STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
REVIEW OF 2023 & LOOK AHEAD TO 2024
DECEMBER 2023 | WWW.RTANDS.COM
ALSO: FRICTION MANAGEMENT SAFETY EQUIPMENT rtands.com
February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 1
CONTENTS
December 2023
16 COLUMNS
DEPARTMENTS
Notebook 3 Editor’s Light Rail 2023 the Dome 32 From Women In Rail
FEATURES
Rail 4 MxV Flange Bearing Frog Crossing Performance Issues
26 AREMA Message from the President
8
State of the Industry Choppy Air But Overall Smooth Flying
16
MRS Logística A History of Innovation and Optimization
Cover: A Look Back; A Look Ahead State of the Industry For story, see p. 8
22
Vendor Product Spotlight Safety Equipment
24
Vendor Product Spotlight Friction Management
8 rtands.com
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December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 1
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EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
Light Rail 2023 Vol. 119, No. 12 Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES 1025 Rose Creek Drive Suite 620-121 Woodstock, GA 30189 Telephone (470) 865-0933 Website www.rtands.com DAVID C. LESTER Editor-in-Chief dlester@sbpub.com JENNIFER McLAWHORN Managing Editor jmclawhorn@sbpub.com EDITORIAL BOARD David Clarke, University of Tennessee Brad Kerchof, formerly Norfolk Southern William Riehl, Genesee & Wyoming/AREMA Scott Sandoval, Genesee & Wyoming Robert Tuzik, Talus Associates Gary Wolf, Wolf Railway Consulting CORPORATE OFFICES 1809 Capitol Avenue Omaha, NE 68102 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 ARTHUR J. MCGINNIS, JR. President and Chairman JONATHAN CHALON Publisher MARY CONYERS Production Director NICOLE D’ANTONA Art Director HILLARY COLEMAN Graphic Designer JO ANN BINZ Circulation Director MICHELLE ZOLKOS Conference Director CUSTOMER SERVICE: 847-559-7372 Reprints: PARS International Corp. 253 West 35th Street 7th Floor New York, NY 10001 212-221-9595; fax 212-221-9195 curt.ciesinski@parsintl.com
O
n November 15 and 16, 2023, Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono and I hosted the Railway Age/ Railway Track and Structures Light Rail 2023 Conference in Newark, New Jersey. We received excellent feedback from those attending and presenting. Wednesday was devoted to presentations by several industry experts, and on Thursday, we had more presentations and a group discussion about several light rail and transit topics led by Bill Vantuono, David Peter Alan (a Railway Age Contributing Editor), and me. We were very fortunate to enjoy the sponsorship of several companies involved with light rail, including our Platinum Sponsor MAC Products, Gold Sponsor Herzog, Bronze Sponsor Railroad Construction Company, Registration Sponsor ACI, Breakfast Sponsor KINKISHARYO International, and NJ Transit, which provided attendees a ride on the Hudson-Bergen line and a tour of the line’s control center and maintenance center. We also appreciate the time attendees and presenters took away from their normal jobs to attend the conference. We
know that everyone is busy, and when folks use a significant slot of their week to attend a conference, we at SimmonsBoardman know it must be worthwhile. To round out this brief report on our conference, I’ve included some photographs from the NJ Transit BergenHudson Line tour.
DAVID C. LESTER Editor-in-Chief
Railway Track & Structures (Print ISSN 0033-9016, Digital ISSN 2160-2514), (USPS 860-560), (Canada Post Cust. #7204564; Agreement #40612608; IMEX P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Canada) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 1809 Capitol Avenue, Omaha, NE 68102. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at Omaha, NE, and additional mailing offices. Pricing: Qualified individual and railroad employees may request a free subscription. Printed and/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. Single Copies are $10.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only. COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2023. 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 and address changes, Please call 847-559-7372, Fax +1 (847) 291-4816, e-mail rtands@omeda.com or write to: Railway Track & Structures, Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 239, Lincolnshire IL 60069-0239 USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Railway Track & Structures, PO Box 239, Lincolnshire IL 60069-0239 USA.
December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 3
MxV RAIL
Flange Bearing Frog Crossing Performance Issues FBFs Come With Benefits and Challenges Benjamin Bakkum, PE Duane Otter, PhD, PE Stephen Wilk, PhD David Davis, PE (Retired)
O
ver the past 15 years of safe revenue service operations, MxV Rail engineers, railroad standards engineers, and special trackwork suppliers have gained valuable experience and insight into f lange bearing frog (FBF) design, and common degradation modes of FBF crossings have been identified. Compared to conventional crossing diamonds, FBF crossings have reduced wheel/rail impact forces and have reduced the occurrence of speed restrictions.1,2 As the industry moves to the next generation of FBF designs, the lessons learned from past observations will help improve the safety and economic performance of crossings in the future. This article provides a brief description of the design issues associated with FBFs and potential solutions. Flange Bearing Surface Wear (Metal Flow And Wear) The transition from tread bearing (TB) to f lange bearing (FB) can be a significant loading event for the crossing. Due to the differences in rolling radius, the wheelset’s rotation speed will decrease when going from TB to FB. While the wheelset’s forward speed does not change, its rotation rate will be affected, which can result in high wheel/rail surface forces as the wheelset rotation slows down or speeds up as a result of transitioning from tread to f lange and back. In addition, FB can result in a dynamic load on the wheel f lange as the wheel encounters the FB ramp in the diamond. This is a very demanding application for frog materials. An effort to find and/or develop improved material for FBF crossings is needed. The 4 Railway Track & Structures // December 2023
Figure 1. Proposal to increase vertical wear allowance in flange bearing frog crossings
Figure 2. Suggested flange bearing surface transverse profile
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MxV RAIL
Figure 3. Flange-bearing crossing with curve in close proximity
performance requirements for FB material have been described in previous MxV Rail Technology Digests.1,3 By including a larger vertical wear allowance in the FB surface, a longer service life is possible. For the current tread rail-FB bar design, this can be achieved by raising the FB bar to be level with the TB rail (see Figure 1). Making this design change could extend the wear life of the frog material; however, the ramp design may also be affected. Due to the shapes involved, FB is much more concentrated over the width of the wheel f lange (as opposed to TB, which can spread over the width of the wheel tread). A key to lengthening the service rtands.com
life of any FBF material will be determining a way to spread f lange contacts laterally in the diamond. This suggests that the “f langeway” should be wider, with face gauge being well below the maximum allowed in the track safety standards. The contact stresses for FB can be lowered by making the running surface more conformal when it is new. An analysis of worn profiles from FB diamonds showed that wheel f langes worn from FB typically have a tip radius in the range of 0.6 to 0.8 inch. The ideal frog running surface shape is an elongated groove with corners having this radius.1 Sharp edges at the shoulders of the groove should be avoided. Figure 2 shows the general shape
of the recommended FB surface. Uneven Wear Of The FB Surface (Longitudinally) The design of the ramps that transition wheels from TB to FB contributes to the uneven wear of the FB bars. The number of FB wheels in the ramps increases toward the center of the crossing, contributing to longitudinally uneven wear. More importantly, the elevation changes that some wheels experience during the transition result in dynamic loading of the FB bars. Therefore, it is imperative that humps and dips be ground out of FB running surfaces as they occur. Current ramp design includes the December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 5
MxV RAIL
use of discrete plates and linear sloped ramps. Ramps with vertical curves 4 can be used to reduce dynamic loading from suspension effects. Other methods that minimize dynamic loading include using multiple tie plates and foundation damping with either rail seat pads or under-tie pads.5 These methods should also help reduce surface deviations. Maintainability To minimize dynamic loading, the FB surfaces should have no vertical or lateral discontinuities. Currently, replacing a FB bar requires considerable effort to disassemble a significant portion of the crossing. Additionally, the transition from new to worn components must be made at the joints, which can be problematic if components are not replaced simultaneously due to a reluctance to grind down the ends of new components. The current practice of replacing one rail at a time can create large rolling radius differences for wheelsets. These differences can result in adverse steering and accelerated component wear. Therefore,
additional research is needed to develop a design and/or method for more rapid component replacement. One method would be to use a system of shims and milled seat platework to allow adjustability when installing replacement sections. Additionally, a reliable method for building up the FB running surfaces should facilitate height matching with replacement components. Finally, the isolation of the tread rails in the diamond from the surrounding track will eliminate the longitudinal stress issues currently seen. Some railroads have installed rail expansion joints near crossing diamonds in an attempt to reduce the rail longitudinal forces acting on crossings and thereby reduce component maintenance. Guard Rail Wear (From Non-Centered Running) The inner guard rail wear that occurs on some FBF crossings is related to the ability of wheelsets to track straight. Contributing factors include the proximity of the diamond to curves (see Figure 3), uneven wear and surface in
the diamond, and a difference in f lange heights on a wheelset affecting the ability to travel straight. The main function of a guard rail in a crossing is to ensure a vehicle takes the intended route through a frog. This safety function of the guard rail is of prime importance. Some railroads have chosen to use higher hardness guard rails in an attempt to reduce wear. FB BAR FAILURES FB Bar Transverse Breaks A trade-off between strength and ductility in materials can manifest as component breakage versus component wear. The use of harder, more wear-resistant materials can result in more component fractures. Since a longer wear life is needed, the following design issues should be considered when using high hardness steels: 1) reduction of longitudinal forces, 2) uniform support to reduce vertical bending stresses, 3) optimized stiffness and damping of the diamond, and 4) running surface designs that reduce dynamic loading.
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MxV RAIL
FB Bar Longitudinal Cracks (Edge Cracks from Non-Centered Running) Longitudinal cracking of FB bars has been observed in cases where the wheel wear band gets too close to a lateral edge of a bar. This tends to occur when wheelsets are not centered. A review of the design dimensions for FB was conducted after it was observed in the field that more locations had guard wear than tread rail lateral wear. The analysis showed that FB bars were spaced appropriately for the nominal narrow f lange wheelset. Therefore, the issue is likely related to vehicle steering while FB, as well as to the width of the FB bars that is required to mitigate edge effects. This issue should be studied analytically and in a controlled testing environment. The need to keep the FB ramps parallel has been understood from the beginning of FB frog design. Adverse steering will result when one wheel of a wheelset is FB and the other wheel is TB,(2) or if the f lange heights of the two wheels in a wheelset are different. This can cause edge loading on the FB bars, which can result
in the longitudinal cracking observed. Another important consideration is lateral support for the FB bars. The raised guard rails on the gauge side of the FB bars provide less lateral support for the bars than do the tread rails on the field side. Joint Degradation Chip-outs of the running surface due to plastic f low at joints have been a relatively minor issue with most joints exhibiting no chipping. Good joint practices should be followed by making the joints as tight as possible. Slotting, when necessary, should be vertical, with as little running surface height difference as possible. Conclusions In comparison to conventional crossings, FBF crossings have reduced wheel/rail impact forces and reduced speed restrictions. Improvements in the areas of FB running surfaces, and adverse vehicle steering have the potential to provide further benefits for future FBF crossings.
References 1. Davis, D., B. Bakkum, S. Wilk, and D. Otter. 2018. “Evaluation of Frog Steels for Flange Bearing Applications.” Technology Digest TD18-023. Association of American Railroads (AAR) /Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), Pueblo, CO. 2. Davis, David D., Rafael Jimenez, and Semih Kalay. 2011. “Implementation Guidelines for Flange Bearing Frogs. Technology Digest TD11-018, AAR/TTCI, Pueblo, CO. 3. Wu, H., D. Davis, R. Jimenez, and D. Otter. 2016. “Evaluation of Wheel-Rail Contact Stresses at Crossing Diamonds.” Technology Digest TD16-054. AAR/TTCI, Pueblo, CO. 4. Davis, D., X. Shu, S. Wilk, and W. Zdinak. 2017. “Improved Ramp Designs for Flange Bearing Crossing Diamonds.” Technology Digest TD17-038. AAR/TTCI, Pueblo, CO. 5. Davis, D., R. Jimenez, S. Wilk, and B. Bakkum. 2017. “Evaluation of Under-Tie Pads for Flange Bearing Frog Crossing Diamonds.” Technology Digest TD17-031. AAR/TTCI, Pueblo, CO.
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December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 7
STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
CHOPPY AIR BUT OVERALL
SMOOTH FLYING
Despite A Myriad of Challenges, Business is Good
8 Railway Track & Structures // December 2023
incident. Moreover, the choppy air of politics in the U.S. has caused division and upset unlike any we’ve seen in a long time. The U.S. economy has been under strain as well, although recent indicators show that things may be improving. Rising inflation has plagued the economy for much of the year. Just ask anyone who shops at the grocery store. However, at this writing at the end of November, inflation seems to be dropping a bit, and after raising interest rates several times in 2023, the Federal Reserve chose not to raise or cut the current rate at its November 1 meeting, with the hope that year-to-date rate increases have sufficiently cooled inflation to point to possible rate reductions in 2024. Nevertheless, inflation has hammered much of the
economy this year, with just over 40% of respondents to our annual survey saying that inflation and rising interest rates have impacted their business significantly, and nearly 15% saying these two factors have impacted their business tremendously. Despite the economic challenges of 2023, nearly 60% of respondents told us that business has been good this year, while just under 20% said this business year was excellent. When asked about their outlook for their businesses in 2024, the percentages were about the same – approximately 60% saying their outlook is good, and approximately 20% said their outlook is excellent. Many economists believe that since 2023 was the first year since 2020 when people were relatively confident that the voracious rtands.com
Photo Credit: David C. Lester
T
his has been a strange year for our nation and our world. The war in Ukraine is entering its second winter, with horror stories of death and suffering coming from the country almost daily. This war has also strained relations between the United States and Russia. In addition, the horrific war between Israel and Hamas, resulting in the near obliteration of the Gaza Strip, has been horrible for both sides of this conflict and has caused internal political strife here at home. U.S. relations with China have been strained for a variety of reasons, including Chinese fighter aircraft challenging U.S. rights to fly in International Air Space over the South Pacific with dangerously close flybys that could cause an international
By David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
nature of COVID had subsided (although it’s still with us), there was a tremendous amount of pent-up demand throughout the economy. With this, topped off with significant federal spending programs, the economy got too hot, resulting in rising prices and interest rates. Hopefully, this situation will ease in 2024. While the primary focus of our industry report is on infrastructure and maintenance of way, it’s important to take a look at rail traffic performance. After all, changes in traffic levels can have a direct impact on infrastructure and MOW spending. According to the Association of American Railroads, as of October 31, year-to-date traffic, including carloads, coal, and intermodal, is -3.8% compared to the same period last year. More specifically, as of
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October 31, year-to-date total carloads is +0.2%, total carloads exluding coal, +0.6% and intermodal is -7.2%. With only two more months of reporting to go for 2023, it’s unlikely that these percentages will have changed significantly by the end of the year. Each year, we send out a survey to a cross section of companies in the rail industrywith questions on various issues, both general and specific. We sent the survey out a little later in 2023 than in years past to enable more months of business to be included in respondents’ answers. The results of our survey are displayed via 20 graphs and 1 table over the next several pages. The graphical material represents direct answers from respondents and has not been adjusted in any way. We also asked a few new questions this year to provide a
wider picture of the state of the industry. If you ever have suggestions around questions or other information you’d like to see in our survey, please let us know. Your feedback will help us tailor this exercise to include the information that is most useful to you. The coming year will be pivotal for our nation. Domestic politics, world conflicts, and foreign affairs will likely affect business conditions. We encourage you to stay abreast of the issues. The Simmons-Boardman Rail Group, consisting of Railway Track and Structures, Railway Age, and International Rail Journal will keep you informed about the rail and rail supply industries. We encourage you to stay abreast of other issues through your favorite newspaper, news magazine, or other media outlet. Accurate information will be critical in 2024.
December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 9
Photo Credit: David C. Lester
STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
10 Railway Track & Structures // December 2023
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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
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December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 11
Photo Credit: David C. Lester
STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
Q 18
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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
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MRS LOGÍSTICA
MRS LOGÍSTICA:
A History of Innovation and Optimization
16 Railway Track & Structures // December 2023
Interaction Heavy Haul Conference. MRS Logística’s operations account for 30% of Brazil’s national railway production and links the country’s three largest seaports. The most immediate challenges that MRS faces are due to the age of the infrastructure. “The majority of our track was laid more than 100 years ago,” Merheb said. MRS also operates in Brazil’s most densely populated areas, passing through many cities. “Much of our operation is in tight corridors, very close to commercial and residential areas,” he said. MRS divides its 1,680 km network into 4 divisions and 20 subdivisions, many of which feature particularly challenging conditions and constraints. The Ferrovia do Aço division is a 357-kilometer, 170-MGT line that was built primarily in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It has 50 km of bridges; 45 km of tunnels, up to 600 m-radius (3-degree) curvature, and a 1.2% maximum grade.
The Serra do Mar subdivision, part of the Rio de Janeiro division, is a 96-kilometer, 190-MGT subdivision that was built in the 1880s. It has 4 km of bridges, 10 km of tunnels, up to 150m-radius (11.5-degree) curvature, and a 2.2% maximum grade. “As you would expect, due its age, this is a uniquely-challenging operating environment,” Merheb said. The Cremalheira subdivision, part of the São Paulo division, is a 95-km, 10-MGT subdivision that was built in 1960. It has 2 km of bridges, 200m-radius (8.7-degree) curvature, and a maximum grade of 11.8% that requires specially designed rack and pinion locomotives to negotiate the 8 kilometers 1600-mm gauge “rack track” on the electrified line between São Paulo to the port of Santos. “The Cremalheira Sub doesn’t see a lot of tonnage, but the 11.8-percent grades are challenging,” he said. The 4th division, Minas Gerais, which rtands.com
Photo Credit: MRS
S
ome challenges in the railroad industry are local, some are universal. Brazil’s MRS Logística has met its share of both. Their efforts to maintain, modernize, and optimize their network over the past 30 years highlight the importance of approaching all challenges from a system-wide perspective, and of leveraging every resource at their disposal. The Brazilian freight railroad industry is in the midst of major growth: speeds and axle-loads have both increased, driving a systemwide production increase of 30% in the past five years. In the next five years, MRS will increase axle loads from 32.5 metric tonnes (38.8 US tons) to 36 tonnes (39.7 US tons), increase consist size (to 272 cars), increase train speeds by 25%, and begin to roll out hybrid locomotives, Antonio Merheb, consultant to MRS Logística, and Chairman of the International Heavy Haul Association, told delegates at the 2023 Wheel/Rail
By Jeff Tuzik
MRS LOGÍSTICA
Photo Credit: Mike Yuhas
runs 45 MGT, moves general cargo to and from the ports, and the track on which the empty wagons return to the iron mines. Because of vastly different operating environments like these, MRS has had to develop a f lexible and agile approach to problem-solving and optimization. Since MRS Logística began operations in 1996, it has undertaken several major development programs. Notably, in 2008, MRS worked with the Canadian National Research Council Canada (CNRC) to develop a comprehensive wheel/rail optimization program. This came about after years of attempts to curb rampant rolling contact fatigue (RCF), shelling and spalling, and generally rapid track degradation. This project helped break down barriers within the organization, between departments, Merheb said, and to build a culture of collaboration on systemwide improvements. “We didn’t get the results we wanted until we brought operations, track, and rolling stock [departments] together to look at full system interaction.” To that end, MRS implemented several ongoing improvements including: • Adoption of matched wheel and rail profiles • Expanded use of premium rail steels • Deployment of gauge-face lubrication and TOR friction modifiers • Deployment of wheel impact load detectors (WILDs) • More frequent preventive grinding cycles • Adoption of f lash-butt welding Merheb credits this collaborative, system-wide approach for much of MRS’ subsequent successes and system optimizations. The results are evident in track condition improvements, for example. From 2012 to 2022, high-priority defects dropped from 720 to 100. Average rail life over the same period increased from 381 MGT to 829 MGT. And the number of derailed cars on mainline track dropped from 142 to zero. These achievements are particularly notable given the unforgiving conditions of the Serra do Mar subdivision, Merheb said. In 2017, MRS once again brought the departments together to investigate dynamic forces throughout the system. Specif ically, the goal was to increase tonnage per a x le from 32 metric tonnes (38.8 US tons) to 36 rtands.com
metric tonnes (39.7 US tons), while decreasing dynamic loads. The first part of this project was the development of an instrumented consist made up of a locomotive and 16 cars. The cars were split into four groups: a control group without apparent defects or lading deviations, and three groups with known defects or variations such as uneven tonnage per axle, wheel defects, and damaged springs. As this train circulated through the system, MRS developed a map of dynamic forces across the network to determine where their maintenance/optimization resources would have the most impact in reducing these forces. Based on the data, the first priority was the rolling stock; MRS adjusted wheel inspection cycles and renewed pads and springs f leet-wide. The second priority was bridge transitions; many of these transitions were reinforced or replaced. The third priority was track; rail grinding and tamping cycles were adjusted to better allocate resources to more problematic areas, Merheb said. During this same period (2017 – 2020), MRS also launched a track modulus investigation that ultimately mapped
its entire system. All these projects and studies generated a lot of data – too much data to sift through manually. “We ran into a bottleneck in processing and analyzing all the data we were collecting, so we were always a step behind when it came to implementing strategies based on the data,” Merheb said. Datasets were all stored and analyzed in isolation; correlations drawn from the data were done so manually and, therefore, slowly, he said. It’s hard to know which datasets are relevant enough to each other to warrant correlation or analysis, in the first place. In order to address their big data problem, MRS looked to outside expertise to help restructure their entire data workf low. Beginning in 2019, MRS has worked with Visiostack to overhaul and streamline every aspect of their data handling. Data from all sources, such as track geometry cars, instrumented wheelsets, VTI monitors, ultrasound inspection, and many others, now f lows into a data lake repository, where it is accessed and filtered by an asset management platform from which action plans can be generated, Merheb said. “The same analyses that once took days of manual
Antonio Merheb, consultant to MRS Logística, and Chairman of the International Heavy Haul Association.
December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 17
MRS LOGÍSTICA
A timeline of major track projects MRS has undertaken since it began operations in 1996.
MRS has made great progress in track life improvements over the last 20 years.
18 Railway Track & Structures // December 2023
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MRS LOGÍSTICA
A diagram of MRS’ data flow prior to their big data overhaul.
MRS’ revamped data workflow allows for faster and more in-depth analyses.
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December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 19
MRS LOGÍSTICA
MRS’ big data overhaul has already been successful. In 2021, the railway realized an 8% savings in its track maintenance budget; in 2022, another 6%, Merheb said. This is ref lective of a smarter, more targeted approach to maintenance, as well as a shift toward a preventive rather than reactive maintenance mode. MRS has evolved over the past 20 years to meet the challenges of a modern freight railroad. One of the most important steps in this process has been the collaboration of operations, track, and rolling stock departments to address maintenance and
optimization at a systemwide level. This collaborative mindset extends to data, too. By enabling its “big data” to work together, MRS has refined its approach to maintenance and planning and reaped the benefits along the way. For any railroad, much less one running, in part, on track laid 140 years ago, the results are remarkable. Jeff Tuzik is Managing Editor of Interface Journal. This article previously appeared in Interface Journal (www.interfacejournal. com) and is based on a presentation made at Wheel-Rail Seminars’ 2023 WRI Heavy Haul Conference.
Photo Credit: MRS
work, now happen automatically.” Consolidation of the data has also allowed for more sophisticated analyses, which have led to more sophisticated maintenance strategies. “It’s much easier now to prioritize maintenance work,” Merheb said, because all relevant data is aligned, correlated, and overlayed as a matter of course. This has also enabled MRS to fine-tune renewal and replacement strategies, based on predictive analyses of the data. “Once we had confidence in the analytics [of the asset management platform], we felt comfortable using these predictions to inform our maintenance decisions.”
20 Railway Track & Structures // December 2023
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SAFETY EQUIPMENT
IT’S NO ACCIDENT Finding solutions to keep railroaders safe on the job.
S
afety may sound like a buzz word for the rail industry. However, with rail safety seemingly dominating the news cycle, it is more important than it has ever been. And in covering such a broad topic this month, Railway Track & Structures has reached out to vendors across the industry to get a sampling of the safety equipment they offer. From barriers to systems of protection, the offerings shown here all fulfill that simple and ceaseless need. After all, keeping railroaders safe is a never-ending endeavor. With safety as the number one priority for everyone working on the railroads, Orgo-Thermit®, a Goldschmidt company, is proud to offer the Tracksafe Barrier: a product that is designed to guarantee the 22 Railway Track & Structures // December 2023
safety of railroad workers while working on track. The Tracksafe barrier is a physical barrier that attaches to the rail using a magnet, allowing for extremely fast installation and removal. Unlike other barrier systems, there is no need to work with the ballast for installation. So, there is no digging the ballast during installation or tamping following removal. Furthermore, the ease of attachment and removal allows it to be moved from one site to another quickly and efficiently. The system also comes with customized cradles for efficient transportation and storage. Michael Madden, President of North American Operations, told RT&S that “since its introduction to the North American market, an increasing number
of customers have chosen this method over other ways to protect their workers with some requiring it for working on their properties as it complies with FRA adjacent track protection requirements.” The barrier is available for both standard track and for 3rd rail. The 3rd rail application is specifically designed to protect railway workers from the hazards of working near tracks with energized third rails. With the unique design, it does not interfere with signaling or shunt. And, it does not affect any other operation of the railroad. The Tracksafe Barrier not only increases safety at the jobsite but also enhances productivity and efficiency. With a fixed inter-track barrier erected, railroad workers can continue their duties when trains are passing by on an adjacent rtands.com
Photo Credit: (L) Miller Ingenuity, Top (R) Miller Ingenuity, Bottom (R) Orgo-Thermit
By Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
SAFETY EQUIPMENT
Miller Ingenuity’s ZoneGuard
Orgo-Thermit’s Tracksafe Barrier
track. Moving to a predetermined place of safety is no longer necessary, which allows for continuous construction and a reduction in brief work stoppages. Looking for a protection system, railroads can turn to Miller Ingenuity’s ZoneGuard, which is an electronic roadway worker protection system that’s used to protect railway workers in active work zones as well as rail yards. By providing work crews with an advanced warning of approaching track vehicles, the system helps eliminate human error factors such as distractions, complacency, inexperience, and miscommunication that are frequent contributors to close calls and accidents. ZoneGuard includes a patented combination of diverse sensor technologies that rtands.com
work together to ensure track vehicles are detected consistently and accurately. Its proven accuracy helps eliminate the chance of false alerts that can wrongfully establish complacency among work crews. The ZoneGuard product line is f lexible and can be configured to a customer’s unique operating environment. It easily integrates with a railroad’s existing safety rules and procedures. Miller Ingenuity’s ZoneGuard product line consists of three products: portable kit, fixed system, and yard protection system. The portable kit is durable and lightweight enough to easily transport the equipment to every jobsite, and it can be set up in minutes. It is permanently installed and provides 24/7 train tracking capabilities with no configuration or
setup required. A representative for Miller Ingenuity told RT&S that the system is a “2023 winner of the REMSA Innovation Award and uses the setup from the fixed system to warn workers within a rail yard of any incoming track vehicles or cars being shoved into the facility.” The system is currently operating at Koppers’ Somerville, Texas plant. Train detectors set up on the property at the yard lead detect rail traffic coming from in or out of the yard. The system will only alert workers if traffic is entering the facility. Workers receive alerts from their wearable devices and the train alert modules mounted throughout the rail yard. These advanced warnings allow the workers to perform their jobs safely and more efficiently. December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 23
FRICTION MANAGEMENT
REDUCING RAIL WEAR 24 Railway Track & Structures // December 2023
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FRICTION MANAGEMENT
Extending wheel/rail life through friction management By Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Photo Credit: (L) LB Foster, (R) Loram Technologies
I
n The Art and Science of Rail Grinding, Allan Zarembski writes, “Rail wear is directly related to the loads and stresses. . . as well as to the wheelrail contact configuration itself.” The small surface area where the wheel and rail come into contact is a vital area of the rail maintenance market. LB Foster’s John Cotter, General Manager for Friction Management Americas, told RT&S that “Continuously improving Friction Management (FM) programs to maximize value in terms of fuel savings and extending rail life is important to freight railroads today.” He went on to say that “inf lation continues to be a significant factor for the railroads; with fuel being one of the railroads’ largest expenses, [and] our customers want to make sure that they’re maximizing their FM program uptime to maximize their fuel savings. In addition, a well-run FM program can help railroads achieve their SBTi emission reduction goals as well as reduce the track stresses which, from a safety perspective, can reduce track spreading and derailments. Customers are looking to improve program efficiency in their FM programs.” For this reason, interest in remote monitoring of lubrication and friction management equipment continues for validation of program performance. Cotter also stated that use of supplemental analysis tools, such as rail wear rate measurements, can also be used to validate performance. In addition, there has been increased interest in LB Foster’s TGA (Traction Gel Applicator) and ALLEVIATE technologies. The TGA is a trackside applicator that has been designed to pump a waterbased sand suspension onto the rail head to mitigate low adhesion conditions. The technology is used quite broadly in Europe to address low adhesion due to leaf fall and now is gaining “traction” in North America to address localized low adhesion issues in both transit and freight applications. The water-based ALLEVIATETM product has been formulated to minimize solids settling typically associated with utilizing a large (sand) particle size. This minimizes waste if excess inventory needs
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to be stored until the next fall season. Adverse wheel and rail interaction pose a threat to the life and performance of rail and rolling assets. Loram Technologies offers both gauge face and top of rail consumables in biodegradable, synthetic, and water-based versions. Loram Technologies’ gauge face lubricants are designed for transit or heavy haul applications, and are still pumpable in extremely low temperatures and are biodegradable. EcoCurve Heavy Haul is readily biodegradable, carries the European Ecolabel, and is suitable to use near bodies of water. It is a curve lubricant for freight applications. Rail King HL was developed in 2020 as an inherently biodegradable curve lubricant with essentially equal on-track performance to Heavy Haul at a lower cost per application. EcoCurve Trackside is also readily biodegradable and has found wide acceptance in the transit market worldwide. The top-of-rail friction modifiers are specifically designed for wayside applications, help reduce noise, extend rail and wheel life, and contribute to fuel savings. TOR-Extend is a clean synthetic friction modifier that has a low evaporation rate, uses less material per application versus competitive products, and has a carry distance of over six miles in most
applications. Loram Technologies tells RT&S that it “will be introducing a waterbased positive friction TORFM very soon [and to] expect to see a market introduction in early 2024.” It is readily biodegradable and addresses some of the shortcomings of other water-based products in the market today. TORFM technology continues to evolve and is a focus of its product development efforts. In 2022, Loram Technologies introduced a family of modular tank sizes from 25 gallon/200 lbs. to 200 gallon/1600 lbs. in carbon steel or stainless-steel configurations. These units are available for TOR or gauge face applications and can be solar or AC powered. Easy to maintain and install, the 25/200 tank size is the solution for low traffic areas like switching yards and industrial spurs and can also manage lower tonnage Class 1 mainlines and transit systems. The larger tank sizes are most popular for Class I mainline applications. Remote monitoring of wayside friction management systems continues to be of strong interest to most of our customers and is a technology whose time has come. Loram Technologies told RT&S it “has been and will continue to be on the leading edge of advancements in reliable wayside application equipment, gauge face, and top of rail consumables.”
Adverse wheel and rail interaction poses a threat to the life and performance of rail and rolling assets.
December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 25
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Message From The President
Get PDHs At Your Own Pace With Arema’s On Demand Education Access to important professional development content is just a few clicks away with AREMA Education. Our On Demand content spans many disciplines of PDH accredited courses that allow you to get your PDHs by learning from experts online without leaving your office. BENEFITS OF LEARNING ONLINE 1. LEARN MORE Studies show that participants learn more while taking On Demand courses as you can skim through the material you understand and take more time in the more challenging areas. 2. GET INSTANT ACCESS With AREMA On Demand courses, you don’t have to wait to learn and get your PDHs as they’re available instantly after purchase. 3. CONVENIENT AND FLEXIBLE Above all things, On Demand education is meant to take at your own pace and on your time. Study from anywhere in the world, whether from your office or the convenience of your sofa.
A
RAY VERRELLE AREMA President 2023-2024
s I mentioned in my September Article, I have spent most of my career in Railway Electrification and my AREMA career in Committee 33 – Electric Energy Utilization (C33) within the Passenger & Transit Functional Group. I thought it would be a good opportunity to focus an article on the mysterious world of Electrification. I will give a teaser covering the basics for those unfamiliar with and possibly considering pursuing a career in this engineering specialty. The use of electric power for the propulsion of trains has been around since the late 19th century. At the time of steam trains, it was the
only way to get passengers through tunnels and into urban areas without asphyxiating all the passengers. Electrification has its pros and cons. Pros include being environmentally friendly, higher efficiency, better acceleration, higher speeds, and a quieter operation. Some cons are high capital cost, higher maintenance costs, specialized personnel to maintain, and visually unappealing (although I doubt anyone from C33 would agree with that last point). In the interest of brevity, I will touch on the typical electrification system and the two main parts. Within the electrification system, there is the supply side which is the network of equipment in the substations that receives power from an outside source. This source transforms it to the proper voltage to deliver to the electric equipment. The delivery side takes the power from the supply side and provides it to the electric equipment via a current collector, either mounted on the roof of the equipment or the trucks, depending on the type of delivery system. Electrification System Overview (Supply and Delivery) There are essentially two delivery systems, third rail and overhead contact systems (OCS). The third rail system is exactly what the name implies, a conductive rail mounted on insulators that runs adjacent to one of the running rails at a specified distance, to allow
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Typical 3rd Rail Installation 26 Railway Track & Structures // December 2023
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Typical OCS Installation
Typical Substation the truck mounted current collector to draw its power and move the equipment. While this method seems straightforward, there are physical and electrical constraints that limit this application to shorter distances and lower speeds. Additional design considerations are necessary when navigating through special track work at interlockings to assure adequate current collection around all of the physical constraints within the interlocking. The OCS method of delivery is the preferred method for higher speeds and longer distances. The OCS is an arrangement of conductors suspended from structures along the right of way to provide a level riding surface for the roof-mounted current collector. The OCS closely follows the centerline of the track to conform to physical parameters of the current collector. There are also special OCS designs associated with the special track work at interlockings to assure continuous current collection. rtands.com
On the supply side, the power is taken from a utility company and transformed into the voltage required for the propulsion of the electric equipment via transformers (for AC systems) or rectifiers (for DC systems). The other electrical equipment in the substations such as circuit breakers, relays, switches, SCADA equipment, etc., provide means to monitor, protect and remotely control the power supply. While most people would assume this engineering specialty is exclusively for electrical engineers, the variety of components necessary to complete the electrification network requires design and construction expertise from various disciplines. Civil, Structural, Mechanical and Electrical engineering solutions are required to complete an electrification project. Engineers working on these types of projects often find themselves being pushed to learn and become proficient in engineering subjects outside of their main
Typical 3rd Rail Installation practice and expertise. The ability to continue to expand my knowledge and expertise is what attracted me, a structural engineer, to railway electrification. Going from foundation design, to steel design, then calculating mechanical and electrical clearances keeps someone like me, who gets bored easily, engaged and looking forward to the next challenge. There are also great opportunities to work closely with a variety of engineers with different specialties to solve unique engineering problems. The demand for electrification engineers is at an all-time high. Every railroad that operates electric equipment and the consultants that work with them are always looking for good OCS and Substation engineers. The opportunities are vast for new engineers entering the industry and for seasoned engineers who are looking for a new skill or challenge. Considering our country’s desire for better connectivity and environmentally friendly December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 27
modes of transportation, the future of electrification is brighter than ever. If this is something that has grabbed your attention, I would suggest taking AREMA’s online webinar “Railway Electrification-An Introduction and Overview”. This will give you more depth and perspective into the topic and give you an idea of whether this is a specialty to pursue. I would also suggest looking at Chapter 33 – Electrical Energy Utilization of the AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering. This chapter provides the recommended engineering practices for railway electrification. Topics include recommended voltages, clearances, design parameters, construction tolerances and much more. If you are serious about getting into this specialty, I would strongly suggest joining AREMA Technical Committee 33 to further explore the recommended practices and get the opportunity to work with some of the best and brightest in the industry. Feel free to reach out to Committee 33 leadership or me. Contact information is on the AREMA website. In closing, I would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Holiday Season.
FYI
Registration is open for the ARE MA 2024 2024 Sustainability & Resiliency Symposium will be held February 5-7, 2024, in Tampa, Florida. Save your seat and take part in this event now by sponsoring and showing of f why your company supports sustainability practices: https://srs24.arema.org/ Secure your recognition for the AREMA 2024 Annual Conference & Expo with your booth and sponsorship. Sales are open for the event being held in Lousiville, KY, September 15-18. Did you know we have a wide variety of On Demand education for learning on your time? Browse our most popular webinars, seminars, and Annual Conferences to earn your PDH credits on the go. Visit www.arema.org to start your On Demand learning today. Don’t miss out on the conversation happening in AREMA’s Member Forum. The Member Forum connects you with
other Members allowing you to send messages, start conversations, and more. See what everyone is talking about today: https://community.arema.org/home. If you’re looking for a podcast to binge, listen to AREMA’s Platform Chats. It features guests from every aspect of the railway industry. Available on all of your favorite listening services. Leverage the power of your trusted association’s Railway Careers Network to tap into a talent pool of job candidates with the training and education needed for long-term success. Visit www.arema. org/careers to post your job today.
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UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS 2023 MEETINGS DECEMBER 6 Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting
2024 MEETINGS
Committee 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations Committee 9 - Seismic Design for Railway Structures Committee 10 – Structures Maintenance & Construction Committee 15 - Steel Structures
JANUARY 3
Committee 28 - Clearances
Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting
MARCH 6
FEBRUARY 7 Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting *Tampa, FL - Meeting in conjunction with the AREMA 2024 Sustainability & Resiliency Symposium
Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting APRIL 3 Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting
FEBRUARY 8-9
APRIL 14
Committee 7 - Timber Structures
Committee 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems Orlando, FL
Join a technical committee
APRIL 14-16 Committee 12 - Rail Transit Orlando, FL APRIL 14-16 Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems Orlando/Ft. Lauderdale, FL MAY 1 Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting JUNE 5 Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting JULY 31 - AUGUST 1 Committee 7 - Timber Structures SEPTEMBER 15 Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems Louisville,KY
Joining a technical committee is the starting point for involvement in the Association and an opportunity for lifelong growth in the industry. AREMA has 30 technical committees covering a broad spectrum of railway engineering specialties. Build your network of contacts, sharpen your leadership skills, learn from other members and maximize your membership investment. If you’re interested in joining a technical committee or sitting in on a meeting as a guest, please contact Alayne Bell at abell@arema.org. For a complete list of all committee meetings, visit www.arema.org.
28 Railway Track & Structures // December 2023
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Committee 13 Meets in Welaka, Florida, thanks to CSX
Peter Masson, Vice Chair, AREMA Committee 13-Environmental
E
ARLIER this year, CSX was gracious enough to host our Committee 13 annual spring meeting at their Fish Camp in Welaka, Florida. If you have never had the privilege of being invited to the Fish Camp, you cannot imagine what you are missing out on. Nestled on the bank of the St. Johns River, the facility provides a unique location to better observe and understand this beautiful, sprawling Florida environment. Even some sixty miles upstream from the ocean, this river system is still brackish water and tidally influenced due to the flat topography of the state, resulting in a unique ecosystem that also happens to provide great bass fishing. Beyond the great food, amazing hosts, and the camaraderie of the fire pit, Committee 13 also managed to get a lot done during our spring meeting. The Environmental Committee for AREMA is dedicated to furthering a better understanding of environmental compliance and permitting for the engineers and project managers that make up the majority of AREMA. To that end, we reviewed the status of our Chapter 13 in the AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering, and we made plans rtands.com
to review and update the sections that are getting older as well as making plans for new sections, including transactional due diligence. We recently added a section on Canadian federal permitting, so if you are a railroad that operates in Canada, you should definitely check that out. While the meeting allowed us to review the activities of the various subcommittees – including our newly updated Technology subcommittee that will have some interesting ideas moving forward – our main focus of the meeting was sustainability in the railroad industry. Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) is having an ever-expanding influence on how railroads are run, and rightly so. Committee 13 is committed to helping our AREMA fellows better understand and incorporate sustainability into their operations. Over the rest of 2023 and into the new year, watch for additional efforts and training opportunities that will be hosted by Committee 13 and focused on ESG. We have big things coming in 2024 for AREMA to help foster an even greater appreciation for the benefits of a sustainable approach to railroad operations. Watch for more information to come out soon.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Notice to all members of AREMA T h e 2 0 2 3 -2 0 2 4 N o m i n a t i n g Committee, under the Chairmanship of Immediate Past President Trent M. Hudak, hereby solicits suggestions and recommendations of candidates to serve on the AREMA Functional Group Board of Directors in the following positions: All must be members of AREMA in good standing • One (1) Senior Vice President – one-year term Must be a current or past member of the AREMA Board of Directors, and must be employed by a railway or transit company. • One (1) Functional Group Vice President – three-year term (Engineering Services) Must be current or past member of the AREMA Board of Directors. • Five (5) Functional Groups will have a vacancy to be filled in the Functional Group Director positions – three-year terms (Communications, Signals & Information Technology, Maintenance-of-Way, Passenger & Transit, Structures, Track) Nominating recommendation should be submitted via email and should include all documentation to substantiate the recommendation. This must be signed by the member making the recommendation. Deadline for Receipt of Recommendations is January 31, 2024. The Nominating Committee will consider all recommendations. Submission of a recommendation should not be construed as affirmative Committee action on that recommendation. Please email to: Trent M. Hudak Nominating Committee Chair info@arema.org
December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 29
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December 2023 // Railway Track & Structures 31
FROM THE DOME
Women In Rail Progress, But a Long Way to Go By David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
I
was fortunate to participate in the Railway Age/Railway Track and Structures “Women in Rail” conference in Chicago on November 2. Three of my colleagues, Railway Age Executive Editor Marybeth Luczak and Senior Editor Carolina Worrell, along with Railway Track and Structures Managing Editor Jennifer McLawhorn, and several colleagues in the rail industry, did the heavy lifting in preparing and presenting the content of this conference, and we have received good feedback on the quality and usefulness of the event. I came away from the conference with a lot of positive examples of women who have been successful in the railroad industry in all types of jobs and at all levels. To learn who some of them are, all you need to do is read the special articles both magazines have had on leading women in rail over the past few years. Railway Age focuses women from all areas of the industry, and Railway Track & Structures showcases the accomplishments of those in rail engineering. Importantly, I’m glad to point out that two of North America’s Class I CEOs are women. For me, one of the highlights of the conference was the open and honest dialogue between the audience and members of the panels that covered the various topics. The transparency demonstrated by participants revealed some wonderful examples of strong accomplishments among women in the industry, and that there has been significant progress toward inclusion of women. Yet, there were also experiences shared by some that reminded everyone that women are often not treated with the respect they deserve, and that efforts to attract women to the industry must be strengthened. First, please understand that I’d rather not devote the bulk of the column to negative experiences. However, I believe looking at the situation through rose colored glasses doesn’t help anyone and certainly doesn’t promote continued progress in attracting talented women to
32 Railway Track & Structures // December 2023
the industry. And those who create those negative experiences, frankly –– men –– need to up their game and shed views and biases from the past. Of course, this does not include all men in the rail industry. I imagine that many men in the industry look upon their women colleagues with respect, admiring and supporting the work they do. Nevertheless, I heard some surprising experiences offered to the audience during open discussion, as well as remarks made privately. One of the first was that women comprise only 7% to 9% of the rail workforce, which was surprisingly low, to me at least. Here are experiences of some women that blew me away:
THE TRANSPARENCY DEMONSTRATED BY PARTICIPANTS REVEALED SOME WONDERFUL EXAMPLES OF STRONG ACCOMPLISHMENTS AMONG WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY, AND THAT THERE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS TOWARD INCLUSION OF WOMEN. • When introduced to her male colleagues on the first day of employment, one of them remarked “Oh, another wench to help us run the railroad;” • While in engineering school, the professor in one of her classes said: “This class is the one that separates the girls from the boys;” • During a discussion between a male and female employee where the woman was “courteously aggressive,” her male colleague said “Look – your women’s lib stuff isn’t going to work here.” • Not that it’s much consolation, but
one attendee told a story about rudeness and disrespect shown to her by a male colleague as soon as she arrived on the job. After several months of dealing with this harsh treatment, the male colleague said: “You probably know that when you arrived in this job, I didn’t want you here. I must say, though, that you stepped up, learned your job, and you do it well.” Well, that last remark engenders the old saying when paying someone a very lukewarm compliment or even a smart aleck answer: “Well, give the dog a bone.” I doubt that this remark by the male colleague did much, if anything, to make up for all the abuse she had endured to that point. Some could reasonably ask: “Well, David, you’re a man, are you telling me that you’ve never felt this way toward women in the workplace?” My answer is an unequivocal “NO – I’ve never felt this way.” For those who may be a little fuzzy on the meaning of “unequivocal,” the dictionary says it means “absolute; unqualified; not subject to conditions or exceptions.” I’m not saying this to toot my horn or to act as though I’m “above” men who are disrespectful of women in life or in the workplace. It’s just difficult for me to understand how any man could feel or act this way. It’s just plain wrong. I know this issue is not unique to the railroad industry. Unfortunately, it’s something women face in multiple areas of our society. Corporate America can assume a prominent role in eradicating this wretched behavior. However, leadership in our homes, schools, and other places is a big part of what’s required to enable women to achieve parity in the workplace. Let me reiterate that the Women in Rail conference was a wonderful and well-executed event. It put women’s accomplishments in railroading in the spotlight and celebrated their achievements. The conference also confronted some difficult issues forthrightly. Moreover, I believe it motivated most in attendance to put their rose-colored glasses in a drawer. rtands.com
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