marketing@arema.org Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co. 205-424-7245 205-424-7436 bhamrail@aol.com Danella Rental Systems, Inc. 610-828-6200 610-828-2260 pbarents@danella.com GENSCO America, Inc. 416-465-7521 416-465-4489 info@genscoequip.com Holland L.P. 708-672-2300 ext. 382 708-672-0119 gpodgorski@hollandco.com Hougen Manufacturing, Inc. 866-245-3745 800-309-3299 info@trak-star.com L.B. Foster Co. 412-928-3506 412-928-3512 glippard@lbfosterco.com L.B. Foster Co - Friction Management 412-928-3506 412-928-3512 glippard@lbfosterco.com Lewis Bolt & Nut Co. 800-328-3480 952-449-9607 dbarry@lewisbolt.com New York Air Brake 607-257-7000 607-257-2389 paula@onlinesms.com Pandroll USA, LP 1-800-221-CLIP 856-467-2994 Plasser American Corp. 757-543-3526 757-494-7186 plasseramerican@plausa.com PortaCo, Inc. 218-236-0223 218-233-5281 info@portaco.com Progress Rail Services, Corp - (ETS) Rail Welding 810-714-4626 810-714-4680 ddaugherty@progressrail.com 810-714-4680 ddaugherty@progressrail.com Progress Rail Services, Corp - (ETS) Track Work 810-714-4626 Progress Rail Services Corp. 800-476-8769 256-593-1249 info@progressrail.com RAILCET 866-724-5238 217-522-6588 grif1020@yahoo.com Railtech Boutet, Inc. 419-592-5050 419-599-3630 lflenner@railtechboutet.com RailWorks Corporation 866-905-7245 952-469-1926 jrhansen@railworks.com Railway Educational Bureau, The 402-346-4300 402-346-1783 bbrundige@sb-reb.com 804-275-1675 ext.235 smaclaughlin@sealeze.com Sealeze Siemens Mobility and Logistics allison.whitsell.ext@siemens.com Sperry Rail Service 203-791-4500 203-791-4512 mnottelmann@mail.sperryrail.com Supertrak 941-505-7800 941-505-2308 jseay@mardenind.com Unitrac Railroad Materials, Inc. 412-298-0915 865-693-9162 ppietrandrea@unitracrail.com voestalpine Nortrak Inc. 307-778-8700 307-778-8777 gweatherly@nortrak.com Vossloh 00-49-239-252-273 00-49-239-252-274 claudia.brandt@vc.vossloh.com
21 Cover 3 22 6 32 Cover 4, 28 30 16 4 24 Cover 2 23 27 6 26 34 18 7 29 8 2, 14, 43 22 9 31 42 36 35 19
Reader Referral Service This section has been created solely for the convenience of our readers to facilitate immediate contact with the RAILWAY TRACK & STRUCTURES advertisers in this issue. The Advertisers Index is an editorial feature maintained for the convenience of readers. It is not part of the advertiser contract and RTS assumes no responsibility for the correctness.
Advertising Sales general sales OFFICE Jonathan Chalon Publisher (212) 620-7224 345 Hudson St. Fax: (212) 620-7224 New York, NY 10014 jchalon@sbpub.com AL, AR, IN, KY, LA, MI, MS, OH, OK, TN, TX Emily Kalmus (312) 683-5021 20 South Clark Street Fax: (312) 683-0131 Ste. 2450 Chicago, IL 60603 ekalmus@sbpub.com CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, NC, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA, WV, Canada Quebec and East, Ontario Mark Connolly (212) 620-7260 345 Hudson St. Fax: (212) 633-1863 New York, NY 10014 mconnolly@sbpub.com
AK, AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MN, MO, MT, NE, NM, ND, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WI, WY, Canada -足 AB, BC, MB, SK Heather Disabato (312) 683-5026 20 South Clark Street Fax: (312) 683-0131 Ste. 2450 Chicago, IL 60603 hdisabato@sbpub.com Responsible for advertisement sales in all parts of the world, except Italy, Italianspeaking Switzerland, Japan, and North America. See the contacts Donna Edwards Suite K5 & K6 The Priory +44-1444-416368 Syresham Gardens Fax: +44-1444-458185 Haywards Heath, RH16 3LB United Kingdom de@railjournal.co.uk
Australia, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Middle East, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Scandinavia, South Africa, South America, Spain, Worldwide Recruitment Steven Barnes Suite K5 &K6 The Priory +44-1444-416368 Syresham Gardens Fax: +44-1444-458185 Haywards Heath, RH16 3LB United Kingdom sales@railjournal.co.uk
Japan Katsuhiro Ishii Ace Media Service, Inc. 12-6 4-Chome, +81-3-5691-3335 Nishiiko, Adachi-Ku Fax: +81-3-5691-3336 Tokyo 121-0824, Japan amkatsu@dream.com Classified, Professional & Employment Craig Wilson (212) 620-7211 345 Hudson St. Fax: (212) 633-1325 New York, NY 10014 cwilson@sbpub.com
Italy & Italian-speaking Switzerland Dr. Fabio Potesta Media Point & Communications SRL Corte Lambruschini Corso Buenos Aires 8 +39-10-570-4948 V Piano, Int 9 Fax: +39-10-553-0088 16129 Genoa, Italy info@mediapointsrl.it
44 Railway Track & Structures
July 2012
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Professional Directory
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Cross-dock: CSXT service for all car types, 286,000 pounds. Up to 20 car spots. Trackmobile switching. FOR RAILROADS: Distribution: Flat-bed services within a 300-mile radius by affiliate Ray’s Current services include distribution, tiede distribution,Transportation, crossInc. plating, & recycling easing Side-tracking leasing: Up to 20 car spots.
Located 60 miles north of New York City. Remov al, reuse, and disposal of track materials. eas with a total of FOR RAILROADS: F enclosed. Current services include distribution, tieplating, & recycling New track materials warehoused, repackaged, Removal, reuse, and palletized, disposal of track ce for all car ty pes, and delivmaterials. ered. New Track materials warehoused, repackaged, palletized, and delivered. 20 car spots. Trackmobile Pre-plating of ties, and lease of proprietary tieplating machine.tiePre-plating of ties, and lease of proprietary plating machine. Location info on Shipcsx.com rv ices within a 300-mile CSX-served at Ray’s Transportation, 55 Windsor Highway (RT.32), New Windsor, NY. Location info on Shipcsx .com Transportation, Inc. Contact: Diane Stackhouse CSX-serv ed at Ray ’s Transportation, 55 W indsor Phone: 20 car spots. Highway845-565-7210 (Rt.32), New Wext.11 indsor, NY.
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QTY MAKE 1 Jackson 1 Kershaw 2 Robel 2 Jackson 1 Nordberg 4 Nordberg 1 Nordberg 2 Holley 1 Nordberg 1 RMC 1 Fairmont 1 Fairmont
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Wanted to buy: locomotive (running or not), tank cars, for parts. Also car bodies (flatcars) for 150-ton and 300-ton railroad crane. Mowing and cleaning the right of way. Chemical spraying on railroad abandoned property. Want to buy a railroad siding in the Western USA and one in the Eastern USA. Also want to obtain railroad property with rail, road service, truck and barge terminal. Also for unloading trains, barges, cut up locomotive, railroad rolling stocks and loading truck for heavy loads. Selling of railroad parts and buyer of salvage surplus material. Rebuilding parts for resale. Contact Jerry Stanton, ECO Consulting Group, USA Kentock Group Ltd, 215-758-1698 or 267-997-8133 phone, fax 215-8649665, email jerrystanton95@gmail.com.
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Railway Track & Structures
July 2012 47
Field Report
A different way of doing things
A BNSF train moves past HURK’s horizontal directional drill just outside of Fairview Station in Downers Grove, Ill.
48 Railway Track & Structures
The enormous price tag associated with Positive Train Control captures a lot of the headlines in this industry. For the railroads that are mandated to implement the technology, more practical matters capture their focus, such as what conduits need to be installed and in what location in order to be ready by the 2015 deadline. F o r B N S F, p l a c i n g t h e c & s infrastructure needed along its property in the western suburbs of Chicago came with it’s own set of challenges. The area is heavily populated and located along a busy freight and passenger corridor. If the railroad was to drill or trench, there was a multitude of public and private utilities it needed to avoid hitting, including those that powered two major airports, hospitals, laboratories and private homes in the area. The railroad originally tried an open trench approach to the project, which got the job done. However, the use of an open trench can be, as one railroad representative put it, a mess. Realizing a trenchless method may fit the project’s
July 2012
circumstances better, the railroad turned to horizontal directional drilling (HDD). HDD does not have the restoration cost associated with trenching techniques with only a small entry and exit pit needing restoration when a job concludes. Companies that employ HDD are also said to receive less customer complaints, an added bonus for BNSF because much of the work was within site of commuter rail stations. BNSF does perform its own drilling, but the railroad understood the finesse required for this project and turned to HURK Underground Technologies Inc., which has many years of experience with trenchless technologies. Ray Sullivan, business development manager with HURK, said the key to a project like this is to get as much information as possible. Before any dirt could be disturbed, the Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators (JULIE), Illinois’ one-call system, was contacted in order to find out where utilities were located. For utility verification, HURK par tnered with Dearborn Companies, a subsurface imaging and mapping firm that performed a survey using ground penetrating radar to find the elevation of the utilities. With all the manpower, preparation and coordination required for a job of this nature, one incredibly skilled person is responsible for the actual drilling. The drill operator’s job is made all the more critical when taking into account the volume of utilities involved. For Rory Larson, signal supervisor for BNSF, the use of HDD has enhanced the productivity of the job. Larson notes that any utility hit during a drill is a bad deal, which is why he called HURK. He calls the job done thus far “fantastic,” so much so that he keeps adding projects along the way. Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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