Northern Region

NECR COMPLETES MASSACHUSETTS CORRIDOR BUILD PROJECT

NECR infrastructure has been upgraded as part of the BUILD Grant project. Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) has been installed to increase the railroad’s weight rating to 286,000 pounds.

Shipment of Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) New England Central Railroad's (NECR) 60-mile stretch across Massachusetts was selected for upgrade to 286,000-pound capacity via Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant funds. The final stretch of that project was completed at the end of October, despite nationwide supply chain delays.

Brett Briggs, director of engineering for NECR, Connecticut Southern Railroad (CSO) and The Massena Terminal Railroad (MSTR), credits Bob Richardson, assistant general manager and trainmaster for NECR, with understanding both the big picture and the small details to help the project succeed.

NECR

“We completely tore apart the yard in Palmer, Massachusetts, and replaced every turnout,” says Briggs. “Bob moved the schedule around and did what was needed to get the contractors the time they required.” Richardson is the most senior employee at NECR and has been in management for decades. “Bob has wisdom gained through years of experience,” says Briggs. “He knows the crews, the trains, the customers and the terrain. He is good at coming up with creative ways to make things happen.” Briggs noted that all departments have worked very well together during the construction phase of the project that has taken the better part of a year. This is the final track section within the 320-mile NECR freight rail corridor from New London, Connecticut, to St. Albans, Vermont, that needed to be brought up to standard. “It will be very exciting to be able to upgrade the speed through the corridor,” says Briggs. “It will become a far more efficient part of our rail network.”

Northern Region

VINTON EXPLORES NEW JOURNEY ON FAMILIAR PATH

New England Central Railroad’s (NECR) Roxbury Subdivision has been Roadmaster Jason Vinton’s office for the better part of his quarter-century career. He takes an ownership attitude toward his territory and credits his father, who worked on the same railroad for 32 years, with instilling a strong work ethic and sense of duty. Vinton maintains the same sense of responsibility to safety as he did as a track inspector, his most recent role before being promoted in March. With lots of Amtrak traffic, inspections aren’t something he takes lightly. “I want to make sure passengers get from point A to B safely,” says Vinton. He now leads a team of eight, most of whom are longtime coworkers. Equipment Operator Matt Page has been a teammate for two decades; he’s someone Vinton can confer with daily. “He’s taught me quite a bit,” he says. Regardless of season, the action on his territory never stops, and Mother Nature is always a force to contend with. Washouts and flooding aren’t uncommon thanks to the region’s rivers; plugged culverts can also cause problems, and the arrival of autumn means preparation of snow removal machines and clearing out switches before the snow falls. Performing curve patches, installing continuous welded rail and replacing crossings also are part of his ongoing duties. Page appreciates executing the work instead of mandating it.

C3RS BEARS FRUIT FOR BPRR AS EXPANSION MULLED

After a successful three-year pilot at Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad (BPRR), a national safety program is being considered for expansion to other G&W railroads. The CONFIDENTIAL CLOSE CALL REPORTING SYSTEM (C3RS)* has been instituted

throughout the nation to mitigate the fear of discipline or unwanted consequence, encouraging employees to report safety issues anonymously. Ultimately, the reports are scrubbed of identifying characteristics and relayed to a peer review team (PRT) comprising railroad leadership and craftsmen, including local union chairmen. BPRR remains the only G&W railroad using C3RS, but given its “huge success,” it’s ripe for expansion, says Brian Stussie, assistant vice president of operations for G&W’s Northern Region. The former BPRR general manager helped pioneer C3RS’s use, serving on its PRT until July. “It was a springboard that was instrumental in getting additional buy-in,” says Stussie, noting he does not believe C3RS would have been successful without teamwork. “It rejuvenated the program. It was a lot of hard work, and there’s a lot to be proud of.” He cites numerous safety wins for the team, including enhanced visual controls for speed restrictions. Stussie praises Director of Engineering Rich Pavetto with leading the charge to eliminate defects, which reduced line items on daily operating briefings (DOB) by half.

*The Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) is a partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in conjunction with participating railroad carriers and labor organizations.

BPRR’S TEAM EFFORT TO SHIP OVERSIZED NACELLE CARS 145 MILES

Originally destined for the Port of Buffalo, nacelles (or casings that will contain the generator, shafts and other components on a wind turbine) from Denmark arrived on the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad (BPRR) on August 16 via CSX in Erie, Penn-

sylvania. Measuring about 20 feet tall and 14 feet wide, the eight-axle articulated railcars carrying the components overhung the rail by six feet on each side. To put that into perspective, the average railcar only overhangs three feet from each side of the rail. Due to special circumstances with close clearances, this move took a unified, cross-functional team of people to safely transport and deliver the cargo 145 miles from Erie to DuBois, Pennsylvania. Engineer Luke Anderson and Conductor Dustin Lewis, tasked with safe train handling, had Mechanic Sean Wright inspecting and shadowing the train for the duration of the move. Trainmaster Derek Whitcomb and Assistant General Manager Justin Wojtowicz traded the shadowing and crew accompaniment duties. BPRR’s Director of Engineering Rich Pavetto, along with Track Foreman Ron Buell, positioned themselves ahead of the movement for the twoday travel period, cutting back trees and double-checking various locations for clearance. Trackman Todd Swarm accompanied the train crew with additional tools to handle any low foliage locations that couldn’t be reached from a hi-rail truck. Prior to arrival into Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania, the regular local train crew, Engineer Taylor Brinker and Conductor Mike Clark, moved cars out of adjacent tracks to accommodate the need for additional clearance through town. Despite receiving full clearance permissions through that area, Wojtowicz leaned on his experience as a BPRR conductor and raised his eyebrows with serious concern regarding a retaining wall that had been there for several years. After getting eyes and a measuring tape on the location in question, the wall was found to be three inches too close for the nacelle cars to clear.

Faced with this serious under-clearance and oversight from old clearance maps, Pavetto’s team, Roadmaster Corey Appleby with Trackman Tony Violette, Machine Operator Al Gausman, and Foreman Jeff Kimmick, suggested the BPRR main line be moved over. The main line was moved six inches to accommodate this special high-wide shipment to ensure the nacelle cars would not impact the retaining wall. As the train proceeded through Johnsonburg, the speed was reduced to less than three miles per hour on approach of that retaining wall. When the train cleared the wall with three inches to spare, the team took a deep breath and shifted their gaze to the Highway 219 overpass, which wasn’t as close a clearance but still required monitoring. “The BPRR is not accustomed to handling dimensional loads, especially of this magnitude,” said

After having to slow through Waterford to pass some MOW equipment, the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad train with a high and wide load of wind turbine nacelles resumed normal track speed as it cruised through farmland outside Union City, Pennsylvania. Jarrod Hutcheson, BPRR general manager at that time. “The entire team pulled together to ensure the shipment moved safely from origin to destination, which required preplanning, multiple inspections throughout the route and meticulous attention to detail through the entire process. This is just another accomplishment by the world-class team that operates the railroad safely day in and day out.” The team expressed relief when the shipment was delivered to DuBois on August 17. Crisis and severe damage was averted with all the additional attention given to ensure safe arrival across all departments. Final assembly of the nacelle components will be in Central Pennsylvania to help provide some of the cleanest and greenest energy in the area. The deepest gratitude to all those who invested extra time and attention to making this move happen. — Crystal Blasius

Northern Region

CUOH to Serve New Behr Paint Facility in Ohio

On June 8, Behr Process Corporation broke ground for a new facility in Heath, Ohio, which will be served by G&W’s Columbus and Ohio River Rail Road (CUOH). Behr, the second largest paint company in the U.S., is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022. Their paint is distributed through Home Depot stores nationwide. The company is building a 325,000-square-foot rail-served manufacturing and distribution facility where they will receive inbound raw materials in tank cars. Completion of the new site is anticipated in spring 2023, with production expected to ramp up in third quarter 2023. The facility is the largest capital project in Behr’s history, with an approximate investment of $80 million. The ability to receive rail was an important part of their site location decision. The facility will be located in the Newark – Heath – Licking County Port Authority Industrial Park, which currently has other rail-served customers.

Groundbreaking of the new facility earlier this year.

OHCR EXPANDS YARD IN NEWARK, OHIO

Ohio Central Railroad (OHCR) is expanding its yard in Newark, Ohio, by adding a pair of 6,500-foot tracks. Years of solid business growth, most notably a surge of traffic for stone products, made the expansion necessary, says General Manager Tim Slusser.

“Almost all of our interchange freight comes in through Newark; it’s our classification yard,” he says. “Over the past three years, we have outgrown it.” The project was launched in late summer on land already owned by OHCR and will not affect existing traffic. When complete, more than two additional miles of jointed rail will provide much-needed capacity. Slusser credits OHCR’s marketing, engineering and financial teams for working together effectively. He also thanks Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad (BPRR) for supplying some of the rail being used.

OHCR’s Newark Yard