October 2013 | www.rtands.com
2013 Crosstie Report
plus
Track inspection challenges WSOR bridge initiative And also
AREMA News p. 47
Contents October 2013
News
5
Industry Today 5 Supplier News 10 People
21
Features
36
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2013 annual crosstie report Raw material issues persist for wood ties, but overall, the outlook is positive for all involved in this market.
36
WSOR’s bridge maintenance program To keep ahead of age and capacity related issues, WSOR takes a comprehensive approach toward maintaining its structures.
40
Advancing track inspection technology Service providers overcome their own set of challenges to ensure the data collected offers an accurate assessment of track condition. Encore’s RTP Ride On Tie Plugger.
Columns
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On Track You’re working on the next big thing
11
RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES
Story on page 21
Departments 15 TTCI R&D 47 Arema News 52 Products 53 Advertisers Index 53 Sales Representatives 54 Calendar 55 Professional Directory 56 Classified Advertising
NRC Chairman’s Column Make your plans now
40
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Railway Track & Structures
October 2013 1
On Track
RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES
You’re working on the next big thing
T
he railroad industry generally gets a bum rap for being slow to adopt new technologies. During my time in the industry, I’ve formed an opinion that railroads are not slow adopters, but rather thorough researchers willing to look at all possibilities but unwilling to commit major investments until they have a known result that is beneficial to the efficiency of their operation, the safety of their employees and/ or the health of their bottom lines. This month, our trio of feature articles detail the advancements that can currently be found or will be found shortly on North American railroads regarding crossties, track inspection and bridge maintenance. Our annual crosstie report begins on page 21. In addition to a market round up, the article details the long-term research initiatives of the Railway Tie Association, which, in partnership with the Class 1 railroads, is looking into alternative wood preservation systems. Some of these alternative preservation systems including copper naphthenate and ACZA are already in use. Next in the issue is an article highlighting Wisconsin & Souther n’s (WSOR) bridge maintenance program, p. 36, which the railroad developed as age and capacity issues began to affect its 354 structures. As WSOR has progressed with work, run into challenges, both planned and unexpected, and employed creative solutions to those challenges, the industry as a whole has an opportunity to learn from WSOR’s experience and apply those lessons to future situations. Our feature on track inspection, which begins on page 40, reports on the technology advancements service providers in this area of the industry are developing in order to give railroads an accurate assessment of their track structure, which allows for more efficient maintenance planning. Today’s inspection systems are now capable of 3-D images, higher speeds and pinpoint
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October 2013
accuracy to anomaly locations. Back in August, Railway Age contributor, Frank Wilner published an interesting blog titled, “Railroads beware: Technology is gaining on you.” Sounds a bit ominous, right? The commentary details two emerging technologies: 3-D printing and Elon Musk’s Hyperloop and what the potential effect on the rail industry could be should the two technologies become a reality, in the case of the Hyperloop, or used more wide spread as is the case with 3-D printing. His advice to the industry: Get creative and think big. Wilner writes, “Today’s business of business is for thinkers and risk takers recognizing that if one can imagine a new product or process, professional engineers can produce and perfect it. Railroad executives and labor union leaders timid or slow in advancing new ideas and practices endanger the financial health and future of railroads by allowing those more creative, nimble and bold to chomp away at railroad market share. “The Dow Jones Railroad Index has surged 24 percent this year and quadrupled since 2009. It’s going to take a heap of new productivity improvements—beginning at the labor bargaining table—plus creative vision by railroad professional engineers, operating officials and marketing executives to keep innovative wolves hawking Hyperloop and 3-D printing at bay.” From the examples I’ve seen this past month, those engineers, part of our industry brain trust, are hard at work churning out ideas, researching and testing new technologies and developing better equipment that will keep railroads competitive, efficient, safe and profitable for a long time to come.
Vol. 109, No. 10 Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 Chicago, Ill. 60603 Telephone (312) 683-0130 Fax (312) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com Mischa Wanek-Libman/Editor, mischa@sbpub.com Jennifer Nunez/Assistant Editor, jnunez@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES 55 Broad St 26th Fl. New York, N.Y. 10004 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr./ President and Chairman Jonathan Chalon/Publisher George S. Sokulski/Associate Publisher Emeritus Mary Conyers/Production Director Wendy Williams/Creative Director Maureen Cooney/Circulation Director Jane Poterala/Conference Director RT&S 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, 55 Broad St 26th Fl., New York, N.Y. 10004. 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 2013. 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 rtands@halldata.com or write to: Railway Track & Structures, Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Railway Track & Structures, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172.
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INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News
Brandt Road Rail Corporation opened a new parts warehouse in Kansas City, Mo. Encore Rail Systems now supplies epoxy and application equipment to Mexico’s Itisa concrete tie plant. London Trackwork was awarded a $CA2.8 million ($US 2.6 million) contract to supply the special trackwork portion of the Evergreen Line in Vancouver Canada.
The fir st phase of the National Gateway, which cleared the way for doublestack intermodal rail service between CSX’s existing terminal in Chambersburg, Pa., and its state-of-the-art hub facility in Northwest Ohio, has been completed on-time and on budget. The award-winning $850-million public private partnership is creating an efficient and environmentally-friendly, double-stack cleared rail corridor between the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest and is made possible through a combination of federal and state funds and CSX investment. Public funding for Phase One was supported by a federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant secured by the state of Ohio on behalf of the National Gateway Coalition and administered by the Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division of the Federal Highway Administration. “We celebrate the efforts of federal and state officials in achieving this milestone, which means more jobs, a more competitive America and a more environmentally-friendly way to move freight,” said Michael J. Ward, CSX chairman, president and chief executive officer. “This is great news for our nation’s transportation infrastructure, our customers and the communities we serve and wouldn’t be possible without the major investment of time and resources by our federal and state partners. While this is a significant milestone, our work is not done. Working with our public sector partners, we need to finish the job and complete double-stack clearances between Chambersburg and the Ports of Baltimore and Virginia.” The National Gateway is currently focused on the project’s Phase Two, which will double-stack clear the CSX corridor between Chambersburg, Pa., and mid-Atlantic ports.
National Gateway
Atlantic Concrete Cutting Inc. has been contracted to help make repairs and upgrades along the Long Island Rail Road system.
CSX, partners celebrate completion of National Gateway’s first phase
MTA names six to Blue Ribbon Panel for rail safety The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has taken a proactive step to understand why recent safetyrelated incidents have happened on its properties by creating a Blue Ribbon Panel of six railroad and transportation experts. The panel will examine the circumstances behind the incidents at Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road and New York City Transit, as well as examine the agencies’ maintenance and inspection programs and ensure they promote a culture of safety within the MTA. The members of the panel are Louis Cerny, executive director of the Association of American Railroads Engineering Division; Mortiner Downey, former U.S. deputy secretary of transportation and former MTA executive director and CFO; Jack Quinn, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York who served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; Conrad
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Ruppert, Jr., senior research engineer at the University of Illinois and 35-year veteran of Amtrak; Rodney Slater, former director of the Federal Highway Administration and U.S. secretary of transportation in the Clinton administration and William Van Trump, former senior assistant vice president of engineering at Union Pacific. “These six experts are widely respected in their field and uniquely qualified to review maintenance and workplace practices, protocols and strategies that may have a relation to these recent incidents,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “We want to learn lessons so these particular problems never happen again, but we also want to make sure the MTA has a rigorous safety culture that ensures every employee works to prevent unforeseen problems in the future. These panelists are some of the best in the business and we want their scrutiny to make us better as well.”
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INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News Michels Corporation was awarded a $200,602,743 contract from New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority for work that will take place in the caverns and tunnels in the south segment of the future Long Island Rail Road terminal below Grand Central Terminal for the East Side Access project. Parsons Brinckerhoff was awarded a contract from the Chicago
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GAO report suggests more flexibility with PTC implementation The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) made public its report on positive train control (PTC) implementation and issued a trio of recommendations, including extending the deadline, approving alternative safety technologies and granting provisional certification of PTC systems. The report said three out of four freight railroads included in its review will not meet the Dec. 31, 2015, deadline and won’t have PTC implemented until 2017 or later. GAO interviewed representatives from Amtrak, the four largest freight railroads and seven commuter railroads, selected to represent a mix of locations, ridership levels and PTC implementation status. GAO also interviewed PTC experts and suppliers and reviewed the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) PTC regulatory impact analyses. The GAO report says, “Given the implementation challenges railroads face in meeting the deadline, and to help FRA manage its limited resources...Congress should consider granting FRA the authority to extend the
October 2013
deadline on certain rail lines on a case-bycase basis, grant provisional certification of PTC systems and approve the use of alternative safety technologies in lieu of PTC to improve safety. U.S. DOT reviewed a draft of this report and provided technical comments, which were incorporated as appropriate.” At least one rail entity, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), has vowed to support PTC implementation by the 2015 deadline. LACMTA CEO Art Leahy and LACMTA government relations staff issued an update on Metrolink’s PTC progress and said, “We will continue to engage the U.S. Department of Transportation and specifically the Federal Railroad Administration to register our opposition to any effort to weaken the PTC related safety provision in the Rail Safety Improvement Act. We will also continue to advance the position that any alternative-PTC technology must offer the same or greater safety benefits as PTC and be interoperable with PTC systems.”
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INDUSTRY TODAY CREATE Program marks another project to the completed column The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program completed project WA10, a $9.7-million venture to add freight railroad mobility and relieve congestion for the commuting public in Blue Island, Ill., in the Chicago region. The project was led by CSX engineering and operations employees and included installing new crossovers, new bi-directional switching and signal modernization. There were approximately 130 railroad crew members and contractors who worked on the project, which will reduce idling in Chicago neighborhoods, balance freight movements between freight railroads and add capacity for projected growing global freight demand. Presently, up to 33 daily trains are directly impacted by the project. Prior to the project’s completion, CSX had double-track mainlines running roughly parallel through the Blue Island Junction with no connection between them, severely limiting the possible routes traversing the junction, which is a major regional intersec-
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Supplier News
tion where the Indiana Harbor Belt and CSX corridors connect and the Belt and Western Avenue Corridors cross. The federal government provided $6.4 million, CSX Transportation provided $3.2 million and the state provided $92,000 to complete the project. “Both the motoring public and freight railroads are already seeing benefits from CREATE projects like this. We now can deploy trains in a measurably more efficient way through the Chicago area as the result of this project,” said John Bradley, CSX’s Chicago Division manager. “The CREATE program continues to be a strategic investment in our state and nation’s future as a transportation leader”, said U. S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-IL). “My initial support for the CREATE program came as a result of the issues raised in communities in my district experiencing idling trains awaiting clearance through the congested Blue Island Yard, so I am pleased to see the various upgrades to the yard, including this WA10 project, come to completion.”
Transit Authority to provide construction management services for transit projects throughout its system. RailComm provided its Domain Operations Controller train control system to Northshore Mining in Silver Bay, Minn. Rail Safety Consulting, a Division of TÜV Rheinland Mobility, Inc., has been awarded the second portion of a two-part consulting contract
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INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News by the Alaska Railroad Corporation for the ongoing development and deployment of the railroad’s Positive Train Control system. S&R Construction was awarded a $26.7 million contract for the new Wachusett Commuter Rail Station in West Fitchburg, Mass. Stacey and Witbeck, Inc., was awarded a $4.2 million contract by Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission to make repairs to four bridges along the Santa Cruz Branch Line in California; the company was also selected by M-1 Rail to serve as construction manager/ general contractor for the construction of
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BNSF to spend $715 million on work among five states BNSF detailed capital spending plans to take place in Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Minnesota. A combined $715 million will enhance and expand capacity across the five states. Texas will see the largest of investment with $240 million going toward work at Tower 55 in Fort Worth, completing replacement of the Galveston Causeway Bridge, installation of a siding extension near Somerville, expansion of the Houston Intermodal Facility, construction of a loop track facility in San Antonio and significant signal upgrades for positive train control (PTC). BNSF’s Illinois property will see $145 million go toward signal upgrades, the replacement of two bridges in Princeton and Wyanet and the construction of a new siding 7,600 feet long between Barstow and Hillsdale. Three departure tracks at the Galesburg Yard will be extended to a length of 10,000 feet each and track and parking will be added to BNSF’s Logistics Park Chicago and Corwith Intermodal facilities in the Chicago area. The railroad plans to invest an estimated $125 million on maintenance and rail capacity expansion projects in Oklahoma, including the construction of 3.5 miles of new second main track between Sequoyah and DeGroat; construction of a new siding near Camp; the extension of existing sidings near Morrison and Mannford; construction of a bypass connection at Cherokee yard in Tulsa for BNSF’s lines to Avard and
October 2013
Springfield, Mo.; construction of a connection track at Avard between the line to Tulsa and BNSF’s Transcon route between Chicago and the Southwest and replacement of a bridge near Ponca City, Okla. The estimated $125 million BNSF will spend in Nebraska will include completing construction of a new bridge over the Missouri River between Plattsmouth, Neb., and Pacific Jct., Iowa; construction of almost a mile of new westbound wye track between the Bellwood and Ravenna subdivisions near Seward; improvements to BNSF’s car and locomotive shops in Lincoln and signal upgrades. BNSF’s $95 million in 2013 capacity projects in Minnesota include terminal improvements at Northtown Yard in Minneapolis to expand rail car classification and inspection capacity by reconfiguring tracks and switches, expanding parking capacity at BNSF’s automotive facility in St. Paul to support growth in new automobile traffic, as well as signal upgrades. In addition to the above listed capacity improvement and expansion projects, BNSF plans to perform maintenance work across the five states that will include nearly 14,900 miles of track surfacing and undercutting work, as well as the replacement of nearly 450 miles of rail and about 1,470,000 crossties. In August, BNSF outlined plans to spend $845 million in capital spending in North Dakota, Missouri, Kansas, Washington and Montana.
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INDUSTRY TODAY Honolulu rail transit project receives federal funds, resumes construction Construction of Honolulu’s transit project is back on track, with construction resuming in West Oahu. Workers from Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. began drilling and other construction-related activities as part of the planned 20-mile rail system, which will run from East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center. Construction was stopped last year when the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the archaeological survey work should have been completed for the entire rail route before construction in East Kapolei began. Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) had completed the studies for the first half of the alignment from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium and was in the process of completing studies for the remainder of the route at the time of the court’s decision. Following the Hawaii State Historic Preservation Division’s approval of the archaeological survey reports, HART was able to proceed with the permitting process
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needed for construction to resume. HART Executive Director and CEO Daniel A. Grabauskas said, “Getting back to work after the year-long legal delay is essential to completing the project on time and on budget, that’s our goal.” In other HART news, the U.S. Department of Transportation released more than $236 million to the rail transit project to be used to continue building the state’s first rail transit system. The funds were appropriated to the project under President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget, which was approved by the House of Representatives and Senate in March 2012. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) said, “This project is already creating jobs and, when completed, will provide transportation options and major traffic relief. In these difficult fiscal times, when decisions about federal funding remain highly competitive, today’s development is a reaffirmation that support for Honolulu’s rail project remains solid as it moves forward.”
Supplier News the 3.3-mile Woodward Avenue streetcar in Detroit, Mich. Tutor Perini Corporation’s joint venture has executed a contract with the California HighSpeed Rail Authority for the design and construction of the initial Madera to Fresno segment of the California high-speed rail system. Vossloh AG is opening a production plant for its rail fastening systems in the U.S.
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PEOPLE CSX named Bob Frulla vice president of transportation for the Northern Region. Fort Worth Transportation Authority president and executive director of the Dick Ruddell plans to retire, effective October 4. Gannett Fleming’s Bryan Mulqueen, national manager of Transit & Rail Practice, has taken on added responsibility for Gannett Fleming Transit & Rail Systems. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) appointed Carmen Bianco to president of MTA New York City Transit. Metropolitan Transportation Authority appointed six members to its recently-created Blue Ribbon Panel for safety: Louis Cerny, Mortiner Downey, Jack Quinn, Conrad Ruppert, Jr., Rodney Slater and William Van Trump. New York Air Brake appointed Bill Kleftis to vice president of engineering and Dr. Karen Tichenor to vice president of quality and program management. Norfolk Southern named Marta Stewart executive vice president and chief financial officer, succeeding John Rathbone, who will retire November 1; named Clyde Allison, Jr., vice president audit and compliance; named Fredric Ehlers vice president information technology; named Jerry Hall vice president network and service management; named Thomas Hurlbut vice president and controller; named Denise Hutson corporate secretary; named Alan Shaw vice president intermodal operations and named Thomas Werner vice president and treasurer. OmniTRAX Logistics Services, LLC, appointed Brett Sorrells, Dennis Wierzbicki and Scott Eubank as Transload Regional Directors. Operation Lifesaver, Inc. named Drew McCaskey state coordinator for Delaware Operation Lifesaver, Peter Pomonis state coordinator for North Dakota Operation Lifesaver and Diane Hall state coordinator for South Dakota Operation Lifesaver. Parsons Corporation hired Jay Watkins as vice president of strategic development. Transportation Technology Center, Inc., named Christopher Liucci and Jim Vena to its Board of Directors. Voith Turbo named Dr. Frank Gropengiesser as member of the management board and CEO of its rail division, succeeding Dr. Norbert Klapper, effective November 1. Watco Transportation Services appointed Pat Cedeno to vice president marketing, Central and West Regions. OBITUARY R. J. Corman Railroad Group founder Richard J. Corman died August 23, 2013. 10 Railway Track & Structures
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NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN
Make your plans now
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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It was great seeing everyone at the AREMA/ REMSA/RSI/RSSI Railway Interchange Conference in Indianapolis, Ind., earlier this month. It was an excellent conference with informative speakers. The exhibit hall was packed with a huge number of companies demonstrating their latest products and services. The corridors were teeming with old friends and new contacts. What a great place for networking. But now you’re wondering, “what’s next?” Don’t worry, the NRC is here for you. The 2014 NRC Conference will be held at J.W. Marriott in Palm Desert, Calif., from Sunday, January 5, through Wednesday, January 8, 2014. We will hear about planned capital investments and opportunities for contractors and suppliers from the major Class 1 railroads, shortline railroad holding companies and rail transit agencies. We will hear about the legislative outlooks for the rail industry and what we can all do about it. We will hear cutting edge financial analysis of the industry and gain an understanding of how that affects all of us. And, of course, we’ll hear about safety concerns, what initiatives we can take to improve our safety and we’ll honor those contractors who are doing their jobs as safely as humanly possible. The conference will also feature a 100-plus booth exhibit hall, political events, seminars on finance and safety, golf tournaments, spouse activities, networking receptions galore and, of course, the Palm Springs climate in early January. We are pleased to note that many other related groups in the rail industry are choosing to hold meetings in conjunction with our conference, which will allow for increased networking among folks who might not otherwise get to meet each other. These groups will include the Railway Tie Association Executive Committee, AREMA Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction, the REMSA Board of Directors and the American Short Line and
Regional Railroad Association’s Legislative Policy Committee. Registration for the conference is now available online at www.nrcma.org/form3.cfm and you can book your hotel room at the J.W. Marriott Desert Springs by calling the resort at 877-622-3140 and mentioning that you are with the NRC Conference or going online to https://resweb.passkey.com/go/nrcma2014. We also do still have a few exhibit booths and sponsorship opportunities available. Updated conference information is always available at www.nrcma.org/go/conference and the staff in the NRC’s Washington, D.C., office is also always available to answer any of your questions. I also wanted to call your attention to the latest successful NRC grassroots event, arranged by the NRC’s grassroots coordinator, Tabitha Layman. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), who is known to the world primarily as the Republican vice presidential candidate of 2012 and to our staff in D.C. primarily as the House Budget Committee chairman, visited NRC member Nordco’s facility in Oak Creek, Wis., in mid-September. Rep. Ryan had the opportunity to meet with Nordco executives and some other rail industry guests, tour the factory floor, do a Q&A session with the factory workers and even get a few pictures in the operator seat of a tamper. These types of events are a win-winwin for everybody: good publicity for the host company, they help the NRC develop strong relationships with key decision makers and the politicians like getting their picture in the paper. I encourage you to get in touch with Tabitha in the NRC office by calling 202-715-1245 or e-mailing tlayman@nrcma. org to arrange one of these event for your company – she’ll even do most of the work. Until next time, work safe and keep those around you working safe. by Terry Benton, NRC Chairman
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NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN
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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NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN
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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Railway Track & Structures
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2014 NRC Conference
& NRC/REMSA Exhibition
January 5-8, 2014 JW Marriott Desert Springs Palm Desert, California
Conference Highlights
Plan to attend the premier railroad construction and maintenance industry event! The annual National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association Conference will encompass more than 1,000 attendees, 100 exhibitors and 25,000 square-feet of meeting space. We have a unique program agenda lined up with chief engineers from the major freight railroads and other key speakers covering topics on: • • • • • • •
• Golf Tournament, Safety Awards, Multiple Networking Receptions • Seminars on project management, railroad safety regulations, railway engineering, safety training
2014 Class 1 and Regional Railroad Capital Spending Plans Rail Projects of National Significance Commuter Rail and Rail Transit Contracting California Rail Projects Legislation Affecting the Rail Industry Railroad Construction Safety High Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Developments Exhibition Booths are still available, visit www.nrcma.org/go/exhibition2014 to reserve a booth
Attendee, hotel and exhibit registration available at www.nrcma.org REGISTRATION CATEGORIES
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CANCELLATION POLICY: Attendee registration cancellations received on or before 12/15/13 will receive a full refund. Cancellations received after 12/15/13 and “No Shows” will be charged the full registration fee. Please note that on-site registrants must pay all fees at the time of registration by cash, check or credit card. NOTE: All prior membership dues owed to NRC must be paid in full to register for the Conference as a member. Not a member? Join today by calling the NRC office at 202715-1247, visiting the NRC website at www.nrcma.org, or emailing info@nrcma.org.
HOTEL: For hotel reservations, call the JW Marriott Desert Springs at (877) 622-3140 or go to the following link to reserve online: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/nrcma2014. When making your reservations by phone, be sure to mention that you are with the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Conference in order to receive the discounted room rate. The rate expires and our room block is opened for general sale on December 12, 2013, and we expect to sell out our block well before that, so be sure to make your room reservations as soon as possible.
TTCI R&D Premium rail performance and rail life extension under heavy-axleload revenue service environments by Jay Baillargeon, engineer, Daniel Gutscher, senior scientist I and Dingqing Li, scientist, TTCI
TTCI presents an update of premium rail performance and rail life extension results from the eastern and western mega sites.
E
ffective rail maintenance strategies are essential for maximizing service life of rails under heavy-axle-load (HAL) operations. For this purpose, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., has been investigating multiple practices in an effort to optimize rail life extension strategies in revenue service. Rail performance testing has been conducted in Figure 1: Average rail wear results from traffic and grinding before and after rail maintenance implementation at the western mega site.
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revenue service since the fall of 2005 at the eastern and western mega sites, located near Bluefield, W. Va., and Ogallala, Neb., respectively. Initially established to supplement rail performance testing conducted at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing in Pueblo, Colo., the scope of testing in revenue service has since been expanded to include evaluation of rail maintenance strategies. This includes evaluation of the long-term effects of gauge-face (GF) lubrication, top-of-rail (TOR) friction control and corrective or preventative grinding practices. Test results are providing valuable feedback regarding the effect of such strategies on the service life expectancy of rail in HAL revenue service. Thus far, the results obtained from testing at the mega sites have been very promising in regards to lower rates of railhead wear, prevention of rolling contact fatigue (RCF) and absence of internal defects. Within the western mega site, for example, a statistically significant reduction was observed in the rate of wear for both high and low rails in two-degree curves following the implementation of TOR friction control and only intermittent RCF growth was detected after approximately 1,000 mgt. This investigation is being undertaken by TTCI under the HAL revenue ser vice prog ram co-sponsored by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Previous articles and reports Railway Track & Structures
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TTCI R&D Figure 2, top: Rates of wear for all test rails at the western mega site. Figure 3: Average rail wear results from traffic and corrective grinding without friction control or preventative grinding at the western mega site.
summarize the earlier results of the premium rail performance testing and rail maintenance strategies.1-4
Rail test curves at the mega sites
The western mega site, located on Union Pacific’s South Morrill Subdivision, has three different test curves containing seven premium rail grades from six manufacturers 1 and typically sees 200-250 mgt of traffic annually. Operating speeds, which are generally underbalanced on this heavyhaul coal route, range between 40 and 60 mph over near-flat grades. The curves are comprised of two, two-degree curves (3.25-inch superelevations) and one, one-degree curve (1.75inch superelevation), both employing standard concrete ties with elastic fasteners. The eastern mega site, located on Norfolk Southern’s Virginia Division, has four different test curves containing eight premium rail grades from four manufacturers1 and sees an estimated 55 mgt of traffic annually. Operating speeds, which are generally underbalanced on this heavy-haul coal route, are typically between 20 and 40 mph over grades as steep as 1.4 percent in some areas. The curves are comprised of two, 6.8-degree curves (2.5-inch superelevations) and two, 10-degree curves (2.5- and 3.0-inch superelevations for 10.2-degree and 10.5-degree curvatures, respectively) made up of timber ties and cut-spike fastening system.
Results: Western mega site
At present, the premium rails installed in the test curves within the western mega site have accumulated more than 1,800 mgt of traffic and have maintained excellent wear performance throughout the course of the experiment. In 2008, the subject of this testing shifted from rail performance to the evaluation of maintenance practices using two different methods to control wear rates and RCF growth. For all three test curves, no rail maintenance strategies, except for the application of lubrication to the GF, were implemented during the early stage of the experiment. For the two-degree curves, RCF started to appear on the low rails at approximately 300-350 mgt. As a result, two corrective grindings were implemented before 700 mgt to remove the RCF. After 700 mgt, TOR friction control was implemented for one of the two-degree test curves while the other began receiving scheduled preventative grinding every 70 mgt, as per the recommendations from earlier modeling results.3 As a result of TOR friction control, a corrective grind was not required until 1,650 mgt of traffic to remove RCF, which took much longer to recur (i.e., 950 mgt, see Figure 1). Figure 2 shows the distributions of the rates of wear for all test rails before and after the implementation of TOR friction control for the two-degree curve. Statistical testing 16 Railway Track & Structures
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was conducted to compare the rate of wear before and after implementation of TOR friction control within the two-degree test curve. Results have shown that there was a reduction in the rate of wear following the implementation of TOR friction control for both the high and low rail. Moreover, results of statistical testing have shown that railhead area loss through grinding per mgt was also reduced for both the high and low rails following the implementation of TOR friction control. Table 1 summarizes the rates of wear and amount of metal removed with each grind for all test curves. Since the implementation of rail maintenance strategies www.rtands.com
at 700 mgt, the median railhead area loss for the two-degree curve using TOR friction control is measured at 7.1 and three percent for the high and low rails, respectively. In contrast, the median railhead area loss for the twodegree curve implementing preventative grinding is approximately 11.6 and 7.9 percent for the high and low rails, respectively. Though preventative grinding is effective in controlling the spread of RCF, this method can lead to more railhead area loss. At the same time, preventative grinding, generally consisting of a single pass, saves on railhead area loss when compared against corrective grinding actions, which typically require multiple passes to be made. An issue observed after about 1,500 mgt of traffic was surface degradation of some electric flash-butt welds. However, TOR friction control did not appear to be effective in preventing the cracking and surface damage associated with those flash welds. The one-degree test cur ve did not incor porate any of the rail maintenance strategies seen at the two-degree test curves at the western mega site. As such, this test curve developed moderate yet isolated areas of RCF after approximately 960 mgt and multiple corrective grinds were undertaken subsequently to prevent further progression of these spots. Figure 3 presents the average rail wear attributed to both traffic and grinding for the one-degree test curve. Though no internal fatigue defects have been identified, severe sporadic surface defects consistent with spalling developed at multiple locations on the high rail (see Figure 4), which led to the eventual removal of the test rail at 1,782 mgt.
Results: Eastern mega site
With approximately 415 mgt accumulated to date, the premium test rails within the eastern mega site continue to show excellent wear performance and resistance to internal fatigue. GF lubrication and TOR friction control have been used at each of the four test curves since the initiation of the test in 2005. As well, corrective grinding was implemented www.rtands.com
on three separate occasions to remove RCF and plastic flow during the course of testing. The surf ace condition of the rails within the test curves was in excellent shape until approximately 250 mgt when the low rails within the two 10-degree test curves began to show signs of RCF. An additional 100 mgt was accumulated before the 6.8-degree test curves began to show similar signs of RCF growth on the low rail. A corrective grind to address RCF was performed at 275 mgt and 365 mgt for the 10- and 6.8-degree test curves, respectively. Figure 5 shows the average rail wear test results attributed to both traffic and grinding on the high and low rails for the 10.5-degree test curve. For the 10.5-degree test curve under normal traffic, the median area railhead loss per 100 mgt is 0.09 in2 and 0.11 in 2 for the high and low rails, respectively. The 6.8-degree test curves, on the other hand, typically wear at a median rate of approximately 0.04 in2 per 100 mgt for both rails. Refer to Table 1 for a complete summary of the railhead area loss associated with both traffic and grinding. Around 300 mgt, the low rail within the two 10-degree test curves began to show field-side plastic flow, as Figure 6 shows (rail cross-sectional profile measurement results). By 415 mgt, the plastic flow formed a distinct 0.2-inch lip on the field side of the railhead at multiple locations throughout the curve.
Future work
TTCI will present individual performances of the various rail grades under the described rail maintenance conditions in future publications. Further investigation into optimized rail maintenance strategies is planned. Results of testing suggest that TOR friction control and preventative grinding were found to be effective in addressing the development and growth of RCF in revenue service.2-4 Armed with this knowledge, TTCI and host railroads are in the process of installing additional test curves at both mega sites with the goal of evaluating a hybr id/optimized maintenance Railway Track & Structures
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TTCI R&D
Acknowledgements
Figure 4, top left: Surface defects observed at the one-degree test curve in the western mega site. Figure 5, top right: Average rail wear results from traffic and grinding at the eastern mega site. Figure 6: Profiles depicted notable field-side plastic flow on the low rail at the eastern mega site. Table 1, bottom left: Summary of the median railhead area loss for the high and low rails at both mega sites.
strategy combining the benefits of TOR friction control and some preventative grinding on an optimized schedule. In addition, another test curve will be established to evaluate the long-term effects of similar rail maintenance strategies on intermediate strength rail in high-degree curvatures. Installation is expected to take place in the coming months. 18 Railway Track & Structures
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The AAR and FRA jointly funded this research under the HAL revenue service program. TTCI would also like to acknowledge Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel Mill, ArcelorMittal, Nippon Steel, JFE Steel Corporation, voestalpine Nortrak and TATA Steel for their generous donation of rails, as well as Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern for hosting the mega sites and their unwavering support of TTCI’s strategic research initiatives.
References 1. Li, D., Atkinson, S. and McDaniel, R. February 2008. “Interim Performance Results of Premium Rails in Revenue Service at Mega Sites.” Technology Digest TD-08-008. Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo. 2. Li, D., Gutscher, D. and Maal. L. September 2011. “Prevention of rail rolling contact fatigue under heavy-axle-loads.” Railway Track & Structures. Vol. 107, No. 9, pp. 16-18. Chicago, Ill. 3. Li, D., et al. June 2011. “Recent Advances in Rail Life Extension in North American Heavy Haul Railways.” Proceedings of the International Heavy Haul Conference, Calgary, Canada. 4. Reiff, R., Conn, K. and Li, D. March 2006. “Eastern Mega Site Wayside Top of Rail Friction Control Implementation Status.” Technology Digest TD-06-006. Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo. www.rtands.com
Crossties can be made from a variety of materials and all parts of the industry report strong growth in 2013.
Stella-Jones’ wood crossties stacked and ready at its plant in Georgia.
annual crosstie report W
ood supply is low due to high rains this year and timber crosstie suppliers and the Railway Tie Association are concerned about the availability of materials to keep up with the current demand. Dispite economic uncertaintly in the U.S., manufacturers of all varieties of crossties are reporting a steady 2013 and optimistic 2014.
RTA
“The year has been relatively quiet on the demand side of the tie industry,” noted Jim Gauntt, executive director of the RTA. “Our growth forecast from earlier in the year was trimmed to 22.9 million ties for 2013 in the latest update. With coal shipments lower and an economy that is just treading water with only marginal growth, that is still an incredibly strong showing by railroad purchasers.” Gauntt says the biggest unforeseen challenge to the market right now has been log supply. Incredibly wet weather throughout most of the year, along with a logging community that has been constrained in capacity by attrition during the previous recession, has led to tie supply issues. “Logs are not the only concern for tie suppliers,” he said. “The impacts of a better housing market and the demand for low-grade wood for crane mats and board road for the domestic oil industry has further tightened supply. Overall, the supply of ties has been cut by 20 percent year-to-date through August from 2012. Fortunately or unfortunately, he says, depending on your perspective, the oil shale infrastructure build out for materials supply and oil shipments have actually bolstered demand for ties. This has mitigated the loss of demand due to the reduction in coal shipments. Shortline industry and other www.rtands.com
by Jennifer Nunez, assistant editor
users have also remained relatively stable, he says. “For demand to be only 200,000-300,000 ties less than 2012, there are still a lot of good things going for railroads,” Gauntt explained. “Whatever generates freight shipment by rail translates into stout maintenance programs.” If the economy grows as expected in recent Standard and Poor’s forecasts for 2014, Gauntt says the industry should see a potential tie demand rebound to 23.5 million ties. Unfortunately, the supply imbalances won’t go away anytime soon, he notes. “The question will be, can demand be met? We have already seen the impacts of insufficient supply be realized in the marketplace with higher prices for ties and that may impact 2014 budgets for large and small roads alike. Even if fundamental demand is more than 23 million, actual realized purchases could fall short of that. The expectation, as of now, is that imbalances could remain in the supply side into 2015,” Gauntt said.
RTA research
RTA continues to conduct a long-term research program, in conjunction with the Class 1 railroads, on alternative wood preservative systems. Alternative Wood Preservative Program (RTA-AWPP) is being conducted by Mississippi State University in two separate sites using full-size tie replicates. The two sites differ in that one site is infested with native subterranean termites indigenous to the U.S. and the second site is infested with Formosan subterranean termites. Several preservative oil-borne, water-borne and dual-treatment systems are being evaluated in a side-by-side comparative test. “Phase 1 of the 20-year study has been underway for five years and Phase 2 was installed in 2012,” Gauntt noted. Railway Track & Structures
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crosstie report
“The second phase includes testing on a variety of ACZA products and the Koppers’ and Stella-Jones’ dual-treatment systems that differ from the two-step process that was originally introduced in 2004. All of these systems, and all of those included in Phase 1, are being evaluated against untreated and creosote-only controls. The idea is to measure any differential performance observed in seven by nine ties. New RTA research and developments in the tie industry will be covered at RTA’s 95th Annual Conference in Lake Tahoe, Nev., October 9-11.
Wood
With improvement in the economy, you have more spending on maintenance, Boatright Companies notes, which it says has contributed to increased crosstie sales to Class 1s and shortlines. The company primarily sells dual-treated (borate and creosote) crossties. “The dual-treated crosstie is a great improvement over the traditional creosote treated tie,” said Ashley Baker, chief legal counsel. “We have sold a lot of copper naphthenate crossties to our customers and we understand they were strategically placed in areas for review and monitoring.” The increased rainfall this summer has tightened the green tie inventory, Boatright says. Loggers could simply not get the product out of the woods. Alabama, where its manufacturing plant is located, had a 50 percent increase in rainfall.
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October 2013
“Crosstie replacement is a cost of doing business for the railroads,” said Baker. “Business is fairly constant as the railroads plan well in advance of their replacement needs.” The company says it is constantly trying to be more efficient. Boatright has invested in new plating and borate applications in its tie mill operations. For Koppers, Inc., demand for treated railroad products has remained strong thus far in 2013. Class 1 demand has remained relatively consistent across the board, with the shortline/contractor/transit markets showing some variability by region. Overall, it appears that 2013 is shaping up to be another solid year, John Giallonardo, senior sales manager, says. “There have been some significant raw material challenges this year for the industry, due primarily to the disparity between grade lumber pricing and crosstie pricing, stated Giallonardo. “This has been sparked by the continued recovery of the U.S. housing industry and the related flooring market, as well as the increase in demand for crane mats and board road material required for the shale gas industry. RTA data confirms that crosstie purchases are down significantly from this time last year. However, recent financial support from the Class 1 railroads should help stem the tide and bring more stability back to the marketplace.” Koppers says it continues to see a positive outlook for tie demand both short-term and long-term. The Class 1s continue to be consistent with their maintenance and tie buying programs. The possible extension of the 45G tax credits for 2014 would be a tremendous boost for the shortline industry and would allow those companies to maximize investments in their infrastructure, Giallonardo explains. “We continue to see the ongoing growth in demand for borate-treated ties,” he said. “The highest decay zones are still the primary target area for installation. However, favorable life-cycle economics have created more expansion for these products.” The current state of the raw material market is without question the primary issue that is most impacting our industry, Giallonardo says. “Pricing competition from several different enduse markets has made it a challenge to procure enough ties to meet the needs of the entire industry,” he noted. “Hopefully, recently instituted price corrections will help reverse this trend. According to Stella-Jones, Inc., its business has been slightly better than last year, due to the industry’s strong demand for treated wood crossties. “Class 1s continue to spend capital on infrastructure improvements, as well as funding projects related to the Shale gas and Balken oil boom,” explained George Caric, vice president of marketing. “The growth in shipments of frac sand, pipe and oil by rail has created demand for new track construction from our commercial segment, as well. Last year, we reported that we started construction of a new treating plant in Cordele, Ga., and we are excited to say we have started treating and will be up to full production by November 1.” www.rtands.com
crosstie report
it will source all its customer s’ requirements, a major challenge cur rently impacting the crosstie market is a potential shortage of green tie production, due to extremely wet weather in the areas producing crossties, as well as a resurgent demand for hardwood lumber along with the continued demand for board road and mat timber due to the aforementioned oil and gas industry boom.
Concrete
Wood crossties piled high. Photo courtesy of RTA.
During the past year, Caric notes that the use of dual-treated ties is now being accepted by all of the Class 1s. The company has also noticed a pick-up in demand for bridge timbers and has made significant capital improvements to its bridge lines to meet this demand that it estimates will be strong in the coming years. While Stella-Jones is confident
24 Railway Track & Structures
KSA’s pre-stressed concrete crossties are manufactured at its facility located in Sciotoville, Ohio, and are designed for heavy-haul mainlines, mass transit and industrial applications. According to the company, KSA’s ties meet or exceed all current AREMA specifications and have a 22-year proven track record of reliability along with being both PCI and AAR M-1003 quality certified. “Though sales are down compared to 2012, 2013 will be considered a very good year,” explained Scott Craig, general manager. “The bulk of the business this year has mainly come from heavy-haul and industrial applications. Two of the industrial projects have involved a newly-designed gantry tie used in association with a new crane for coal handling facilities located in Southern Louisiana.” Craig notes that the outlook for 2014 is looking like a solid year. At this point, it looks to be more diverse than 2013 with a very even mix of heavy-haul, transit and industrial projects.
October 2013
According to Jim McCaslin, general manager concrete products at L.B. Foster Company, the past year has presented a number of opportunities for the company to expand its concrete tie business. “Recently, we reorganized our North American sales team to create a more customer-centric sales organization,” said McCaslin. “Each customer, whether they are a Class 1 railroad, transit agency, shortline/regional railroad or contractor, will have one primary outside point of contact and one primary inside point of contact. We want to improve the ease of doing business, enhance our external and internal communications and provide new and innovative products and services for our customers.” While its facility in Tucson, Ariz., is dedicated to supplying the needs of Union Pacific, the company’s plant in Spokane, Wash., has been able to take advantage of sales and technical opportunities across key concrete tie end-use applications much more rapidly. “That has meant that we continue to leverage our manufacturing capacity there for new transit project work,” McCaslin stated. “During the past year, the company has enjoyed steady demand for concrete ties among our Class 1 and industrial customers, but demand from transit agencies is trending up. We have experienced a nice increase in demand from North American transits throughout the past year. And despite issues with federal, state and local funding for these types of projects, we remain very optimistic that
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crosstie report
Boatright’s tie treatment facilities.
demand from that segment will remain solid.” The past year in the Midwest has proven to be successful for L.B. Foster. The company has supplied concrete ties to North and South Dakota and other Midwest states’ rapidly growing oil and natural gas development projects. The company’s 399 series gantry tie is seeing increased growth in port applications, McCaslin explains. “For example, working with Railworks, L.B. Foster is
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providing ties for the Por of Los Angeles TraPac Terminal in Los Angeles, Calif. And in transit applications, the company has been awarded contracts to supply ties to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) as part of the BART extension to Antioch, Calif., as well as ties to Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the Expo II project. On the Research & Development side, L.B. Foster has developed different types of resilient, dual block concrete ties. Through the collaboration of the company’s transit products and concrete tie technical teams, the Low Vibration Track Tie in two different length designs were supplied to BART for the Warm Springs extension. “The longer length design can accommodate an extension bracket for mounting a power rail insulator post,” McCaslin noted. “This also continues to build upon the successful relationship that L.B. Foster has with Kiewit Parsons on West Coast transit projects. The company also continues to work with government and university research teams. The goal is to successfully translate new product and research ideas into novel solutions for the company’s
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crosstie report
Top, L.B. Foster’s concrete ties being laid out for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Foothills Gold Line Extension. Rocla concrete ties in use.
to take advantage of the growing economies in the Asian markets, he explains. “We expect the ports’ intermodal market to continue to rise along with growth for the Class 1 railroads intermodal traffic,” Urquhart said. Additionally, RCTI is supplying projects for BART, Sacramento Regional Transit and the Regional Transportation District in Denver. Rocla, along with fastener suppliers and its key customers have developed a new “Yard Tie” for less demanding heavyhaul applications and industrial track. “The combination of a more cost effective tie and fastening system offers concrete ties at a more competitive price than wood,” noted Urquhart. “The price advantage, along with the fact that up to 25 percent fewer ties are needed per mile, ensure that concrete continues to be the lowest installed cost for all tie types, while offering the substantial life-cycle benefits of concrete ties.” Rocla has finished commissioning its new facility in Pueblo, Colo., in early 2013, and is scheduled to complete an expansion project to add even more capacity to this facility. This will bring its overall capacity in Pueblo to almost one million ties per year. “This investment is necessary to keep us with the ongoing demand of the Class 1 railroads and a strong mix of industrial and transit projects,” he explained.
Composite/alternative
key end use customers.” Business is very strong right now for Rocla Concrete Tie Inc. (RCTI), the company notes and says the concrete tie industry continues to have a backlog of work due to a good mix between heavy-haul customers and transit-oriented work. “The Class 1 railroads are beginning to request prerecession level volumes for their capital programs,” explained Brett Urquhart, sales manager. He says he sees projects in the West Coast ports as strong areas of investment. Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Port of Oakland and Manzanillo, Mexico, continue to invest 28 Railway Track & Structures
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Axion International Inc. says its business continues to grow this year. It’s recycled composite material has been used in tunnels, crossings and switch sets. “We are actually seeing both the transits and freight lines give greater recognition to the overall cost of maintenance and repairs and the role that composites can play in reducing those and replacement costs,” said James Kerstein, founder and chief technology officer. “The longevity offered by Ecotrax® ties encourages the industry to review overall life-cycle costs. The railroads also seem to be stressing environmental impact considerations, with composites yielding positive results with regard to sustainability and greatly reduced disposal costs.” Axion says that it and its rail industry partners are dedicated to seeing the standards for composite ties raised to more accurately reflect the needs of the industry and to eliminate borderline manufacturers who have not utilized the proper AREMA and ASTM test standards or had those tests performed at independent outside laboratories. “Axion is dedicated to answering the ever growing needs of the rail industry by addressing long-term means of reducing price, locking in consistent and reliable supplies of material and improved manufacturing processes and continuing to support strict quality control efforts,” Kertsein explained. www.rtands.com
crosstie report
Left, Axion’s composite crossties at a grade-crossing for New Jersey Transit in Asbury Park, N.J. A close look at IntegriCo’s ties out on track.
Internally, Axion growth has allowed the company to address cost reduction options by consolidating operations, streamlining supply channel and improving manufacturing processes. IntegriCo Composites says business has doubled over the previous year and is slated for similar increases in 2014 and beyond. Additionally, the company named a new CEO, Scott Mack, who will lead the company in the future. IntegriCo says its growth in 2013 can be attributed to corporate sustainability initiatives, in-track performance of its composite products and expanded marketing coverage. IntegriCo’s 10-year warranty and life-cycle of 40-50 years is designed for problem situations, such as heavy-haul lines, curves, turnouts and grade crossings, the company says. “IntegriTIES out-perform all other tie materials in highdecay areas and caustic environments and are ideal for areas with limited access such as bridges, tunnels and transit systems,” explained Matt McCooe, vice president sales and marketing. “We have a growing customer base of Class 1s, shortlines, industries, ports, transits and government facilities. Our customers like the idea of a long-term cost solution without related disposal costs. IntegriTIES can be recycled into new ties at the end of their useful life cycle with IntegriCo’s state-of-the-art processing equipment.” McCooe believes AREMA Committee 30 – Ties, will be considering a change in the future to raise the minimum performance standards for composite ties to reflect higher minimums based on documented in-track composite tie performance. “As part of our commitment to quality, IntegriCo is also pursuing additional test methods to better predict future failure modes of composite ties and will keep the industry updated regarding our progress in that regard,” he said. One of the major challenges facing all recycled plastic crosstie manufacturers has been a history of starts and stops 30 Railway Track & Structures
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due to initial quality issues, McCooe explains and says that since 2009, IntegriCo has answered the challenge via changes to its processes and formulation. “Since the changeover in 2009, more than 150,000 IntegriTIES have been installed in track, some of which have accumulated more than 50 mgt annually in wet, high-rot locations. Railroaders realize our ties can be installed easily with existing equipment and, most importantly, will last up to 50 years in track.”
Preservation and life extension
Encore Rail Systems, Inc., supplies the products, as well as the application equipment, for extending the life of wood and concrete crossties. One of the company’s newest products is its SpeedSet® UV epoxy system for the prevention of concrete tie seat abrasion. Encore is currently providing the epoxy and application equipment to four tie plants in the U.S. and Mexico. The epoxy is applied on the seat of the concrete ties after they are unmolded. Encores’ epoxy products were first applied in the field more than 12 years ago and the company says the railroads are reporting no sign of epoxy degradation or seat abrasion. Encore recently installed its SpeedSet UV epoxy system www.rtands.com
crosstie report
Left, Encore’s Ride On Tie Plugger out on a job. Chemonite ACZA Douglas-fir crosstie and bridge timbers; photo courtesy of Lonza Wood Protection.
at the Itisa Concrete Tie Plant in Puebla, Mexico. Both the Ferrocarrill and Ferrosur railroads are having their ties coated at the plant. Encore is now applying SpeedSet to more than one million ties a year, the company says and notes that it has the ability to repair concrete ties out of track. Encore also developed a remedial wood tie repair product that can be applied after the ties are adzed in the rail gang consist. This product has a borate solution that penetrates the wood and protects the area from tie rot. “It provides longer life to wood ties, especially in the southern states, where ties would normally be changed out more frequently,” noted Doug Delmonico, president. “Encore now has multiuse equipment so that one of our ride on tie pluggers, for example, can do concrete ties and wood ties without having to change tanks or dispensing equipment; a versatility found nowhere else in the industry. Another new development in the works is an application system utilizing remote controls with no need for an operator,” he said. Encore has seen an increased use of tie plugging equipment expand throughout the industry. Now contractors, shortlines and regional railroads are all using chemical tie plugging equipment for even the smallest of jobs. Encore has increased its fleet of equipment to more than 110 units and there is still a demand for more, the company says. Another trend Encore is seeing is the process of coating concrete ties at the plant with more and more railroads requesting that ties be coated 32 Railway Track & Structures
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with SpeedSet as a part of the manufacturing process. “Customers are asking us to provide more information about their tie plugging equipment and process,” Delmonico explained. “In response, we have installed GPS units on all of our machines. These units offer the railroads a reporting system. They can see where the machines are located, when they are traveling or working, the number of feet plugged and even how many times the trigger on the dispensing valve was pulled on a daily basis. We also have tied the material in the tanks to the GPS system so that the supervisors on the gangs can see how much material is in the tanks and how much was used during the day with accuracy of about plus or minus one percent.” Lonza Wood Protection/Arch Wood Protection, Inc., licenses the production of Chemonite® ACZA-treated crossties. Since October 2012, two additional treaters of Chemonite ACZA-treated wood products have begun production, one in Oregon and the other in Ontario, Canada. While demand has remained about the same, the company says, adding these new treating facilities makes ACZA products more readily available. “ACZA-treated crossties are economical,” noted Tim Carey, business manager Chemonite Products. “Additionally, ACZA can be treated with borates in an efficient single step.” While the company has been offering ACZA-borate ties for several years, Lonza now offers a 25-year limited warranty against termites and decay for Douglas-fir and hardwoods treated with ACZA-borate. “ACZA has been providing reliable service for decades in demanding applications,” noted Carey. “The USDA Forest Products Laboratory tested ACZA-treated stakes in Saucier, Miss., in ground contact at a 0.25 pcf retention www.rtands.com
crosstie report
(0.40 pcf is the standard treatment for crossties) and after 30 years, there are still no failures. In this test, neither creosote nor copper naphthenate showed better performance than Chemonite ACZA.” He notes that Chemonite is an excellent Type 3 termiticide, killing the colony rather than just individual termites through direct contact and says that it’s proven against Formosan termites and carpenter ants and has fire-resistance properties. “We have installations in south Florida and Canada to evaluate climate exposure,” said Carey. “After two years, 100 percent of the ties installed in the extreme south Florida climate are performing well; none have failed.” “Plus,” added Carey, “a recent life-cycle analysis conducted by an independent consulting firm, confirmed that ACZA-treated crossties have lower environmental impact than concrete or plastic/composites crossties for each of the six categories assessed.” “The growth of our QNAP® copper naphthenate and Cellutreat® disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT) borate wood preservative have exceeded our expectations,” explained Kevin L. Kirkland, president and CEO of Nisus Corporation. “The Class 1 railroads have been very positive with regard to both products and we are now seeing purchases from shortlines and transit. We believe that dual treatments using
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borates will become a standard specification for all railroads with tracks in American Wood Protection Association’s high and severe decay hazard zones 4 and 5.” The railroads seem to be very excited about both the green environmental profile and the safer handling characteristics of the borate and QNAP ties, notes Kirkland. He says, the products are Environmental Protection Agency registered, use non-restricted pesticides with no listed carcinogens, have a low toxicity and produce minimal odor. Kirkland notes that QNAP-treated ties will not burn the skin of workers who handle them and there is minimal bleeding or drippage when used on bridge timbers. “We are seeing a trend to try to extend the life of existing and new bridge timbers by adding borates,” said Kirkland. “Wood ties have the lowest carbon footprint of any form of ties available and remain the most sustainable.They actually sequester carbon and can be used for fuel at the end of their life. The primary challenges with wooden railroad ties are incipient decay, spike kill and heartwood treatment. A tie that is dual-treated by dip diffusion in DOT borate prior to air seasoning, then pressure treated with copper naphthenate solves all these problems.” “Our customers want to understand the differences in physical properties of the different tie life-extension products,” explained Mike Raab, owner and vice president of operations
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crosstie report
Top, Nisus’ QNAP copper naphthenate and Cellutreat disodium octaborate tetrahydrate borate wood preservative being administered. Concrete tie after a WVCO repair.
of R-Solutions. “As crosstie repair becomes more standardized within the maintenance-of-way programs of our customers, there is an effort on their part to understand the differences in pricing and physical properties of the particular tie life-extending materials being presented to the industry.” R-Solutions receives most of its business for tie life-extension products from Class 1s and contractors for shortlines. A recent project that R-Solutions 34 Railway Track & Structures
worked on in conjunction with Racine Railroads Products was the development of a new piece of application machinery. The delivery system developed for its customers was in direct response to industry needs. “As tie life-extension products become more prevalent, the need for safer and more efficient equipment was needed,” Raab said. “So, in response to industry need, a new type of ride on tie plugging application technology
October 2013
was developed. The equipment has a state-of-the-art metering system for an accurate mix ratio 100 percent of the time. Also, the unit has an enclosed cab capable of dispensing material from the comfort of an enclosure with a joy stick.” Willamette Valley Company (WVCO) is a manufacturer of polyurethane polymers and compounds that has serviced the railroad industry since 1999. WVCO has two flagship technologies for the remediation of wood and concrete crossties. SpikeFast®, a non-foam urethane compound is used for spike hole filling or tie plugging and CTR-100, which is used on concrete ties to restore the rail seat and hasten the onslaught of rail seat abrasion. WVCO says Both technologies and the application equipment are consistently under continuous improvement. Now, WVCO is bringing a new technology into the railroad industry, FastPatch, which is a polyurethane repair technology for concrete spalling. “FastPatch has tremendous integral flexibility, superior rebound and compression strength, tenacious adhesion to concrete surfaces and can be applied with WVCO’s application equipment,” noted John Murray, vice president. “During 2013, FastPatch has been used to repair failed concrete at scales, hump yards, locomotive repair shops and insitu concrete tie repair.” FastPatch can be used to make a non-structural repair on concrete ties where damage has caused exposed rebar. These patch repairs can be done in-situ, cures in 15 minutes and prevents further corrosion, Murray explains. Most of WVCO’s business is derived from the Class 1s and shortlines, however the company is now selling FastPatch high performance rail grouts for imbedded rail installations to light rail and transits. “WVCO is working with the industry to provide polymer solutions that can remediate existing infrastructure improvements in a fast, durable and safe manner, compared to the inferior repair products currently be utilized,” Murray said. “FastPatch repair products are fast curing, absorb and deflect energy with thier high integral flex physical properties. When these characteristics occur, the repairs have a longer life cycle than the traditional repair products.” www.rtands.com
A longview of shortline
bridge maintenance by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
WSOR has developed a long-term structures maintenance program to extend service life where it can, while prioritizing replacement needs. Bridge B-190, located on the Madison Subdivision in Madison, Wis., was a 112-foot bridge with timber pile decay that caused extensive settling in a lake bed. It was replaced with a WSOR Standard Steel Trestle Design, capable of handling 286,000-pound loads. Large image shows replacement work, inset shows the completed project. All photos courtesy of WSOR.
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isconsin & Southern Railroad LLC’s (WSOR) network grew in part from the abandoned Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. When operations on the Milwaukee Road ended, the state of Wisconsin partnered with several counties to preserve freight rail, ultimately entering into a lease and operations agreement with WSOR. According to Dave Bierman, bridge structure supervisor at WSOR, the Milwaukee Road kept its bridges in good shape and when WSOR first began operating along the line, the structures could handle the capacity of the day. “[When the system came out of abandonment] a lot of the subdivisions where we operate had very little traffic. With the investments that have been made with track improvements, we’ve seen business grow phenomenally,” said Bierman. Part of that business growth means heavier loads traveling along the system and with structures originally built between 1910 and 1950, age was becoming a factor among 36 Railway Track & Structures
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WSOR structures. The railroad has 354 total structures on its system, including 157 (45 percent) steel structures, 139 (39 percent) timber structures, 29 (eight percent) stone structures, 21 (six percent) concrete structures and the remainder comprised of miscellaneous material. “We’re getting into bridge rehabilitation mode on our system and we’re taking the worst of the worst first to get those either repaired or completely replaced,” said Bierman. “Our big ramp up was last year and it carried into this year and will be ongoing as far as our future holds.” According to Bierman, the footprint the railroad is using year-over-year is to identify and prioritize several structures requiring complete replacement, as well as an additional dozen or more structures that heavy to moderate repairs are economically advantageous to extend their useful life. “All of our replacement structures are built to AREMA standards, which are qualified for 315k, when we replace a bridge fully, we build a current AREMA structure,” said www.rtands.com
bridge maintenance: wsor program
A temporary steel pier sits around the original masonry pier on bridge F-84. The masonry pier, which was settling, was replaced with a concrete pier and the work was done under traffic.
Bierman. “In the structures where we repair, we prioritize our repairs to keep the capacity but operate over it at a slower speed and get that structure to the end of its life. We do this so we can focus on the other structures that we do not have a choice but to replace them.” Bierman said the railroad, which was always committed to bridge inspection, is taking its structures initiative to a new level by working with an outside engineering firm on a bridge management program. He said working with the firm gives WSOR a system wide view to stay ahead of repairs and replacements by allowing for increased inspection and rating efficiencies, as well as prioritization of structures needing work. “As our traffic increased, we needed a plan to anticipate what was going to happen with some of the structures on our heavier haul corridors, anticipating and trying to eliminate problems ahead of time,” said Bierman. Bierman believes the issue of capacity is at the forefront of most structural engineers in the rail industry. “AREMA has done massive studies of many span type capacity upgrades and figuring out which remedial course is the best economical fit. We’ve benefited greatly from many of
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these studies, as well as learning from what others have accomplished. We’ve expanded [those lessons] and developed strategies to fit our own bridges. It’s an interesting challenge, but we’re all in it together,” said Bierman. “The solutions that are coming from the railroad engineering world from many different facets are really interesting. To me, it’s some of the most interesting engineering since the railroads were built.”
Challenges
When asked if there was one particularly exacting bridge, without hesitation, Bierman pointed to F-84, which is a pony truss and deck girder com-
bo with a long timber approach on WSOR’s Monroe Subdivision over the Sugar River. The truss’ east abutment and Pier 1 were concrete while Pier 2 was stone masonry. Bierman says Pier 2 was settling and the two concrete elements, while they did not look bad from the outside, still needed work performed. “We had a fairly extensive project where we completely replaced the timber approach and replaced the masonry pier under traffic, which was an interesting process, because we couldn’t shift or realign the bridge, so we had to figure out a way to completely remove the existing pier and construct the new pier in the same
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Bridge maintenance: wsor program
Crews perform stringer replacement on bridge B-156 located on WSOR’s Madison Subdivision.
“The solutions that are coming from the railroad engineering world from many different facets are really interesting. To me, it’s some of the most interesting engineering since the railroads were built.” position,” said Bierman. WSOR accomplished the replacement by building a temporary steel pier around the masonry pier and on which the existing bridge was placed. Bierman said the contractor was able to dismantle the masonry pier and, using a combination of precast and cast in place concrete, construct a new pier. “[The project] was designed by a consultant, SW Bridge Engineers LLC. They’re outstanding at engineering solutions for the best economic value and structure longevity, as well as cutting edge designs for construction under traffic utilizing small work windows allowing us continue to maintain train schedules. It has been a very valuable working partnership,” said Bierman. While WSOR is primarily concen38 Railway Track & Structures
trating on its lower capacity timber structures with advanced deterioration for total replacement, steel and concrete structures are also garnering attention because many of the concrete sub-structures on the system are composed of monolithic non-reinforced concrete and while the concrete is fairly sound, minor deterioration in load bearing areas is a subtle indicator of advanced shear cracking within the interior of the element. “We had some concrete sub-structure elements, in F-84 and a number of other structures that were composed of non-reinforced concrete, that didn’t exhibit advanced deterioration from the surface until we performed some minor repairs involving removing existing surface concrete and casting it back in place. Well, once the contractor began to expose the loose
October 2013
concrete, we found large shear cracks throughout the element’s internal load bearing areas and we had to regroup and remove more of the concrete than we thought. The challenge then was to engineer a repair solution to maintain structural capacity and serviceability while removing and replacing the concrete. What we found was that the outer shell of the concrete was superficially deteriorated, but once we got inside, we discovered that significant areas of the material that felt fairly sound was basically consolidated sand and aggregate with much of the cement missing. These weak areas disrupted the load path causing overloading and uncontrolled fracturing in the adjacent sound concrete,” said Bierman. “We used a technique where precast concrete elements were custom produced off site and then employed some short windows where the contractor could go in and chop away the bad concrete and install the precast element. Then, we could continue with the remaining repair work, encasing the element with cast-in-place reinforced concrete. We’ve had very good luck with that as it allows us to go in and have an effective permanent repair fairly rapidly. In our continuing learning curve, we try to anticipate these potentially deteriorated underlying concrete conditions and have a back up plan in mind as to how we will remediate them if we do encounter them.” While WSOR’s structures maintenance program is keeping him busy, Bierman says the diversity of the work is what keeps him motivated. “You have the known quantity you plan and design for, you spend a lot of time with each individual structure and even though you’re working on a lot of them at the same time, it’s very personal. As projects evolve and change, you work through the challenges, when you achieve the end goal, it is really satisfying. There is something new, something steady, something rapidly changing and it keeps it really fresh and exciting every day,” said Bierman. www.rtands.com
the trials of
track inspection by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
Automated track inspection is designed to help railroads tackle potential pitfalls, but what happens when track inspectors run into challenges? The GREX Aurora vehicle on track performing a tie inspection.
O
n a perfect day, service providers of automated track inspection will have generous work windows, unobstructed views of the track and zero false positives. But, if they were all perfect days, this wouldn’t be railroading. It’s up to these service providers to get the job done whether obstacles present themselves or not. Today’s inspection technologies offer custom parameters, can operate at higher speeds and provide better data for a complete view of track health.
Balfour Beatty Rail
Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc., holds the contract for maintenance along the Alameda Corridor, which includes track, signal, communications and right-of-way maintenance. As Larry Mahon, area operations manager for Balfour Beatty Rail, says, one of the biggest challenges facing track inspection along the corridor is allotting enough time to perform track inspections. “On some days, the heavy volume of traffic makes thorough and complete inspections more difficult than usual,” said Mahon. “The Alameda Corridor is a three-mainline corridor. Because of Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations, we can’t inspect all three tracks at once unless there’s a second qualified inspector in the vehicle and the 40 Railway Track & Structures
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track centers are no more than 39 feet apart. On the Alameda Corridor, the track centers are 15 feet apart, but there are 143 power switches and each has to be inspected monthly. With traffic the way it is, it’s a challenge making thorough track inspections and walking to each switch. “There’s no substitute for good visual track inspections. Geometry cars will find things the eye may miss, but they can’t find things that a walking person will. It all comes down to working with the dispatching center to make sure everyone understands the requirements so the FRA regulations are met,” said Mahon.”
ENSCO
Two main challenges surround track inspection, according to ENSCO, Inc. The first is scheduling critical track inspection activities with limited track time without impacting revenue service. The second is identifying rail breaks prior to a derailment. “With high traffic volumes on freight lines and the growth of passenger services around the country, as well as ever increasing demands placed on railroad workforces, the time available for the range of various inspections required is becoming more difficult to schedule,” said Eric www.rtands.com
track inspection Sherrock, senior staff engineer at ENSCO. “With regards to track components, the identification of rail breaks prior to a derailment is of critical importance to the industry, especially with the impending implementation of positive train control and the eventual decrease in reliance on track circuits. Rail breaks continue to be identified as a leading cause of a significant number of track-related derailments.“ ENSCO notes that recent procurements by railroads indicate a trend towards comprehensive track inspection in a single pass from vehicles equipped with several complimentary inspection systems. The company’s range of track inspection systems can be integrated on a single vehicle to provide comprehensive automated track inspections. In 2012, ENSCO delivered a full-sized selfpropelled inspection vehicle to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority capable of simultaneously measuring track geometry, rail profile, platform edges, as well as third rail geometry and temperature. The vehicle is also able to record video and thermal images of the tunnels and conduct ultrasonic rail-flaw inspections, all while capturing foot-byfoot track measurements in a single pass. ENSCO’s Comprehensive Track Inspection Vehicle (CTIV) is a hirail based platform that allows for track geometry and rail profile measurement along with machine visionbased assessment of joint bars and track bed components including ties and fasteners. ENSCO says it also offers a suite of autonomous inspection systems that provide high quality inspection results from revenue service vehicles with minimal direct involvement from operators. “One of the most significant advantages of autonomous inspection technology is that every movement of the host train offers an opportunity to evaluate the track, allowing for more frequent inspections without track time being consumed by dedicated inspection vehicles. The use of autonomous inspection technologies can result in earlier detection of track defects, allow-
ing for maintenance practices to be preventative rather than reactive, ultimately reducing the number of track related derailments,” said Sherrock. ENSCO provides both the Vehicle/ Track Interaction (V/TI) Monitor and the Autonomous Track Geometry Measurement System (ATGMS). Currently, ENSCO has more than 250 autonomous V/TI Monitors in operation and delivered two ATGMS units this year, including the first ever to be deployed by a Class 1 railroad. “Autonomous V/TI Monitors have the ability to capture locations of a broken rail by measuring the response of a vehicle’s unsprung mass to the track and reporting the locations of severe impacts to end users. ENSCO’s machine vision-based inspection systems are able to capture high-resolution images of track components, analyze these images for cracks and breaks and alert users to their existence. Both of these approaches can be an effective means of reducing the risk of derailments due to rail breaks,” said Sherrock.
GREX
“In 2005, railroads dismissed as novelty, the thought of using machine vision technology for tie inspection and grading,” said Lynn Turner, vice president marketing and sales for Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX).
“Today, GREX’s Aurora Automated Tie Inspection system is widely accepted among America’s railroads as a planning tool for tie replacement and deterioration trending models. Using the technology of high-speed cameras and lasers, Aurora is state-of-the-art tie condition inspection and reporting.” Turner continued, “GREX develops exclusive tie grading models for each customer using sophisticated algorithms that embed unique grading characteristics specific to that customer. These unique characteristics are identified during a walking calibration process with the human tie inspector. Aurora then ‘learns’ these grading attributes and begins to mimic the expert inspector, mirroring the grading results. This output, in a 3-D digital track image along with the statistical analysis of tie condition, allows critical and thorough reporting and assigns each tie an exact GPS location signature. Incorporating rolling 39-foot defects, joint tie defects and clusters of failed ties into customized reports are typical of customer presented challenges that GREX engineers have developed solutions for. It is no coincidence that customers who have invested the most effort into Aurora have realized the best performance.” Just as a walking inspector requires a clear view of the track to perform at an
An FRA geometry car is ready to perform tests on the Alameda Corridor near Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Balfour Beatty Rail.
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track inspection
NxGen Rail Services first product NxTrack Car. Inset shows a close up of NxTrack’s inspection equipment. Photography by LeVern Danley.
optimum level, so does Aurora in order to make an accurate assessment of tie condition. Turner says keeping that view free of obstructions, such as ballast covered ties, is a common challenge. “Originally, Aurora was unable to distinguish these ballasted ties. With ballast coverage being one of the most prevalent reasons for track obstruction, GREX focused on improving Aurora’s ability to better handle these instances. When Aurora now encounters ballast covered ties, it has been taught to recognize the obstructing ballast and identify the areas of ties that are still visible. Using a percentage of visibility calculation, Aurora can provide an assessment based on what it can see. Plate cut can also be measured and made a part of the overall assessment,” said Turner. “Every challenge that Aurora overcomes has a positive customer impact. Each time, the system’s robustness is improved and the quality of data is refined. Our customers give testimony to the progress Aurora has made and are confident in our inspection abilities, deploying Aurora in areas that were once deemed too obstructed or unknown to inspect with automation. Aurora engineers will continue to solve the challenges that customers identify but Aurora’s acceptance has proven that it is here to stay, providing accuracy and repeatability at more than 40 miles per hour, day or night,” said Turner.
Harsco Rail
Joe Palese, senior director, engineering 42 Railway Track & Structures
& technology at Harsco Rail, notes that track inspection needs to take into account safety and maintenance. “Thus, inspection is first focused around those critical components and areas that lend themselves to decreasing the risk of failure and, subsequently, increasing safety. The data gathered during the inspection of any component can also be turned into a wealth of information for understanding component degradation and failure. This allows for developing maintenance practices to prolong the life of the components. Addressing the most critical components first is of paramount importance. This needs to be accomplished with an effort to keep costs as low as possible,” said Palese. Palese points to Harsco Rail’s Automated Switch Inspection Vehicle (ASIV) as one approach to incorporating safety and maintenance into track inspection. The company says the ASIV is a hi-rail based turnout inspection system that utilizes proven inspection technology to focus on the rail and geometry portions of the turnout, which allows for cost effective inspection of the critical safety components of the turnout. “Traditional methods are used to inspect the remaining portions. Once cost effective production measurements systems become available for these remaining portions, they will be added to the ASIV. Research is currently under way to address this,” said Palese. Another issue Palese mentions re-
October 2013
garding inspection is speed. “With track time being limited, most customers require inspection to occur at track speeds. This is sometimes not possible with current inspection technologies. Customers want inspection at track speed and for it to be autonomous as opposed to dedicated inspection,” he said. “Harsco Rail has been investigating and developing technologies that can be deployed on hi-rail vehicles for easy on/off to take advantage of short work windows. In addition, Harsco Rail has been investigating deploying these systems on other work equipment (grinders, tampers and UTVs) to take advantage of the allocated work window.”
Holland
Holland LP says a challenge in track measurement is the validation of rail cant measured by track geometry test vehicles. Holland’s TrackSTAR® fleet measures rail cant along with track geometry in one foot increments. Bob Madderom, vice president and general manager with Holland LP, says it has become standard practice for railroads to measure and report on rail cant exceptions from automated track geometry cars. “Essentially, we now have the capability to identify rail cant exceptions in the normal course of our reporting for all measured track,” said Madderom. “Rail cant measurement has become a very important measurement of condition of track. Differential plate cutting on wood ties in heavy tonnage or poorly maintained track can be a problem. Also, rail cant variation on concrete ties is an effective way to identify potential areas of worn pads, or worse, rail seat deterioration (RSD). Madderom says rail cant variation is effective in identifying RSD on concrete ties and points to recent FRA track safety standards (TSS 213.234) that became effective in July 2012 and require the automated measurement of concrete tie track for indications of potential RSD. “Although geometry cars have efwww.rtands.com
track inspection
Bob Madderom of Holland says the company has the capability to identify rail cant exceptions in the normal course of its reporting for all measured track.
fective systems to measure rail cant and provide exception reporting, until recently, there have been no manual inspection tools to easily measure existing condition cant in track. Field inspectors were dependent on mostly visual inspection and GPS or MP + footage information from reports to try to find cant problems,” said Madderom. “Recently, Holland completed the design of a new light-weight rail cant measurement tool (RCMT). Similar to the inspector’s track gauge measurement tools in weight and size, the patented RCMT can provide direct read out of existing rail cant in a few seconds. The RCMT eliminates the guesswork of where rail cant exceptions begin and end and provides immediate feedback to the track maintenance person.”
MRail
“The biggest challenge for our customers in track inspection is having a means to measure vertical track deflection under heavy-axle-loads, which gives them an indication of track formation condition,” said G. Robert Newman, business development engineer for TÜV Rheinland Rail Sciences, Inc., which partnered with MRail on a system to take on this challenge. “Railroads need to quantify this value over sections of track at a normal train speed and they need to make this measurement often in order to determine the trends. This in turn gives them a fast, simple method to evaluate the condition of the track formation to plan further inspection and track maintenance planning,” said Newman. 44 Railway Track & Structures
“The new MRail System, provides a simple measurement in inches, indicating total vertical track deflection under heavy-axle-load. The measurement can be made unattended and at normal train speed for each track section. Because the data is recorded and transmitted remotely at a high speed on a revenue train, no track time is required. This allows the railroad to take frequent measurements to establish trends in formation condition,” said Newman.
NxGen Rail Services
Robert Grant, director of engineering sales for NxGen Rail Services, a Sasser Family Holdings Company, believes that as railroad maintenance activities continue their evolution from reactive to proactive, condition based maintenance of track and rolling stock will provide significant savings, as well as improvements in safety for the railroads in the future. “The challenge for the track inspection industry is therefore to provide the quality data required to meet this step change,” said Grant. “Accurate technologies are now available that can be used, or combined, to test and measure almost all of the required parameters and components. The issue is to understand how to combine and apply them to provide the information in the format that the industry needs. “At NxGen Rail Services, we have met this challenge by integrating the different technologies onto a common platform that travels at line speed, providing the maintenance planners with a holistic view of their asset in near real time. This provides a fast,
October 2013
non-intrusive solution. Speed is also necessary to be able to cover the huge mileage of track that make up the rail networks with an adequate frequency, but with a minimum level of investment in systems. However, more speed generates a greater frequency of defect detections, so our systems have also been tailored to use machine intelligence to understand which defects are important and generate accurate reports,” said Grant. Grant says the system gives precise locations of defects, enabling planners to examine them from different points of view to better understand the causes of the problems and design better solutions. “For example, a cluster of missing fasteners might be the result of a geometry defect or dipped joint, caused by an inadequate layer of ballast sitting on an unstable track bed or a bad transition from one rail profile to another or a combination of both. Multiplexing technologies to understand the root cause means that the repair can be designed to resolve the problem definitively, whereas just replacing the fasteners and tamping the track would only have a temporary effect, that will need to be repeated again and again as the consequence of the underlying defect continues to reappear,” said Grant.
Rail Radar
Tom Keogh, president of Rail Radar, recognizes that while track inspection is essential, it consumes both financial and human resources and sometimes more importantly, track capacity. “One of the largest issues dealing with inspection of track is that of acquiring sufficient time on the track to conduct detailed surveys. One of the main issues is most areas in most need of inspection are ones experiencing highest traffic densities. Conventional tie assessment requires either walking tie inspectors and/or image based systems to assess ties and related components. These methods are challenged by subjective interpretations and/or www.rtands.com
track inspection
Rail Radar says its 3-D tie assessment combines multiple 3-D scans to create a 3-D model of the track that incorporates railroad-specific parameters and standards, with high accuracy geo-referencing.
features, which obscure analysis (color changes, debris, ballast, etc.) and can be incorrectly identified as defects.” Rail Radar has developed a three-dimensional (3-D) tie assessment system that the company says improves upon existing 2-D technologies. According to Rail Radar, the 3-D tie assessment results show improved in-situ tie condition data (dimensional correct 3-D tie cross-sections); allows data to be collected at increased speed; has enhanced tie processing with improved quality assessment methods and algorithms; has improved unambiguous feature identification, which reduce false positives; incorporates vertical height information to improve feature identification
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and classification and has enhanced feature classification algorithms that use 3-D feature models to improve reliability and speed. “Technology has evolved and the benefits of incorporating automation through machine vision into inspection processes are well documented and proven. Rail Radar’s 3-D system uses industry proven ‘machine vision’ techniques to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and objectivity of the
track inspection process. Rail Radar’s 3-D system capitalizes proven technology first through data acquisition, second through image analysis and third through data analysis. Rail Radar has a proven ‘track’ record working with major railroads to ensure experienced tie inspection processes and thresholds are upheld. The enhanced quality of data collected with Rail Radar’s 3-D system ensures this happens,” said Keogh.
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AREMA NEWS Professional Development Upcoming online seminars Track Inspection and maintenance Presented by Darrell Murphy Director Operations Support (retired) CSX Transportation October 15, 2013 1:00p.m.2:00p.m. Eastern 60 minutes - one contact hour for PDH and CEU Introduction to corrugated HDPE Pipe design Presented by Shawn R. Coombs, PE and Joe Babcanec, PE Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. November 14, 2013 1:00p.m.-3:00p.m. Eastern 120 minutes - two contact hours for PDH and CEU
For additional information please contact Mandie Ennis at mennis@arema.org or visit www.arema.org.
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Message from the President
Interchange By Joe Smak
Joe Smak AREMA President 2013-2014
Well, if you were not in Indianapolis from September 29 through October 2, then you missed it. But if you were and you were part of Railway Interchange 2013, then you know that this event, along with the AREMA Annual Conference, was a huge success. The Oxford dictionar y defines “interchange” as “(two or more people) exchange (things) with each other.” And that is exactly what took place in Indianapolis. AREMA, in conjunction with REMSA, RSSI and RSI, held Railway Interchange 2013. Railroaders interchanged with suppliers, old friends interchanged with new acquaintances, students interchanged with industry veterans, government agencies interchanged with railroad professional organizations and people from many varied railroad disciplines interchanged with each other. It was a gathering of the world’s foremost railroad engineering experts. The AREMA Annual Conference had a comprehensive technical program, with presentations on pertinent engineering topics, along with a presentation by noted industry analyst Anthony Hatch. The highlight of the Annual Chairs’ Luncheon was the featured speaker, Norfolk Southern President and CEO Wick Moorman. I would like to thank both Mr. Hatch and Mr. Moorman for taking time out of their busy schedules to give us their timely and interesting presentations. The Coordinated Mechanical Associations held their technical conference concurrently with the AREMA Annual Conference and the REMSA/RSSI/RSI Railway Interchange 2013 Exhibition filled the Indiana Convention Center with more than 340,000 square feet of displays. Rivaled only by the 2011 Railway Interchange in Minneapolis, Minn. he exhibition was one of the largest ever held in North America. Thank you to REMSA, RSSI and RSI for this fantastic event. There were many other events that took place during Railway Interchange. AREMA President Jim Carter’s lovely wife, Lynn, hosted the AREMA Spouse Program. The spouses were treated to a spouse lunch by noted local executive chef Regina Mehallick and local food editor Jolene Ketzenberger. The spouses also took a drive out to the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Cibus at the Brickyard. Thanks, Lynn, for hosting the Spouse Hospitality Suite, as well as the Spouse Program. Our railroad engineering students and our young engineers had several events tailored to their entry into the railroad industry. The Meet the Next Generation and the Early Careers Event helped students interact with potential employers, as well as meet mentors to help them along their path as they enter our industry. It was wonderful to meet these young ladies and gentlemen who are the future of railroad engineering. There were also a number of committee meetings and seminars held before and after the conference. The Continues on page 48
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AREMA NEWS
2013 - 2014 Upcoming Committee Meetings 2013 Oct. 15-16 Committee 15 - Steel Structures Oct. 22-23 Committee 4 - Rail Nov. 18-20 Committee 37 - Signal Systems Nov. 20-22 Committee 36 - Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Warning Systems
Des Moines, IA Dallas, TX Omaha, NE Omaha, NE
2014 Jan. 28-29 Jan. 30-31 Feb. 12-13 May 20-21 Aug. 13-14
Committee 15 - Steel Structures Committee 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations Committee 7 - Timber Structures Committee 15 - Steel Structures Committee 7 - Timber Structures
Fort Myers, FL Captiva Island, FL Memphis, TN Eugene, OR Portland, OR
Negotiated airline discount information for AREMA Committee Meetings can be found online at http://www.arema.org/meetings/airlines.aspx.
FYI…
Save the date for the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition September 28-October 1, 2014, Chicago, IL. Call for papers Papers are now being accepted for the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference, September 28 - October 1, 2014 in Chicago, IL. The deadline to submit a paper is December 13, 2013. Please visit www.arema.org for more information and to submit a paper online. BOO K YO U R 2 0 1 4 A R E M A E X P O BOOTH NOW for the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago, IL, September 28 – October 1, 2014. For more information and to book your expo space, please contact Christy Thomas at cthomas@arema.org. 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.
Not an AREMA Member? Join today at www.arema.org
48 Railway Track & Structures
October 2013
Continued from page 47 committees’ work on their respective topics make the Manual for Railway Engineering and the Communications & Signals Manual the world’s reference sources for railroad engineering. The seminars and conference help spread technical information on a variety of subjects. I would like to thank all of our corporate sponsors. Their help and support through sponsorship of various portions of the conference helped make the event the premier railroad engineering conference in North America. Please make sure you thank them, as well. I also want to thank the Conference Operating Committee for their endless work before, during and after the conference, which made the event run flawlessly. And a huge thank you goes to Chuck Emely and the staff at AREMA. They really made the conference a fantastic event. There is a large amount of hard work that takes place behind the scenes that leads to the success of the conference. On Wednesday morning, I was installed as president of AREMA. I am humbled and honored to have been chosen to serve as the leader of AREMA. I want to take this opportunity to thank Past President Jim Carter for all of his hard work during his term. His solid leadership will be hard to match and I am thankful for his guidance and friendship. Also installed was Senior Vice President Randy Bowman and I am fortunate to have Randy on my team. Together with the Board of Directors, the committee leaders, as well as all the members of AREMA, we will work in an effort to make AREMA even stronger. I am also eager to work with the Board of Governors, as their guidance will steer this organization down the path to continuing success. It was great seeing everyone in Indianapolis. It was a wonderful annual conference and the exhibition was excellent. I look forward to seeing you throughout the year. And mark your calendar for September 28 through October 1, 2014, for the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference and Exposition in Chicago, Ill.; it is never too early. I promise to work hard in my new position and I trust that I will live up to your expectations. I know that, with your help, this next year will continue the AREMA tradition of excellence. Be safe in all that you do.
American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association *NEW ADDRESS* 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 130, Lanham, MD 20706 Phone: +1.301.459.3200 / Fax: +1.301.459.8077 www.arema.org
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Student chapter highlight When was the University of Tennessee AREMA Student Chapter established and how many members does your student chapter currently have? The University of Tennessee AREMA chapter, “Rail Club at UT,” is a relatively new organization on campus. It was started a few years ago by a very passionate civil engineering student with the support of faculty. Over the years, the Rail Club has slowly grown in size as it balances volunteer work, yard visits, train rides, professional speakers and educational discussions. Who is your chapter president? The president of the Rail Club is Jonathon Boghozian. He is majoring in civil engineering with a focus in transportation and geotechnical engineering with interest in railway design. He will graduate this December and cannot wait to join the railroad community. This past summer he had the opportunity to intern with BNSF in Topeka, Kan. He spent time with the exempt and the craft and met many amazing people who spent their life on the railroad. Jon’s dream is to spend his career and then to retire from the railroad. Has the RailClub at UT had any recent exciting events occur that you would like to share with the readers of RT&S? Our most recent trip was to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to visit the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum. This was a really neat experience for the rail society. We got to see how a shortline operates and how much work it takes to maintain their fleet. We also got to tour ORNL, which was created as a testing facility and built one of the nuclear bombs during the Manhattan Project during World War II. Do you have any upcoming events? The UT Rail Society recently attended the AREMA 2013 Annual Conference in Indianapolis at the end of September. Also, there are plans to design a train simulator to be used for research and training. This semester, the Rail Society will assemble a full size locomotive cab with a functioning control stand that will be very beneficial to railroad companies that can use this simulator to further train their employees in many different situations. Finally, the Rail Society plans to visit shortline and Class 1 railroads within Knoxville to learn more about the railroad industry. We have a very exciting year ahead of us and cannot wait to learn more about the railroad. www.rtands.com
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AREMA NEWS
ATTENTION STUDENTS
AREMA Publications Reflections on a Half Century of Railway Engineering and Some Related Subjects©
Railway Memoirs by William G. Byers, PE
2013 Manual for Railway Engineering© 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. It is available in four-volume loose-leaf format, CD-ROM, revision set (loose-leaf only) and individual chapters (hard copy and downloadable formats). *NEW* Downloadable Chapters Now Available Online.
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 & postearthquake 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 visit www.arema.org or contact Beth Caruso at +1.301.459.3200, ext. 701, or bcaruso@arema.org.
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NOW AVAILABLE
2014 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. *NEW* Downloadable Sections Available Online.
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.)
2012 Portfolio of Trackwork Plans© 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 AREMA Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for the 20142015 academic year. Application Deadline: December 14, 2013 The application deadline is earlier than years past to allow scholarship winners the option to apply their award to the Spring 2014 semester. Winners will be announced in January 2014. Please visit www.aremafoundation.org to download the application. Scholarship Application Questions? Please contact Stacy Spaulding at sspaulding@arema.org or +1.301.459.3200, ext. 706. The AREMA Educational Foundation is a taxexempt, charitable organization established by the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) to promote educational activities related to railway engineering. The foundation provides scholarships to engineering students who are specializing in the railway industry and supports other educational and training endeavors that help to ensure the future of the profession. Contributions to the Foundation are tax deductible as charitable contributions from U.S. taxpayers to the extent allowed by law. Contributions may also be deductible for Canadian taxpayers. Please consult your tax advisor. The foundation is also able to accept corporate contributions, gifts and bequests. Visit www.aremafoundation.org to make an online donation.
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October 2013 51
PRODUCTS
Diesel welder/generators
Miller Electronic Mfg. Co. released its Trailblazer ® 325 Diesel and Bobcat™ 250 Diesel welder/generators, which are said to deliver multiprocess welding capabilities and smooth generator power. The Trailblazer 325 Diesel welder/generators are designed to extend runtimes by 55 percent, reduce fuel use by as much as 25 percent and reduce noise by 40 percent. The Trailblazer 325 Diesel welder/generators are Stick, MIG, Flux-Cored and DC TIGcapable. Phone: 800-426-4553.
High-capacity cable tray
Snake Tray® introduced the hand bendable Mega Snake to bend around obstacles. It is a preconfigured high-capacity overhead cable tray that comes in straights, turns and Ts. Mega Snake’s design is said to convey thousands of cables for large cable runs. Snake Rail, a built-in suspension system, requires no brackets and allows for random placement of the hanging rod system. Snake Rail can interface with other size Snake Trays, as well as patch panels, strain relief and fiber optic pass over devices. Onsite fabrication of turns, Ts and cross sections are no longer required with the pre-manufactured components. Phone: 800-308-6788.
LED inspection light
ProBuilt Professional Lighting, LLC, now offers the Defender Mini Mobi Battery Operated LED Inspection Light. Twenty high-output LEDS deliver 55 lumens and the light is said to provide up to eight feet of a wide spread, clean white light beam. Powered by three AA batteries (included), the light can run three hours on high and up to eight hours at 70 percent power. The integrated floor stand, hanging hook and magnet offer multiple working positions and it is dust and water resistant. Phone: 877-707-0800.
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Ad Index Company
Phone #
Arcadis AREMA Marketing Department Boatright Companies Dixie PreCast Encore Rail Systems, Inc. Herzog Railroad Services, Inc. Herzog Services, Inc. Holland Co. Hougen Manufacturing, Inc. IntegriCo Composites/LT Resources, Inc. J.F. Brennan Co., Inc. Koppers, Inc. L.B. Foster Co. - Friction Management L.B. Foster Co. Lonza Wood Protection LT Resources, Inc./IntegriCo Composites Neel Company, The Nisus Corporation NMC Railway Systems. NRC Osmose Railroad Services, Inc. R-Solutions Racine Railroad Products RAILCET Rails Company Railway Educational Bureau, The Stella-Jones Corporation Unitrac Railroad Materials, Inc. voestalpine Nortrak Inc. Willamette Valley Company
Fax#
e-mail address
Page #
720-344-3727 720-344-3535 rstevens@arcadis-us.com 3 301-459-3200 301-459-8077 marketing@arema.org Cover 3 800-873-2020 205-298-9483 info@boatrightcompanies.com 25 770-94401930 770-944-9136 fbrown142@aol.com 22 866-712-7622 303-922-6178 www.encorers.com 20 tfrancis@hrsi.com 816-233-9002 816-233-7757 9 816-233-9002 816-233-7757 rebersold@herzogservices.com 17 708-672-2300 ext. 382 708-672-0119 gpodgorski@hollandco.com 43 866-245-3745 800-309-3299 info@trak-star.com 45 281-444-3494 281-444-3495 info@ltresources.com 26 800-658-9027 ext.236 608-785-2090 37 markbinsfeld@jfbrennan.com 412-227-2739 ambrosegf@koppers.com 27 412-227-2841 412-928-3506 412-928-3512 glippard@lbfoster.com 4 412-928-3506 412-928-3512 glippard@lbfoster.com Cover 2 678-627-2275 debbi.lewis@lonza.com 29 800-440-1517 281-444-3495 info@ltresources.com 26 703-913-7858 btemple@neelco.com 7 703-913-7859 865-577-6119 jimg@nisuscorp.com 31 866-662-7799 402-891-7745 info@nmcrail.com 24 202-715-2920 202-318-0867 info@nrcma.org 14 800-356-5952 608-221-0618 dostby@osmose.com 39 303-777-9692 www.r-sols.com 10 262-637-9681 262-637-9069 custserv@racinerailroad.com 8 866-724-5238 217-522-6588 grif1020@yahoo.com 6 973-763-4320 973-763-2585 rails@railso.com 10 402-346-4300 402-346-1783 bbrundige@sb-reb.com 52, 54 412-894-2865 412-325-0208 asutch@stella-jones.com 23 412-298-0915 865-693-9162 ppietrandrea@unitracrail.com 33 307-778-8700 307-778-8777 gweatherly@nortrak.com Cover 4 541-484-9621 541-284-2096 03alishab@wilvaco.com 35 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 RT&S assumes no responsibility for the correctness.
Advertising Sales general sales OFFICE Jonathan Chalon Publisher (212) 620-7224 55 Broad St., 26th Fl. Fax: (212) 620-7224 New York, NY 10014 jchalon@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 55 Broad St., 26th Fl. Fax: (212) 633-1863 New York, NY 10014 mconnolly@sbpub.com AL, AR, IN, KY, LA, MI, MS, OH, OK, TN, TX Emily Guill (312) 683-5021 20 South Clark St. Fax: (312) 683-0131 Ste. 1910 Chicago, IL 60603 eguill@sbpub.com
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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 St. Fax: (312) 683-0131 Ste. 1910 Chicago, IL 60603 hdisabato@sbpub.com Australia, Austria, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Scandinavia, South Africa, Spain, Worldwide Recruitment Steven Barnes Suite K5 &K6 The Priory +44-1444-416375 Syresham Gardens Fax: +44-1444-458185 Haywards Heath, RH16 3LB United Kingdom sb@railjournal.co.uk
Africa, Britain, Eastern Europe, Far East, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, Middle East, South America, Rail Tenders, all others. Louise Cooper Suite K5 &K6 The Priory +44-1444-416917 Syresham Gardens Fax: +44-1444-458185 Haywards Heath, RH16 3LB United Kingdom lc@railjournal.co.uk Italy & Italian-speaking Switzerland
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 amskatsu@dream.com Classified, Professional & Employment Jeanine Acquart (212) 620-7211 55 Broad St., 26th Fl. Fax: (212) 633-1325 New York, NY 10014 jacquart@sbpub.com
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
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October 2013 53
CALENDAR OCTOBER 13-15. ASLRRA Southern Region Meeting. Omni Charlotte Hotel. Charlotte, N.C. Phone: 202-628-4500. Website: www.aslrra.org. 14-16. Engineering Modern Mass Transportation Systems: Light Rail - Rapid Transit - Commuter Rail. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Philadelphia, Pa. Phone: 800-462-0876. Fax: 800-442-4214. Website: http:// epd.engr.wisc.edu/emaN888. 15-16. 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. 15-17. ASME Rail Transportation Division 2013 Fall Technical Conference. Marriott Courtyard Hotel, Blair County Convention Center, Penn State Altoona Devorris Downtown Center. Altoona, Pa. Phone: 202-493-6358. 15-18. Track Safety Standards Part 213 Classes 1-5 Workshop. DoubleTree by Hilton Omaha Downtown. Omaha, Neb. Phone: 800-228-9670. E-mail: tudentservices@sb-reb.com. Website: http://www. railwayeducationalbureau.com/TrkInspWrkShp.html. NOVEMBER 4-8. Railroad Track Inspection & Safety Standards. Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Chattanooga, Tenn. Contact: Diana Webb. Phone: 865-974-5255. Fax: 865-9743889. Website: http://ctr.utk.edu/ttap/training/railinspect.php. 5-6. Railroad Environmental Conference. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Urbana, Ill. Phone: 217244-4999. Fax: 212-333-1924. Website: http://ict.uiuc.edu/ railroad/RREC/overview.php. 10-12. ASLRRA Central Pacific Region Meeting. Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa. Newport Beach, Calif. Phone: 202-628-4500. Website: www.aslrra.org. 12-13. Understanding and Complying with FRA 237 Bridge Safety Standards.University of WisconsinMadison. Philadelphia, Pa. Phone: 800-462-0876. Fax: 800-442-4214. Website: http://epd.engr.wisc.edu/ emaP303. 19-20. Fundamentals Railway Train Control and Signaling. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Madison, Wis. Phone: 800-462-0876. Fax: 800-442-4214. Website: http://epd.engr.wisc.edu/emaN889. JANUARY 2014 5-8. 2014 NRC Annual Conference & Exhibition. J.W. Marriott Desert Springs. Palm Desert, Calif. Contact: Ashley Bosch. Phone: 202-715-1247. E-mail: abosch@ nrcma.org. Website: www.nrcma.org. 12-16. Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting. Connecticut Avenue Collection. Washington, D.C. Phone: 202-334-3504. Website: www.trb.org. 54 Railway Track & Structures
October 2013
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Professional Directory
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Tree Trimming/Brush Cutting
Line Clearance-Hazardous Trees-Whole tree chipping
POLE LINE REMOVAL
A variety of on/off track removal equipment
Road Crossing Site Safety Maintenance
Products and services
Re-cut & Herbicide Programs 800.822.9246 www.merciers.com
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Railway Track & Structures
October 2013 55
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