RTS March 2022

BALLAST MAINTENANCE

IN HIGH PLACES BALLAST MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT SERVES THE INDUSTRY AT GROUND LEVEL … AND SKY LEVEL MARCH 2022 | WWW.RTANDS.COM

ALSO: SHORT LINE MAINTENANCE CSX RECOVERS FROM HURRICANE IDA rtands.com

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 1

Are you prepared for the challenges of spring?

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CONTENTS

March 2022

10

COLUMNS

DEPARTMENTS

3

On Track Get ready for childish behaviors

6

4

NRC Column Annual Equipment Auction

28

On the Cover Ballast being delivered to the Dry Canyon Bridge project.

31 32 32

TTCI R&D Examination of track geometry and VTI exceptions at FAST AREMA News Message from the President, Getting to know, and more Classifieds Advertiser Index Sales Representatives

14

10

Keeping the infrastructure solid Flexibility, efficiency, and good old-fashioned know-how keep Genesee & Wyoming ahead of the game

14

By way of water CSX uses unconventional method to repair after Hurricane Ida

18 Follow Us On Social Media @RTSMag

rtands.com

FEATURES

Emergency assistance Ballast maintenance equipment comes through when needed the most

March 2022 // Railway Track & Structures 1

on

T R A C K for

tomorrow

HIGH CAPACITY | PRECISION | RELIABILITY Railways turned the American promise into American progress. It’s a legacy we’re proud to continue as today’s trusted leader in railway maintenance technology — cutting-edge innovations made in the USA, for the USA. Welcome to the next chapter of American progress. plasseramerican.com

ON TRACK

Get ready for childish behaviors VOL. Vol. 118, 115, No. NO.36 Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South 3680Clark Heathmoor Street, Drive Suite 1910 Chicago, Elgin, ILIll. 60124 60603 Telephone Telephone (312) 630-336-1148 683-0130 Website Fax (312) www.rtands.com 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com BILL WILSON Editor-in-Chief BILL WILSON wwilson@sbpub.com Editor-in-Chief wwilson@sbpub.com DAVID C. LESTER Managing KYRA SENESE Editor dlester@sbpub.com Managing Editor ksenese@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES 88BOB PineTUZIK Street New Consulting York, N.Y.Editor 10005 Telephone btuzik@sbpub.com (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 CORPORATE OFFICES ARTHUR 55 Broad J. MCGINNIS, St 26th Fl. JR. President New York, and N.Y. Chairman 10004 Telephone (212) 620-7200 JONATHAN CHALON Fax (212) 633-1165 Publisher ARTHUR J. MCGINNIS, JR. MARY and CONYERS President Chairman Production Director JONATHAN CHALON NICOLE D’ANTONA Publisher Art Director MARY CONYERS HILLARY COLEMAN Production Director Graphic Designer NICOLE D’ANTONA MAUREEN COONEY Art Director Circulation Director ALEZA LEINWAND MICHELLE ZOLKOS Graphic Designer Conference Director MAUREEN COONEY CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-895-4389 Circulation Director Reprints: PARS International Corp.

253 West 35th Street 7th Floor MICHELLE ZOLKOS Conference New York, NY Director 10001 212-221-9595; fax 212-221-9195 CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-895-4389 curt.ciesinski@parsintl.com 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

M

y youngest stepped on pavement the same way he stepped on grass.

That is not good when the road is full of 2-ton cars and 4-ton construction trucks. Transitioning into this danger zone with your head down and attention on pause can have parents seeing their toddler’s life flash before their eyes. However, Declan took this direct route when crossing the street for a couple of more years than his older siblings. The idea of looking both ways took longer to sink in the brain.

I must admit, if you throw an extra layer of transportation on a city street I can suddenly turn into my Kindergartner who kept the parent panic button pressed each time he approached a curb.

It’s not every day you cross a street that also contains a set of tracks that are imbedded in the pavement, which makes it less obvious than traditional rail that has a more noticeable break.

I should never set foot on Seattle’s Martin Luther King Jr. Way, at least not today. The route contains a Sound Transit light-rail line blended in the pavement, and it has been the site of pedestrian and vehicle collisions ever since it was put into service. On average, every 45 days light-rail trains strike vehicles on the MLK corridor, and about 80% of collisions happen on the south end of the line. Most accidents are due to vehicles making unauthorized left turns across the tracks. Pedestrians have come into play as well. Since the line became active in 2009, nine people along the MLK have been killed, including a fatal accident involving a couple last July.

Seattle Councilmember Tammy Morales has asked Sound Transit to create a written plan on how the MLK route would be safer moving forward. Safety

upgrades currently being discussed are separated at-grade sections of track, lowering train speeds, and adding pedestrian overpasses.

Sound Transit also made the announcement in late February that future projects will be aerial or tunnel guideways instead of running them at street level. The agency, however, added under some circumstances at-grade sections would be allowed.

I am curious about the factors that would come into play that would activate this agency discretion. Political pressure?

Budget? Areas with no kids around? The chance to amend could only put the agency in a corner, and looking both ways does little when you are trapped.

Sound Transit should stick to the one or other stance rather than adding the asterisk.

Like Seattle, plenty of other cities across the U.S. have inserted rail into the pavement of city streets. Some have been higher on safety than others.

Routes are protected by concrete barriers or come with signal arms that slide down in front of pedestrians as well as vehicles. However, there is no standard here. I am sure that officials love the sleek look of rail embedded in the street, but that look can often times turn invisible to the average person en route to his or her job or the local grocery store.

Every rail route that cuts through an urban area should come with the proper safety measures.

I do not see this kind of harmony, and when it comes to safety there should only be one look. It certainly would make it easier for the kid in all of us.

BILL WILSON 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, 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices.

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March 2022 // Railway Track & Structures 3

NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN

Optimize your fleet with the NRC’s Annual Equipment Auction

R STEVE BOLTE Chairman, National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC)

“

CONTRACTORS ARE ALREADY TELLING US THEY WILL BE LOOKING FOR RAILWAY EQUIPMENT TO FILL THE GAPS, WHETHER THEY PUT IT INTO OPERATION IMMEDIATELY OR INVEST IN REPAIRS FOR THE FUTURE.

ailroad contractors are an opinionated bunch, but they will agree on this point: Having the right equipment makes all the difference when it comes to working safely, productively, and profitably.

Fleet and operations managers continually evaluate their equipment to ensure they have the right mix for the work ahead.

That’s been a huge reason for the popularity of the NRC Railroad Equipment Auction. This highly anticipated annual event gives railroads and contractors the opportunity to sell and buy equipment to optimize their f leets.

We learned a valuable lesson last year when our virtual-only event broke all prior records. As a result, the 2022 Annual NRC Railroad Equipment Auction— the 18th in our history dating back to 2004—will be accessible to both virtual and in-person participants and held in two parts: • April 22-27: A virtual “smalls” auction featuring smaller items such as scrap metal and tools begins on April 22 and closes at 3 p.m. EDT on April 27.

Registered buyers can bid virtually; and • April 28: An in-person and virtual equipment auction begins at 9 a.m.

EDT at Delta Railroad Services’ yard near Austinberg, Ohio. Registered buyers can bid on equipment in person or online.

Learn more about donating or consigning equipment and the complete schedule on the NRC website: https://bit. ly/33ggNtq. Recent sourcing and supply-chain issues have made acquiring certain types of new equipment particularly difficult, with some lead times extending out a year or more. Contractors are already telling us they will be looking for railway equipment to fill the gaps, whether they put it into operation immediately or invest in repairs for the future.

Bryce Peterson, director of equipment and f leet operations at RailWorks Corporation, said the auction provides a valuable way to sell and buy specialized

4 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

equipment. “The NRC Auction offers visibility to sell specialized equipment and an effective way to reach our intended audience,” he said. “And sometimes we need to upgrade our existing f leet with specialized equipment that is tougher to find. We’ve found it at the auction.”

Greg Spilker, vice president of sales & marketing with Maintenance of Way Equipment Solutions and a longtime NRC Auction committee member, encouraged prospective buyers and sellers to attend in person. “It’s perfect timing, with work just starting up, and a great place to connect with contractors and suppliers,” he said. “The auction offers an alternative to buying newer equipment. Many times you have the chance to find unique equipment that is not manufactured anymore along with parts for both older and newer equipment models.”

George Williams, senior vice president of Herzog’s Equipment Division and also an Auction committee member, affirmed the NRC Auction delivers more value than other auctions. “You can find equipment at this auction that is really not available on a daily basis. Plus, we know 90% of the sellers and can get an understanding of the condition of equipment,” he added.

“It’s a spectacular event. We’re honored to support a worthy cause and it’s a bonus to find the equipment we need.”

I hope you will join us in person in Austinberg, but online participants are welcomed, too. Your support will enable the NRC to invest in high-quality safety training videos for our member companies and their employees.

Building a safer and stronger railway construction industry together.

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TTCI R&D

Examination of track geometry and VTI exceptions at FAST Comparing TGMV and IFC for track health conditions Abe Meddah, Principal Investigator Silvia Galván-Núñez, Senior Engineer II Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

T

ransportation Technology Center, Inc., (TTCI) investigated the difference between track condition assessment capabilities using a railbound Track Geometry Measurement Vehicle (TGMV) and an Instrumented Freight Car (IFC)—an autonomous vehicletrack interaction (VTI) monitoring technology.1 The IFC is designed to run with the train at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) for continuous track condition assessment in a heavy axle load environment. The investigation was conducted over the Class 4 track on FAST’s High Tonnage Loop (HTL) in Pueblo, Colo.

Track conditions can change rapidly when operating in a heavy axle load environment.

To ensure safe railroad operations and to determine track maintenance needs, track health condition in revenue service is regularly assessed by deploying various track-monitoring technologies, such as manned and autonomous TGMVs and unattended VTI systems.

On-track testing at FAST A total of six TGMV- and IFC-paired tests were conducted at different service intervals.

Over 87.4 million gross tons (MGT) have accumulated since the first geometry baseline test was conducted. Track geometry standards compliance was determined based on FRA regulatory geometry defects2 for track Class 1 through 5. For the IFC, exception track locations were identified when empirically derived, pre-set performance limits were exceeded. The IFC responses 6 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

Figure 1. Total track geometry defects from all six tests per current regulatory standards.

consisted of both carbody and truck vertical and lateral acceleration measurements.

Track geometry defects FAST Class 4 track geometry regulatory defects were identified for the following parameters: • Gage; • Left and right alignment: 31- and 62-ft mid-chord offset (MCO); • Left and right surface: 31- and 62-ft MCO; • Variation in cross level (VXL) or warp: 31- and 62-ft MCO; and • Superelevation.

Figure 1 shows the distribution of all the defects from the six tests over 87.4 MGT accumulated.

Nearly 80% of recorded track geometry defects consisted of 31- and 62-ft MCO variations in cross level deviations. The gage and 31-ft MCO left and right alignments accounted for about 12% and 10% of the total defects, respectively. It is noteworthy, however, that no surface (i.e., bump or dip deviations) or superelevation anomalies were detected during any of the six geometry tests.

IFC exceptions Conducting field verifications of IFC exceptions from the six tests was not emphasized under this investigation because the IFC is an established technology permanently deployed with the FAST train for track health monitoring. Since its implementation, the IFC has shown consistent ability to identify track locations resulting in adverse vehicle response even if they did not necessarily amount to regulatory defects, both in revenue service3 and daily on the HTL. Exceptions are derived from the nightly laps the IFC travels while operating with the FAST train. Both short wavelength and long wavelength exceptions are computed and generated. The former are identified by the lead truck side frame accelerometers, the latter from the carbody vertical and lateral acceleration measurements.

All IFC performance exceptions in this study were short wavelength exceptions.

Past experience has shown that this type of exception typically results from issues such as misaligned track, battered rail joints, fouled ballast, degraded tie conditions, crushed railheads, or cracked welds and rails. Due to the structural characteristics rtands.com

TTCI R&D

technologies at each MGT level.

Figure 2. Exception track locations identified by each technology at the various MGT levels.

Figure 3. Exception track locations identified by both technologies at the various MGT levels.

that tend to generate high dynamic responses, often the exceptions also are generated over special trackwork components such as turnouts, crossing diamonds, switches, and frogs.

Geometry defects vs. IFC exceptions Figure 2 shows a summary of the number of exception track locations as identified by the TGMV and IFC for each test and tonnage level. It should be noted that the rtands.com

number of exception track locations displayed is not necessarily unique to each technology because some track locations were identified by both technologies.

Additionally, an exception track location can be identified by either TGMV, IFC, or both, and be considered one single location.

An exception track location is a location that requires maintenance attention. Figure 3 shows the breakdown of the same exception track locations identified by both

Geometry defects vs. most extreme carbody responses Since no long wavelength exceptions were recorded during the six IFC testing runs, the most extreme long wavelength IFC responses—vertical and lateral carbody maximum and minimum accelerations— were computed at 57.2 MGT for one night’s operations with the FAST train and compared with the geometry defects identified at the same MGT level. As depicted in the numbered HTL sections in Figure 4, track geometry defects indicated by the red markers point to three distinct locations: 1) Section 9, 2) the beginning of Section 25 when traveling in the counterclockwise direction, and 3) Section 27.

Considering that multiple hits indicate locations with repeatable events on multiple train passes, the IFC responses were recorded in seven distinct locations (blue markers, Figure 4). Out of the seven locations, only one track geometry defect location was close to the IFC identified location in Section 28, indicating the IFC responses do not appear to correlate well with track defect locations at 57.2 MGT. Although they do not exceed pre-set thresholds, the most extreme IFC responses can reveal track locations with the potential of presenting degraded conditions as more tonnage is accumulated.

Conclusion TTCI engineers used the HTL at FAST to examine the differences between track condition monitoring test results from two different track inspection technologies. A total of six on-track tests were conducted using TTCI’s TGMV and the IFC. Based on the six different geometry tests conducted at FAST, the track locations with geometry defects, as defined by the FRA current regulatory standards, were not necessarily determinant of adverse vehicle dynamic responses as assessed by autonomous IFC performance. Likewise, based on the six corresponding IFC tests, the track locations that generated exception dynamic vehicle responses did not always relate to regulatory track geometry defect locations. After evaluating the geometry defect categories identified at six 87.4 MGT tests run at FAST, it was determined that: • Nearly 80% of the combined track geometry defects consisted of 31-ft and 62-ft MCO variations in cross March 2022 // Railway Track & Structures 7

TTCI R&D

Acknowledgments The authors acknowledge the funding support of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) Strategic Research Initiative (SRI) program. The authors also acknowledge Nash Gonzalez, the late Wil Lundberg, and Andrew DeKruif of TTCI’s Instrumentation Department for their contributions to the testing efforts.

Figure 4. IFC responses (blue) versus geometry defects (red) at 57.2 MGT.

level defects (warp); • Gage and alignment MCO amounted to about 12% and 10% of the total geometry defects, respectively; and

• No track surface defects (i.e., bumps or dip deviations) or superelevation anomalies were detected during any of the track geometry tests.

References 1. Li, D., A. Meddah, and W. Lundberg. July 2008. “Instrumented Freight Car for Performance-based Track Inspection.”

Technology Digest TD08-028 AAR/TTCI Pueblo, Colo.

2. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, “Transportation,” Part 213 – Track Safety Standards, Subpart C ‘Track Geometry.’”

Federal Railroad Administration.

Washington, D.C. (2019). URL https:// www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/part-213.

3. Meddah, A., D. Li, and S. Roybal. March 2010. “Track Inspection Using an Instrumented Freight Car in Revenue Service.” Technology Digest TD10-005 AAR/TTCI Pueblo, Colo.

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RAIL From Railway Age, RT&S and IRJ GROUP https://railwayage.com/newsletters NEWS

ROUND-

RAIL

SHORTLINE MAINTENANCE

KEEPING THE INFRASTRUCTURE

SOLID

Flexibility, efficiency, and good old-fashioned know-how keep Genesee & Wyoming ahead of the game

10 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

which opens regional, national, and world markets to even the smallest rail shippers.

In addition to freight rail service, many short lines provide transloading service, advise customers on ways to expand their businesses leveraging the nation’s and the world’s supply chains, industrial movements, and switching of containers in and out of port facilities. Like Genesee & Wyoming, some even offer railcar storage and railcar repair.

Genesee & Wyoming operates 116

railroads (globally), serves 3,000 customers, and employs 7,300 people. Each railroad has a different geography and name, such as the 54-mile Chattooga & Chickamauga Railway in northwest Georgia and the 728-mile Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad. G&W locomotives each sport the name of the specific railroad on which they operate, blended into the company’s snappy orange, black, and yellow paint scheme.

As we’ve discussed previously in these rtands.com

Photo Credit: Genesee & Wyoming

A

ccording to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), 603 short line railroads are in the U.S. These roads specialize in direct customer care and provide first- and last-mile service to most industries they serve. These industries include individual shippers, ports, industrial parks, intermodal terminals, and others. Moreover, short line railroads provide customers with a critical connection to the national railroad network,

By David C. Lester, Managing Editor

SHORTLINE MAINTENANCE

New England Central train hauling wood chips along a nicely manicured right-of-way.

pages, most short line and regional railroads do not have the resources (e.g., financial, human, and equipment) available to the Class 1 roads for Maintenance of Way. Therefore, short lines can’t afford a lot of third-party contractors and must do much of the work themselves. Improvising and developing clever ways to get the job done is a hallmark of short line maintenance.

The G&W way RT&S reached out to the engineering team at G&W to get their perspective on maintaining the infrastructure of dozens of individual railroads, most of which are geographically distant from each other. We were fortunate to speak rtands.com

with Arthur Chandler, chief engineer, Production; Juan Carlos Covarrubias, chief engineer, Advanced Engineering; and Bill Riehl, chief engineer, Structures.

Chandler pointed out that maintenance activities, crew sizes, and equipment vary from road to road due to traffic levels and operational needs. The maintenance and operational requirements for a 500-mile railroad in the mountains of Pennsylvania are different than those of a 14-mile railroad near the coastline of Florida. The wide variation in operating conditions among G&W roads means the Maintenance-of-Way teams need to be flexible.

Still, the overall mission of maintaining safe and reliable infrastructure is the same.

Another challenge for G&W is the large geographic footprint and non-contiguous nature of its railroads. The North American roads operate in 43 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces, which mean maintenance teams have to work through the logistics of maintaining properties that have significant physical distances between them. G&W addresses this by supplementing a road’s domiciled track and maintenance teams for larger projects such as road crossing replacements or large-scale tie replacements. These floating crews provide more capacity and flexibility.

The crews range in size from six employees equipped with a boom truck and a backhoe to larger mechanized tie-installation teams with March 2022 // Railway Track & Structures 11

DR. W. W. HAY AWARD CALL FOR ENTRIES Enter your rail project today and highlight your achievement in Innovation, Safety, Service Performance, and Reliability

DEADLINE: MAY 20 APPLY NOW at www.arema.org

Platform Chats An AREMA Podcast Tune in to Season 2. Listen and learn from our Industry Expert Members anywhere and on the go.

Stream NOW on your favorite listening service or visit www.arema.org 12 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

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SHORTLINE MAINTENANCE

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Photo Credit: Genesee & Wyoming

Three clean locomotives handle an Indiana Southern train.

up to 32 employees.

Covarrubias told RT&S that short lines often have a different business model and fewer resources than Class 1s. A benefit of less craft compartmentalization at G&W is developing diverse skillsets in its workforce.

Engineering employees are skilled in multiple engineering functions (track, bridges, and signal) and have exposure to logistics, procurement, and administration. Involvement in various operational and business areas helps them make the best decisions for track safety and financial success.

An example of a common cost-saving process is generating a large quantity of maintenance rail through strategically planned continuous welded rail upgrade programs.

Obsolete and hard-to-find rail sections, typically rail smaller than 115RE, are no longer in production, so they look to recycle a portion of this type of rail every year. This recycled rail has been certified for reinstallation with ultrasonic inspection and inventoried when replaced with CWR. The rail then goes to appropriate locations for installation after rail flaw detection inspections and through general maintenance programs where this smaller rail is needed.

Finally, Riehl told RT&S about weatherrelated MoW challenges and how G&W addresses them. G&W roads operate over 10,000 structures totaling approximately 150 miles in North America. These structures span the continent from Nova Scotia to southern California and upstate Washington to Florida.

This varied geographic footprint comes with unique climate, weather patterns, decay zones, and other bridge component degradation environmental drivers. For instance, in the highdecay zone of the southeast, where the ground is generally saturated, timber decay occurs rtands.com

almost exclusively above the ground line.

Conversely, the timber decay above the ground line in the southwest dry desert air is very slow.

However, since the soil’s moisture content fluctuates with the seasons and the oxygenated zone extends well below the surface, it is not unusual to find piles completely rotted out 8 to 10 ft below the ground surface.

While no part of the continent is immune from fire, flood, bridge strikes, etc., the differing climates bring other unique weather challenges. In 2016, G&W lost a 74-ft deck plate girder span when warm weather and heavy rains caused a section of river ice to pile up under the span. Eventually, as the water rose, the ice floated the span off its bearings and deposited it 300 ft downstream, where the channel widened. The span was essentially undamaged, but it was too far from land to safely recover for reuse.

In 2019, during an unusually heavy rainy season, a meandering section of the Bad River in South Dakota severely scoured bridge approaches some 200 ft east of the main span. The resulting scour paralleled the timber approach spans and was approximately 5 ft deeper than the timber piles for the entire width of the timber bents. Since the scour did not extend much past the footprint of the approach spans, there was a good working surface for the bridge reconstruction effort.

Every time one of these unique events occurs, G&W learns a little more and creates teaching opportunities to strengthen its processes. Using these lessons and those of peers in the industry, G&W learns more about the threats to infrastructure and the steps needed to improve the road’s resiliency and response.

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TRACK MAINTENANCE

The aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

BY WAY OF WATER CSX uses unconventional method to repair after Hurricane Ida

N

ot long ago, a CSX line had more electricity than Bourbon Street.

The opportunity rarely comes along, and in this case it was due to all the wrong reasons. However, the way CSX handled recovery efforts from Hurricane Ida in Louisiana late last summer went off like a late-night smooth jazz ensemble with a soft saxophone and light bass.

The f low, even though it was battling 14 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

the complexities of nature, almost came off like a relaxing anecdote. The damaged line was fully charged in 10 days, ahead of the electric grid covering the streets of New Orleans.

“Before the power was turned back on in New Orleans we were running trains, which is a testament to the tremendous effort of our contractors, our suppliers, and our company forces,” Ed Sparks, chief engineer, Bridges, Design & Construction, at CSX told RT&S.

Hurricane harassment Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 hurricane, dropped some of her best work in the Bayou on Aug. 29 and would soon earn the title of the second-most damaging and intense hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S. with sustained winds of 150 mph. Camped below the circling storm were several important rail lines, including CSX’s New Orleans & Mobile Subdivision along the Louisiana-Mississippi coast. Thankfully, all railroad bridges rtands.com

Photo Credit: CSX

By Bill Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

TRACK MAINTENANCE

CSX’s preparedness carried it through what could have been a disaster after Hurricane Ida.

16 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

used, were mobilized before the hurricane made landfall, and worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week to reclaim as much material as possible.

“It was a very impressive operation that posed unique challenges just in terms of the access,” remarked Sparks. “New Orleans is a very important gateway for our network and we were obviously motivated to restore services as soon as possible.”

Trainloads of ballast and riprap were brought to the site to get the line back in service. Track was first pulled back onto the roadbed and the mainline was realigned to prepare for the placement of ballast and surfacing. A production team came in to replace some crossties, and a tie and surfacing project to further strengthen the track structure also was executed. Temporary cables restored the power. Rail, switches, and signals were unscathed.

In total, 30,500 tons of ballast and

12,000 tons of riprap were used, and 6,651 ties were placed.

Ready for anything CSX’s preparedness carried it through what could have been a disaster. The Class 1 has developed and grown relationships with so many suppliers and contractors it was able to mobilize equipment and trainloads of material while Hurricane Ida was still gaining strength out on the Gulf of Mexico. CSX also utilizes forecasting technologies of various weather services.

Once the event happens, crews survey the damage by air to get a good sense of the scope and scale of what is needed and f lood the zone with resources to recover.

Extreme weather events are becoming more and more common by the year.

Some Class 1s are actually considering building more robust infrastructure, like steel or concrete instead of timber bridges. Sparks, however, said CSX would continue to focus on resiliency and rtands.com

Photo Credit: CSX

held firm, but sections of track did not stand a chance. Intense winds and wave action quickly eroded the rail line and the embankment and displaced the track in some places as much as 30 ft inland.

“The main damage was essentially where our railroad is on an embankment 8 to 10 ft above the water,” said Sparks. “That embankment was reduced to the water level. All of that material was displaced inland and spread over 15 to 20 yd.”

Under normal circumstances, the recovery effort would be rather cut and dry. The Class 1 brings in the equipment necessary and the rebuild moves forward.

This situation was presented differently.

Because there were at least 20 miles between road crossings and the area was sitting in f loodwaters, some equipment had to be barged in, and airboats were used to bring workers and other supplies to and from the site.

Most of the crawler excavators, over 70

TRACK MAINTENANCE

responsiveness, as well as hardening the capital assets. Along the NO&M subdivision, riprap has been installed along the slopes of the roadbed, both on the Gulf side and the lake, marsh, and land side.

Crews have driven sheet piling at some locations, and the roadbed elevation has been raised in an effort to protect it against high storm surges. Sparks said raising the roadbed and armoring slopes has had the most success.

“We are not going to stop a hurricane, but with how we build back and what measures we take we are looking to harden that infrastructure and make it more robust,” said Sparks.

CSX has taken on hardening projects in the Mississippi area, and Sparks said they have held up well.

“The severe weather challenges do pose challenges and we have focused on responsiveness and having resources in place to respond as quickly as possible, having aggressive inspections shortly thereafter, and utilizing large equipment to get back as quickly as we can,” said Sparks, who

CSX will continue to focus on resiliency and responsiveness.

also pointed out the recovery from Hurricane Ida happened without injury.

“We did a tremendous amount of work, there was a lot of equipment, a lot of material was moving around, and there were

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BALLAST MAINTENANCE

EMERGENCY

ASSISTANCE

Ballast maintenance equipment comes through when needed the most

I

n the latter half of 2021, Herzog’s ballast operations supported track recovery efforts for freight lines in areas affected by wildfires in the Western half of the U.S. as well as commuter rail line construction on the Brightline Phase 2 Expansion in South Florida.

The Lava fire destroyed Union Pacific’s (UP) Dry Canyon Bridge north of Redding, Calif., last June. UP crews and their contractors worked around the clock for 60 days to get the 1,200-ft structure

18 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

ready to reopen. Once the bridge deck was completed, one of Herzog’s automated GPS ballast trains made two passes at the site to unload 1,700+ tons of ballast to the center of the track. Because the ballast trains are programmed to distribute material day or night at specific GPS coordinates, crews experienced no disruption to their work schedule. The unloading was performed at sunset after crews finished for the day.

New track construction is still underway for the Zone 4 segment on Brightline.

Herzog’s remote-controlled solar ballast cars continue to help accelerate the buildout of newly skeletonized track on the 129-mile segment from Cocoa to West Palm Beach for HSR Constructors (a joint venture of Herzog, Stacy & Witbeck, and RailWorks). Once the north-south segment is complete, more than 1 million tons of ballast will have been placed along the corridor. Ballast delivery for the Zone 3 east-west segment from Orlando to Cocoa will begin in early 2022. rtands.com

Photo Credit: Herzog

By Bill Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

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BALLAST MAINTENANCE

The Vancer Ballast Cribber is designed to remove compacted and cemented ballast in a single swipe.

20 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

to a good start in 2022,” Loram told RT&S. “Customers are getting started on their programs on time or early as compared to previous years allowing for a fast start.

Most equipment in the fleet is scheduled at or near peak utilization for 2022, indicating a strong commitment from industry to proactively planning and executing their ballast programs.”

“Our team saw a strong uptick in product need [in 2021] to manage a variety of rail maintenance work,” Vancer told RT&S. “The outlook right now is strong, with Class 1 expenditures and large rail projects planned for 2022. The market is poised to have a great year for rail maintenance equipment needs.”

Brandt The Brandt Continuous Work Platform is a unique, self-propelled Maintenance-ofWay solution that consists of a locomotive pulling seven articulated short-side gondolas. The platform delivers an impressive 290 ft of continuous workspace paired with an incorporated John Deere 135 excavator, sized to fit within the gondolas. The excavator operates along the entire length of the work platform to load and unload maintenance materials with efficiency.

Other standout features of the

Continuous Work Platform include: • Enclosed powered platform housing on operator cab with full consist operational controls, HVAC, and two-person occupant capacity with an additional jump seat; • Comprehensive lighting that meets FRA requirements for roadway maintenance equipment; and • A maximum operating speed of 40 mph paired with a braking system designed to meet current AAR requirements.

The unit delivers excellent sightlines for operators, providing a point of control remotely, as well as safe controls and displays. And, with the fuel capacity to support 20 hours of continuous operation or more, the Continuous Work Platform delivers maximum operational uptime to complete maintenance tasks on time.

Knox Kershaw Knox Kershaw’s 925 Ballast Regulator is designed for ballast work on all types of track. Strong visibility in every direction, especially in the wing areas, makes it the ideal machine for final profiling. The specially designed plow used in conjunction with the wings makes transferring from shoulder to shoulder a one-pass operation. The reversible wings allow work rtands.com

Photo Credit: Va ncer

Recently, Ballast Tools Equipment (BTE) was able to help a customer that had experienced a flood event that displaced large amounts of track and ballast. By utilizing the new BTE-326 platforms, the customer was able to high rail out to the site with everything needed to complete the repairs.

Using a rail cart towed behind the excavator with multiple attachments meant there was no down time waiting for equipment to arrive. The customer was able to thread new rail more efficiently based on the increased capacity of the BTE-326 High Rail Excavator.

“Utilizing our new BTE-326 excavator platform to clear debris quickly allowed the customer to double-time clearing out the damaged track areas. Once that was done and new ballast was laid, the BTE-326 easily handled new track panels and threaded rail to complete repairs. Of course, with its multi-attachment ability via our proprietary control system, the operators were able to utilize buckets, threaders, and tampers all from the BTE-326 platform,” said Matt Weyand, sales engineer at BTE. The ballast maintenance market is coming off a strong 2021, and market conditions could be even better this year.

“The ballast maintenance market is off

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early 1990s by BSB Saugbagger, a railroad contractor. Their experience in the industry led to the creation of the tinbin product line. Initially, the tinbin was just used with a manually operated hose to suck up garbage and other material that fouled railroad tracks, especially around transit stations. Additional modifications over the years include the following: • The addition of a rotation nozzle to suck up ballast from between railroad ties; • A rotating top to bring the rotating nozzle close to signal masts and other infrastructure; and • A water-misting dust suppression system.

Miner AggreGate ballast/MoW outlet gates at work.

in either direction so no movement is lost.

The insulated broom box gives excellent service life, and the standard reversing valve allows ballast to be swept away from switches and road crossings.

A new control system by Danfoss controls machine functions and displays machine diagnostics to help operators optimize productivity. The Plus+1 system is currently an option on the KBR 925.

Integrity Rail Products The tinbin TC2 is an excavator attachment that uses a hydraulically activated fan to suck up railroad ballast or other material. Driven by the hydraulics on an excavator, the material is stored in a 1-cu-yd hopper. Hydraulically activated doors on the bottom allows you to dump beside the track, into a bin, or into a hi-rail dump truck.

The tinbin TC2 was designed in the

It’s recommended that excavators of 16 tons or higher be used to run the tinbin TC2. These excavators also will have the hydraulic capacity to drive the fan and run the auxiliary hydraulics.

Vancer Vancer continues to focus on developing solutions to improve customers’ Maintenance-of-Way operations. To

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RhombergSersa_HalfAd.indd 1

22 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

Photo Credit: Miner

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BALLAST MAINTENANCE

drive efficiency for rail projects, Vancer developed the patented Ballast Cribber attachment. The Vancer Ballast Cribber is designed to remove compacted and cemented ballast in a single swipe—six times faster than traditional methods so operations can quickly spot treat sections of track that need work.

Pairing the Ballast Cribber with Vancer Hi-Rail equipment, like the CHX 25-ton hi-rail excavator, allows rail maintenance crews to access remote rail lines for spot maintenance.

The Cribber maximizes equipment versatility with its removable buckets for different crib widths allowing for ease of replacement and adjustable rail clamp heights for different rail profiles. Built-in rail wheels keep you aligned as you move to the next crib.

In addition to speed and versatility, the Vancer Cribber Attachment promotes safety on the rail operation. Rail clamps hold the attachment to the track while cribbing to ensure the attachment does not lift and move, keeping the machine stable and operator safe. Ease of service

rtands.com

also was key in designing this attachment; the Cribber is designed with heavy-duty cylinders for durability and long life with removable teeth for easy replacement.

Loram As railroads continue to pivot towards data-driven decisions, Loram is providing the technology and expertise to support precision scheduled maintenance. With ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and LiDAR commonplace in the industry, railroads have a more complete understanding of the fouling condition, ballast and subballast layer thicknesses, and ditch geometry of their entire network. Utilizing this data, Loram is partnering with customers to develop proactive maintenance plans that target a root cause resolution of troublesome areas and chart a path towards preventive ballast maintenance.

As research continues to progress on the effect of fouling material on ballast, all data is pointing to the effectiveness of shoulder cleaning in increasing ballast life, reducing track settlement, and reducing the need for undercutting. Research

recently published at AREMA, TRB, TTCI, etc., in the last year demonstrated that removing fouling from shoulders increases drainage, decreases geometry variation, and costs less to maintain than deferring shoulder cleaning. Customers that consistently utilize a proactive shoulder ballast-cleaning program over time are budgeting and utilizing less undercutting on their networks. Loram’s high-production shoulder ballast cleaners are the standard bearers in the industry for speed and efficiency, allowing railroads to minimize unit costs while maximizing productivity with shorter track windows.

To better serve customers, Loram has increased its service offering in ballast cleaning by delivering full-service ballast remediation and renewal. Depending on work location and need, Loram is equipped to deliver turnkey service by managing all aspects of ballast excavation and cleaning, spoils removal, new ballast delivery, placement, and finishing work. One example was an industrial customer that required contaminated material removal from their loading/staging tracks. In a little over a

March 2022 // Railway Track & Structures 23

BALLAST MAINTENANCE

week, Loram renewed over 6,000 ft spread over five industry tracks with tight clearances as part of a plant shutdown that was underway. The work required managing customer specified third parties for spoils removal and delivery as well as working around other activities in the plant. Using an LRV Excavator as the lead machine, the work was done efficiently and ahead of schedule.

Miner Miner AggreGate ballast/MoW outlet gates are available in electric, air-powered, and manual operating models, all suitable for both retrofit and new car systems. The solar-powered stand-alone electric AggreGate enables independent operation of the car from anywhere within the ballast train; this eliminates the need for grouping manual and automatic cars and can ultimately be operated without connection to another car for power. Solar-powered and battery-operated systems provide stand-alone operation. An optional remote control with push-button override also is available, designed to allow for individual

Plasser American has been performing ballast maintenance services for 30 years with offerings of undercutting and shoulder cleaning services.

24 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

Photo Credit: Plasser American

Goderich

rtands.com

BALLAST MAINTENANCE

car and gate selection. The gates allow you to: • Effectively ballast inside, outside, or both sides of the rail simultaneously; • Use large guillotine door openings designed to stop ballast flow with minimum effort; • Conduct easy ballast shutoff at switches, crossovers, and bridges; and • Use single- or double-door control options The dual cylinder air-powered AggreGate is available in either push-button or remote-control operation. The remote control system enables an operator to select a specific car and gate as well as control ballast flow, ensuring more accurate ballast discharge from distances as great as 300 ft.

The standard transmitter can select up to 999 cars for remote control, and features an override in air valve to continue ballasting if power is lost The manual AggreGate is available with transition sheets designed to enable new or retrofit application to any open top hopper car. It features a three-position handle for

rtands.com

easy opening and closing of doors. Spring tension holds the door in position at any opening for controlled flow of ballast.

Industry-Railway Suppliers, Inc. Industry-Railway Suppliers, founded in 1966, is the distribution representative of Supertrak machines. Supertrak is a 30-year Cat-authorized OEM building custom machines for vegetation management, heavy-duty trenchers, custom utility trucks, cable retrieval equipment, and monorail work tractors. Supertrak specializes in small footprint yet high-performance, up-fitted machines.

The Supertrak SK170RR Hi-Rail Excavator is based on a Cat 313 hi-rail platform.

It has a single 170-hp engine, dedicated high flow with reversing fans, and multifunctionality. The hi-rail is equipped with 4-wheel drive and 4-wheel brakes.

The SK170RR maintains huge power in a small package with zero permit required for transportation due to its compact size, making it well suited for ballast maintenance and land clearing in remote places.

This excavator meets national railroad

safety specifications.

When the SK170RR is up-fitted with the heavy-duty, hydraulic-powered SK10RR undercutter bar, it becomes a powerful ballast maintenance machine. This 10-ft bar is designed to quickly remove mud and fouled ballast from beneath the track with its replaceable teeth. The chain offers a variable controlled reverse for easy cleanout, and there also is a direct coupler mounted to use with or without a rotator option. The undercutter bar fits 8-ton to 15-ton class machines.

Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group With the acquisition of the Balfour Beatty Track Solution division in October 2021, the Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group (RSRG) is now a top provider of production undercutters in North America. Michael Match, president of Rhomberg Sersa North America, stated, “We are delighted with the expansion of our North American operation which now comprises four UHR-RM80 and two RM76 machines along with three spot switch undercutters, all of which are complemented by our

March 2022 // Railway Track & Structures 25

BALLAST MAINTENANCE

Maintenance (RELAM) Inc. is centrally located just outside Cleveland and St. Louis and most recently in 2022 in Sacramento, Calif. RELAM provides railway equipment for short- or longterm leasing and has equipment for all railway needs.

RELAM Inc. has a wide range of ballast regulators, tampers, and track stabilizers available for short- or long-term lease.

RELAM now has three locations in the U.S. and is able to react quickly to customer requests and shorten transit times to customer jobsites.

The RELAM f leet of regulators consists of Knox 860, 925, and 940 combo snow/ ballast machines as well as Kershaw 46-2 and 4600s. RELAM also has available in 2022 completely rebuilt regulators.

Tampers consist of Production Mark IV and 6700 tampers, spot or switch tampers like the Nordco HST, Harsco 2400, 3000, and 3300. Track stabilizers consist of the Harsco TS30-HD and Plasser PTS90C. In addition, RELAM also has Hudson ballast cars for precise RELAM ballast Railroad Equipment Leasing And ai159545473911_RTS_August_PonySpread_ACT_Herzog.pdf 1 7/22/2020 4:52:21distribution.

PM trackbed inspection technology services business in partnership with Zetica Ltd. “Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group continues to seek opportunities to partner with railroads to bring new and innovative solutions from within its worldwide operation into the North American business which includes investing in ballast and material handling solutions. We now have 10 MFS-40 material handling wagons cars and two specialized power wagons that can operate as a standalone consist or if needed in conjunction with the ballast cleaning operation, ideal when cutting through tunnels, environmentally sensitive locations, and populated areas.”

In the trackbed inspection business, RSRG continues to help railroads benefit for the combining of asset condition information including ground-penetrating radar, LiDAR, and vision combined with track geometry to cost effectively target and plan investment in ballast and subgrade management.

26 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

Plasser American Ballast is the foundation that holds track geometry into place, and a strong ballast maintenance strategy is key to successfully managing maintenance and intervention cycles. Studies have proven that poor track geometry can reduce the life of many track components including rail. The expense of these assets is high so it is critical to extend their life cycle for as long as possible to achieve a greater return on investment. A well-executed ballast maintenance strategy will reduce overall costs and decrease the total cost of ownership of many valuable assets.

Plasser American has been performing ballast maintenance services in North America for 30 years with offerings of undercutting and shoulder cleaning services. Currently, Plasser American has a fleet of six undercutters and three shoulder ballast cleaners. The undercutting fleet is diverse with machines that can handle any type of ballast maintenance strategy from routine to corrective actions. Equally, Plasser’s shoulder ballast cleaner fleet is highly versatile in the ability

rtands.com

Photo Credit: Loram

BALLAST MAINTENANCE

to perform efficiently and provide the highest quality. These machines are able to capture the entire width and depth of shoulder in a single pass without leaving behind a trough in the ballast profile that captures water.

Plasser American also has available for service two BDS100/200 machines.

These machines are a great complement to shoulder ballast cleaning activities as well as any high-speed surfacing team.

These high-performance machines are equipped with long reach wings and an X-plow to profile the ballast in a single pass. The work process also includes the double brooms to sweep up and store excess ballast in the integrated hopper while conveyors are able to distribute the collected ballast. The ability of the BDS to pick up excess ballast and store this material for relocation to a place of need provides the user with a quantifiable return. The utilization of existing assets that are not currently providing a return on investment provides cost savings to the user as the amount of spend on new ballast can be reduced.

rtands.com

As railroads continue to pivot towards data-driven decisions, Loram is providing the technology and expertise to support precision scheduled maintenance.

March 2022 // Railway Track & Structures 27

WILLIAM AREMA W. HAY NEWS AWARD The 2020 Dr. William W. Hay Award Get PDHs at your own pace with for Excellence was awarded to AREMA’s On-Demand education Hanson Professional Services Inc. for its work on Norfolk Southern’s Grand Access to important professional River Bridge emergency repairs in development Brunswick, Mo. content is just a few clicks away with AREMA Education.

Our On-Demand content spans A dedicated team from Norfolk many disciplines of PDH-accredited Southernthat Corp., Hanson courses allow you Professional to get your S e r v iby c elearning s I n c . from a n dexperts M a s sonline man PDHs Construction worked without leavingCo. your office. together to help Norfolk Southern rebuild a B e n e f iin t s27odays f lea r n i nitg collapsed o n l i n e: bridge after under the pressure of a flooded river and debris.

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Learn more

A buildup of tree limbs and high water Studies show that participants learn had pushing on On-Demand the 103-yearmorebeen while taking courses as you over can skim throughRiver the old rail bridge the Grand material you understand and take near Brunswick, Mo., leading Norfolk more timetoincut the more Southern the rails challenging the evening areas. of Oct. 1 to relieve pressure and prevent furtheraccess damage to its rail line.

2. Get instant A portion of the bridge was wiped out With courses, withinAREMA minutes.On-Demand Four spans and three you don’t have wait learn and piers—about 267 to ft of theto1,110-ft-long get your PDHs as they’re bridge—were swept away. available instantly after purchase.

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28 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

Message From The President

MICHAEL P. FREEMAN AREMA President 2021-22

M

arch is a dichotomy on many fronts. March 20, 2022, at exactly 11:33 a.m. EDT, marks the Spring Equinox, which is when the sun crosses the equator and the time from sunup to sundown is exactly 12 hours. This precise time is the beginning of spring and autumn for the Northern and Southern hemispheres, respectively. An exact date and exact time.

Conversely, another March event is as unpredictable as the timing for the Spring Equinox is predictable. March Madness, these glorious 2+ weeks when the NCAA basketball champion is determined, is annually one of the most unpredictable events of the year. If you think it’s predictable, fill out a bracket and see how well you do. Another certain occurrence is that we will continue to look at Functional Groups of AREMA. Let’s tip it off.

This edition will highlight the Engineering Services Functional Group, a group of Committees that bring together the technical knowledge for a number of engineering disciplines that support the design, construction, and maintenance-of-railway infrastructure.

This Functional Group also has the significant assignment of providing educational opportunities for AREMA. The Engineering Services Functional Group is led by Vice President Michael K. Williams, P.E., from Norfolk Southern Corporation. Williams is assisted by Functional Group Directors Sean Robitaille, P.E., with Canadian National Railway and Cassandra “Cassie” M. Gouger, P.E., with Union Pacific. There are six Technical Committees that fall under the Engineering Services Functional Group umbrella, and we will explore each as we continue our trek through the Committees of AREMA.

Committee 6 - formerly Buildings and Support Facilities, is sporting a new name, Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings, to describe its varied functions more accurately. The Committee is led by Chair Ryan J. Gottsch, P.E., from Jacobs. The Committee felt their former title did not accurately describe the many areas that they address within their Committee, thus the new name, which is more inclusive and gives those not familiar with their purpose a better idea of the subject areas addressed by their work.

Committee 13 - Environmental, led by Chair Kari J. Harris from Canadian National, has been working on a new section of the Manual for Railway Engineering (MRE) which will incorporate environmental best practices addressing Canadian regulatory issues. The Committee recently developed and presented a new webinar titled “Environmental Permitting for Railroad Project Managers”. Committee 13 membership often collaborates with other environmental professionals at the Railroad Environmental Conference held annually at RailTEC/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals Committee is a very active group that over the years has prepared and presented useful material to the industry. The Chair of the Committee is Levi J. Turner, P.E., of David Evans and Associates. In 2020, the Committee developed a webinar titled “Designing a Functional Bulk Terminal Facility”. This webinar has been presented several times. A new webinar focused on intermodal terminal engineering is under development and will be available in the near term.

Committee 16 - The Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations Committee is another productive group with Michael K. Couse of the Twin Cities and Western Railroad as Chair. The Committee is currently engaged in the development of a webinar titled “Yard/Terminal Capacity” which is a relevant topic in the industry. Over the past few years, Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) has been a hot topic in the rail industry and Committee 16 is responding by creating a new section of the MRE to address this operating philosophy.

Committee 18 - Throughout the rail system, there are many light density lines and short line railway operators that have different needs than the larger heavy freight railroads and larger commuter rtands.com

rail line operators. Committee 18, Light Density & Short Line Railways, led by Chair Daniel Tegtmeier, P.E., from Iowa Northern Railway Company is charged with addressing many of the issues unique to the smaller operators. To meet one particular need, Committee 18 developed and conducted the Contracts Management webinar to help educate short line operators on the process of creating and managing contracts.

Committee 24 - Education & Training is one of the most active Committees within AREMA. Education and training is one of the principal mission elements for AREMA so the importance of the activities of this committee, chaired by Ashley Pate of TranSystems, is obvious. Committee 24 has, over time, created and managed the creation of several seminars and webinars. Of course, with the pandemic, emphasis has been placed on the creation of webinars and conversion of seminars to a webinar format. Other programs in which the membership is actively engaged include the AREMA Mentoring Program, AREMA scholarship application and award process, and working with the current 25 AREMA Student Chapters on college campuses across the country.

Other activities of Committee 24 include organizing the annual Railway Engineering Education Symposium (REES), which provides engineering professors with rail curriculum material as well as guidance on getting their students involved in AREMA. A recent effort has been initiated to build a robust STEM program to introduce younger students to the technical professions, which would include railroad engineering.

As one can easily see, the Engineering Services Functional Group is active on many fronts of the railroad industry and is a key player in successfully providing several services relevant to AREMA’s mission. If you or someone you know has an interest in any of the topics being addressed by any of these six Committees within the Engineering Services Functional Group, I would strongly encourage contacting the Chair of the particular committee, or AREMA headquarters staff, who can get you connected with the right people to get you in the game. Until next time, be well and be safe. rtands.com

FYI Registration, hotel rooms, and sponsorship are open for the AREMA 2022 Communications & Signals Symposium to be held May 15-17 in Kansas City, Mo. Please visit www.arema.org to register and for more information on sponsorship i n ve s tm e n t o p p o r t u n i t i e s . We l o o k forward to seeing you in Kansas City.

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.

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UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS 2022 MEETINGS MARCH 17

APRIL 12-13

Committee 4 -Rail Pueblo, Colo.

Committee 2 - Track Measurement and Assessment Systems Location TBD

APRIL TBD Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment Location TBD APRIL TBD Committee 34 - Scales Tampa, Fla. APRIL TBD Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals Location TBD

APRIL 27-28 Committee 13 - Environmental Jacksonville, Fla. MAY 4 Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting MAY 16-18 Committee 5 - Track New Orleans, La.

APRIL 6

MAY 17-18

Committee 6 - Rail Facilities, Utilities and Buildings Virtual Meeting

Committee 15 - Steel Structures Chicago, Ill.

March 2022 // Railway Track & Structures 29

GETTING TO KNOW

Committee 13 – Environmental Chair Kari J. Harris AREMA: How did you get involved in AREMA and your committee?

HARRIS: I had attended one or two of the annual conferences, but mainly only attended the environmental permitting and training day. After attending a couple of those training sessions, Leo Thorbecke (the previous Committee 13 Chair) approached me and said that their vice chair at the time had to step down, and asked if I would be interested.

I thought it was a great opportunity to get more involved and to help spotlight Committee 13 to the overall AREMA membership.

KARI J. HARRIS Manager, Environmental Impact Canadian National AREMA: Why did you decide to choose a career in railway engineering?

HARRIS: The career kind of chose me. I was working as an environmental consultant in the Chicago area, and CN was one of my clients.

I worked well with some of the people I was working with at CN, and they said they could use a person like me with my environmental permitting experience. So, I asked, where do I sign? I’ve always preferred working on the side of the industry, and less as a consultant. I find it interesting learning all the ins and outs of the railroad, the history of it, the impact we have on the economy, and how my environmental background can help influence the future of the railroad promoting sustainable design.

AREMA: How did you get started?

HARRIS: I started as a consultant to CN in the Chicago area, working on permitting for new track projects. One of the biggest projects at that time within CN was for track improvements and a new flyover bridge in Kirk Yard in Gary, Ind. It was during that permitting process that I found myself working closely with some of the CN Design & Construction managers, and the Environment project manager. They respected the way I looked at environmental permitting, looking at the big picture, and convincing the project team to spend more time at the forefront of the project to coordinate and collaborate with all stakeholders before a permit application was submitted. It was this successful approach to environmental permitting that opened the door for me.

30 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

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

HARRIS: I love to cook. My boyfriend, friends, and family make fun of me because I start planning meals days or weeks in advance. I love revisiting my cookbooks to see what new recipes I can try. I enjoy compiling a meal in my head, preparing it, and then sharing it with my friends and family. As much as I love to cook, I also love to eat. That means finding more time for workouts and exercise. I also love to travel.

My Mom introduced me to Europe when I was in high school and have been to England and Spain. As much as I really loved seeing the history of Europe, my desire to see all 50 states has grown more and more as I get older.

Renting an RV and driving out west is on my bucket list. I just have 13 more states to check off my list of getting to all 50.

AREMA: Tell us about your family.

HARRIS: I grew up and have lived in the Chicago area all my life. Most of my family still lives here, too. I have two older brothers and one older sister. My Dad passed away in 2008, which brought us all even closer as a family. I’m extremely close with my Mom. I try to spend as much time as possible with her helping her run errands, or just going out for lunch to get her out and about. I have a wonderful boyfriend that keeps me in check, especially during these busier and stressful times. We live together and let’s just say that COVID is a true relationship test. Thankfully, we are very compatible.

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

HARRIS: I bought the house I grew up in from

my Mom after my Dad passed away. I’m the third generation to own it. The home sits on three wooded acres and is adjacent to a nature preserve and wildlife refuge. It was originally a summer cabin that sits across the street from the Fox River in a small rural Chicago suburb.

My great-grandparents bought the cabin and installed the plumbing and electricity to make it their home for almost 25 years. My parents then bought it from my great grandma and moved our family here. They added on to make it our home for 37 years. I’ve done my own renovations, but the original workings of my great grandpa and my Dad still stand.

AREMA: What is your biggest achievement?

HARRIS: A few years ago, my husband died from suicide. My biggest achievement is that I’m a survivor of suicide and that it’s OK to talk about it and to share my story. Maybe there is someone out there right now reading this article, and maybe they’ve been struggling.

Maybe they are struggling to wake up every day and face the world. Maybe they feel that they will be burdening their friends or family to talk about what’s weighing on their minds. I’m here to tell you no one is alone. It’s so important to have a healthy mind and body, and you must work at it; it’s not easy. Everyone experiences difficult times, whether you’re grieving a loved one, grieving a pet, having a stressful time at work, relationship problems; everyone battles tough days at one time or another. I remind myself every day, “It’s OK to not be OK.” It’s OK to be sad, stressed, depressed. Just keep waking up each day and find your happiness; your family and friends will be grateful you do.

If I’ve helped one person by sharing my story, then I’ve achieved something big today.

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

HARRIS: The railway industry can be very demanding. I always say the railroad never stops. So you need to be ready for anything at any time. But it can also be very rewarding.

You will meet all kinds of great people with all different backgrounds. These are the people to learn from. Take the time to get to know the railroaders who have been around for years and learn from them. They have so much knowledge and history that you just can’t learn from a book or training. rtands.com

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STAY IN GEAR WITH RAIL GROUP NEWS RAIL GROUP NEWS brings you a daily round-up of news stories from Railway Age, RT&S, and IRJ. This email newsletter offers North American and global news and analysis of the freight and passenger markets. From developments in rail technology, operations, and strategic planning to legislative issues and engineering news, we’ve got you covered.

From Railway Age, RT&S and IRJ

https://railwayage.com/newsletters

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RAIL GROUP NEWS

ROUND-UP of NE

RAILWAY

1:25 PM March 2022 // Railway Track1/26/22 & Structures 31

AD INDEX

COMPANY

PHONE #

FAX #

E-MAIL ADDRESS

PAGE #

AREMA Marketing Department

301-459-3200

301-459-8077

marketing@arema.org

12,C3

Herzog

816-901-4038

amcclain@hrsi.com

26-27

Hougen Manufacturing, Inc.

866-245-3745

800-309-2399

info@trak-star.com

8

Knox Kershaw Inc

334-387-5669

347-387-4554

knox@knoxkershaw.com

25

Linsinger Maschinenbau GmbH

4376138840143

marketing@linsinger.com

13

Loram

763-478-2627

alexis.b.nubbe@loram.com

C2

Ontario Trap Rock

800-449-4244

bsanders@tomlinsongroup.com

24

Plasser American Corp

757-543-3526

757-494-7186

plasseramerican@plausa.com

2

Progress Rail a Caterpillar Co

256-505-6402

265-505-6051

info@progressrail.com

19

Racine Railroad Products, Inc.

262-637-9681

262-637-9069

custserv@racinerailroad.com

23

Railway Educational Bureau

402-346-4300

402-34-1783

bbrundige@sb-reb.com

17

RELAM

770-335-9273

jroberts@relaminc.com

21

Rhomberg Sersa North America

904-378-7160

Info.RSNA@RSRG.com

22

WVCO Railroad Solutions

541-484-9621

wvcorailroadsolutions@wilvaco.com

C4

763-478-2221

541-484-1987

Advertising Sales MAIN OFFICE JONATHAN CHALON Publisher 88 Pine St., 23rd Floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 620-7224 Fax: (212) 633-1863 jchalon@sbpub.com AL, KY, TN, CHINA JONATHAN CHALON 88 Pine St., 23rd Floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 620-7224 Fax: (212) 633-1863 jchalon@sbpub.com

CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ME,MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA,RI, SC, VT, VA, WV, CANADA: QUEBEC AND EAST, ONTARIO JEROME MARULLO 88 Pine St., 23rd Floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 620-7260 Fax: (212) 633-1863 jmarullo@sbpub.com

AR, AK, AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, NM, ND, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY, CANADA: ALBERTA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, MANITOBA, SASKATCHEWAN HEATHER DISABATO(CHICAGO OFFICE) (312) 683-5026 hdisabato@sbpub.com

AMERICAS, EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, AUSTRAL ASIA NORTH AMERICA - CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA, WV, AND EASTERN CANADA. EUROPE EXCEPT GERMANY, AUSTRIA, GERMAN SPEAKING SWITZERLAND, EASTERN EUROPE, ITALY, AND ITALIAN-SPEAKING SWITZERLAND. ASIA EXCEPT JAPAN AND CHINA. JEROME MARULLO 88 Pine St., 23rd Floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 620-7260 Fax: (212) 633-1863 jmarullo@sbpub.com

GERMANY, AUSTRIA, GERMAN-SPEAKING SWITZERLAND, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, ESTONIA, POLAND, CZECH REPUBLIC, SLOVAKIA, HUNGARY, SLOVENIA, CROATIA AND SERBIA Simone and Simon Fahr Breitenbergstr. 17 Füssen 87629 Germany Tel: +49 8362 5074996 sfahr@railjournal.com

ITALY, ITALIAN-SPEAKING SWITZERLAND DR. FABIO POTESTA Media Point & Communications SRL Corte Lambruschini Corso Buenos Aires 8 V Piano, Genoa, Italy 16129 +39-10-570-4948 Fax: +39-10-553-0088 info@mediapointsrl.it JAPAN KATSUHIRO ISHII Ace Media Service, Inc. 12-6 4-Chome, Nishiiko, Adachi-Ku Tokyo 121-0824 Japan +81-3-5691-3335 Fax: +81-3-5691-3336 amkatsu@dream.com IRJ PRO AND CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SALES FRANK ROSE 917-856-1808 frose@sbpub.com

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.

32 Railway Track & Structures // March 2022

rtands.com

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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS – Keynote address by Marty Schlenker, President of Schlenker LLC – Practical elements related to train control systems – Railway signal construction and maintenance – 20+ Presentations by subject matter experts – Roundtable Discussion on Positive Train Control – Earn up to 12.5 Professional Development Hours – Attendees receive complimentary access to the RSSI C&S Exhibition (May 17-18, 2022) To REGISTER or for more information, visit www.arema.org/symposium