RTS February 2024

EXAMINING AUTONOMOUS

TRACK GEOMETRY TESTING

FEBRUARY 2024 | WWW.RTANDS.COM

ALSO: MXV RAIL RESEARCH

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RAIL GRINDING AND MILLING

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 1

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CONTENTS

February 2024

13

COLUMNS

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

Notebook 3 Editor’s Cold Weather

Rail 4 MxV Nondestructive Evaluation of

13

the Dome 28 From Trouble Along the Surf

Joint Bar using Ultrasonics

9

A Deeper Look Tackling Fatigue Defects in Steel

23 AREMA Message from the President Cover Story: Autonomous Track Geometry Testing

Wheel-Rail Interaction Examining Autonomous Track Geometry Testing and Instrumented Revenue Vehicle Technology

19

Vendor-Product Spotlight Rail Grinding and Milling

For story, see p. 13

9 Follow Us On Social Media @RTSMag

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February 2024 // Railway Track & Structures 1

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EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Cold Weather Vol. 120, No. 2 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

I

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

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

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com/graja

MARY CONYERS Production Director

read a headline recently that said, “Winter Has Lost Its Bite,” referring to the relatively mild winters most of the United States has experienced over the past few years. Just as that headline was published, here comes one of the harshest winters in years, with extremely cold temperatures, snow, ice, high winds, and even flooding in some areas. As of this writing toward the end of January, nearly 60 people have died from the storms. In Atlanta, where I live, we’ve experienced several nighttime low temperatures near 15 degrees and daytime highs in the 30s. While certainly not as bad as in other parts of the country, it demonstrates that the Gateway to the South is not the year-round tropical paradise that some believe it to be.

This is a good time to give a shout out to those in the railroad industry who regularly work outdoors. All the elements of winter listed earlier have made outdoor railroaders work much more challenging than normal.

Not only have the cold temperatures and precipitation been very tough to deal with, but it also becomes more difficult to run a safe railroad in these conditions. Extra care must be taken to ensure that locomotive and car steps are not covered with ice, and the same concern exists on the ground, whether its ballast or pavement. Also, air hoses must be checked to ensure the cold air has not caused the hose to shrink and leak air, reducing the effectiveness of the train’s brake system.

Even though railroaders are equipped with the best protective outdoor gear that money can buy, it’s still no picnic to be riding on the front of a locomotive in sub-zero temperatures with wind and snow blowing in your face. Dr. Aryan Shiari, a pulmonologist with

Mayo Clinic Health System, says on the Mayo website(https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/ discussion/is-the-extreme-cold-bad-for-yourlungs/) that “the cold dry air can enter your lungs and cause irritation, leading to bronchospasm that could cause that tightening sensation of the chest. Your lungs themselves will unlikely freeze.” He adds that “You may experience discomfort or even a burning sensation from breathing in those bitter cold temperatures. That’s common.” Frostbite is another risk of working in these conditions.

(Please note: I nor anyone at Simmons-Boardman is qualified to give medical advice, and the information above is not offered as such.

So, if you have questions about the impact of cold air on your lungs or any part of your body, please check with your doctor or medical professional. DCL ) One of the hallmarks of being a railroader who must work outside is that, with some exceptions, there are not a great many professions that require this. Sure, there are some, but one could argue that with railroading, the safety requirements of simply working on the railroad and the added safety requirements of doing so in the cold weather, deserve special recognition by colleagues and the railroad press. To those railroaders fighting the bitter cold this winter, please be careful and safe.

Your families and loved ones are waiting for you at home.

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.

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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.

February 2024 // Railway Track & Structures 3

MxV RAIL

Nondestructive Evaluation of Joint Bar using Ultrasonics A Review of Ultrasonic Testing of Joint Bars

(a)

Anish Poudel, PhD – Principal Investigator II (NDT) MxV Rail, Pueblo, CO

I

n June 2021, MxV Rail began a collaborative effort with the University of Missouri to investigate which non-contact ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods would be feasible when inspecting railroad joint bars for internal fatigue defects.

The end goal of this effort is to help facilitate the development of an automated in-motion non-contact ultrasonic testing (UT) solution to inspect joint bars in the revenue service environment.

Despite the complex geometry of joint bars, laboratory proof-of-concept testing in an immersion water tank showed that noncontact ultrasonic NDE methods could reliably identify reflectors in joint bars. Testing indicated that a 5-MHz ultrasonic transducer launching a 45-degree shear wave (S-wave) provided the best sensitivity for detecting manufactured defects. However, the test results for a joint bar with a naturally occurring crack produced a much lower signal-tonoise-ratio (SNR) than the manufactured reflectors (on the order of -20 dB for a 2.25 MHz probe), meaning cracks would be more difficult to find. Performance differences between water-coupled and air-coupled noncontact UT testing must be quantified in future work.

Background Rail joints are frequently used to join rail sections that are not welded, and bolted connections are used for temporary repairs.

Additionally, insulated rail joints are installed to isolate the electric current for signaling reasons. The dominant failure modes for joint bars include top center cracks and breaks between the middle two bolt holes on standard design joint bars or complete quarter breaks outside the central two bolt holes on

4 Railway Track & Structures // February 2024

(b)

(c)

Figure 1. Cracked joint bar metallographic analysis: (a) contrast enhanced magnetic particle testing results showing top-center transverse cracking extending to the web; (b) macro-etched image of the broken bar; and (c) SEM image near the fracture origin of the joint bar showing deformations

the long toe (angle) bars.

While rail joint bar failures are not one of the leading causes of track-related accidents, according to industry safety records and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) safety statistics, they represent a category of failures that can increase with the traffic rate.

One of several existing automated methodologies for inspecting joint bars is a machine vision system (MVS) that uses multiple highresolution cameras to acquire and analyze images, making it easier to identify and report cracks exposed to the surface. However, while this approach has proven effective for finding broken joint bars, it cannot find internal defects or detect cracks that are exposed to the surface but are visually obscured.

The UT method is an effective and wellproven technology for detecting internal defects in rails and other materials. Various techniques exist for implementing the UT NDE method, but joint bars present a challenging and complex geometry because their surfaces are not parallel—a condition commonly encountered when inspecting other complex structures and components.

MxV Rail evaluated 32 defective joint bars obtained from a Class I railroad, including joint bars for 115RE and 141RE rails. Among the joint bars analyzed, the most prominent failures observed were the multiple transverse cracks that occurred on the center of the joint bar head. In some cases, these cracks extended across the top head of the joint bar and down both sides to the web, as shown in Figure 1a.

The metallurgical analysis of these transverse cracks is shown in Figures 1b and c. When the crack in this specimen was opened and the failed surface was examined, fatigue was observed as the predominant failure mode.

Non-Contact Ultrasonic Method Development Test samples with representative flaws and reflectors of known size in the joint bar specimens allowed us to develop a proper NDE method and application. Three joint bar specimens were considered to develop the non-contact UT NDE method: one machined joint bar calibration (JBC) specimen and two full cross-section bar specimens. The JBC specimen was machined from the actual joint rtands.com

MxV RAIL

bar to form a 0.59-inch-thick rectangular flat plate. Three 1/16-inch side-drilled holes (SDH) were drilled at depths of 0.75 inch (A), 1.75 inches (B), and 2.75 inches (C) from the specimen’s top surface, 4.5 inches, 6.5 inches, and 10.5 inches from one of the ends, respectively. One full cross-section bar (JB-1) consisted of several 1/16-inch diameter SDHs drilled at different depths and two notches on the head and foot of the joint bar, as shown in Figure 2. A second full cross-section bar (JB-2) consisted of top center cracking in the head of the joint bar that extended to the web (similar to the specimen shown in Figure 1a).

The laboratory experiments were conducted using an automated immersion ultrasonic system, with unfocused 0.5-inch immersion transducers operating at 2.25 and 5.0 MHz. Figure 3 shows the experimental setup of the joint bars analyzed using the immersion UT approach. In the immersion UT non-contact setup, the transducer was located above the top of the joint bar and directly over the web so that ultrasonic waves would be introduced through the top surface of the joint bar and then propagated at the desired angle and location. For most of the targets, launching waves from directly above the top flange of the joint bar specimen (LP-A) was sufficiently effective (Figure 2b). However, because Target I was located below the bolt hole, it was not possible to detect a target at this position from the top surface because the bolt hole shadowed it. For this reason, LP-B was used to measure the response from Target I. The LP-C configuration was used for Target J, which was located on the bottom of the joint bar flange.

Results and Discussions The acoustic properties of the joint bar materials were first evaluated using a JBC specimen.

The joint bar material exhibited relatively low attenuation, and multiple echoes could be obtained using normal beam test parameters.

Average longitudinal wave (L-Wave) and shear wave (S-Wave) velocities determined were 5,971 m/s and 3,253.5 m/s, respectively, similar to standard rail steel wave velocities.

Additional tests were conducted in the JBC sample to determine the best wave modes 1) for reliable flaw detection and 2) for the coverage of different wave modes in the joint bars.

These test results showed that the 45-degree S-wave angle beam approach provided complete depth coverage of the cross section, with less interference from the bolt holes located at the mid-depth of the joint bars.

Also, the 60- and 70-degree S-wave inspection produced more significant ultrasonic signal losses than the 45-degree S-wave inspection. rtands.com

Center cracking in the JB-2 sample was detected using 45-, 60-, and 70-degree S-waves at 2.25 and 5 MHz. The crack in specimen JB-2 was also detected using a surface wave approach, which uses guided ultrasonic waves that propagate along the surface of a material, rather than penetrate the bulk of the material. One of the advantages of using

the surface wave method is that the waves can propagate over large areas, allowing for inspections of these areas without the need for extensive scanning. However, the reflection amplitude of the surface wave for the naturally occurring crack was much smaller than for the machined notch (on the order of -20 dB for a probe frequency of 2.25 MHz). The

(a)

(b)

Figure 2. JB-1 sample: (a) Engineering drawing; (b) Fabricated sample showing reflectors and different ultrasonic launch points

Figure 3. Immersion UT laboratory test setup of joint bar specimens

February 2024 // Railway Track & Structures 5

MxV RAIL

(a)

Figure 4. 2.25 MHz surface wave B-scan results: (a) Machined slot in JB-1

signal produced from the 5 MHz probes was much smaller than the signal produced by the 2.25 MHz probe, and it was difficult to separate the signal from the noise level. It is unknown why a 5 MHz produced a smaller response than a 2.25 MHz probe for the surface wave approach; this will be considered and explored in future research to improve the signal and make crack detection on the surface more reliable. Figure 4 shows the B-scan results obtained for the machined slot and the naturally occurring crack using a 2.25 MHz transducer.

The work reported in this phase explored the feasibility of using non-contact UT measurements for joint bar inspection. Test results showed that a 5 MHz probe launching a 45-degree S-wave would cover a substantial portion of a joint bar. Higher refracted angles demonstrated the capability of detecting SDH in different portions of the joint bars but with reduced sensitivity relative to the 45-degree refracted S-wave angle. Both 2.25 MHz and 5 MHz test frequencies were effective, with expected increased attenuation for the 5 MHz frequency. The reflection amplitude of the naturally occurring crack was

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MxV RAIL

much smaller than for the machined notch.

Based on this testing, it is proposed that the 45-degree refracted shear and surface waves be used, assuming that an in-motion, rapid inspection is desired and that two non-contact ultrasonic transducers will be used to inspect the joint bar. One transducer would launch 45-degree S-waves to provide crack detection through the depth of the joint bar in the web area, and the second transducer would launch a surface wave to provide coverage for the top center and quarter cracking that initiates at the top surface of the joint bar.

(b)

Future Work Future work will build upon the success of the feasibility study conducted in this phase and will focus on gaining a broader understanding of using the surface wave approach since it can cover larger surface areas. MxV Rail will also conduct studies to determine and quantify the performance differences between water-coupled and air-coupled non-contact UT testing in joint bars, as it is expected that the performance of the UT system will vary between these two approaches.

Figure 4. (b) center cracking in JB-2

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A DEEPER LOOK

Photo Credit: David C. Lester

TACKLING FATIGUE DEFECTS

IN STEEL S teel is one of the most important materials ever developed.

Its many and varied alloys are widely used as a primary structural material where strength, ductility, toughness, and hardness must be provided at specified levels of reliability.

Steel can be produced cost-effectively even in very large volumes—enough to build some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, longest bridges, and largest railway networks. Steel is among the materials

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considered infinitely recyclable—recyclable over and over again without any loss of quality. In fact, steels used today in railway rails, railway wheels, and railway bridges are largely produced from recycled scrap that is remelted in electric-arc furnaces. Increasingly, these furnaces and all subsequent steel processing stages are powered using renewable energy sources.

Steel as a constructional material was introduced in the mid 1850s when the

Bessemer process was being perfected to produce reliably acceptable steel in large volumes. The first steel railway rails were installed in England in the late 1850s. The first steel bridge, the Eads Bridge, crossing the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri, was dedicated on the Fourth of July 1874 and is still in use today. The first steel skyscraper, the Rand McNally Building in Chicago, Illinois, was completed in 1889.

Over the 170 years that steel alloys February 2024 // Railway Track & Structures 9

A DEEPER LOOK

Figure 1. Schematic drawing of a cyclic stress history on a fatigue test specimen. The five essential characteristics of the stress history are labeled on the drawing: maximum stress, minimum stress, mean stress, stress amplitude, and stress range. (Courtesy: Gary T. Fry)

have been used as structural materials, we have learned that fatigue crack defects can form under repeated loads. This is true even in steels of the highest possible quality subjected to loading that is well below any apparent material fracture strength. Failure of a component after successfully applying many thousands of seemingly safe loads is probably the most vexing aspect of metal fatigue. Let’s take a deeper look at tackling fatigue defects in steel.

Prior to steel being introduced as a structural material, fatigue failures were observed in iron chain hoists used in German mining operations in the 1820s. The failures were characterized as the metal becoming “tired” and weakened after repeated applications of

loads that were considered safe. In the late 1860s, German railway engineer August Wöhler spent a few years investigating steel railway axle failures and performed meticulous repeated load tests on samples of the metal—axle steel from Krupp Steelworks (Wöhler 1870).

Prior to publishing his results, Wöhler had presented his work in a small display at the 1867 Paris Exhibition. In addition, the producer of the steel that he tested, Krupp Steelworks—one of the world’s largest producers of steel at the time— had impressive displays at the exhibition and won a grand prize for their unique approaches to steel production.

Though Wöhler did not receive any awards for his display, he did receive substantial recognition in the form of

Nominal Bending Stress in a Revolving Axle (ksi) Maximum Stress

Minimum Stress

Number of Revolutions before Failure

45.0

-45.0

55,100

38.5

-38.5

127,775

36.5

-36.5

797,525

34.3

-34.3

642,675

34.3

-34.3

1,665,580

34.3

-34.3

3,114,160

32.0

-32.0

4,163,375

32.0

-32.0

45,050,640

Table 1. Data from Wöhler’s Original 1867 “Rotating Beam” Fatigue Tests (Krupp’s Axle Steel, Tensile Strength Varying from 94 ksi to 110 ksi) (Courtesy: Gary T. Fry) 10 Railway Track & Structures // February 2024

an article in a relatively new periodical: Engineering: An Illustrated Weekly Journal. Of some coincidental interest, the periodical was originally funded

by Henry Bessemer, the inventor of the Bessemer process for steel production.

The article ended with a prediction.

M. Wöhler’s modest [display] may have been overlooked by ninety-nine out of every hundred professional visitors to the Exhibition, yet we believe ourselves justified in saying that his scientific and patient experiments will be referred to long after the majority of those things which have drawn a shower of medals and ribbons upon themselves at present will be dismissed and forgotten (Colburn 1867).

Indeed, 160 years after those prescient words were written, Wöhler’s work is recognized today as the origin of the modern field of fatigue mechanics. Most notably, Wöhler was the first person to recognize that the range of applied stress cycles (calculated as maximum applied stress minus minimum applied stress) is the primary driver of fatigue failure in metal. Figure 1 illustrates a stress time history applied to a component under uniaxial loading. This stress history is similar in form to the loadings Wöhler applied to his test specimens.

In Figure 1, the cyclic stress follows a sinusoidal curve through time and oscillates through a constant range between a minimum stress and a maximum stress. We refer to this type of loading as constant amplitude fatigue. Figure rtands.com

A DEEPER LOOK

Figure 2. Wöhler Diagram of Wöhler’s original “rotating beam” fatigue tests of axle steel from 1867. Both axes are scaled logarithmically—base 10. The blue trend line is a “best fit” exponential curve. (Courtesy: Gary T. Fry)

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February 2024 // Railway Track & Structures 11

A DEEPER LOOK

1 illustrates the five essential features of a constant amplitude stress history: maximum stress, minimum stress, mean stress, stress amplitude, and most importantly, stress range.

A certain type of plot of fatigue test results is often called a Wöhler Diagram.

The data for a Wöhler Diagram are the results from constant amplitude fatigue tests during which the mean stress is zero—maximum stress and minimum stress have the same value but opposite sense. The test specimens are nominally identical. For example, Table 1 lists data from one of Wöhler’s original 1867 test series using axle steel from Krupp Steelworks (Wöhler 1870). In this case, a special apparatus designed by Wöhler was used to spin the test specimen while simultaneously applying a constant bending moment—a loading very similar to the loading condition of a railway axle in service.

Figure 2 is a Wöhler Diagram of the data in Table 1. The vertical axis is the stress amplitude, and the horizontal axis is the number of cycles applied that caused failure of the test specimen. It is customary for both axes to be scaled logarithmically—base 10.

With this information, we are in a rudimentary position to tackle the problem of fatigue defects in axles made from the steel that Wöhler tested. Suppose we would like the axles to be able to travel 1,000,000 miles under full load with an acceptably low risk of failing in fatigue, say 1 in 100,000. One way to meet these two targets is to select an appropriate stress amplitude and design the axle so that its maximum bending stress under load does not exceed the selected stress

12 Railway Track & Structures // February 2024

amplitude.

If we assume 36-in. diameter wheels on the rolling stock, the axles must survive 560,000,000 revolutions. Applying basic regression statistics to Wöhler’s data and extrapolating to the target fatigue life of 560,000,000 revolutions, the maximum bending stress in the axle must not exceed 20 ksi. At this value, about one-fifth of the ultimate tensile strength of the steel, fewer than 1 in 100,000 axles will fail to reach 1,000,000 miles of loaded service.

Although a simple example, it does illustrate many of the essential features of fatigue design problems.

Since those early days of Wöhler’s inspired work, 160 years of intensive research have greatly improved our understanding of fatigue in metal alloys and other material systems, including timber, various fiber composites, soldered connections in electronics, and more. Detailed models exist that accurately quantify fatigue damage accumulation in these material systems under complex loading conditions, including variable amplitude environmental loadings associated with earthquakes, wind, and waves. Advanced imaging systems are available to inspect fatigue-prone components for the presence of nascent fatigue defects.

Despite the considerable advances, fatigue failures still occur. There remain many research questions and opportunities to develop enhanced fatigue mitigation strategies. But perhaps there is a greater need for basic education and vigilance. Tackling fatigue defects in steel means implementing best practices and being open to lessons learned, even those from the very distant past.

References Colburn, Zerah (editor).

1867.

“Wöhler’s Experiments on the Strength of Metals.” Enginering: An Illustrated Weekly Journal. Vol. 4: pp. 160-161.

London.

Wöhler, A. 1870. “Über die Festigkeitsversuche mit Eisen und Stahl.”

Zeitschrift für Bauwesen. Vol. 20: pp.

73-106.

Dr. Fry is the Vice President of Fry Technical Services, Inc. ( h t t p s : // w w w. frytechservices. com/). He has 30 years of experience in research and consulting on the fatigue and fracture behavior of structural metals and weldments.

His research results have been incorporated into international codes of practice used in the design of structural components and systems including structural welds, railway and highway bridges, and high-rise commercial buildings in seismic risk zones. He has extensive experience performing in situ testing of railway bridges under live loading of trains, including highspeed passenger trains and heavy-axleload freight trains.

His research, publications, and consulting have advanced the state of the art in structural health monitoring and structural impairment detection.

rtands.com

AUTONOMOUS TRACK GEOMETRY TESTING

Brad Kerchof wasted no time, kicking off the 2022 Wheel/Rail Interaction conference with the $64-million-dollar question: “What is the most controversial and consequential legislative initiative before the FRA regarding the freight industry right now?”

Brad Kerchof, Senior Track Engineer at Advanced Rail Management/Global Rail Group

Examining Autonomous Track Geometry Testing and Instrumented Revenue Vehicle Technology A pair of speakers from different continents discussed the benefits of autonomous track geometry collection and the advantages of monitoring revenue-service vehicles’ response to track conditions at the 2022 Wheel/Rail Interaction Conference. Development and the rate of implementation is ongoing.

Photo Credit: Mike Yuhas

K

erchof, Senior Track Engineer at Advanced Rail Management/Global Rail Group, and former Director of Research and Tests at Norfolk Southern, then provided the answer: requiring trains be operated with two people in the locomotive cab. He followed up by asking, “What is the most consequential initiative impacts engineering departments?” His answer : Can autonomous track geometry testing replace traditional manual track inspection?

Kerchof laid some groundwork and covered the fundamentals of track inspection before coming up with answers. Manual or visual track inspection is done by a person either walking the track or riding in a hi-rail vehicle, he said.

rtands.com

By Bob Tuzik

Two types of vehicle-mounted technology that measure various track geometry parameters have evolved over the years: manned geometry cars, which are staffed with a track geometry engineer and maintenance-of-way people, and, more recently, autonomous, or unmanned, systems that operate within a train consist.

Automated systems measure or evaluate standard geometry parameters, such as gauge, curvature, crosslevel, surface, and alignment. The more sophisticated systems can also measure rail profiles and wear. Machine vision systems, which look at the condition of the rail running surface, fasteners, joint bars, and clearances, are also in use.

In 2018, BNSF proposed a new operational

approach to track inspection. The concept was to increase the frequency of automated track inspections using autonomous vehicles, then decrease the frequency of manual inspections.

Part of the concept’s evaluation would be to determine the most effective combination of those two inspection methods. To facilitate a revenue service test, BNSF petitioned the FRA for a temporary suspension of a part of the Track Safety Standards governing track inspection.

The other large Class 1s followed.

FRA authorizes a ‘temporary suspension’ to allow railroads to not comply with a specific part of the Track Safety Standards in order to perform a test. The timeline is defined and limited. An FRA ‘waiver of compliance’ allows February 2024 // Railway Track & Structures 13

AUTONOMOUS TRACK GEOMETRY TESTING

Boxcar-mounted autonomous geometry systems are finding increasing acceptance on Class 1 railways.

a railroad to not comply with a specific part of the TSS over a longer period — one that does not necessarily have a specified end date. “We tend to use the terms ‘temporary suspension’ and ‘waiver’ interchangeably, but in FRA parlance, there is a significant difference between them,” Kerchof said. In both cases, FRA’s ongoing approval is often dependent upon the railroad meeting specific performance requirements.

Railroads have invested heavily in autonomous testing. BNSF, which tests more miles than anybody else, has four passenger coaches dedicated to autonomous testing. While the passenger coaches are unmanned, they are part of a dedicated train consist with a locomotive with a train crew. Other railroads do it differently. NS mounts autonomous equipment on revenue-service locomotives. CN uses the Ensco-developed automated systems mounted in boxcars that operate in revenue service. CSX and CP also employ the box car systems. UP uses both box car- and locomotive-mounted systems. (As of 2023, there were approximately 35 autonomous geometry testing systems in operation on North American freight railroads.

Of these systems, 77% were in boxcars, 14% were on locomotives, and 14% were on refurbished passenger cars. Every Class 1 railroad operates one type or another.)

While railroads can perform autonomous testing without FRA approval, they cannot reduce the number of manual inspections that are required without FRA approval. An FRA suspension or waiver is required to supersede FRA safety standards. “The pertinent part of Part 213 (Subpart F – Inspection) of the FRA track safety standards requires that Class 4 and 5 tracks, and certain Class 3 tracks, have twiceweekly manual inspections,” Kerchof said. “A second provision requires that the inspector either walk or ride over every main track once every two weeks and sidings once a month.”

14 Railway Track & Structures // February 2024

During the petition process, railroads justified the automated operational approach to FRA by touting its safety benefits, essentially saying that: • Automated testing is more effective than manual inspections at finding geometry exceptions.

• More frequent automated inspections means that geometry defects will be found sooner (and exist in track for a shorter period).

• Using geometry data to find conditions that are getting close to defect level means they can be repaired before they become defects (a process known as “preventative intervention”).

Boxcar-mounted autonomous geometry systems are finding increasing acceptance on Class 1 railways.

Decades of automated track geometry collection have shown that automated testing is more effective than manual inspections. “I think everybody agrees with that,” Kerchof said. “Geometry cars take measurements every foot. Measurements are more precise and, unlike manual/visual inspections, are taken under load.”

Other benefits and justifications for autonomous measurement include: • Additional safety considerations: Reduced exposure to on-track accidents (with trains and vehicles at grade crossings) due to fewer hi-rail and walking inspections.

• Improved track maintenance: Resources can be deployed more effectively - inspectors can spend more time fixing exceptions rather than conducting inspections.

“With this approach, finders become fixers,” Kerchof said. “Inspectors can spend more time fixing defects rather than conducting redundant inspections that are driven by regulatory compliance, but do not add value.”

• Improved operations efficiency: Fewer inspection trips means less interference with trains and improved network fluidity. “From the point of view of the train dispatcher, a track inspector often represents unnecessary interference on a busy mainline,” Kerchof said. And once the track inspector secures track time, he is motivated to get on track and to his destination as quickly as possible. “So, you can comply with the regulation, but the quality of your inspection is not as good as it really needs to be, in many cases.”

While not extensive, there is precedent for using automated inspections in place of manual inspections. Since 1975, the Long Island Railroad has operated under a waiver that allows a single weekly walking inspection while performing quarterly automated geometry inspections.

Making The Case Did anyone argue against the FRA granting a temporary suspension of track inspection regulations?

Rail labor (BMWED & BRS) made two arguments. The first was that inspectors look for conditions that autonomous geometry cars do not, such as drainage and vegetation problems, defective rails, stripped joints, broken joint bars, sub-standard ballast and tie conditions, worn and broken switch points and frogs, and missing and broken fasteners. Labor also argued that geometry defects can develop quickly, sometimes in between twice-a-week inspections, which can be a problem if automated tests are made weekly or less frequently.

An important consideration that rail labor did not mention: Jobs. Of course, railroads didn’t discuss the potential for work-force reductions associated with fewer manual inspections in their application process, either. And while the desire to ‘turn finders into fixers’ may be legitimate, Kerchof said, “if there’s an opportunity to reduce headcount, it’ll happen.”

How did FRA and railroads agree to measure performance? Consider these two concepts: An unprotected defect and a baseline number of defects. An unprotected defect is a condition requiring immediate remedial action, either repair or slow order. “A good way of defining an unprotected defect is to describe what an unprotected defect is not,” Kerchof said. A defect found during an earlier inspection and properly slow ordered is not considered an unprotected defect for subsequent inspections. The baseline is the number of unprotected defects found by an automated geometry car at the start of the test program. Both of these measurements (or metrics) are normalized to defects per 100 miles.

The object is to monitor the unprotected defect rtands.com

AUTONOMOUS TRACK GEOMETRY TESTING

rate as the test progresses. “If the unprotected defect rate declines during the course of the test, we’re enhancing safety and we can call our test a success,” he said.

A second measure of performance is a two or more class drop, which BNSF has used to great effect. “Let’s say, for example, a variation of crosslevel defect of 1.85 inches over 62 feet is detected on Class 5 track. When the system looks at the exception limits for Classes 3, 4, and 5, it would show that a deviation of 1.85 inches would comply with Class 3, but would show as an exception for Classes 4 and 5. The remedial action would be a Class 3 slow order, which represents a multi-classdrop,” Kerchof explained.

A multi-class drop is considered to be a more severe defect than one requiring only a one-class drop. BNSF touted the reduction in multi-class drops as an indicator of the success of their autonomous testing program and mentioned this achievement in their waiver request to the FRA. BNSF reported achieving zero multi-class drop defects along their waiver routes during a two-month period in early 2002, something they had never done before.

“It’s likely that when FRA finally does end up with enabling legislation for this initiative a number of years from now, it will have two metrics,” Kerchof said. “One will be unprotected defects per mile. The other will be multi-classdrop defects per mile.”

NS manages its locomotive-mounted autonomous track geometry data by sending class 4 exceptions, along with 1,000 feet of track data, to the office by modem. Defects that are validated by the track geometry staff are emailed to the responsible field personnel. NS’s commitment to the FRA was to do all of this within 24 hours.

Class 1 RR corridors on which waivers for autonomous testing have been granted. NS test program is complete. CN, CP, CSX, and UP test programs ended on Nov 23, 2022. BNSF has two long-term waivers that are ongoing. Source: RSAC Track Safety Standards working group presentation, 4-12-22.

Phased implementation is an important concept for how this program has been executed on the Class 1s. At NS, phase one was scheduled to last three months. “We committed to maintaining our twice-weekly manual inspections, our monthly walking turnout and joint inspections, and to inspecting autonomously three times a month on main lines and one time a month on sidings. During those three months, we would establish our baseline defect rate. During phase two, which would be the next three months, we reduced our manual inspections to once a week. The monthly walking turnout and joint inspections remained, and our rtands.com

autonomous testing continued at three times a month on mains, once on sidings. Then, we compared our more-recent defect rate to the baseline and if we showed an improvement — a decrease in defect rate — we would seek permission to proceed to phase three,” Kerchof said.

“We succeeded in reducing our defect rate.”

During phase three, which lasted six months, manual inspections were reduced to twice a month. “That’s once every two weeks that a guy rides his territory in his hi-rail truck,” he said. Everything else on NS stayed the same, i.e., monthly inspections of turnouts and joints and frequency of automated testing. “If the automated schedule could not be met, and a track or siding in multiple-track territory was missed, or if there was a problem with the equipment or data, manual inspections would resume per the track safety standards until the automated system could again meet the required schedule,” he said.

From there, the idea was to again compare the defect rate to the baseline and, if there was continued improvement, to ask FRA for an extension of phase three. NS made such a request and was granted an extension through September 2021. NS’s subsequent request for a longer-term waiver was dismissed.

There are, of course, challenges to autonomous testing: Getting transportation to operate the locomotive with the autonomous testing equipment only on the designated route, or ensuring that the autonomous boxcar is

included in a train traveling the designated route. Multiple-track territory further complicates the Transportation oversight. And then going through dispatching records to confirm which track the geometry car or test train actually traversed, to make sure that the required testing frequency was met, can be a laborious task. “We hope that GPS becomes sophisticated enough to distinguish between tracks in multiple track territory,” he said.

On the map below, the blue line indicates defect rates/100 miles shown against the number of defects found per month during autonomous testing by a Class 1. All railroads reported similarly dramatic decreases in defect rates. Source: RSAC Track Safety Standards working group presentation, 4-12-22.

During winter testing, snow can interfere with optical gauge measurement. “If we can’t measure gauge, we’re not collecting all the data required to satisfy the 24-hour response commitment.

On NS, at least, geometry data must be reviewed twice a day, seven days a week on those days that a test vehicle is operating.”

Public information presented during Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) meetings showed the following defect rates detected

by NS’s automated system during the waiver period (rates are shown as defects/100 miles): Phase 1 (baseline): 0.11; Phase 2: 0.04; Phase 3: 0.02. “This is a remarkable performance. And each of the other five railroads achieved similarly impressive defect reduction rates. So, in

Class 1 RR corridors on which waivers for autonomous testing have been granted. NS test program is complete. CN, CP, CSX, and UP test programs ended on Nov 23, 2022.

BNSF has two long-term waivers that are ongoing. Source: RSAC Track Safety Standards working group presentation, 4-12-22.

February 2024 // Railway Track & Structures 15

AUTONOMOUS TRACK GEOMETRY TESTING

The blue line indicates defect rates/100 miles shown against the number of defects found per month during autonomous testing by a Class 1. All railroads reported similarly dramatic decreases in defect rates. Source: RSAC Track Safety Standards working group presentation, 4-12-22.

terms of reducing geometry car defects, this has been an extraordinarily successful program,” Kerchof said.

The Way Forward So, where does the FRA stand regarding expanding autonomous inspection?

In the January 2020 letter approving NS’s petition for suspension to conduct a test program, FRA’s Karl Alexy wrote: ”FRA has already seen the safety and operational benefits of using automated track inspection technologies, and data has shown that automated inspection technology is more effective in detecting track geometry conditions than visual inspections by track inspectors. Furthermore, evidence suggests that these new operational approaches may be as or more effective at detecting track defects while also decreasing service interruptions and reducing safety risks to railroad employees.”

Ron Batory, the FRA administrator between 2018 and 2020, was solidly behind the initiative. But FRA support for this “new operational approach to track inspection” evaporated in 2021 with a change in FRA administrators and executive administration. FRA allowed railroads to complete their current test programs, but did not extend the temporary suspensions or approve any long-term waivers. NS’s temporary suspension expired in 2021 and NS resumed its normal manual inspection frequency. Similarly, FRA refused to extend waivers on CN, CP, 16 Railway Track & Structures // February 2024

CSX, and UP when their test programs ended in November 2022. Only BNSF, which had completed its pilot and phased-implementation test, requested a waiver early enough to obtain FRA’s approval. BNSF is now operating under a long-term waiver that covers its route out of the Powder River basin and its southern transcon.

Regardless of what comes out of the ongoing RSAC meetings and developments at the FRA, railroads will continue to expand their autonomous testing capabilities, Kerchof said. They’ll do so because it enhances safety, and because railroads want to be prepared to substitute automated testing for manual inspections when FRA’s position finally evolves. “The data is irrefutable,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting comfortable with the political implications of the change.”

A different perspective Unencumbered by the types of political and other issues faced in the states, autonomous testing has taken root on Asia-Pacific properties, where the Monash Institute of Railway of Technology (IRT), based in Melbourne, Australia, develops and deploys instrumented revenue vehicle (IRV) technology.

“We are based within the university, but we’re not academics,” Rob Lambert, MonashIRT Senior Business Manager told attendees at the 2022 WRI conference. “All of our work is commercial contracts with industry partners.”

As of 2022, Monash IRT developed and

operated more than 100 IRVs across Australia and in Southeast Asia. The IRVs, which represent an autonomous structural health condition monitoring system, are typically mounted on ore or coal cars to measure the response of the vehicle to track; track conditions are inferred from that. Data is delivered in near-real time where communications are available.

One of the most important lessons IRT has learned over 20 years of developing and deploying these systems is how rugged they must be, especially on the lines serving the iron ore mines in the Western Australian outback where temperatures reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 F).

The duty cycle for passenger systems isn’t as demanding, but the challenges associated with the railroad environment remain.

IRT typically mounts sensors on the side frame and axle box to record the accelerations that are being experienced by both the carbody and the wheelset; and uses instrumented springs on each of the four corners to monitor what the suspension is doing. Lateral accelerometers on the bolster centerplate identify hunting, and bogey-rotation sensors monitor how the bogey is steering on tangent track and through curves.

IRVs collect the same type of data collected by track geometry cars, including surface, lateral alignment, twist, curvature, etc. “But since we’re measuring the response of the vehicle, we can capture more information than a track recording vehicle going down the track,” Lambert said.

While some customers may have one or two geometry cars trying to cover a huge amount of their network, others have up to 30 IRVs running in revenue service on the network. “That generates a huge amount of data that allows for data analysis and trending.”

Data is processed at the IRT facility in Melbourne for some initial analysis to see if any of the results exceed exception limits. If so, the customer receives a severity report identifying the problem and location. Measurement data that is within the threshold parameters goes into the database for trending analysis.

“Understanding the difference in those responses and, therefore, what’s actually occurring in the track is really important,” Lambert said. “Whenever there’s a different suite of vehicles operating on a track, we try to instrument at least one of each so we can measure the difference in responses. A very high suspension travel or suspension compression on one vehicle, might not necessarily be the same response on another vehicle.”

The high volume of data from revenue service vehicles allows for very good forecasting. It’s easy to trend vertical acceleration data, for example, and to plan the appropriate maintenance before reaching severity limits. rtands.com

AUTONOMOUS TRACK GEOMETRY TESTING

In-train forces IRT has also developed an instrumented draft pack to measure and monitor in-train forces.

IRT also does strain gauging of solid couplers to obtain data from those components. In-train force data collected by the instrumented couplers can be loaded into a model to identify where the maximum damage is being done within the consist. IRT can simulate different axle loads to determine the effect that increased axle loads will have on components. It can also simulate the effect of upgraded components or adjustments in parameters to components, such as friction wedges, to optimize draft behavior.

IRV technology can also identify weld conditions by identifying deviations in top-of-rail longitudinal measurements. “We see a peak on the rail surface every 18 meters where a weld was made,” Lambert said. From that, IRT can review a railway’s entire weld population, the peak-totrough difference at each weld, and the vehicle’s response to it. By using the dip height and angle from the actual longitudinal profile, IRT can determine each weld’s profile gradient, or ramp angle, which can generate vertical accelerations that can lead to instability and potential wheel unloading and flange climb.

IRT also developed and installed a dynamic track gauge system for passenger operations. The laser-based system measures track gauge during normal traffic hours on a revenue vehicle traveling at typical operating speeds. “When you get a bad vehicle response, you can see what is happening regarding rail wear and track geometry, including cant, rail roll, and track gauge, at

Rob Lambert, Monash-IRT Senior Business Manager. Photo: Mike Yuhas

Examples of IRV sensors on a revenue wagon. rtands.com

February 2024 // Railway Track & Structures 17

AUTONOMOUS TRACK GEOMETRY TESTING

A dynamic track gauge measurement system was installed on two MTR Hong Kong revenue-service vehicles to continuously measure gauge during normal traffic hours.

a specific location,” he said. “This is now standard operation at MTR Hong Kong, where two of these vehicles operate every day on every line of their network.”

While originally designed to look only at track gauge, MTR also wanted the equipment to measure and monitor rail wear. Since MTR is 24-hour operation, access to track for testing or maintenance is severely limited. “They just don’t get access to run a track recording vehicle down the track,” Lambert said.

A dynamic track gauge measurement system was installed on two MTR Hong Kong revenueservice vehicles to continuously measure gauge

18 Railway Track & Structures // February 2024

during normal traffic hours.

Laser profile data is collected and aligned against the appropriate right and left rail templates; side and top wear and rail angle are calculated onboard in real time to minimize the amount of data that must be uploaded or transferred. By collecting rail wear data during revenue operations, MTR can use their precious maintenance windows to do engineering / maintenance work, rather than taking measurements.

MRT is also working with IRT on the development of a custom-made rig at Monash that is fitted with two pieces of rail that are mounted on

electric servos that move up and down and from side to side (eventually it will be able to incline, as well) to simulate any piece of track, with any gauge, superelevation, or other geometry parameters. The rig can simulate anything that is encountered in track and can be used to validate new or existing pieces of measurement equipment to determine if the equipment is measuring “what you think you’re measuring and if the measurements are what you’re expecting,” he said.

IRT is working on an axle-powered system to replace or augment the trailing-wire and solar/ battery-powered instrumentation systems on the iron ore car fleet. The axle-powered system generates about 350 watts at 80 kph (solar panels provide power when the car is not moving).

Since the railway was concerned about what might happen to the axle or wheels if the generator seized, IRT designed a failsafe nylon bearing.

“If the generator seizes, the nylon will effectively strip away and fall out, and you’re back to free running with no danger to the vehicle,” Lambert said. In the end, it’s all about providing a lowcost, rugged revenue vehicle monitoring system that can provide near real-time data on what is actually happening to a vehicle, and what track work is required to improve its performance, Lambert said. “What we’re really trying to move toward is a performance-based set of standards that identify the parameters that are actually impacting the performance of vehicles.”

Bob Tuzik is Editor-in-Chief of Interface Journal www.interfacejournal.com.

This article is based on presentations made at the 2022 Wheel/Rail Interaction Conference (www.wheel-rail-seminars.com).

rtands.com

RAIL GRINDING AND MILLING

Rail grinding and milling play a vital role in maintaining rail infrastructure.

TO GRIND OR TO MILL Extending the life of rail without having to resort to a full replacement

Photo Credit: Loram

R

T&S has covered vendor product spotlights on rail grinding in the past, but this month we include rail milling as well. Perhaps more familiar to North American readers, rail grinding allows maintenance crews to extend the life of rail without having to replace it after heavy passing loads damage the rail profile. Corrective grinding reprofiles the rail to a specified shape. While rail grinding is common across rail networks, rail milling is a relatively new maintenance method in North America.

Milling machines work differently by rotating a cylindrical cutter against the rail which allows it to carve a designated shape.

Following the successful launch of milling technology in North America in 2021, and numerous projects with the compact hot-spot milling machine VTM-compact on various network types, Vossloh introduces smart High-Speed Grinding (HSG). Due to increasingly short track maintenance windows, rail maintenance must have a minimal impact to overall operations. The basis for this is a sound knowledge of the current track condition through digitalization. The very compact and extremely flexible grinding machine HSGcity is equipped with state-of-the-art sensor technology to record the condition of the rails (longitudinal and cross profile) during operation. Through algorithms, the data collected is converted into specific recommendations for action for our operators. The grinding unit combines measurement, data processing, visualization, and precise implementation of grinding work without any track closures. With rtands.com

By Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor

working speeds of up to 45mph, the HSG-city is capable of maximizing short windows of track availability between trains in revenue service. Initial customer projects in Canada and the USA – on local transport networks – confirm the success of a data-based and routespecific grinding plan that takes into account known hot spots resulting from a rail infrastructure subject to different rates of wear. At the same time, Vossloh is providing concrete answers to increased customer requirements in terms of cost-effectiveness, noise reduction and planning reliability.

With three decades of experience in rail milling, Linsinger Maschinenbau provides sustainable solutions and technological excellence to rail network operators. It conducts field tests of rail milling technologies in collaboration with customers. In line with this approach, an MG11-L was dispatched to Nagoya City, Japan, at the end of 2023. Linsinger Maschinenbau’s smallest milling train, designed for metros, underwent a comprehensive evaluation based on a customer-devised milling plan. During the testing phase, wheel burns, head checks, corrugations and lippings were completely removed. The specified removal rate ranged from 0.004 to 0.045 inches per pass.

The reprofiling process achieved an impressive performance of up to 0.4 miles per hour spark time. Advanced suction systems allowed the collection of 99.9% of removed material, eliminating the need for additional cleanup, and yielding significant cost savings. Linsinger told RT&S that “this demonstration of our rail milling train emphasized the efficiency and

quality of LINSINGER rail milling technology – a dry and spark-free process prioritizing environmental protection.” Resulting in a significantly higher performance, its milling technology generates the same output in one pass while other rail processing technologies require multiple passes. In a statement, Linsinger said “the collected data contributes to the ongoing improvement of our rail milling technology, challenging the status quo in rail maintenance. Our mission is to consistently ensure an efficient and sustainable future for rail infrastructure.”

Plasser American is operating the innovative Romill Urban 3 E3 hybrid milling machine in North America (Canada, USA, and Mexico). The machine is designed to provide optimal performance in transit environments. Its compact design allows the machine to operate in tight clearance envelopes like subway tunnels. Milling is characterized as a rotational cutting process generating milling chips (as only by-product) that are collected on the machine for later recycling. This makes this technology especially suitable for application scenarios in fire or dust sensitive areas (tunnels, elevated tracks, urban tracks, fire ban area). The Romill Urban 3 E3 is equipped with the latest generation advanced milling technology that overcomes some limitations of conventional milling technology found on machines by other suppliers. This translates into increased productivity, longer tool lifetime and higher finished rail quality. With high-efficiency batteries as primary power source, the machine can operate fully electric for up to three hours.

February 2024 // Railway Track & Structures 19

RAIL GRINDING AND MILLING

The ROGRIND Modular Switch Grinder has a telescopic frame that requires low space for transportation.

This way, it is possible to work completely emission free in enclosed environments like tunnels or stations. Due to the fully electric operation, noise emission during milling (and driving) are significantly reduced. To make this technology fully emission free, the machine can be recharged externally using electricity produced by sustainable sources. Otherwise, the machine can be quickly-charged (<2h, while milling) with the integrated low-emission diesel-generator. Consequently, the Romill Urban 3 E3 offers the highest energy / fuel flexibility compared to any other machine on the market. Of equal importance is the integrated measurement technology (as it is only possible to manage what can be measured). The machine measures the transversal profile (profile shape compared to target profile), the longitudinal profile (rail surface waviness) and the surface crack condition (with eddy current). As a standard, the machine generates a comprehensive shift and measurement report that can be used as a starting point for future maintenance activities.

RailWorks delivers turnkey switch and crossing rail grinding services for railroads and transit lines. With the help of its experienced team, customers can increase the life of a rail system, improve their reliability, and maximize the efficiency of their entire rail network. A 20 Railway Track & Structures // February 2024

properly planned and executed rail grinding program will bring with it numerous safety and economic benefits which include increased rail life, improved wheel/rail interface, and reduced wheel/rail noise. The life of railroad assets is increased when a grinding program is in place. Most importantly, when track is properly maintained with a rail grinding program, it can significantly cut down on fuel consumption and reduce broken rail derailments. The machines can effectively grind switches, guarded curves, and road crossings.

Some of the key benefits and features of this turnkey solution offered are independent, hydraulically powered grinding units, Jupiter II Control System, hydrostatic propulsion system, full computerized control, dust collection system, pneumatic braking system, water spray fire control system, and comfortable control cabins. RailWorks’ grinding services provide a beneficial package that will meet your distinct requirements for safety, quality, and on-time performance.

Orgo-Thermit, a Goldschmidt company, has the ability to analyze the track using its proprietary Eddy Current system and the Track scan Mira with up to 8 probes on each rail. It can get a full picture of the RCF in the customer’s track and optimize a grinding or milling

program. The probes measure from the gauge corner, where most RCF originates, over the head of the rail to ensure a complete analysis.

This analysis ensures that its efforts are focused on the most affected areas of the railroad as opposed to a strategy where a complete system is ground. This saves the customer both money as well as the required track time to perform the work. By using this system, it ensures that maintenance is focused on the areas of their track with the most need. The Eddy Current system can be offered as both a trolley as well as well as a mounted system. Orgo-Thermit tells RT&S, “We have successfully demonstrated the results to customers who have seen the benefit of the results to demonstrate both the performance of our Eddy Current system as well as the effectiveness of the grinding and we have seen a lot of interest in this technology from everyone we have shown it to.” Orgo-Thermit® can grind the track with the 12 stone Hi-rail vehicle which offers best in-class performance for embedded track with it’s unique ability to get on and off track in less than a minute at crossings. The truck is equipped with a profile measurement to support its grinding operation and guarantee the required rail profile is met.

PortaCo, a member of the Golschmidt group, has recently developed two new rtands.com

Photo Credit: Top Left: RailWorks; Top Right: Industry-Railway Suppliers

RailWorks’ grinding services allow crews to grind switches, guarded curves, and road crossings.

RAIL GRINDING AND MILLING

Photo Credit: Plasser American

Milling is characterized as a rotational cutting process generating milling chips that are collected on the machine for later recycling.

hydraulic profile grinders to support Thermit welding as well as other Maintenance of Way activities. These tools were developed with the different preference of railroad employees in mind as some prefer heavier profile grinders whereas others prefer lighter profile grinders.

As part of its development, they have been used extensively with lots of user feedback given to refine the details that matter. These hydraulic grinders offer unbeatable power for fast and effective grinding. Their power, ergonomics and ease of use in performing effective grinding have drawn enthusiastic reviews from everyone who has used them. Each grinder has the same hydraulic components to ensure easy support from a maintenance perspective, so no matter the customer preference, they can use the same parts to ensure continued support of both grinders.

Industry-Railway Suppliers Inc. (IRS) is the exclusive US distributor of ROBEL North America battery and gas tools. ROBEL North America introduces the ROGRIND Modular Switch Grinder; a rail grinding machine that sets new standards for safety, efficiency and versatility. This modular machine accommodates diverse grinding applications for welds on switches, frogs, stock rail, check rail, web grinding and deburring of rail heads and switches, rtands.com

ensuring a seamless workflow. It can also be used for common grinding and reprofiling work, especially in switches. The ROGRIND Modular Switch Grinder has a telescopic frame that requires low space for transportation and allows for easy interchanging of modules and gauge adjustment without the need for additional tools. The machine is customizable to meet all grinding applications due to the modular motor units with either cup stones or flat grinding wheels that are either powered by gas or battery motors. It is safe and ergonomic with increased stability and guidance due to its double holder of four insulated flange rollers, LED lighting for optimal visibility, an emergency stop on the push bar and precise control of the grinding angle.

To maximize the life and value of rail assets, precision removal of fatigued metal, restoration of the rail head profile and removal of rail defects are the optimization goals of an effective rail maintenance program. Loram’s rail grinders incorporate high power, flexible grinding modules and patented control systems to deliver industry-leading speed and proven productivity. Loram’s rail grinding product portfolio offers machine configurations from 4 to 120 stones, providing the ideal rail grinding solution to meet any customer

request. To ensure maximum return on investment, Loram’s pre-grind inspection services help railroads plan, budget and optimize their programs. Through a partnership with Linsinger, Loram’s newest solution for reprofiling rail when a heavy correction tool is needed is the LM1 rail miller. It can restore the lateral and longitudinal profile of the rail while removing all surface defects and is capable of removing up to 1 mm in a single working pass. This helps extend the surface life of the rail, significantly reducing costs and carbon footprint and improving safety on railways.

For spot treatment during tight working windows, Loram’s rail milling solution is a cost effective and environmentally friendly way to extend the life of rail, crossings, and switches. Because milling is a rotary cutting process, only milling chips are produced and very few sparks and dust result from the polishing process which makes this the best option for areas that are highly sensitive to dust and fire. Rail grinding and milling play a vital role in maintaining rail infrastructure, enhancing rail safety, and minimizing disruptions. Loram contributes significantly to the reliability and longevity of railway systems through our specialized services and cuttingedge equipment.

February 2024 // Railway Track & Structures 21

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Federal Regulations

Track Safety Standards Subparts A-F Track Safety Standards, contains the Track Safety Standards, Subparts A-F, for Classes of track 1-5. The standards cover general information, Roadbed, Track Geometry, Track Structure, Track Appliances and Track-Related Devices, and Inspection. Includes Defect Codes.

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Bridge Safety Standards FRA Part 237 establishes Federal safety requirements for railroad bridges. This rule requires track owners to implement bridge management programs, which include annual inspections of railroad bridges, and to audit the programs. Part 237 also requires track owners to know the safe load capacity of bridges and to conduct special inspections if the weather or other conditions warrant such inspections. Updated December 28, 2023.

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Workplace Safety This reprint includes the FRA's Railroad Workplace Safety Standards addressing roadway workers and their work environments. These laws cover such things as: personal protective equipment, fall protection, and scaffolding for bridgeworkers; and training issues. Also includes safety standards for on-track roadway vehicles. Updated December 28, 2023.

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Updates from the Federal Register may be supplied in supplement form.

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Message From The President

A

RAY VERRELLE AREMA President 2023-2024

s the holidays are in the rearview mirror, many are embarking on keeping our New Year’s resolutions. You’ll see overcrowded gyms, people trying to keep their faces out of their electronic devices, and various other vows that will be abandoned before March. When contemplating my own resolutions for 2024, I stayed away from the usual suspects that would render me unsuccessful before I hit the six-month mark. I initially thought “catch more fish in 2024” would be a great resolution, however I didn’t have a good strategy to get that message to the fish. This year being a renewal year for my PE license, I landed on “Get my Professional Development Hours (PDHs) in order prior to the June 2024 renewal date.” If I’m able to keep this resolution, it will keep me from running around frantically at the last minute trying to find PDHs to fulfill my state requirements as I have done in years past.

As an AREMA officer, I am entitled to PDHs for my service to the organization as well as any active participation in the Technical Committees. It should be noted that the different states’ PE boards may limit the maximum amount of PDHs per year for service on technical Associations. If you have licensure in multiple states, make sure you know each of the state’s requirements.

One way I’m looking to get ahead of the game is by leveraging the online content from the AREMA 2023 Annual Conference. This is an offering to conference attendees where I can maximize my PDHs by watching the presentations that I was unable to attend in-person. I can watch rtands.com

this content in the comfort of my home and at times that are convenient. I can get up to 39.5 PDHs from the Annual Conference material alone. This should get me most of what I need to fulfill my requirements.

The Annual Conference is also available to purchase On Demand for anyone who did not attend in person. AREMA offers many other online and in-person educational opportunities that can be leveraged as an AREMA member or as a Non Member/Supporter. In addition to having the conferences from 2022 and 2023 available, there are 29 additional On Demand Webinars available. The webinars range in both topics and number of PDHs. You can earn anywhere from 1 to 41 PDHs. If you like more of an “in-person” vibe for your PDHs, AREMA offers various seminars and symposiums. The 2024 Sustainability & Resiliency Symposium and the Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering Seminar will both be held this month, and of course, our 2024 Annual Conference & Expo in Louisville, KY, September 15-18. Past Symposiums like the Railway Roadbed & Ballast Symposium and the Communications & Signals Symposium are available On Demand but will also be revised and scheduled in the coming years, along with several seminars. For a full listing of On Demand and in person educational offerings, go to the AREMA website, and browse the “Education and Events” tab. Here you can look through the offerings and register for courses or watch the On Demand content.

You can also access this content through the “AREMA 365”app. If you prefer to take your PDHs “to go,” this is the format for

“

you. For those of you that need to travel for business, this is an excellent way to occupy your time in lieu of bingeing Netflix. If you are an AREMA Member, try some of our free webinar offerings such as “Rail Industry Update with Tony Hatch” and “Welded Wire Reinforcement” to learn your way around the platform.

As I mentioned in my acceptance speech at last year’s conference, membership value will be a big focus for me in my term as President. Quality online and in-person educational opportunities are a cornerstone in that member value. I’m working with Lin Guba, our Director, Education and Events, to take a hard look at our offerings, our platform, and our delivery methods to assure that we are providing the most meaningful value to our members. In order to ensure that we’re providing the member value that I believe AREMA should provide, we would like to hear from you, our Members, on what you are looking for in education topics.

We are very interested in your feedback on several aspects of our educational offerings.

First, is the website and app user friendly and easy to navigate? Are the topics relevant to the industry’s needs? What topics should we consider adding? And finally, are there any other improvements we should consider to further enhance our online or in-person offerings?

We’d really love to hear all our members’ ideas and any additional needs you may think we should consider for our educational offerings that would make AREMA the “go to” in the industry. Please reach out to me or Lin Guba with those ideas or suggestions. Until next month, stay safe.

THIS YEAR BEING A RENEWAL YEAR FOR MY PE LICENSE, I LANDED ON ‘GET MY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT HOURS (PDH) IN ORDER PRIOR TO THE JUNE 2024 RENEWAL DATE.’

February 2024 // Railway Track & Structures 23

FYI

Secure your recognition for the AREMA 2024 Annual Conference & E xpo by purchasing your booth and sponsorship. Contact us today for the best available options for the event in Louisville, KY, September 15-18.

I s y o u r L i b r a r y u p t o d a t e? O r d e r the 2024 Communications & Signals M a n u a l t o d a y. W i t h o v e r 9 5 n e w, revised, reaf f irmed, or ex tended Manual Par ts, including over 800 pages of updates, it’s the perfect time to get your copy of the 2024 Manual.

Order online now at www.arema.org.

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.

D o n’t m i s s o ut o n th e co nve r sati o n i n A R E M A’s M e m b e r F o r u m . T h e Member Forum connects you with other Members, allowing you to send m e s sa g e s, s ta r t c o nve rsati o n s, a n d m o re. S e e wh a t eve r yo n e i s ta l k i n g a b o u t t o d a y : h t t p s : //c o m m u n i t y. arema.org/home.

Leverage th e power of your trus ted association’s Railway Careers Network to tap into a talent pool of job candidates with the training and e d u c a t i o n n e e d e d f o r l o n g-te r m success. Visit www.arema.org/careers to post your job today.

NOT AN AREMA MEMBER? JOIN TODAY AT WWW.AREMA.ORG CONNECT WITH AREMA ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

If you’re looking for a podcast to binge, listen to ARE MA’s Platform Chats. It features guests from ever y aspect of the railway industry. Available on all of your favorite listening services.

UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS 2024 MEETINGS

MAY 13-15

JULY 31 - AUGUST 1

MARCH 6

Committee 5 - Track Pueblo, CO

Committee 7 - Timber Structures Kansas City, MO

JUNE 5

SEPTEMBER 15

Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting

Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems Louisville, KY

JUNE 6

OCTOBER 24 - 25

Committee 30 - Ties and Fasteners Urbana - Champaign, IL

Committee 2 - Track Measurement and Assessment Systems

Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting APRIL 3 Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting APRIL 14 Committee 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems Orlando, FL

JUNE 8

APRIL 14-16

Committee 33 - Electrical Energy Utilization Greenville, SC

Committee 12 - Rail Transit Orlando, FL

Join a technical committee

APRIL 14-16 Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems Orlando/Ft. Lauderdale, FL MAY 1 Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting

24 Railway Track & Structures // February 2024

San Francisco, CA

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.

rtands.com

RT&S Committee Chair Interview Chair: Leonard M. Wydotis, Global Product Line ManagerElectromechanical Products, Siemens Mobility Inc.

Committee: 37 - Signal Systems

CHAIR: MATTHEW ALBANESE, Assistant Chief Engineer, Metro North Railroad

1. Why did you decide to choose a career in railway engineering?

It was an interesting f ield different from any other opportunities I was exposed to af ter graduating college.

2. How did you get started?

Long Island Railroad did on-site interviews on my college campus (New York Institute rtands.com

of Technology) and hired me in 1987.

3. How did you get involved in AREMA and your committee?

Af ter working for the railroad a few years, I went to work for Union Switch and Signal who is now Hitachi Rail.

There was an active AAR member named Al O’Rourke who solicited me

to joint committee E in 1991, and I have been active ever since.

4. Outside of your job and the hard work you put into AREMA, what are your hobbies?

Cars & Guitars. I take quite a bit of time working on cars as a hobby and play guitar regularly with the praise February 2024 // Railway Track & Structures 25

and worship team at church.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 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

5. Tell us about your family!

My wife and I have been married for just over 4 years. It was the second marriage for both of us. Between us, we have 5 children, all girls and three grandchildren.

7. What is your biggest achievement?

I have been granted a total of 12 US patents throughout my career, all for the design of fail-safe products for the railway industr y. All of them were achieved by focusing on my driving goal of saving a life.

6. If you could share one interesting fact about yourself with the readers of RT&S, what would it be?

My driving force throughout my entire career has been focused on one thing.

If I can just save one life, it will make my entire career worth ever y painstaking hour I put into it.

8. What advice would you give to someone who is trying to pursue a career in the railway industry?

Listen! That was the most valuable lesson I learned early on in my AAR / AR EMA involvement. Listen to what the railroads are telling you they need and stay focused on meeting their requirements.

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.

4. COURSE VARIETY AREMA On Demand education offers a wide variety of topics for all studies of the railway engineering community.

Register and Start Learning today at www.arema.org.

BECOME A MEMBER AND SAVE Not an AREMA member? Join today at www.arema.org and get discounts on all AREMA Educational Offerings, from Virtual Conferences to our Webinars.

26 Railway Track & Structures // February 2024

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Reader Referral Service This section has been created solely for the convenience of our readers to facilitate immediate contact with the RAILWAY TRACK & STRUCTURES advertisers in this issue. The Advertisers Index is an editorial feature maintained for the convenience of readers. It is not part of the advertiser contract and RTS assumes no responsibility for the correctness.

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FROM THE DOME

Trouble Along the Surf Conditions along Pacific Surf Line creating major headaches

By David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief

R

ailway Track and Structures has been reporting on the terrible situation involving the geologic stability of the Pacific Surf Line, and the resulting repair cost, disrupted service, and impact on passenger safety for over two years. In case you’ve missed these reports, the problem is that the 351 route-mile line, referred to as LOSSAN (Los Angeles –– San Diego –– San Luis Obispo) coastal railroad is in “urgent need of both attention and action,” according to a recent letter from the California State Senate to the California State Transportation Agency. In other words, much of the line through this corridor is literally falling apart.

Mudslides, washouts, soil erosion, and even shifting track have been the main challenges faced by operators of rail service.

As bad as this problem is, there appears to be no coordinated leadership to address the issues. According to a report we filed in December 2021, “The Del Mar Bluffs area, just north of San Diego, has had multiple failures over the past several years, resulting in temporary closures and speed restrictions on Amtrak’s high-volume route which runs along the bluffs in some places. A failure in February 2021 saw a 60-foot seawall collapse at the base of a nearly two-mile stretch of track that

28 Railway Track & Structures // February 2024

runs along the bluffs.” The report added that Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General found “that the company [Amtrak] met regulatory obligations in response to the conditions in Del Mar by complying with speed restrictions and track outages enforced by the host railroad. These steps, according to company officials and other regional stakeholders, always ensured safe operating conditions.”

Our report also pointed out that, according to the OIG, “Amtrak could improve its awareness of local issues in the Del Mar area by participating in regional workgroups. For example, after a major bluff slide in late 2019, the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) organized a year-long effort to examine shortand long-term bluff stabilization issues that included more than 70 participants. Amtrak –– the largest passenger operator on the bluffs –– did not participate.”

January’s letter from the California State Senate to CalSTA sounds like a similar effort.

There are so many stakeholders involved in this discussion, I wonder if they could ever come to an agreement. It’s a fair bet that at least part of the line will need to be moved, which will draw the NIMBY sentiment to the middle of the discussion. We’ve already seen this in a recent proposal to relocate part of the line within a

tunnel which would run below businesses and houses, with owners strenuously objecting to the possibility of noise and structural damage to their property either during construction or after the trains start rolling.

Something must be done if there is ever to be a resolution of this issue. There are many aspects to the problem that I don’t have room to address here. However, the solution will require strong, coordinated leadership; political will to get the job done; and, of course, money. And it seems to me that trying to get this done with local, even state, leadership, and the expectation of cooperation among all stakeholders is folly. State and local leadership would be best, but if the chance of that being effective is zero, lots of time and millions of dollars shouldn’t be spent trying.

If California and the United States want to have a connected, “trouble-free” 351-mile rail passenger corridor, I believe federal leadership and money, supplemented by state and local leadership and money, will be required from start to finish.

Now, I don’t like being a harbinger of doom around the future of the Surf Line, but if serious (federal) action is not brought to bear on this problem, we might as well stand by and watch the Surf Line fall into the Pacific.

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