RTS November 2020

DESTRUCTION AT DEL MAR

HOPING IT

HOLDS SANDAG AND OTHERS CONTINUE TO WORK ON WAYS TO STABILIZE THE DEL MAR BLUFFS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

NOVEMBER 2020 | WWW.RTANDS.COM

ALSO: SHORT LINE TRACK MAINTENANCE TRACK GEOMETRY/ INSPECTION rtands.com

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 1

SIT AND LISTEN William C. Vantuono Railway Age

Bill Wilson

Railway Track & Structures

Railway Age, Railway Track & Structures and International Railway Journal have teamed to offer our Rail Group On Air podcast series. The podcasts, available on Apple Music, Google Play and SoundCloud, tackle the latest issues and important projects in the rail industry. Listen to the railway leaders who make the news.

Kevin Smith

International Railway Journal

Podcasts are available on Apple Music, Google Play and SoundCloud

CONTENTS

November 2020

12

FEATURES

8

Higher in number?

Part 2 of a series looks at SANDAG’s massive reinforcement effort dealing with the Del Mar bluffs and the hope that the work will hold

12

Maintaining a laser focus Careful maintenance and management of Iowa Northern track keeps things rolling

16

Do it without stopping FRA’s Final Rule will allow track inspection market to take full advantage of technology

DEPARTMENTS

5

8 On the Cover Crews take part in reinforcing efforts on the Del Mar bluffs.

For story, see p 8 Photo courtesy of SANDAG.

TTCI Research Studying the effect of corrective grinding in ultrasonic testing

23

AREMA News Message from the President, Getting to Know, and more

28

Products Koppers’ Crosstie Lifecycle Management Program

COLUMNS

3

On Track Where are they moving to?

4

NRC Update Coming this January: NRC FirstLook 2021

32

Last Stop Staggers at 40

Follow Us On Social Media @RTSMag

rtands.com

November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 1

ON TRACK

Where are they moving to?

VOL. 115, NO. 6 NO. 11 PrintVOL. ISSN116, # 0033-9016, Print ISSN ## 0033-9016, Digital ISSN 2160-2514 Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES EDITORIAL OFFICE 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 3680 Heathmoor Drive Chicago, Ill. 60603 Elgin, (312) IL 60124 Telephone 683-0130 Telephone 336-1148 Fax (312)(630) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com BILL WILSON Editor-in-Chief wwilson@sbpub.com DAVID LESTER KYRAC. SENESE Managing Editor dlester@sbpub.com ksenese@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES BOB TUZIK 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, Consulting Editor New York, NY 10005 btuzik@sbpub.com Telephone (212) 620-7200 CORPORATE OFFICES Fax (212) 633-1165 55 Broad St 26th Fl. ARTHUR J. MCGINNIS, New York, N.Y. 10004JR. President and Telephone (212)Chairman 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 JONATHAN CHALON ARTHUR Publisher J. MCGINNIS, JR. President and Chairman MARY CONYERS Production CHALON Director JONATHAN Publisher NICOLE D’ANTONA Art Director MARY CONYERS Production Director HILLARY COLEMAN GraphicD’ANTONA Designer NICOLE Art Director MAUREEN COONEY Circulation Director ALEZA LEINWAND Graphic Designer MICHELLE ZOLKOS Conference Director MAUREEN COONEY Circulation Director CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-895-4389 Reprints: PARS International MICHELLE ZOLKOS Corp.

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

O

MG, they are pounding on my door. EXPLETIVE!” The Facebook post came out of nowhere. Lines were being fired off from an ex-girlfriend. With campaign season over, the campaign worker had been out of work for a while.

She was being evicted from her townhome.

Well, they were trying, anyway. My ex sat in her closet, hoping they would not kick the door down. She had no idea what she was going to do. The feeling of hopelessness poured all over me as I read the play by play. I was holding my breath and praying the posts would not stop, because if they did I would take that as an eviction. The thought of someone I knew being homeless was now pounding on my brain.

Everything turned out in the end, but it is an experience I would like to put back in the closet.

Homelessness is a term coated with shame, and sprinkled on top is denial.

Society does not want to account for those living in tents or makeshift shacks under a viaduct. They can all stay hidden from the reality as city officials turn the other way.

The city of Ottawa has been banging out light-rail projects over the last couple of years. The Confederation Line was recently opened, and extensions are already taking place. Plans are being thought out for a 10-kilometer Stage 3 LRT extension, one that will feature an elevated line from Baseline Station and Barrhaven Town Centre.

The project, however, looks like it will take up the space now occupied by Manor Village. Shaping Manor Village are townhomes filled with 300 low-income tenants.

Of course, the city has assured that all the residents will have something to call home before construction digs in. However, Ottawa’s financially underprivileged are being pushed out. A rise in upper-income housing has been casting a shadow over the landscape for some time. Eventually, cities hit this point of maturity. Well-to-do couples flock in from the suburbs wanting a high taste of the urban life. They have the

money, and developers want the money. It’s a perfect marriage that unfortunately divorces others from the evolution. Housing simply becomes unaffordable.

In January, Ottawa declared a housing and homelessness state of emergency caused by rising housing costs and an affordable housing wish list that continues to lengthen.

Those behind the light-rail project are trying to assure that there will be housing, better housing, for everyone involved.

The great effect produced by public transportation, especially on the rail, is that it makes travel to work affordable. Public transportation was developed with lower-income people in mind, and every project should serve the top customer, whether we are talking on or off the tracks.

Ottawa’s effort at establishing a robust light-rail network has been taking a few hits over the last year or so. Its Confederation Line has established a consistent line of failure.

The residents of Manor Village are accusing the city of not communicating enough about the impacts of Stage 3, even though a group has been gathering public comments about the endeavor. In September, a new developer purchased Manor Village. Again, information is not being provided.

I would expect that to all change in the coming months. The city of Ottawa needs to turn a smear campaign into a smile campaign before the perception of light rail is dragged and buried under a bridge to be forgotten.

Talk to the people and follow through on any promises. Those of Manor Village need new homes, not one that soon may have the door kicked in.

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.

Pricing: Qualified individual and railroad employees may request a free subscription. Non-qualified subscriptions printed and/or digital version: 1 year Railroad Employees (US/ Canada/Mexico) $16.00; all others $46.00; foreign $80.00; foreign, air mail $180.00. 2 years Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $30.00; all others $85.00; foreign $140.00; foreign, air mail $340.00. Single Copies are $10.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only.

COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2020. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact: PARS International Corp., 102 W 38th St., 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10018 Phone (212) 221-9595 Fax (212) 221-9195.

For subscriptions and address changes, Please call (US Only) 1-800-553-8878 (CANADA/INTL) 1-319-364-6167, Fax 1-319-364-4278, e-mail rtands@stamats.com or write to: Railway Track & Structures, Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Railway Track & Structures, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407.

November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 3

NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN

Coming this January: NRC FirstLook 2021

M

“

DESPITE THE PANDEMIC AND THE CANCELLATION OF OUR ANNUAL CONFERENCE, WE STILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER AND SHARE INFORMATION.

y phone has been ringing off the hook!

That old expression is not technically accurate, but it aptly describes the volume of calls, texts and emails I’ve received in recent weeks asking about the status of the NRC Annual Conference. Railroaders, contractors and suppliers look forward to this event each January. They know by attending they will exchange invaluable information about railway capital plans, industry, regulatory and legislative updates, and get the opportunity to connect with other leaders.

While we all would prefer to be together in Hollywood, Fla., at the NRC Annual Conference this January, the NRC leadership team had to cancel this meeting due to COVID-19 safety concerns. Instead, the NRC is pleased to invite you to participate in NRC FirstLook 2021, an exciting alternative that will continue to make this a January to remember.

In the tradition of the NRC Annual Conference, the NRC leadership and staff have put together a compelling program that will give you a first look at railway industry plans, insights and information you can use to benefit your business or operation all year long.

NRC FirstLook 2021 features a series of high-profile, high-value online webcasts on these four tracks: • Fireside Chat with a Class 1 CEO, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021; • Signals & Communications Panel, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021; • Procurement Panel, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021; and • Class 1 Chief Engineers Panel, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.

The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association, Inc. 410 1st Street, S.E. Suite 200 Washington D. C. 20003

For more information and to register, visit https://www.nrcma.org/nrc-events/ nrc-firstlook-2021.

Let me encourage you to register for all four events and, if you are an NRC member, take advantage of the discounted bundled

price. This bundled discount is only available for NRC members. Please, renew your membership to not only save a few bucks, but also help equip the NRC to continue delivering value-added programs and benefits throughout 2021.

Someone wiser than me suggested if you focus on what you are thankful for, you lose sight of what you lack.

As we enter the holiday season, I am thankful to work in a dynamic and thriving industry. So, despite the pandemic and the cancellation of our Annual Conference, we still have the opportunity to connect with each other and share information through NRC FirstLook 2021. And for those of you who will miss going to The Diplomat in Hollywood, Fla., this January, plan on joining us in Phoenix, Ariz., for our 2022 Annual Conference.

I am thankful for the NRC staff, board and other members. I am energized by you every day and continually appreciate your amazing contributions to the NRC and to our industry.

I also am thankful for our former NRC Board President Mike Choat, who recently retired as vice president of Business Development with Wabtec after a 45-year career in the railway industry.

Mike led the NRC as Chairman of the Board with great professionalism and leaves it on a strong foundation so it will go the distance.

Wishing everyone good health and a happy holiday season.

“Building a Safer and Stronger Railway Construction Industry Together!”

JIM HANSEN Chairman, National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC)

Tel: 202-715-2920 Fax: 202-318-0867 www.nrcma.org info@nrcma.org 4 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

rtands.com

TTCI R&D

Studying the Effect of Corrective Grinding in Ultrasonic Testing Variations in data do not allow for a blanket recommendation for metal removal depth Scott Cummings, Scientist Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) .

T

ransportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) evaluated the effectiveness of corrective rail grinding as a method for restoring an acceptable ultrasonic testing (UT) response in rails with poor surface conditions. This effort included detailed data collection at a limited number of case study sites plus an analysis of the estimated metal removal depths at a larger number of sites. Although the success rate in restoring the rail(s) to a valid test condition was observed to be higher when more metal was removed, variations in the data do not allow for a blanket recommendation for metal removal depth.

This work was performed as part of the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Strategic Research Initiatives Program.

Corrective rail grinding becomes necessary when rolling contact fatigue (RCF), spalling, or other near-surface conditions reduce the confidence in UT to detect internal defects. In this article, rails with these conditions will be referred to as “rail exceptions”. When rail exceptions are encountered, rails are typically ground back to a state of acceptable UT signal strength or replaced. If discovered shortly before a visit from the rail grinder, rail exceptions will often receive a corrective grinding treatment in an attempt to create the conditions for a valid test result during the subsequent detector car visit. Alternatively, a railroad may elect to avoid the extra grinding effort if, for example, the railhead is heavily worn and it makes more sense to replace the rail. Also, if corrective grinding is attempted and the results from the subsequent UT continue to provide insufficient confidence, the rail will be removed from service. rtands.com

Corrective grinding case studies Detailed data was collected at diverse sites in order to better define the effectiveness of corrective grinding as well as the optimal amount of metal to be removed. The sites, provided by two railroad partners, included older rails with heavy spalling on a lower tonnage line and newer rails with shallower damage more representative of mainline conditions. At all sites, the corrective grinding successfully restored the condition of the rails to facilitate valid UT results, but the amount of material removed during the corrective grinding operations varied dramatically.

Four of the individual sites were within a 7-mile range on a single line and ranged from tangent to 3.3° curvature. This line is typically ground every other year and averages approximately 15 million gross tons (MGT) per year.

The rail was manufactured and originally installed in the early 1980s on a heavy tonnage mainline and then relocated to its current location in 1991. Before grinding, the rail surface conditions at these sites included spalls of many sizes and well-developed RCF cracks. Figure 1 shows representative images of the rail surface conditions at one of these rail exception sites.

The rails at each of the four sites were treated with five to 11 passes from a 96-stone production grinder, which resulted in 0.031 to 0.157 in. of metal being removed from the center of the head. Inspection of the sites occurred before, during and after grinding, and included photography of the rail surface condition and rail cross-sectional profiles. Between grind passes observers noticed that, in some cases, as the grinder removed spalls that had been open to the surface, it also uncovered spalls that had been hiding beneath the surface.

Another rail exception case study site on a different line was the low rail on a 3° curve that carries 43 MGT per year. Due to its location in a congested area, this site has a permanent speed limit of 20 mph. The grinder typically visits this site semi-annually to maintain the standard strength (non-premium) rail produced in 2006.

Poor rail surface conditions were discovered over a length of approximately 25 ft resulting in low UT confidence. Three months later, the rail received two grind passes that improved the UT results, but not enough to remove the rail exception. No inspection data is available regarding the grinding operation; thus the

Figure 1. Representative pre-grind (top) and post-grind (bottom) rail conditions at a site with an older rail and an annual tonnage of 15 MGT.

November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 5

TTCI R&D

Figure 2. Representative pre-grind (top) and post-grind (bottom) rail conditions at a site with a newer rail and annual tonnage of 43 MGT.

amount of material removal was not quantified. Seven months after the rail exception was originally marked, the rail was treated with three additional grind passes during a second visit from the grinder. The rail condition was improved sufficiently enough during the second grinding treatment to allow high-confidence UT results. Inspections were conducted before and after this second grinder visit. An overlay of the pre- and post-grind profiles determined that the amount of metal removed from the center of the rail head during the second grinder visit was 0.012 in. RCF cracks and small spalls were visible on the surface before grinding. After grinding, RCF cracks were no longer visible but spalls, though reduced in size, were still present and visible.

Figure 2 shows representative images of the rail surface conditions at this rail exception site.

Estimated grind depth Although the case study data provides excellent detail about the visual rail surface condition and high confidence about the depth of grind via rail profile measurements, it is difficult to collect a large quantity of data in this manner.

Instead, a larger sample size can be gathered more easily using estimates (rather than measurements) of the amount of metal removed. A comparison of pre- and post-grind rail profiles shows that a large production rail 6 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

grinder can remove as much as 0.014 in. per pass at a slow travel speed and 0.006 to 0.008 in. per pass at a more typical travel speed.

Scaling these values appropriately allows for relative estimates regarding the amount of metal removed based on the grinder model, the grinder speed, and the number of passes.

Multiple railroads provided dates, locations, and outcomes for their rail exceptions. This data was cross-referenced with grinding data provided by a vendor to identify the locations that were ground between the date each location was first identified as a rail exception and

the date it was either removed from service or received a valid test during a later UT inspection. Table 1 lists pertinent information about the 88 rail exceptions that were analyzed. Most of these sites (68 of 88) were ground successfully. For the 20 rail exceptions that were removed from service shortly after grinding, it is possible that at least some had insufficient remaining head height to justify a true corrective grind effort.

In contrast to a previous study 1 that found that only 10 percent of cracks and spalls extended more than 0.040 in. below the rail surface, this analysis shows that 40 percent of the successful corrective grinding efforts removed more than 0.040 in. of the rail.

Although this data shows that many rail exceptions can be addressed with relatively little metal removal (such as in Figure 2), some rail exceptions require significant corrective grinding effort (such as in Figure 1). Removing too little metal during corrective grinding leaves the possibility of wasted effort if the subsequent UT does not provide a high level of confidence. Of the unsuccessful corrective grinding efforts analyzed during this study, only 10 percent removed 0.035 in. or more of metal.

Figure 3 looks at the relationship between grind depth and outcome. For example, rail exceptions produced valid tests in 77 percent of the grinds that removed at least 0.005 in. of metal, 88 percent of the grinds that removed at least 0.020 in. of metal, and 100 percent of the grinds that removed at least 0.060 in. of metal.

Deep grinds were successfully executed on each of the four railroads resulting in 0.060 in. to 0.157 in. of metal removal. This type of deep corrective grinding suggests the possibility that alternative supplemental technologies, such as rail milling, may have potential for application in North American freight railroads.

Post Grind Outcome

Valid Test

Removed

Rail Exceptions Analyzed

68

20

Grinder Pass Count (Min/Median/Max)

1 / 3 / 17

1/2/5

Grinder Speed (mph) (Min/Median/Max)

5 / 8 / 13

6 / 8 / 12

Rail Exception Length (feet) (Min/Median/Max)

20 / 462 / 18,480

30 / 238 / 1,750

Estimated Grind Depth (inch) (Min/Median/Max)

0.006 / 0.028 / 0.157 0.006 / 0.018 / 0.059

Table 1. Summary of data analyzed.

rtands.com

TTCI R&D

recommendation for a uniform corrective grinding depth. Each rail exception will likely have its own optimal metal removal depth. This lack of a uniform optimal corrective grinding metal removal depth highlights the need for an accurate non-destructive method that will be used to assess rail surface crack depth before the grinder arrives. TTCI is actively exploring existing technologies to fill this need.

As shown previously under controlled conditions 1 and demonstrated at several case study sites, complete elimination of all cracks is not necessary for an acceptable UT response in rails.

Figure 3. Success rates by grind depth.

Conclusion and future work Corrective grinding was a successful remediation strategy for 77 percent of the 88 rail exceptions analyzed. The grinding effort ranged from one pass to 17 passes of a production grinder which resulted in an estimated 0.006 in. to 0.157 in. of metal removal at the center of the

head. The lengths for the rail exceptions remediated through grinding ranged from 20 ft to 3.5 miles. All grinds that removed at least 0.060 in. of metal were successful in achieving a valid rail flaw test.

The large variation in corrective grinding efforts does not allow for a blanket

Acknowledgements This work would not have been possible without substantial efforts from BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, Union Pacific Railway, and Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. References 1. Cummings, S. November 2018. “Testability and Corrective Grinding Depth of Rails with Poor Surface Condition.” Technology Digest, TD18-027. AAR/TTCI, Pueblo, Colo.

NEW

RAIL DRILL

Two Speeds • Compact Size Drills Holes Fast The NEW RB2SPD rail drill from Trak-Star is designed for drilling fast efficient holes. The drill incorporates a two speed gear box for using either the Carbide Tipped Twister Bits™ or the Black Twister Bits™. A more compact size makes the drill easy to get into tight spots. The RB2SPD includes an easy start 4 stroke Honda motor, high torque gearing, center balanced carrying handle, thru-the-tool pressurized coolant system, quill feed arbor, 10 point clamping and weighs only 49 lbs.

Hou-751 RTS.indd 1

rtands.com

866-245-3745 www.trak-star.com Hydraulic & Gas Rail Drills • Hydraulic & Gas Rail Saws • Twister Bits Gas Impacts • Rail Accessories

5/27/20 1:50 PM

November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 7

DESTRUCTION AT DEL MAR

HIGHER

IN NUMBER?

Part 2 of a series looks at SANDAG’s massive reinforcement effort on the Del Mar bluffs and the hope that the work will hold

8 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

Mother Nature that is always game for some trickery along with that bizarre cousin known as climate change, wishing for some luck is not a bad idea, either.

SANDAG is in the middle of executing a series of stabilization and drainage improvements. Del Mar 4 is almost complete, and Del Mar 5 is scheduled to begin in about a year. If funding is there, officials will engage in Del

Mar 6 ... and really do not want to go to a Del Mar 7.

“This bluff is going to continue to retreat, and so we are designing something that takes care of today’s issue,” John Haggerty, director of Engineering and Construction for SANDAG, told RT&S. “The design would allow us to go in and add more tiebacks and more lagging behind the piles as the bluffs retreat, but the rtands.com

Photo Credit: SANDAG

C

rossed fingers limit the number you can count with when dealing with a problem. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is OK with that. In fact, six is as high as the agency wants to go when dealing with erosion control and sea level rise at the Del Mar bluffs in southern California. Of course, when you are dealing with a strong

By Bill Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

DESTRUCTION AT DEL MAR

magazine looked at how the unpredictable rate of erosion is wreaking havoc on train operations. In this issue, we take a more detailed look at what Del Mar 4, 5 and 6 will accomplish in the long haul.

other option is to get out in front of the toe of the bluff and slow that retreat down so we may never have to rely on that option.”

A long-term solution for the weakening bluffs, which carry a single line of railroad tracks used by freight, passenger trains and the military, is to wipe them from the equation all together. Officials have just begun the process of looking at constructing a tunnel a couple of miles inland, but it could be decades before one is completed. In the meantime, SANDAG is hoping the reinforcing phases are kept to a minimum.

Back in April, Railway Track & Structures rtands.com

4 through 6 Construction on Del Mar 4 was wrapping up in October. At press time, crews were placing laggings behind some of the soldier piles at the base of the bluffs, and drainage work was being executed.

One crucial area is a bluff to the east of the railroad tracks away from the ocean where H piles have been inserted in an effort to pin the section of the bluff and support the drainage channel so it will not fall onto the track bed. A more historical area lies on the Pacific Ocean side of the bluff, where since the early 20th century timber ties and lengths of steel rails pushed into the beach formed a long retaining wall. SANDAG, in collaboration with the city of Del Mar and the Coastal Commission of California, agreed to maintain the older look of the timber sea walls protecting the base of the bluff. H piles were placed 16 ft deep in between rail upright piles and then timber lagging was used to support the soil backfill. Additional drainage work on the top of the bluffs also was completed to control stormwater flows coming from city streets onto the bluffs.

COVID-19 struck in March and put the Del Mar 4 project in flux due to the fact that officials were trying to determine if the work was essential or not.

“It took the contractor a little while to get geared up and get going, but once they got geared up the process has been going well,” said Haggerty.

Design for Del Mar 5 is a little over 30 percent complete. Options are being considered, and the city of Del Mar, the Coastal Commission of California and the North County Transit District, which operates trains and maintains the track, have been involved in the process. Most of Del Mar 5 work will deal with more pile installation, but there is a major drainage structure that also needs to be addressed. Much of the action will take place along the railroad right-of-way.

In Del Mar Bluffs phases 2 and 3, piles were installed along 2,170 ft of the bluff to protect the track bed in high-priority areas. Up to 250 additional piles are being considered along the bluffs to form protection against erosion and earthquake activity.

A drainage structure built in 1912 will be replaced with a bored pipe that will run underneath the tracks, collect drainage, and

connect to a bored tunnel that will take the water down to drain on the ocean side of the bluffs. Currently under the aging system water gets funneled underneath the track in a box culvert and then goes down a flume that leads to the beach. However, years of weathering now have a portion of the structure suffering from severe deterioration.

The current cost estimate for Del Mar 5 is about $65 million, which is a sharp increase from Del Mar 4’s $7 million price tag. However, a bad storm hit the shores in November 2019 prior to phase 4 work and called for substantial emergency repairs. Del Mar 4 was already in the design phase and SANDAG worked with the money it had for the job. The top of the bluffs were already reinforced with the H piles during the storm, and according to Haggerty performed exactly how they were designed to perform.

“Phase 4 was designed for the budget we had at the time,” said Haggerty. “Now we have to go through and put the piles in additional areaas as the bluff retreats.

“That emergency repair brought a focus of awareness that we really have a situation that we needed to deal with and we could not afford

Phase 4 of stabilization of the Del Mar bluffs was almost complete in October.

November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 9

DESTRUCTION AT DEL MAR

“This bluff is going to continue to retreat, and so we are designing something that takes care of today’s issue,” said Haggerty.

to wait much longer. So this was the spark to get the money both locally and at the state level to complete phase 5, which will really do a substantial amount to stabilize the bluffs.

If funding comes through and relationships with the Coastal Commission of California and Del Mar residents, who live close to the tracks, continue to be strong, Del Mar 5 construction could begin late in 2021 or early in 2022. Money for work beyond Del Mar 5 is an unknown, but there needs to be some kind of protection placed at the toe of the bluffs that will require a lot more communication with the Coastal Commission of California and the city of Del Mar. Sinking a lot of money into reinforcement efforts does not guarantee success.

Patrick Barnard, a research geologist at the USGS’s Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, said during an interview earlier in the year that while he applauds the efforts of SANDAG, there is the X factor that is always unpredictable.

“It’s a real challenge in any sense harnessing Mother Nature and these large geologic processes,” he told RT&S. “There have definitely been a lot of efforts that have been made to shore up the bluffs, to reinforce the base to prevent some water from 10 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

flowing through.

“They have definitely been successful in reducing the rate, but in terms of eliminating the risk altogether, that is a tall order.”

Barnard said as far as the extreme events that have been scouring the bluffs over the last couple of years, they have not shown a pattern in the state of California. Sea level rise, however, should be a worry.

“What we do know is that the sea level is rising and [the rising] is accelerating, and that means the base of these bluffs are going to be hammered by waves more and more frequently throughout the century,” he said.

“What we have shown in our modeling work is that the rates of cliff retreat are certainly going to increase and it could as much as double by the end of the century.”

Which means the chances of erosion control efforts stopping at six is highly unlikely.

Time ticking for tunnel At press time a feasibility study on the impacts of a rail tunnel was just starting to take shape.

The railroad line has no room for growth. On one side there is the dwindling bluffs and on the other side real estate creeps right up to the railroad right-of-way. Double-tracking also is a need in the future, so officials decided the

best idea might be to run the service under the surface between the bluffs and the I-5 freeway.

However, the unknowns are tempering the hope. The cost of building a tunnel could be in upwards of $5 billion, by the time it is built and the geology still needs to be examined.

The study is expected to be complete in about 18 months, but it could take as many as 30 years before crews break ground on a permanent solution for the rail line.

“If we go beyond 30 years and the bluff erosion continues to happen then we may have to come back and put more tiebacks, maybe do some more lagging,” remarked Haggerty.

SANDAG has a program in place called the Five Big Moves, which looks at how the San Diego region could expand and improve commuter rail. A tunnel is the centerpiece of this vision.

“We are really having to look at this at a time when we don’t really understand everything that is going to happen with sea level rise, or how much climate change may impact our ability,” said Haggerty. “We do not know the erosion rate on the bluffs so we really have to be proactive and make sure we have accounted for the most likely and potentially a little bit worse than the most likely scenario.” rtands.com

Join or Renew your AREMA Membership NOW Membership in AREMA demonstrates that you are a professional in your field, dedicated to improving your practical knowledge and interested in exchanging information with your peers in order to advance the railroad engineering industry.

Don’t lose your Membership Benefits: • • • • •

Participate on AREMA Committees Access to the Membership and Committee Directories Subscriptions to Railway Track and Structures (RT&S) and Progressive Railroading Magazines Discounted rates: • Publications and Manuals • Educational Events such as the Annual Conference, Seminars and Webinars Access to Conference Proceedings and Bulletins

To Join or Renew your membership online, visit arema.org

UPCOMING WEBINARS Design & Construction of Highway/ Railway Grade Crossings Webinar December 9, 2020 2:00 - 3:30 PM EST PDH - 1.5 This presentation is intended to provide AREMA recommendations to highway designers for projects that have railroad at-grade crossings. Design and construction elements will also be presented. If you are a consultant for highway agencies, a County Engineer, State Design Engineer, City Public Works Directors or a member of their staff, then this webinar is for you.

College Educators and Students will also benefit from attending.

To register or for more information, visit arema.org.

TRACK MAINTENANCE

MAINTAINING

LASER FOCUS

O

ne of the saddest stories from 20th century railroading was the total collapse of the Rock Island Railroad. For various reasons, the railroad collapsed in the late 1970s, and liquidation occurred in 1980.

Afterward, much of the dilapidated track and ties lay dormant for years.

As most readers know, short lines 12 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

sprouted around the country using track available due to bankruptcy of struggling roads or Class 1 abandonment of branch lines, made possible by the Staggers Act, which provided massive economic deregulation to the industry.

Among the successful short lines that began doing business in the 1980s and is still doing so today is the Iowa Northern

Railway Company (IANR). Founded in 1984, the railroad, operating only in Iowa, runs diagonally through the state northwest to southeast from Manly to Cedar Rapids. It has a branch line from Waterloo to Oelwein and another from Forest City to Belmond. After 10 years of operation, the road handled 15,000 cars annually, and the average track speed was less than 10 mph. rtands.com

Photo Credit: Iowa Northern

Iowa Northern units handling an ethanol train.

TRACK MAINTENANCE

Careful maintenance and management of Iowa Northern track keeps things rolling

By David C. Lester, Managing Editor

In 1994, a group led by Dan Sabin, a second-generation railroader who is now president of the line, took over management of the Iowa Northern, and things have changed a lot in nearly 30 years of operation under the “new” management team. The railroad now handles 60,000 cars per year, which is made possible by the millions of dollars invested in bringing the rtands.com

road’s physical plant up to par. This work has enabled the road to provide customers with improved service, increased reliability, and operate more safely. The road is a Class 3 shortline and interchanges with Class 1s Union Pacific, Canadian Pacific, and Canadian National.

William Magee, the road’s general manager, joined Iowa Northern in 2002

after a career with several other railroads. In his first year at Iowa Northern, he learned that the road had exceptionally talented and dedicated people with excellent work ethics. Given something to work with, there was nothing they could not do.

They adopted a policy of acquiring the appropriate equipment and doing whatever work they could do in-house.

Magee brought a lot of experience and insight, which added extra punch to the road’s track rehabilitation, maintenance, and management. With the road being 253 miles long and the team doing the majority of the work, bringing the track up to standard from the condition it was in at the time of liquidation has been no small feat.

The rail on the Rock Island Manly and Cedar Rapids subdivisions was a combination of 110-lb rail rolled in the 1920s and 112-lb rail rolled in the late ’30s. Frankly, this rail held the railroad together through the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Still, years of poor tie and surface condition took its toll. The rail needed replacement to keep up with the industry standards and raise track operating speeds, thus providing the necessary safety and efficiency.

When the IANR started operations in 1984, the traffic was 100 percent agricultural (corn). This was the case throughout the ’90s. Things changed in 2005 as an ethanol plant located on-line in Fairbank, Iowa, and in 2007, a second ethanol plant located on-line in Shell Rock (Butler County-Butler Yard), Iowa. The railroad transformed from 100 percent corn to a more diversified operation, with upwards of 60 percent of their traffic becoming hazardous materials.

Two things had to happen simultaneously. First, IANR had to accelerate the rehabilitation of the main track. Second, since it also was attracting new customers, new yard and storage space was required.

In addition, it helped customers with the design and construction of new facilities.

CWR and track replacement Magee told RT&S that the railroad just received another Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program (CRISI) grant that will fund the installation of continuous welded rail (CWR) 18.2 miles north from Marble Rock to Nora Springs, which is about 10 miles south of Manly. The line from Palo (a few miles north of Cedar Rapids) almost to LaPorte City also sports CWR. When it’s time to remove the old November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 13

TRACK MAINTENANCE

jointed rail from the mainline, installation in industrial sidings and yards is on the docket. This rail is good for 10 mph, while the CWR is good for 25 mph on the mainline, which is important, as the railroad moves a lot of ethanol. “Our goal,” said Magee, “is to upgrade our operations to 40-mph FRA Class 3 track as soon as we possibly can get there. We presently restrict our operations to 25 mph on CWR sections, and we operate over the remaining jointed rail at 10 mph.”

IANR has developed a strategy to acquire adequate equipment to handle new track and turnout construction, surfacing, and cross tie replacement in-house. IANR typically contract bridge maintenance and replacement projects to a third party. It also handles signal maintenance in-house, utilizing a contractor for signal engineering and construction when needed.

Then, back in 2005, IANR hired a civil engineer, Dan Tegtmeier, to do design work in-house and IANR has offered services to many customer/industrial development projects over the years.

With the right people and equipment in place, IANR developed a strategy whereby it has tried to take every opportunity to replace main track rail utilizing LRFA loans, an RRIF loan, and operating revenue-funded CapEx. IANR buys 115-lb CWR with a 5½-in. rail base and installs it using the existing tie plates.

This practice has significantly reduced the cost of rehabilitation since IANR has not had the added expense of purchasing larger tie plates that would have been necessary for 136-lb rail.

IANR contracts ultrasonic rail flaw inspection to a third party in the spring and fall. Any jointed rail replaced after each CWR job cascades to many projects ranging from yard expansions to customer facilities.

Crossties While the railroad uses wood ties on the mainline and some industry sidings and yards, Magee is a fan of steel ties for yard/ industrial track. “The steel ties will last

The Railway Educational Bureau Track Safety Standards

BKTSSAF

Track Safety Standards, Subparts A-F Only $9.86 for orders of 50 or more!

$10.95

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 July 31, 2019.

Bridge Safety Standards $7.95 BKBRIDGE

Federal Regulations Workplace Safety

Subparts A-F

Track Safety Standards, contains all 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.

Updated July 31, 2019.

longer than wood ties, and it will hold residual value at the end of its useful life, whereas you will have to pay to dispose of creosote-treated wood ties. For example, a wood tie will last about 20 years, and when it’s time to replace it, IANR has incurred disposal costs ranging between $4-$6 in recent years. Also, a steel tie can be relocated and generally is as good as when installed.”

On the expense side, a main track wood tie currently costs around $65.

Wood ties require two-track plates and a minimum of four spikes or other rail anchors. While steel ties are more expensive, they do not need tie plates and spikes. “So,” Magee pointed out, “by the time you add the money for tie plates, spikes, and rail anchors, you’re approaching an acceptable comparative expense given the exceptionally long life of the steel ties, the reduced maintenance, and the residual value.”

Magee said that the railroad is nearing the end of a 30-year rehabilitation process.

“Our philosophy will shift to ‘scheduled

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 July 31, 2019.

BKWRK

$10.50

Railroad Workplace Safety Only $9.45 for orders of 50 or more!

Track Calculator The Track Safety Standards Calculator is a must for anyone who works on track. This slide rule type calculator contains many of the details for Classes of track 1- 5. Deviation from uniform profile and from zero cross level. Difference in cross level. Compliant with part 213.

BKTCAL Track Calculator $10.50 Only $9.50 for orders of 50 or more!

Only $7.15 for orders of 50 or more!

The Railway Educational Bureau 1809 Capitol Ave., Omaha NE, 68102 www.RailwayEducationalBureau.com 14 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

800-228-9670

www.transalert.com

Add Shipping & Handling if your merchandise subtotal is:

UP TO $10.00 10.01 - 25.00 25.01 - 50.00 50.01 - 75.00

U.S.A. $4.50 8.40 11.43 12.71

CAN $8.75 13.66 18.14 22.90

Orders over $75, call for shipping

rtands.com

TRACK MAINTENANCE

maintenance’ in the coming years,” he said.

“After the Rock Island went bankrupt, the track on our line did not operate for about five years,” Magee told RT&S. “The local grain elevator owners rehabilitated the line as best they could, and they finally got the entire line open and ran the railroad themselves. When Dan and his team arrived in 1994, they looked for as many grants and loans as they could get. He kept it operating, but it was in tough shape. We received one Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan in 2006. In those days, the focus on tie replacement paved the way for the CWR installation that we are accomplishing today. IANR has installed well over 150,000 crossties in the past 15 years.”

IANR’s employees also are quite experienced with building new track. The short line railroad has replaced a total of 53 main track turnouts on both the Manly and Cedar Rapids subdivisions with a standardized main track 115-lb No. 10

turnout. In 2018, IANR replaced two railroad crossings at grade (diamonds) in Nora Springs and Garner.

Industrial development Manly Yard in Manly, Iowa, was once a Rock Island hub, with a 12-track classification yard with a roundhouse. In 2005, only three tracks remained, and only two of the three were in service. Since that time, IANR rebuilt the yard and expanded the yard to the north another mile. The yard now has 11 tracks in the body, and IANR has added Manly Terminal, LLC, and Manly Logistics Park to the north of the old yard location. IANR handles a broad range of commodities, including corn, ethanol, chemicals, fuel, steel, and even wind turbine components at this facility. This facility is near completion, with steel ties, and almost all construction, handled in-house.

Butler Yard in Shell Rock, Iowa, did not exist in the Rock Island days.

In 2005, nothing but a main track ran through the area, but the second ethanol

plant was constructed at this location in 2007. IANR made plans for an eventual and started acquiring land. In 2013, Butler Logistics Park added two additional industries. In 2018, a third transload customer came to the site, and in 2019, IANR started intermodal service to what is now known as Butler Intermodal Terminal.

In 2019, Trinity Industries chose Butler to build a “greenfield” freight car repair facility that sits on roughly 200 acres of land adjacent to Butler Yard and, when completed, will have over 10 miles of track on-site. The Trinity project is nearing completion.

IANR has built 81 steel tie turnouts to date and has built approximately 30.7 miles of steel tie track utilizing the strategy explained previously.

The current five-year plan will finish the remaining 27.5 miles of main track rail replacement with CWR. It will place IANR in an excellent position to move forward, providing safe, reliable, and efficient service.

665 Pylant Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30306 | PH 404.875.1512 | FX 404.875.4835 E-mail sales@dmfatlanta.com | www.dmfatlanta.com

rtands.com

November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 15

TRACK GEOMETRY/INSPECTION/RAIL FLAW DETECTION

DO IT WITHOUT

STOPPING

FRA’s Final Rule will allow track inspection market to take full advantage of technology

16 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

companies have been doing track inspection without the stops for some time, the official nod from the FRA opens up a whole new world for the railroad industry when it comes to inspecting the track.

The following is a summary of some of the products available in the track geometry/ track inspection/rail flaw detection market.

GREX Since its inception, the Aurora Track Inspection System has inspected more than 500 million wood crossties. The data generated from Aurora inspections is used by railroads to assess tie condition across a given network.

Because Aurora utilizes machine-vision technology, the grading scale is uniform and eliminates any subjectivity, so its customers get an unbiased understanding of tie condition across a customer’s network. The firstgeneration Aurora utilizes a machine vision, camera/laser profiling system to capture the track surface in 3-D. This allows GREX to recreate a given track in a digital environment where algorithms are used to identify and measure a number of variables, such as plate cut, tie spacing, cracks, splits, roughness, bowing, etc. Using a series of drone computers, GREX can assess tie condition on thousands of ties in a fraction of the time that rtands.com

Photo Credit: Herzog

W

hy are we stopping? That’s a question the Federal Railroad Administration must have been asking itself for the past decade when it came to train inspection. The FRA was granting waivers to use new technology that did not stop on the tracks, and in late August submitted a Final Rule to the Federal Register allowing railroads to use ultrasonic inspection technology, augmented with global positioning system technology, to employ continuous rail testing. The Final Rule was published in early October.

Even though a few Class 1 railroad

By Bill Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

TRACK GEOMETRY/INSPECTION/RAIL FLAW DETECTION

conventional methods take.

The second-generation system, AuroraXi, builds upon the first generation by adding backscatter X-Ray technology. When ties degrade internally, before surface defects are exhibited, AuroraXi can detect these internal flaws such as hollow cavities and low relative density. The internal scores are then combined with surface scores to produce a complementary hybrid score, where each can be weighted to produce the desired result.

The latest evolution of Aurora is an automated tie marking system, which finds and paints replacement ties identified by TRL (Tie Replacement Logic).

The Aurora Marking system works by aligning the previously collected AuroraXi dataset on a given mile with the live scan the Aurora Marking truck produces while traversing track. It is during this collection process that the system locates the replacement ties in the original file and once confirmed in the live scan, actuates a paint system to stripe the replacement ties.

Photo Credit: Holland

Herzog Herzog is continually looking for ways to improve the speed of data collection and processing, especially now that continuous testing (CT) has been given the green light by the FRA as an acceptable method of gathering rail inspection data. Herzog’s ultrasonic CT vehicles scan the rail in bulk mode and transfer test data to an off-site location for review by a CT analyst. Any suspect indications are flagged for further assessment by an on-site field verifier within the time allotted by FRA regulation. The CT process allows the railroads to test with increased coverage in shorter work windows.

To offer the railroads more value for their inspection dollar on one pass over the track, Herzog also has deployed two new rail inspection platforms that combine multiple service offerings on one vehicle. Geometry or joint bar detection capabilities now complement an already reliable and efficient ultrasonic rail-flaw detection platform.

• Joint bar system: Four high-definition line scan cameras integrate precise images of both the gauge and field side of the rail into an operator’s view to identify cracks in the fishplate, missing bolts, or fasteners.

• Geometry system: An Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) equipped with GPS records data for gauge, alignment, curvature, surface, cross-level, super-elevation, warp, and twist. Herzog’s testing vehicle rtands.com

Holland’s Argus Track Inspector.

does not require loaded pressure, which has the potential to damage the rail infrastructure.

• Series 7000: The Series 7000 platform relies on an intelligent software engine to process data and identify repeatable patterns that may indicate a flaw. This engine greatly decreases processing time and increases accuracy for detection.

• With these upgrades Herzog can provide customers with options to capture different types of data multiple times per year and focus on areas that need more frequent inspections (i.e., areas of seismic shifts or frequent transitions from tangent to curved track) to help mitigate the risk of rail failures and increase efficiencies within maintenance programs.

Holland Holland’s Argus Track Inspector (TI) adds a portable, lightweight, and user-friendly track geometry measurement to the Argus track measurement technology suite. At the core of the Argus Suite is a simple, fundamental design of interchangeable components that include a mounting assembly, a single system unit and a minimum of two rail sensors depending upon the configuration.

Argus TI features the same lightweight and foldable mounting design with Argus Suite’s base model, the real-time Gauge Inspector (GI). Customers can upgrade an Argus GI system to a full geometry system of Argus TI conveniently.

The Argus TI can be deployed on any hi-rail platform with a standard trailer hitch and comes in a convenient travel and storage case. Since the measurement system is portable, an encoder and GPS antenna are the only

auxiliary systems that need to be installed on the hi-rail vehicle. It can be mounted, configured and calibrated by one person in less than an hour.

The TI is designed to be used with a laptop and an optional tablet for event recording location data concerning track reference points. These features, combined with the TI’s portability, allows for a full geometry system that can easily be shared amongst track inspectors or road masters across an organization.

Holland also offers the TI as a testing service that is ideal for industry tracks, military bases, and other properties that touch the general system but are not frequently tested.

Holland’s Argus Track Measurement Technology Suite of products is designed to be installed on dedicated manned track measurement vehicles, as well as transitioned to autonomous applications.

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. The fundamental indicator of track condition is track geometry, and in most cases, the condition defining the need for track quality improvement is poorly performing track geometry. When we think of the geometry of the track, we think of the lines, curves and angles that make up the track’s position along the right-of-way, and we talk of such things as vertical profile, horizontal alignment, crosslevel and gage. All of these geometry parameters are based on classic geometry where line and curves are onedimensional, and planes are two-dimensional. However, the geometry roughness that develops from traffic loading does not often adhere to classical geometry characterization. Track geometry roughness patterns November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 17

TRACK GEOMETRY/INSPECTION/RAIL FLAW DETECTION

can actually enter the space between the standard dimensions and into the world of “fractional”, or “fractal”, dimensions.

In order to develop a deeper understanding of the track’s condition, Loram has been utilizing Fractal Analysis to better characterize track roughness signatures and to determine things about the track that conventional methods of characterization cannot do. For instance, Fractal Analysis applied to vertical profile data from the track geometry car has shown the ability to discern ballast-related problems from subgrade-related problems. In fact, Factual Analysis of conventional track geometry data has shown the ability to indicate fouled ballast from clean ballast. Loram feels track geometry data is an underutilized data source, and with advanced analytical tools, such as Fractal Analysis, important information can be ascertained on the health of the track just by looking at the data in a new way.

Nordco Minute, internal flaws in rail, invisible to the naked eye, can result in sudden, catastrophic

failure. Nordco’s ultrasonic rail flaw detection (RFD) equipment finds unseen defects using the most sophisticated technology available, giving railroads an opportunity to correct them before disaster strikes.

Nordco utilizes advanced digital signal processing and proprietary algorithms to analyze data generated from a marketleading number of transducers in Nordco’s XL9-11, Sweeper and Tracer roller search units (RSU) which are integrated into a range of hi-rail vehicles, railbound measurement cars or portable devices. Using either stop-test or continuous testing methods on a regular schedule, railroad owners can ensure their track remains in top condition to prevent derailments, saving lives, downtime and assets.

Nordco has a unique advantage of being both an OEM and provider of RFD services, allowing the client to choose between owning and operating their own equipment, contracting the service to Nordco or even owning the equipment and having Nordco technicians manage the testing operations.

Ultrasonic nondestructive testing of the

rail is required by the FRA and should be implemented on all rail including local transit, rail yards and private lines. The cost of an ultrasonic RFD vehicle or service contract for UT is less than the average cost of a single derailment.

Sperry Elmer is an artificial intelligence tool and Sperry’s newest rail safety initiative. Elmer uses machine learning based on neural networks to process data from rail flaw detection systems and to identify patterns in the data that may indicate the presence of defects.

The system learns from the data gathered by ultrasound, induction, and eddy current inspection methods, applying modern, AI-driven data analysis.

Here are some of the highlights: • Sperry is the only company using AI and was developed entirely in-house by Sperry; • Elmer gives consistent results and reduces human intervention during analysis; • Elmer reduces the amount of verifications that need to be done on track, improving worker safety; and

Driving velocity in the rail industry.

TRACK MAINTENANCE

RAIL CAR MOVING

RAIL INSPECTION

AD RT&S Sept 2019.indd 1 18 NORD0788 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

8/21/19 1:31 PM rtands.com

Learn how Sperry can improve your Rail HealthÂŽ at www.sperryrail.com

TRACK GEOMETRY/INSPECTION/RAIL FLAW DETECTION

view the rail surface of a suspected defect in the form of a digital image. The vision system is used to improve the operator decision-making process, and help avoid missed defects and unnecessary hand-testing stops.

It is used in conjunction with Sperry’s ultrasonic and induction equipment.

Eddy current Eddy current uses electromechanical induction to detect and characterize defects that occur on and below the surface of the rail, such as rolling contact fatigue (RCF)—a condition in which normal wheel contact and loading cause small fractures to form at the head surface of the rail. Eddy current offers full surface coverage of the rail head and can be deployed on any Sperry vehicle.

Elmer is an AI tool and Sperry’s newest rail safety initiative.

Joint Bar Inspection System This system utilizes high-definition cameras to photograph joint bars as a test vehicle traverses the rail lines. These images are then

reviewed for evidence of any cracks and other anomalies and greatly aid track inspectors in locating defective joint bars so they can be removed prior to potential failure.

Vision System Sperry’s Vision System allows operators to

The Railway Educational Bureau Basic Principles of Track Maintenance

Basic Principles of Track Maintenance

Track Resources Your Guide to Railway Signals Your Guide to Railway Signals is an excellent guide for training signal personnel especially railway cross-function managers, supervisors, and support personnel. High-quality graphics and diagrams have been used throughout.

Complies with all standards and commonly used practices.

Basic Principles of Track Maintenance progresses from an overview of the basic track structure to examinations of its components and ends with a comprehensive look at turnouts and right-of-way.

BKTMB

RailWorks RailWorks provides customized rail geometry and profiling services to Class 1 and transit customers in the U.S. and Canada under its Maintenance of Way (MOW) services umbrella.

The company said demand for its geometry services has been strong this year,

$140.00

BKYGRS

The Art and Science of Rail Grinding

Design and Construction of Modern Steel Railway Bridges,

Rail grinding saves millions of dollars every year! The Art and Science of Rail Grinding is the first book dedicated exclusively to the subject.

BKGRIND Rail Grinding

$99.95

Your Guide to Railway Signals

$145.00

Second Edition

This new edition encompasses current design methods used for steel railway bridges in both SI and Imperial (US Customary) units.

It discusses the planning of railway bridges and the appropriate types of bridges based on planning considerations.

BKDMSRB2 Design & Const. of Mod. Railway Bridges $169.95*

Dictionary of Railway Track Terms

The Railroad What it is, What it does

The most comprehensive collection of definitions relating to track. Over 1500 terms from antiquated forgotten slang to today's jargon. Clearly illustrated line art enhances the text.

The fifth edition of The Railroad: What It Is, What it Does is even more valuable than before. Inside you’ll find a comprehensive look at how today’s railroads function—from equipment to procedures and marketing to maintenance.

BKRTT Dictionary of Railway Track Terms

The Railway Educational Bureau 1809 Capitol Ave., Omaha NE, 68102 www.RailwayEducationalBureau.com 20 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

$35.00

BKRRNN

$46.95

What it is What it does

800-228-9670

www.transalert.com

Add Shipping & Handling if your merchandise subtotal is: U.S.A. CAN U.S.A. CAN

25.01 - 50.00 50.01 - 75.00 75.01 -100.00

11.43 18.14 12.71 22.90 15.16 30.19

100.01 - 150.00 17.42 39.53 150.01 - 200.00 20.17 53.08 200.01 - 300.00 24.49 66.10

Orders over $300, call for shipping

rtands.com

Photo Credit: Sperry

• Elmer is being used by Sperry’s non-stop customers around the world.

TRACK GEOMETRY/INSPECTION/RAIL FLAW DETECTION

customer identify potential areas for concern in the future.

ENSCO Rail ENSCO Rail, a leading global supplier of track measuring and evaluation systems, is a pioneer in the development and delivery of fully autonomous inspection systems installed on locomotives, passenger trains or freight cars.

These systems offer key advantages over traditional manned systems: • Decreased derailment risk and increased safety: Accurate, reliable, early identification of defects reduces critical defects/slow orders by more than 30 percent; • Increased efficiency: Uninterrupted, high-speed, frequent inspection without an operator; and • Reduced costs: No crew and travel costs. despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019, RailWorks rolled out a rail profiling system, utilizing laser sensors and mechanical contact systems on a hi-rail truck to measure gauge, profile and cant overlaid with GPS and location data.

RailWorks said it has seen a great deal of

interest in the product from customers. In particular, the team used the system on a project in Colorado, inspecting the rails of a non-operational short line to bring it back into service. The RailWorks team was able to identify any major defects that could take the operator out of service and helped the

More than 26 ENSCO Rail ATGMS around the world are maintaining continuity of track inspection operations during COVID-19—helping railways identify defects earlier and improve rail network safety and efficiency.

WE SIFT THROUGH THE NEWS SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO 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.

RAIL GROUP From RAILWAY AGE, Railway Age,RT&S RT&S and and IRJ IRJ NEWS http://bit.ly/rail_news RA_RailGroupNews_Half_Sift_2019.indd 1

22 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

Photo Credit: ENSCO

ROUND-UP of NEWS STORIES FROM:

3/4/19 1:04 PM

rtands.com

Message From The President

VICTOR R. BABIN AREMA President 2020-21

W

hat do laypeople know about railroads? For most, I suspect their knowledge is limited to the experience of driving over a highway-rail grade crossing. They see a surface placed by the railroad for their convenience and warning devices positioned for their safety. Hopefully, they look left and right. If there is not an approaching train, they might see ballast, ties and rail. Most never realize they are about to drive across privately owned right-of-way. This motorist is simply travelling on a highway and about to sense a disturbance to the ride as the car tires pass over the rails and flangeways.

After that moment, the railroad vanishes from their minds. They know not that this railroad plays an essential role in building their community, taking people to its workplaces, merchandise to its distribution centers, grain to its markets and fuel for its homes and autos. They are nearly oblivious to this railroad that relieves congestion on their highway, improves their quality of life and the quality of the air that they breathe. With intention or not, our industry is expert in keeping railways unnoticed. When it comes to attracting young professionals to our workforce, this is counterproductive.

A few times a year I have the opportunity to take students and prospective railway engineers on a tour of rail facilities with a focus on systems. I have a favorite site near my office that encompasses a highway grade crossing, a control point, a traction power substation and a view of the overhead contact system. The operations control center is right up the hill from there. Our tour begins at the

rtands.com

grade crossing.

We start with the building blocks: ballast, ties, rail, diamonds, switches, switch machines, switch heaters, wayside signals, aspects, indications, movement authorities, and rules. We focus on the insulated rail joints to discuss how a track circuit works and, since my railroad is electrified, how traction power current bypasses that insulation. Upon entering the crossing control house, the audience begins to realize that rail technology is more complex than lights, bells and gates.

The tour continues with discussion of stick logic for electrified territory and motion detection for diesel roads. We proceed to the central instrument house at the control point: coded track circuits, relays, vital processor-based signaling and the Positive Train Control (PTC) overlay. We talk about autonomy, redundancy, vitality and diversity of processing as applies to safety.

A student may ask, “Does the dispatcher ‘control’ this?” No! He “requests” actions from a semi-autonomous safety system via a fiber-optic network. This brings us to the communications house and talk of multiplexing, de-multiplexing, communication mediums, standards and protocols. A network that also communicates with the traction power system.

Onward to a substation. Here we see alternating current flowing through a transformer into a massive diode network and through circuit breakers as large as a refrigerator. The rectified direct current flows out over the overhead contact system through the trains’ pantographs, motors and wheels and back through the rail and around those insulated rail joints. Our next waypoint is at an overlap in the overhead contact system. Discussion ensues as to how to mitigate the effects of thermal expansion and contraction of miles of wire reacting to an ambient temperature range of 130° F. We view the pulleys and massive balance weights and talk about the principles of simple machines. Our last stop is at the apex of train control systems, the operations control center. The railroad is a single, yet highly complex system with countless interworking components. It all comes together here and we pause to reflect on what we have seen in the past few hours; young minds ponder an expanded view of railroading and the many possibilities of a railway engineering career.

I encourage you to do your part to

help students and prospective railroaders engage in our industry. Both you and they will be enriched by the experience. There are many ways that you can participate. The AREMA Educational Foundation has been promoting educational activities related to railway engineering for 20 years through a number of programs including the Railway Engineering and Educational Symposium, the Watford Fellowship and an extensive scholarship program. During this period, our donors and colleagues helped over 450 future leaders. In 2020, 34 scholarships totaling over $64,000 were awarded.

Several of these scholarships were funded by extraordinarily generous endowments established by donors. The balance of funding comes from smaller, annual donations from individuals like you.

If you did the math and divided donations by scholarships, you undoubtedly noticed that a helpful amount was awarded for each recipient: sufficient perhaps to cover the cost of textbooks. Starting with the 2021 cycle, the scholarship structure has been repositioned to offer expanded scholarship opportunities to honor donor support and to meet the growing needs of its constituents. With your generous donations, larger general scholarships will be available, replacing numerous, specifically named committee scholarships. The Foundation will continue to be in a great position to help engineering students who specialize in the railway industry to meet their professional goals and to offer other opportunities to the railway industry.

Donors will have the option to recognize a person, group, committee or mentor (In Honor Of) or to honor the memory of a designated person or group (In Memory Of) on the AREMA Educational Foundation’s donor web page. Those honored or remembered by donated funds also will be noted at the Annual Conference, if desired.

The AREMA Educational Foundation funding typically comes from repeat donors—a minority of the AREMA membership. Yet, we have approximately 5,500 members. If every member donated the cost of a few lunches or beverages, and corporate matches were applied, we could easily award more than $100,000 in scholarships. Consider helping the next generation enter our industry; your donation may be tax-deductible, and you will have expanded our community’s knowledge of railroads.

November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 23

Getting to know Committee 27 Chair Przybylowicz that week, I was invited to join and since then have worked my way from being the secretary of the committee to vice chair and now chair of Committee 27.

RT&S: Outside of your job and the hard

work you put into AREMA, what are your hobbies?

Przybylowicz: Other than the occasional golfing, I do a lot of model building of ships.

Lately I have been building models of my past commands in the Navy. I have recently started to collect and build model trains for when I run out of ships to build, and will start building a model railroad platform.

JOSEPH PRZYBYLOWICZ Manager Work Equipment II CSX Transportation RT&S: Why did you decide to choose a

career in railway engineering?

Przybylowicz: Choosing a career in the railroad made sense to me based on coming from 23 years of U.S. Naval engineering.

Working with different teams and departments to obtain a common goal; heavy machinery; the need for the upmost safety to do the work; dealing with large various groups, vendors, contractors, etc; plus the travel. I joined the Navy and saw the world; I joined the railroad and now get to see the nation.

RT&S: How did you get started?

Przybylowicz: I started to look to transi-

tioning from the Navy to the civilian world in my last year of naval service. I had a friend who retired a few months before me and he got on with the railroad through a managertraining program and suggested that I give it a shot. I applied for the program, and also noticed a manager’s position being advertised for work equipment and applied for that as well. I wasn’t picked up for the trainee program but instead was offered the fulltime manager’s position in work equipment.

RT&S: How did you get involved in AREMA and your committee?

Przybylowicz: In my third year with the railroad my director at the time, who was a member of AREMA and a former chair of Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment, was allowed to bring a handful of his managers to the event in Minneapolis.

After attending the Committee 27 meeting 24 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

RT&S: Tell us about your family.

Przybylowicz: I have a wife (Susan) of 32

years and two, now adult, sons. John is living in Jacksonville, Fla., and Christopher is living in London, England. I have one grandson (Foles) living in London.

The rest of my extended family, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews, live in and around Philadelphia where my wife, kids, and I also were born, and my wife and I were raised.

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

Przybylowicz: Travel and history. Personally I love history and with the careers I have had it allowed me to travel to historical places to visit in person. With the Navy I have been to the pyramids of Egypt, attended mass with John Paul II at the Vatican in Italy as well as toured the Roman Colosseum and Pompeii, Greece, the deserts of the Middle East, walked the beaches of Normandy, toured the World War II war rooms of England, toured the World War I battlefields of France, northern Africa, South America, traveled through both the Panama and Suez Canals, etc. Most interesting was I got to be a part of pre-salvage set up to raise the iron clad USS Monitor off the coast of the Carolinas.

With the railroad I have been able to personally visit American history: Civil War battlefields, Revolutionary battlefields and places of interest, and not to mention the long history of the railroad both past and present. Not just the out-in-the-open sites, but the sites in back towns, mountains, and hollers.

I am the guy that pulls over and reads all those history placards along the highways and roads of America.

RT&S: What is your biggest achievement?

Przybylowicz: Family-wise, being in a

successful marriage for 32 years and having my wife by my side though my naval career and now my railroad career, as well as raising two successful sons that have gone off making their way through life.

To date the biggest achievement in my career has been my successful career with the U.S. Navy, serving on five different ships and going through/serving in the War on Terror after 9/11 as well as making the Chief’s ranks during my career.

So far I believe I have done very well with the railroad and I believe I have yet to achieve my biggest achievement in my second career. I consider it to be a great achievement that the kid in me has been able to play with the big ships for one career and now the big trains.

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

Przybylowicz: As with all industries currently pulling out of the pandemic, the railroad is slowly coming back up and if the present continues will hopefully pick back up where it was pre-pandemic soon. With that said, the railroad is an ever-expanding and growing industry and a great place to start a career, especially for veterans.

Know what field you want to go into (as there are many different fields in railroading), be very open to travel up to a 100 percent of the time based on which field you’re looking at, be willing to move, and I highly recommend to have your resume professionally written.

That last part with the resume I can speak personally on. When I was leaving the Navy I knew I had a lot to offer but found that I needed my Navy experience translated to railroad language. My first written attempts, which I thought anyone could understand, turned out that nobody could understand unless they were in the Navy.

Needless to say my phone never rang for an interview. Once I gave in (under the advice of the friend who put me onto the railroad) and had it written professionally, the investment paid off in dividends. rtands.com

FYI

• 2021 Call For Papers: Papers are now being accepted for the AREMA 2021 A n n u a l Co nf e re n ce with Ra i lwa y Interchange to be held in Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 26-29. The deadline is Dec. 11, 2020. Please visit www.arema.org for more information and to submit a paper online.

and recommended practices for the industry. It contains principles, data, specifications, plans and economics pertaining to engineering, design and construction. Order online now at www. arema.org or contact mbruins@arema.org for more details.

• The AREMA Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for the 2021-2022 academic year. The AREMA Educational Foundation provides scholarships to engineering students who are specializing in the railway industry and supports other educational and training endeavors that help ensure the future of the profession.

Application deadline: Dec. 4, 2020.

• Did you miss the AREMA 2020 Virtual Conference & Expo? The platform will be open for one full year for you to network and learn while on the go. Purchase now at www.arema.org and have access until Sept. 15, 2021.

• Order the 2020 Manual for Railway Engineering now. The Manual consists of railway engineering reference material

• Leverage the power of your trusted association’s Railway Careers Network to tap into a talent pool of job candidates with the training and education needed for long-term success. Visit www.arema. org/careers to post your job today.

• Demonstrate that you are a professional by joining AREMA membership today.

AREMA members are dedicated to improving their practical knowledge and are interested in exchanging information with your peers in order to advance the railroad engineering industry. Join now at www.arema.org to get exclusive rates on products and educational courses, committee opportunities, and access.

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

New Honorary AREMA Member Charley Chambers

CHARLEY CHAMBERS Senior Track Consultant Hanson Professional Services

A

REMA Honorary Members are individuals of acknowledged eminence in railway/transit engineering or management and of high ethical and professional standards, who have contributed substantially to the profession and the association.

It’s a privilege and honor and it is restricted to a select few. No more than one Honorary Member can be added each year. Individuals nominated for honorary member status must

rtands.com

meet specific eligibility requirements and are evaluated by a selection committee.

AREMA and its predecessor organizations has 64 distinguished Honorary Members. The number is now 65 as one more name was added to the list during the AREMA 2020 Virtual Conference & Expo—Charley Chambers.

As the result of a petition duly submitted and endorsed, the AREMA Board of Governors have voted to declare Charley Chambers an Honorary Member of AREMA in recognition of his contributions to the industry. Chambers received more than the required number of endorsements, which is quite an honor.

Chambers has been in the railroad industry for over 50 years. He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 1969. He gained skills and practical engineering knowledge working for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) and Montana Rail Link, where he served as assistant chief engineer. Chambers also worked for Railco Multi Construction, ETS Pacific, and Morrison Knudsen Corporation where he continued to develop his railroad project management skills and experience. He joined Hanson Professional Services in

1997 as senior railroad engineer working in the Bellevue, Wash., office on various projects. He served as a regional vice president of Hanson until his retirement in 2017 and presently is a senior railroad consultant to Hanson. Over his career in the railway industry, Chambers has provided leadership and has served the industry well. His dedication to AREMA has been extraordinary, having served in various leadership positions on committees, the board, and chair of the Scholarship Committee. He also is an emeritus member of Committee 24. His resume is highly acclaimed.

Congratulations to Charley. His impressive service to the industry is appreciated.

“

OVER HIS CAREER IN THE RAILWAY INDUSTRY, CHAMBERS HAS PROVIDED LEADERSHIP AND HAS SERVED THE INDUSTRY WELL.

November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 25

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AREMA is focused on your education and helping you advance in the railway industry.

A R EM A’s c o nve n i e nt we b i n a r s provide Professional Development Hours (PDH) to ser ve your educational needs.

Eastern Kentucky railyard revitalization

By William R. Dancey and Dr. Jerry G. Rose—University of Kentucky

Design & Construction of Highway/ Railway Grade Crossings Webinar Date: Wednesday, Dec. 9 Time: 2-3:30 p.m. ET PDH: 1.5 D esc ri pti o n: Th is p rese ntati o n is inten de d to provid e AR EMA re c o m m e n d a ti o n s to h i g hwa y designers for projects that have railroad at-grade crossings. Design and construction elements also will be presented. If you are a consultant for highway agencies, a county engineer, state design engineer, city public works director or a member of their staff, then this webinar is for you. College educators and students also will benefit from attending.

These courses are comprised of re c o m m e n d e d p ra c t i c e s a n d relevant accumulated knowledge from subject matter experts in the railroad industr y. They are n ot inte n d e d as a re g u l ato r y qualification.

F o r m o re i n f o r m a t i o n o n o u r e d u catio n a l p rog ra m s a n d to register, please visit www.arema.org.

26 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

The former CSX three-stall car repair building with new tracks being constructed into the center stall.

Ravenna, Ky., has always been a railroad town. Once a bustling focal point of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N), the massive sorting yard located just south of town was incessantly abuzz with activity.

At its peak in the 1950s, several hundred locals found work in the railyard, serving in roles ranging from engine hostler to switchman. This was all in a continuous effort to keep the dozens of daily coal trains moving—distributing their valuable cargo to the greater L&N system and beyond. As time passed on, the L&N eventually became part of modern-day CSX. The community’s proud legacy of railroading continued— and evolved. In a bid to modernize the railyard, many steam-era structures were demolished in the 1980s and replaced with modern equivalents. One such structure was a massive three-bay car repair shop.

As is often the case, the prosperity would not last. By the early 2000s, the coal industry had begun to enter a downturn and soon a deafening silence fell over the yards at Ravenna. CSX had decided to mothball the railyard—now deemed excess considering

current coal demands. Subsequently, the modern car repair shop was boarded up and forgotten about. For the next decade, it would sit in isolation as the tracks around it were ripped up and a small forest began to grow in their place.

Enter the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation (KSHCO). Founded by a small group of railroad enthusiasts with the sole objective of restoring a vintage steam locomotive to operation (Chesapeake & Ohio No. 2716), KSHCO quickly began evolving into much more than just a preservation group. Soon after its inception, the fledgling organization had amassed such a following that they needed a proper place to work on their steam locomotive. Soon, their search ended—the forlorn, overgrown and neglected car repair shop of Ravenna was the perfect place. KSHCO members were quickly able to look past the building’s peeling paint and leaky roof to envision something extraordinary—a fully functional railroad equipment repair shop. In addition, the group visualized what would ultimately evolve into the Rail Heritage rtands.com

Center—a multifaceted facility complete with campground, restaurant, event space and rail excursions to help promote tourism in the region, as well as educate younger generations about railroading’s golden age.

When asked, CSX agreed to part ways with some of its facilities in Ravenna—car shop and the surrounding 45 acres included.

KSHCO now had a base for its Rail Heritage Center, but with one major challenge. When the building was abandoned, all the subsequent track connections had been removed.

There was no way to bring C&O No. 2716 into the shop in its current state; some major track construction would be necessary first.

The shop had to be re-connected to the CSX system. It was at this point that KSHCO decided to reach out to the RailCats.

RailCats is the University of Kentucky’s student chapter of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA). The group is comprised of students who have an interest in the professional railroad industry, are studying disciplines related to the railroad industry, or who just like trains. The group attends conferences, has conducted tie-ballast interface research and tries to have one field trip per year—all in addition to holding several meetings each semester.

When asked if RailCats would be interested in designing the new track connections for their Rail Heritage Center, several civil engineering students jumped at the chance.

Under the guidance of Dr. Jerry G. Rose, work began in earnest.

The first step to designing the new connections was to establish several benchmarks in the railyard, allowing initial surveying to begin. Referencing the National Geodetic Survey, it was discovered that all benchmarks in the area had been reported missing for many years. A portable GPS unit was used to establish the first benchmarks. These were double checked, and then a total station used to shoot points pertinent to the design. Afterward, these points were uploaded into design programs and that portion of the work commenced.

One of the biggest challenges in the design process was determining how best to incorporate accommodations for rigid-based steam locomotives, which require graceful curvature and large turnouts in contrast to what is required by their modern dieselelectric counterparts. This brought about a study of how a steam locomotive’s turning radius was severely limited when compared to a modern locomotive. Sweeping curves and No. 10 turnouts were incorporated rtands.com

throughout to ease the stress on these antiquated machines. In addition, provisions were made to “over-gauge” each curve in order to help steamers ease through them; a steam-era technique that is all but a lost art.

When the design was finished and reviewed, the next step was to perform a stakeout to mark centerlines of the new tracks and turnout components. This was done using a GPS unit in lieu of the traditional total station. Stakes were driven every 50 ft on tangent track, every 25 ft in curves (including PCs and PTs) and for all major turnout components such as the Point of Frog and Point of Switch.

After the stakeout had been completed, the next step was to begin construction.

Work began by grading the right-of-way up to the shop and flooding the new path with limestone ballast. Afterwards, donated ties and 100-lb jointed rail were laid down and then flooded again with more ballast.

Track work was completed in late July 2019 and C&O No. 2716 was relocated from storage in New Haven, Ky., to the Rail Heritage Center. The locomotive rolled over the new track and into the shop effortlessly, and the engine’s restoration to operation is now underway.

The RailCats plan to continue their involvement with KSHCO into the future while the Rail Heritage Center is developing. The real-world design opportunities brought about by this project are invaluable to all those who were involved. Moreover, KSHCO was able to put into action one of its guiding principles: Allow the next generation of college and vocational students to gain practical experience.

WILLIAM W. HAY AWARD The 2020 Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence was awarded to Hanson Professional Services Inc. for its work on Norfolk Southern’s Grand River Bridge emergency repairs in Brunswick, Mo.

A dedicated team from Norfolk Southern Corp., Hanson Professional Services Inc. and Massman Construction Co. worked together to help Norfolk Southern rebuild a bridge in 27 days after it collapsed under the pressure of a flooded river and debris.

A buildup of tree limbs and high water had been pushing on the 103-yearold rail bridge over the Grand River near Brunswick, Mo., leading Norfolk Southern to cut the rails the evening of Oct. 1 to relieve pressure and prevent further damage to its rail line.

A portion of the bridge was wiped out within minutes. Four spans and three piers—about 267 ft of the 1,110-ft-long bridge—were swept away.

With the bridge out, up to 14 trains per day had to be detoured, causing delays that affected the area’s economy. Grain is carried out of Chariton County on the tracks, which run through Brunswick. The bridge collapse occurred during harvest season—another blow to farmers who had been set back by severe flooding in the spring. And the longer the bridge was closed, the risk of financial loss increased for Norfolk Southern. The railroad faced an urgent repair.

The next morning, Norfolk Southern contacted its contractor, Massman, and Hanson for assistance.

U l t i m a te l y, t h e p ro j e c t w a s completed in 27 days—weeks ahead of the originally estimated 56-day schedule.

Members of the University of Kentucky’s RailCats.

Please join AREMA in congratulating Hanson Professional Ser vices Inc. and its partners on their achievement.

November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 27

PRODUCTS

Koppers’ Crosstie Lifecycle Management Program Koppers offers the Crosstie Lifecycle Management Program as the environmentally responsible solution for the entire lifecycle of crossties. From raw timber and dual pressure treatment of new crossties to scrap tie collection, transportation and recycling, this program will optimize your crosstie performance, risk management and environmental compliance with effective cost control.

Koppers implements environmentally responsible timber processing and dual pressure treating to maximize the performance of your crosstie investment. The patented Tru-Cor dual treatment process ensures accurate, measurable and repeatable preservative retention levels of borate and creosote to meet your exact specifications for every decay zone ... every time.

After years of superior performance, crossties must be replaced and the scrap crossties disposed of in accordance with environmental regulations. Koppers’ Lifecycle Management Program provides timely collection and transportation of scrap ties to reduce liability, safety, and environmental risks of stockpiling scrap ties. Scrap ties are delivered to the processing facility for energy recycling as a fuel source. This provides cost control since energy recycling typically costs less than disposal in landfills. To meet environmental regulatory compliance, the entire recycling/fuel processing procedure is documented and submitted in proper report format.

Koppers U.S. treatment plants are AAR M-1003, ISO 14001 and RC14001 certified.

Koppers’ Crosstie Lifecycle Management Program provides a single-source solution to optimize your crosstie investment, reduce risk, control costs and be environmentally compliant.

28 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

rtands.com

New & Used Equipment

R. E. L. A. M., INC.

Email: RelamCFE@aol.com Tel: 440-439-7088 Fax: 440-439-9399 Visit our website at: www.relaminc.com EQUIPMENT FOR SHORT OR LONG TERM LEASE HARSCO AND NORDCO TAMPERS 6700S, 6700SJ, 6700SJ2 Switch and Production Tampers Mark IV Switch and Production Tampers 3300 and HST Chase Tampers 3000 Tampers w/Raise & Line or Chase Tampers 2400 Tampers w/Raise & Line HYDRAULIC STABILIZERS HARSCO TS-30HDs TIE INSERTERS/EXTRACTORS Nordco TRIPPs TR-10s and TKOs 925 S/Ss, Standards, KTR-400s KNOX KERSHAW PRODUCTS KBR-860s and 925s, KSF-940 Ballast Regulators & Snow Fighters KBR-940 Dual Head Brush Cutters KTC-1200 Tie Cranes KKA-1000/1050 Kribber-Adzers KPB-200 Plate Brooms NORDCO ANCHOR APPLICATORS, SPIKERS & GRABBERS Models CX and SS Spikers M-3 Screw Spike Machines Model F Anchor Machines and BAAMs Model SP2R Dual Spike Puller/Grabbers RACINE RAILROAD PRODUCTS Dual Anchor Spreaders, Squeezers, Knockers (Anchor Removers), Anchor Applicators, DAACs (Dual Anchor Adjuster Cribber), Dual e-Clip Applicators, Ride-on Regauge Adzers, TPIs, Tie Straighteners, OTM Reclaimers, SAFELOK IIIs (SAR IIIs) HI-RAIL CRANES, SPEEDSWINGS & RAILHEATERS Pettibone Model 445E/445F Speedswings w/Multiple Attachments (F’s with Tier 4 Engine) Geismar 360/360-Tronic Hi-Rail Excavators, (Cold Air Blower, Brush Cutter, Grapple, Heel Boom, Train Air & Knuckle available) Badger 30 Ton Cranes w/Hi-Rails Propane and Diesel Railheaters - Single & Dual Sided, Self-propelled w/Vibrators HI-RAIL TRUCKS, EXCAVATORS, & CARTS Hi-Rail Gradalls, XL3300 Series III w/Digging Buckets & Brush Cutters Hi-Rail Rotary Dumps, Various Hi-Rail Pickups Hi-Rail Grapple Trucks (available w/Magnet, Rail Racks & Creep Drive) 25-ton Hudson Ballast Cars 25-ton Rail and OTM Carts, 5-ton Tie Carts

Products & Services

REESE WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU?

• Track construction and maintenance • On-track ditching and rotary dump service • On-track tree trimming and brushcutting • Storm and flood cleanup and debris removal • Tie distribution, removal and disposal

K. W. Reese, Inc.

Box 298 • Mercersburg, PA 17236

(717) 328-5211 • FAX (717) 328-9541 • www.kwreese.com

2019 NRC PLATINUM SAFETY AWARD WINNER

Professional Directory

MARKETPLACE SALES

JENNIFER IZZO P: 203-604-1744 F: 203-857-0296 jizzo@mediapeople.com

WWW.RTANDS.COM ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

rtands.com

November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 29

New & Used Equipment An Authorized Harsco Remanufacturing Facility-An Authorized Harsco Parts Distributor Let Precision remanufacture your non-functional, outdated 6700 into a fully functional 6700 with the latest technology. If you have an old, worn-out 6700 tamper, we have your solution.

CALL 620-485-4277 OR VISIT PRECISIONRWY.COM FOR MORE DETAILS

REMANUFACTURED 6700 SALES

ON-SITE TRAINING

EQUIPMENT LEASING

WANT TO SEE MORE OF OUR WORK? SCAN THE QR CODE FOR OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL .

825 S. 19th St., Independence, KS 67301

TRADE IN ACCEPTED

MARKETPLACE SALES

JENNIFER IZZO P: 203-604-1744 F: 203-857-0296 jizzo@mediapeople.com

THE NEWS DESTINATION FOR THE RAIL INDUSTRY

ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

New Website Featuring: Breaking News Daily

Thousands of articles covering the rail industry

Mobile-friendly

Responsive across devices

Optimized Navigation

Easier to explore related content

Improved Search

Enhanced search capabilities

Industry Opinion & Resources Expert analysis from industry leaders and vital rail resources

AILWAY GE RA_Redesign_WebPromo_Ad_HalfHoriztonal_Final.indd 1

30 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

www.railwayage.com

4/16/18 1:17 PM

rtands.com

AD INDEX

COMPANY

PHONE #

FAX #

E-MAIL ADDRESS

PAGE #

AREMA Marketing Department

301-459-3200

301-459-8077

marketing@arema.org

11,C3

Diversified Metal Fabricators

404-875-1512

404-875-4835

sales@dmfatlanta.com

10

Herzog Services Inc.

816-233-9002

816-672-0119

telbert@herzogservices.com

21

Hougen Manufacturing Company

866-245-3745

800-309-3299

info@trak-star.com

7

Plasser American Corp

757-543-3526

757-543-3526

plasseramerican@plausa.com

C4

Railway Education Bureau The

402-346-4300

402-346-1783

bbrundige@sb-reb-com

14,20

Sperry Rail Services

203-791-4507

robert.dimatteo@sperryrail.com

19

Western-Cullen-Hayes, Inc.

773-254-9600

jm@wch.com

15

773-254-1110

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, 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, TN, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY, CANADA – AB, BC, MB, SK HEATHER DISABATO 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 Chicago, IL 60603 (312) 683-5026 Fax: (312) 683-0131 hdisabato@sbpub.com THE NETHERLANDS, BRITAIN, FRANCE, BELGIUM, PORTUGAL,

SWITZERLAND, NORTH GERMANY, MIDDLE EAST, SOUTH AMERICA, AFRICA (NOT SOUTH), FAR EAST (EXCLUDING KOREA / CHINA/INDIA), ALL OTHERS, TENDERS JEROME MARULLO 88 Pine St., 23rd Floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 620-7260 Fax: (212) 633-1863 jmarullo@sbpub.com

SCANDINAVIA, SPAIN, SOUTHERN GERMANY, AUSTRIA, KOREA, CHINA, INDIA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, SOUTH AFRICA, RUSSIA, EASTERN EUROPE BALTIC STATES, RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING MICHAEL BOYLE International Area Sales Manager Nils Michael Boyle Dorfstrasse 70, 6393 St. Ulrich, Austria. +011436767089872 mboyle@railjournal.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.

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 CLASSIFIED, PROFESSIONAL & EMPLOYMENT JENNIFER IZZO 800 Connecticut Avenue Norwalk, CT 06854 (203) 604-1744 Fax: (203) 857-0296 jizzo@mediapeople.com

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.

rtands.com

November 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 31

LAST STOP

Staggers at 40 Landmark legislation turned around the rail industry’s miserable financial situation

By David C. Lester, Managing Editor

O

ct. 14, 2020, marked the 40th anniversary of the Staggers Rail Act. For those who weren’t around then or are not familiar with the rail industry’s condition before this legislation was passed and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on Oct. 14, 1980, I thought an overview of Staggers, along with the conditions that led to this law, would be of interest to readers.

The “good old days” of the U.S. railroad industry, namely in the 1960s and ’70s, were not good at all. For the most part, they were miserable. After World War II in 1945 and the end of the Korean War in 1953, two significant events occurred.

First, all of the heavy railroad traffic that supported America’s war effort dropped significantly. Second, although personal automobile travel and motor truck freight were present to some extent before and during the war, the two modes took off afterward. Additionally, commercial air travel growth in the 1950s and ’60s, particularly jet service, was a big nail in the coffin of long-distance intercity railroad passenger service.

To add insult to injury, the U.S. Postal Service canceled its mail contracts with the railroads and transferred them to air and motor carriers between 1967 and 1971, which cost the industry millions of dollars.

Penn Central, which had been created in 1968 by the merger of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad, went bankrupt in 1970, which, at the time, was the largest bankruptcy in the nation’s history. From that year through the early 1970s, most Northeastern railroads succumbed to bankruptcy, like falling dominoes. Two Midwestern roads, the Rock Island and Milwaukee Road, also went bankrupt. Several railroads, including the Norfolk & Western, Chessie, and Southern, continued to remain solvent.

Still, the Northeast’s massive problems were dragging down the whole industry in terms of revenue and morale.

A significant villain was the industry’s choking economic regulation by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC).

Organized in 1887, the ICC served a

32 Railway Track & Structures // November 2020

purpose for a different time but was nearly ruinous in modern times.

To combat the situation, Congress passed several pieces of legislation that proposed reorganization of the Northeastern railroads in the early to mid1970s. The creation of Conrail on April 1, 1976, was a significant move forward.

While the railroad organized as a private organization, it relied on government funding. Conrail’s roads were the Penn Central, Lehigh & Hudson River, Reading, Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, Lehigh Valley, Erie Lackawanna, and the Central Railroad of New Jersey. Part of this work included the development of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, or Amtrak to assume responsibility for most of the nation’s money-losing railroad passenger service.

After significant earlier legislation (including the 3R and 4R Acts), though, three money-losing years convinced the leadership of Conrail and many in Congress that nearly complete economic deregulation of the industry was the only option to avoid nationalizing the railroads.

Finally, in the fall of 1980, the Staggers Act became law. Key elements of the legislation aimed at many of the ICC’s archaic rules and significantly changed them or eliminated them. The Staggers Act:

a complete turnaround of the industry’s fortunes.

One of the most significant benefits of improved financial health for the rails brought about by Staggers is the ability to invest in the materials and equipment needed to keep their lines in top shape. Rail and tie replacement, ballast and substructure improvements, and other maintenance enable roads to run trains faster, longer, safer, and more reliably. Deferred maintenance, rampant in the 1970s, is a rare occurrence today. The advent of precision scheduled railroading (PSR) would not have been possible without the improved rail infrastructure we have today.

Railroads have invested in advanced information technology to speed the flow of and improve the accuracy of information about many aspects of operation and develop PTC, which was an unfunded mandate from the federal government.

The list of benefits goes on and on.

I know a railroader who began his career with a Class 1 in 1971 and retired just a few years ago. He pointed out that he spent the first half of his career working in an industry struggling and heading downhill while finishing the second half working on revitalizing the industry. He felt like he was in a different world, which, given the gravity of Staggers’ changes, he was.

• Allowed railroads to price competing routes and services differently. Railroads could now price according to market demand and operate over their most efficient routes; • Allowed railroads and shippers to enter into confidential contracts; • Streamlined procedures for the sale of rail lines (mostly branch lines with little traffic) to new short line railroads; • Explicitly recognized railroads’ need to earn adequate revenue; and • Expanded regulators’ authority to exempt categories of rail traffic from regulation if regulation was not needed to protect shippers from an abuse of rail market power.

The passage of Staggers brought about

David C. Lester

rtands.com

AREMA CALL FOR PAPERS If you want to educate and inform the railway industry, this may be your opportunity to enlighten your peers by presenting at the AREMA 2021 Annual Conference in conjunction with Railway Interchange.

Let this be your platform to present your knowledge and expertise in the railroad industry.

Submit your Abstract at conference.arema.org by December 11th.

Attention Students Apply for a Scholarship TODAY The AREMA Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for the 2021-2022 academic year.

The AREMA Educational Foundation provides scholarships to engineering students who are specializing in the railway industry and supports other educational and training endeavors that help ensure the future of the profession. For more information on if you qualify, the complete scholarship listing and the application process, please visit www.aremafoundation.org.

Application Deadline: December 4th Apply now at aremafoundation.org

HIGH CAPACITY I PRECISION I RELIABILITY

Data Collection Plasser’s multi-function track recording cars integrate various measuring and video systems, which in combination allow for comprehensive analysis of the track and the track structures. Collecting as much data as possible in one run reduces track occupation time and provides tremendous operational and economic advantages. Video systems installed on a multi-function track recording car support track walking inspections. Plasser’s high speed, high tech multi-function track recording cars have provided railroads worldwide with accurate track data for many decades. The data recorded by the multifunction track recording cars can be directly input into the guidance systems of Plasser’s tamping machines, increasing track quality and productivity.

Plasser – helping to keep the railroads safe.

www.plasseramerican.com “Plasser & Theurer”, “Plasser” and “P&T” are internationally registered trademarks