September 2017 Railway Age

S E P TEM B ER 2 0 1 7

w w w. r a i lwaya g e .c o m

AILWAY GE S e r v i n g t h e r a i lway i n d u s t r y s i n c e 1 8 5 6

train control update

looking for a

A NEW NEW YORK PENN

Moynihan Station finally under way

TO HUMP CARS OR NOT?

Why traditional hump yard designs may be obsolete railwayage.com

STEADY RIDE August 2017 // Railway Age 1

AILWAY GE

AUGUST 20172017 SEPTEMBER

44 FEATURES

24

Motor Vehicles

30

Heavy Axle Load Railcars

38 44

Ride quality is job no. 1

Moving beyond 286K GRL?

Next-Gen Train Control What’s next for PTC, CBTC?

New New York Penn Moynihan Station under way

50

TTCI R&D

55

To Hump Cars or Not?

Fast-tracking special trackwork

Rethinking traditional methods

DEPARTMENTS 4 6 8 59 59 59 60 62 65 66 67

Industry Indicators Industry Outlook Market People 100 Years Ago Meetings Products Book Review Advertising Index Professional Directory

NEWS/COLUMNS 2 10 20 22 68

From the Editor Update Watching Washington Financial Edge Supply Side

On the Cover: A view of AutoMax doors from the rails, looking up.

Photo: The Greenbrier Companies

Classified

Railway Age, USPS 449-130, is published monthly by the Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, 55 Broad St., 26th Fl., New York, NY 10004. Tel. (212) 620-7200; FAX (212) 633-1863. Vol. 217, No. 9. Subscriptions: Railway Age is sent without obligation to professionals working in the railroad industry in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. However, the publisher reserves the right to limit the number of copies. Subscriptions should be requested on company letterhead. Subscription pricing to others for Print and/or Digital versions: $100.00 per year/$151.00 for two years in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; $139.00 per year/$197.00 for two years, foreign. Single Copies: $36.00 per copy in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico/$128.00 foreign All subscriptions payable in advance. COPYRIGHT© 2016 Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact PARS International Corp., 102 W. 38th Street, 6th floor, New York, N.Y. 10018, Tel.: 212-221-9595; Fax: 212-2219195. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Canada Post Cust.#7204564; Agreement #41094515. Bleuchip Int’l, PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. Address all subscriptions, change of address forms and correspondence concerning subscriptions to Subscription Dept., Railway Age, P.O. Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172, Or call toll free (800) 895-4389, or (402) 346-4740. Printed at Cummings Printing, Hooksett, N.H. ISSN 0033-8826 (print); 2161-511X (digital).

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September 2017 // Railway Age 1

FROM THE EDITOR

AILWAY GE Subscriptions: 800-895-4389

Recognizing, and Doing, the Right Thing

M

y August 2017 issue column, “Letters From an Old Railroader,” struck a chord with quite a few rail industry veterans.

What Charles DeLano Hine wrote in 1912 to his son, a budding railroad general manager, does indeed have a lot of relevance today.

I share with you the thoughts of a railroader and professional engineer who has spent more than 40 years in our industry, in many capacities: “Our predecessors had challenges and a whole lot of smarts that relied upon workforce discipline and dedication to do the job right every time. I enjoy it when we revisit history, because railroading remains the same today as in 1912: Keep the cars and locomotives upright and in-line in a safe manner, relying upon competent people to do the right thing. Today’s dilemma is that many do not have the background or length of service to recognize the ‘right thing.’

“Today, the span of control is much wider and networks are much longer, but we have marvelous tools of communication and technology to make this possible.

In many cases, though, we have lost the intimacy of talking, learning and understanding the processes, hiding behind three-inch and 10-inch LCD screens.

“Today, we need leaders that understand how their companies operate without the filters of correctness imposed by mid-level

direct reports with 5 to 10 years of surviving the midnight calls. There are many that believe today’s workforce is every bit as good as in 1912, but that it lacks the ability to acquire hands-on experience needed to respond to the unusual or abnormal.

“We have eliminated the learning positions from the organization that enable managers to anticipate emerging problems before they shut down the railroad.

The Joe Boardman-style ‘no bad news, no pain’ model gave us the Penn Station Summer of Hell. We are blessed that Wick Moorman was at the helm to make the fast decisions based upon his decades of experience, and then rallied the troops to get the scope of work organized and under way in a timely manner, using materials that had been sitting around for years awaiting installation. The summer program at A Tower has concluded, and we will see if Wick’s legacy continues, as there is still much to be done at New York Penn Station.

“We need to encourage the veterans in our industry to share their wisdom and to identify lessons learned from the past with our upcoming and newly minted railway professionals. Electronic communication has eliminated much of the storytelling and interaction that is a key tool for developing competent leaders.”

WILLIAM C. VANTUONO Editor-in-Chief

Railway Age, descended from the American Rail-Road Journal (1832) and the Western Railroad Gazette (1856) and published under its present name since 1876, is indexed by the Business Periodicals Index and the Engineering Index Service. Name registered in U.S. Patent Office and Trade Mark Office in Canada. Now indexed in ABI/Inform.

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55 Broad Street, 26th Fl. New York, NY 10004 212-620-7200; Fax: 212-633-1863 Website: www.railwayage.com ARTHUR J. McGINNIS, Jr. President and Chairman JONATHAN CHALON Publisher jchalon@sbpub.com WILLIAM C. VANTUONO Editor-in-Chief wvantuono@sbpub.com STUART CHIRLS Senior Editor schirls@sbpub.com Contributing Editors: Roy H. Blanchard, Jim Blaze, Alfred E. Fazio, Bruce E. Kelly, Ron Lindsey, Ryan McWilliams, David Nahass, Jason H. Seidl, David Thomas, John Thompson, Frank N. Wilner Art Director: Nicole Cassano Graphic Designer: Aleza Leinwand Corporate Production Director: Mary Conyers Digital Ad Operations Associate: Kevin Fuhrmann Production Director: Eduardo Castaner Marketing Director: Erica Hayes Conference Director: Michelle Zolkos Circulation Director: Maureen Cooney Western Offices 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910, Chicago, IL 60603 312-683-0130; Fax: 312-683-0131 Engineering Editor: Mischa Wanek-Libman mischa@sbpub.com Assistant Editor: Maggie Lancaster mlancaster@sbpub.com International Offices 46 Killigrew Street, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 3PP, United Kingdom Telephone: 011-44-1326-313945 Fax: 011-44-1326-211576 International Editors: David Briginshaw, db@railjournal.co.uk Keith Barrow, kb@railjournal.co.uk Kevin Smith, ks@railjournal.co.uk Dan Templeton, dt@railjournal.co.uk Customer Service: 800-895-4389 Reprints: PARS International Corp.

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Industry Indicators No Tangible White House-Induced Benefits for the Rail Industry Donald Trump may have won the White House with a radical campaign promise to run the government like a business, but so far in 2017 there’s little evidence to suggest the railroad industry has seen any tangible benefit. Yes, the economy has returned to a state of “new normal” and overall carload traffic has improved, but the massive tax reform promised as central to future growth has yet to get moving, stalled by the GOP’s multiple failed attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, as well as the apparently daily distractions of an Administration that can’t seem to get out of its own way. For what it’s worth, that’s no way to run a business.

Railroad employment, Class I linehaul carriers, JULY 2017 (% change from JULY 2016)

Total employees: 147,540 % change from JULY 2016: -3.39%

Transportation (train and engine)

59,544 (-0.92%)

Executives, Officials, and Staff Assistants

TRAFFIC ORIGINATED CARLOADS

MAJOR U.S. RAILROADS

by Commodity

JULY ’17

JULY ’16

% CHANGE

Grain Farm Products ex. Grain Grain Mill Products Food products Chemicals Petroleum & Petroleum Products Coal Primary Forest Products Lumber and Wood Products Pulp and Paper Products Metallic Ores Coke Primary Metal Products Iron and Steel Scrap Motor Vehicles and Parts Crushed Stone, Sand, and Gravel Nonmetallic Minerals Stone, Clay & Glass Products Waste & Nonferrous Scrap All Other Carloads

81,905 2,722 35,740 22,306 122,212 35,793 344,213 4,403 13.010 22,855 25,777 17,818 34,660 13,617 50,951 103,320 18,746 31,635 15,148 22,408

95,230 2,544 36,037 23,891 120,370 42,301 331,116 4,829 12,602 22,417 26,734 18,089 34,639 14,293 58,495 89,862 18,680 31,509 16,504 25,176

-14.0% 7.0% -0.8% -6.6% 1.5% -15.4% 4.0% -8.8% 3.2% 2.0% -3.6% -1.5% 0.1% -4.7% -12.9% 15.0% 0.4% 0.4% -8.2% -11.0%

1,019,239

1,025,318

-0.6%

298,595

276,566

8.0%

1,317,834

1,301,884

1.2%

Total U.S. CarLoadS

8,678 (-6.45%)

CANADIAN RAILROADS

Professional and Administrative

ALL Commodities

12,643 (-7.68%)

FOUR WEEKS ENDING JULY 29, 2017

COMBINED U.S./CANADA RR

Maintenance-of-Way and Structures

33,849 (-6.50%)

Maintenance of Equipment and Stores

27,036 (-5.12%)

Transportation (other than train & engine)

5,790 (-5.33%)

Source: Surface Transportation Board

Are railroads feeling the Harrison Effect?

While job growth improved and unemployment continued to moderate across the general economy, total employment at Class I railroads accelerated its decline in July, according to the most recent data from the Surface Transportation Board.

All categories were weaker on-year including train and engine, which had managed to mostly escape the axe so far in 2017. There’s speculation that the radical restructuring of CSX is leading investors to pressure the other railroads to “make like Harrison,” and get their (round)houses in order.

4 Railway Age // September 2017

Intermodal

FOUR WEEKS ENDING JULY 29, 2017

MAJOR U.S. RAILROADS

by Commodity

JULY ’17

JULY ’16

% CHANGE

87,795 970,559 1,058,534

80,591 921,766 1,002,357

8.9% 5.3% 5.6%

4,085 264,387 268,472

3,797 237,390 241,187

7.6% 11.4% 11.3%

Trailers Containers

91,880 1,234,946

84,388 1,159,156

8.9% 6.5%

TOTAL COMBINED UNITS

1,326,826

1,243,544

6.7%

Trailers Containers TOTAL UNITS

CANADIAN RAILROADS Trailers Containers TOTAL UNITS

COMBINED U.S./CANADA RR

Source: Monthly Railroad Traffic, Association of American Railroads

railwayage.com

AILWAY GE

TOTAL CARLOADS, JULY 2017 VS. 2016

1,019,239

1,025,318

JuLY 2017

JuLY 2016

Short Line And Regional Traffic Index CARLOADS

by Commodity Chemicals Coal Crushed Stone / Sand / Gravel Food & Kindred Products Grain Grain Mill Products Lumber & Wood Products Metallic Ores Metals & Products Motor Vehicles & Equipment Nonmetallic Minerals Petroleum Products Pulp, Paper & Allied Products Trailers / Containers Waste & Nonferrous Scrap All Other Carloads

ORIGINATED JULY ’17

ORIGINATED JULY ’16

% CHANGE

46,943 26,013 29,496 10,220 25,384 6,563 9,486 2,986 16,295 8,223 1,840 2,008 17,672 43,099 9,637 84,457

84,624 20,668 23,714 10,184 26,895 6,180 8,463 3,054 14,322 8,577 2,127 1,965 17,069 44,534 9,200 84,624

-0.2% 25.9% 24.4% 0.4% -5.6% 6.2% 12.1% -2.2% 13.8% -4.1% -13.5% 2.2% 3.5% -3.2% 4.8% -0.2%

Copyright © 2017 All rights reserved.

average weekly U.S. Rail Carloads: all commodities (not seasonally adjusted) 360,000 340,000 2006 (peak year)

320,000

2015

300,000

ARE YOU A RAILROAD OR SUPPLIER SEARCHING FOR JOB CANDIDATES?

2017

280,000 260,000 240,000 220,000

2016

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Data are 6-week moving average originations, are not seasonally adjusted, do not include intermodal, and do not include the U.S. operations of CN and CP. Source: AAR Data are average weekly originations for each month, are not seasonally adjusted, do not include intermodal, and do not include the U.S. operations of CN and CP. Source: AAR

railwayage.com

Visit http://bit.ly/railjobs To place a job posting, contact: Jeanine Acquart 212-620-7211 jacquart@sbpub.com

September 2017 // Railway Age 5 RA_JobBoard_1/3Vertical.indd 1

8/17/17 10:59 AM

Industry Outlook NYAB Taps North Carolina

Siemens “Internet of Trains” Comes to Delaware Siemens on Aug. 9 inaugurated its new Locomotive Service facility in New Castle, Del., that will operate as the company’s digital service, supply chain and technical field training hub in the region.

The 44,000 square-foot New Castle facility “will combine Siemens’ global digital analytics know-how with its extensive industry knowledge to move rail further into the digital age,” Siemens said. “Using the latest in digital and predictive technology, the New Castle team will train service technicians and remotely maintain Siemens locomotives for customers across the U.S.,” including Amtrak, the Maryland Transit Administration, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Brightline, and the Illinois Department of Transportation, among others.

These operators employ the Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotive or the Cummins-powered Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotive.

Siemens’ Digital Rail Services staff located in New Castle will remotely collect and analyze more than 800 data points from each locomotive daily. The data includes information on equipment health, operational metrics and environmental data made available by automatic, 6 Railway Age // September 2017

continuous streaming from the locomotive.

The data, pulled in real-time, “can help diagnose fleet issues and develop predictive maintenance capabilities so issues can be identified before they become a problem,” Siemens said.

Siemens said it “is already putting its data capabilities to use” by working with Amtrak to monitor and analyze data from 70 ACS-64s operating on the Northeast Corridor. On-board information is sent automatically to Siemens “Smart Cockpit” software that helps analyze and flag any items that require closer attention. The Siemens team reviews flagged items and recommends actions that are relayed directly to local technical advisors and Amtrak maintenance staff at NEC depots.

Siemens noted that data collected since the ACS-64 was placed in service has led it and Amtrak to design and implement software updates that improved locomotive fleet performance, helping Amtrak achieve about 33% fewer delays in 2016 compared to 2015.

In addition to remote data services, the new facility will include a supply chain distribution center to rapidly deliver locomotive parts to customers.

New York Air Brake LLC will be moving its Watertown, N.Y.-based peripheral product assembly to NYAB operations in Salisbury, N.C. The change is part of what the company describes as “a realignment strategy [of] our North American manufacturing operations.”

NYAB told employees of the move at a quarterly Town Hall meeting on Aug. 17. The transition will begin in 4Q17 and is expected to wrap up by the close of 1Q18. The company employs more than 425 workers at its Starbuck Avenue facility. The shift of products impacts approximately 40 of those Watertown-based jobs. NYAB said it is making the move in phases “to minimize disruption to customers.”

“One thing must be made very clear: The decision to move production is in no way reflective of the commitment, nor the performance, of our dedicated shop floor employees,” said New York Air Brake President and CEO Michael Hawthorne. “Instead, it is consistent within our overall strategic plan to optimize our manufacturing locations, and strongly reflects our long-standing approach to operate in a total costcompetitive environment.

“Despite significant productivity gains resulting from the dedication and hard work of all our employees, two significant factors contributed to this move. First is the globalization of the company’s business, which places greater pressure to reduce costs to a level that allows NYAB to compete effectively in the worldwide marketplace. Second is the strategic direction New York Air Brake has established across the organization to align its factories with its product lines and services to achieve planned productivity, flexibility, and efficiency improvements necessary in Watertown if we are going to be successful long-term.”

The Watertown facility is the sole location for the design, testing and manufacture of freight car air brakes. railwayage.com

25th ANNIVERSARY

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We Invest in the Future - We strongly invest in our track, bridges and signals using industry best practices, delivering timely and damage-free service to our customers

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We do it Right the First Time - We operate safely, improve efficiency, and relentlessly eliminate risks – providing a successful service to you and your customers

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CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF SERVICE WWW.CARLOADEXPRESS.COM

Market Tealinc Taps Vertex Hoppers Vertex Railcar Corp. has received an order from lessor Tealinc Ltd., Colorado Springs, Colo., for its optimized 2,480cf aggregate hopper car. Terms were not disclosed. The cars will begin shipping in the early fall of this year. This order is one of two recently received. The second is from another lessor for 7,500cf wood chip cars. The company is in the process of building four cars: Two tank cars, two aggregate cars, a wood chip car and a flat car. In total, Vertex said it has five active orders with four customers. Tealinc President Julie Mink said, “We are confident these Vertexbuilt railcars will serve our aggregate customers while in the Tealinc private railcar fleet for many years to come.”

WORLDWIDE GE Transportation has completed the first of 1,000 ES43ACmi broad-gauge diesel-electric locomotives for Indian Railways as part of a $2.5 billion order. The ES43ACmi is one of two models GE is building for IR. It’s a dual-cab design with a 4,500-hp primemover. The second locomotive model, the ES57ACi, features a 6,000-hp prime-mover.

Production will shift to a joint 500,000-squarefoot facility now under construction in Marhaura, India, that will build the bulk of the order under a master cooperative agreement.

GE’s engine plant in Grove City, Pa., will build the prime-movers for all 1,000 units.

The first 40 or so locomotives will be fully built and assembled at GE’s Erie (Lawrence Park) facility and shipped to India. The next 60 or so will be supplied as kits and be assembled in India. The final 900 will be manufactured and assembled in India.

NORTH AMERICA MTA New York City Transit is qualifying the TRANSIS®-Train communications system from CSiT, a supplier of integrated communication and security technology for 8 Railway Age // September 2017

transit, under a loan agreement. TRANSIS®Train is powered by TRACe™ transportation computing technology from Kontron, a provider of ECT (Embedded Computing Technology). The trial “is designed to test and validate in an operational setting the multi-modal integrated communications capabilities of TRANSIS-Train,” Kontron said. “These include public address and intercom, passenger infotainment with media/advertising capabilities on LCD displays, passenger information on LED displays, train operator user interface on displays and CCTV.” TRANSIS-Train is installed on a four-car R68 trainset.

upgraded to EPA Tier 0+ emission standards. NCDOT said the rebuild cost $2.15 million, less than the estimated $6-7 million of a comparable new passenger locomotive.

The FTA has issued an NPRM, Private Investment Project Procedures, “to facilitate public-private partnerships for public transportation capital projects that will help the federal government develop more-effective approaches to spurring private participation and investment in areas such as project planning, development, finance, design, construction, maintenance and operations.”

Federal funding recipients would be allowed to identify FTA regulations and practices.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation christened the no. 1984 “City of Kannapolis” locomotive for use in daily Piedmont passenger service. The locomotive was originally built in 1990 for Toronto’s GO Transit system. As part of NCDOT’s Piedmont Improvement Program funded through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the unit was completely rebuilt mechanically, upgraded electrically and received carbody repairs at Norfolk Southern’s Juniata shops in Altoona, Pa. The 3,000 hp prime-mover was railwayage.com

OKONITE The Premier Manufacturer of Vital Circuit Signal Cables For nearly 140 years Okonite had been the leader in the design and production of vital circuit signal cables. Signal cables are an essential component of the uncompromising safety, security and integrity of a railroad’s signal system.

Okonite, along with its Okoguard EPR insulation for power cables, was also the first to innovate EPR vital circuit EPR signal cables. With its 50 years of outstanding service record, Okonite's signal cables ensure unmatched characteristics, excellence in quality and reliability and an assurance of railroad security and safety operations.

Over the years others have tried to match Okonite’s trusted reliability, but only Okonite signal cables can meet the most discriminating and essential test requirements — the tests of long-term and trouble-free time and service in railroad cable installations of all types.

Okonite’s dedicated commitment is to re-invest in our business, provide the highest and most advanced facilities, keeping us at the forefront in cable product and manufacturing superiority.

Only Okonite has demonstrated the expertise to provide concurrently the necessary response and capacity to effectively process high levels of cable requirements associated with other important railroad programs such as Positive Train Control.

Only Okonite — Proven Experience, Proven Reliability and Proven Quality and Service.

THE OKONITE COMPANY

Okonite Cables...A higher Standard!

102 Hilltop Road, Ramsey, NJ 07446 201.825.0300 Fax: 201.825.9026 www.okonite.com

Update

CSX revises

I

n the midst of attempting to rectify serious operational and service problems, CSX in August revised the way it calculates three key metrics—Train Velocity, Terminal Dwell and Cars Online— to “more accurately reflect the company’s operational performance.”

“CSX is transitioning to Precision Scheduled Railroading, which focuses heavily on service to customers and asset utilization,” said President and CEO E. Hunter Harrison.

“These revised service metrics give us a more accurate understanding of how we are performing and where there are additional opportunities for improvement..”

The revised metrics are defined as follows: • Train Velocity: This now includes a train’s end-to-end time, and accordingly, speed.

The previous definition only counted time on line of road, and excluded intermediate dwell time for crew changes, freight car pick-up or set-off, or other work events at an intermediate yard. The updated definition includes intermediate dwell, reflecting the true speed of a train from origin to destination, and will help identify opportunities to move trains faster and more reliably from origin to destination. CSX said this has the effect of reducing speed when compared to the prior methodology.

10 Railway Age // September 2017

• Terminal Dwell: This has been expanded to include all car dwell time encountered on an end-to-end trip. The previous definition excluded the amount of time a car spent at a terminal during an intermediate work event if it arrived and departed on the same train. The updated definition includes intermediate car dwell for terminal work events when a car arrives and departs on the same train. This change more accurately reflects all time that a car dwells, and will help identify opportunities to improve asset utilization. The inclusion of these additional dwell events has the effect of reducing terminal dwell when compared to the prior methodology, as intermediate dwell on the same train is often less than dwell events on cars that change trains, which reduces overall average dwell time.

• Cars Online: CSX w ill now measure the number of active freight railcars on rail lines operated by CSX. The previous definition included all cars that were last reported on a line operated by CSX, which counted several categories of inactive freight railcars, including cars that are being repaired, are in storage, have been sold, or are private cars dwelling at a customer location for more than one day. The exclusion of these inactive car

categories enables focus on movement and utilization of active cars on the system. As inactive cars become active again, they will be included in the active cars online count. The change has the effect of reducing the number of cars online when compared to the prior methodology.

CSX has also restated 2016 and 2017 train velocity and terminal dwell performance data using the new definitions, which it said “differ from data reported by other U.S. railroads, and are not directly comparable.”

The October 2017 issue of Railway Age will contain a special report on CSX and how it is addressing its service problems.

Data definitions differ from those reported by other U.S. railroads.” railwayage.com

Bloomberg News

key service metrics

HIGH CAPACITY I PRECISION I RELIABILITY

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Update NS Bridge Inspection “Drones” On Norfolk Southern has one of the most comprehensive drone-based railroad bridge inspection programs in the nation, recently surpassing more than 100,000 linear feet. To conduct this safety-critical task, NS in early 2016 contracted with Virginia Beach, Va.-based HAZON Solutions, a leading U.S. developer of small, unmanned systems operations, capability development, training,

safety and testing programs for drone inspection services.

Over the course of 18 months, HAZON has conducted more than 64 complete bridge inspections across the NS system in the eastern U.S. HAZON’s inspections include complete coverage of the entire bridge using high definition (HD) still frame, video and thermal imaging cameras. HAZON inspection drones fly within 15 feet of the rail bridges to capture the highest quality pictures possible. Additionally, HAZON drone inspection teams utilize proprietary techniques to fly under and inside bridge spans, “collecting imagery from angles previously unavailable,” the company said.

“We’re very proud to announce this remarkable milestone,” said CEO and co-founder David A. Culler, Jr. CAPT USN (ret). “We are the industry leader for the inspection of critical infrastructure, and Norfolk Southern is leading the rail industry with the safe and practical integration of

unmanned systems into their operations.”

“When we say comprehensive, we truly mean it,” said COO and co-founder Sean Cushing, CDR USN (ret). “We’re not just getting exterior shots, we’re flying underneath and inside the voids of bridges to make sure critical load bearing areas are covered from every possible angle. We also capture shots of every bottom lateral and gusset plate. Best of all, we don’t consume any track time. We collect actionable information and trains keep moving.”

“This milestone is great for HAZON, but also for the drone industry,” said Culler. “NS has proven that UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) technology is a safe and effective tool for critical infrastructure inspections.

The experience and expertise that HAZON has gained on the UAS inspection front have been invaluable; it has allowed us to move beyond proof-of-concept and into the transition period of integrating drones into the daily workflow. It’s a very exciting time.”

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12 Railway Age // September 2017 RailCo_QuarterPage.indd 1

railwayage.com 12/21/15 2:11 PM

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Update KLW Attains EPA Tier 4 Status their conventional counterparts.”

KLW has repowered, refurbished, remanufactured and/or upgraded more than 400 locomotives since its establishment in 1998.

Today, KLW offers its own line of green, single-engine, repowered locomotives from 1,000 hp four-axle switchers up to 3,200 hp six axle line haul locomotives.

Knoxville Locomotive Works

Knoxville Locomotive Works (KLW), a switcher and road-switcher OEM, was recently awarded EPA Tier 4 emissions certifications for its SE Series four- and sixaxle locomotive designs.

The Tier 4 certifications include the switch duty cycle for KLW models rated at 2,000, 2,200 and 2,300 bhp, and the line-haul duty cycle for KLW models rated at 2,400 through 3,200 bhp. KLW said it is “the only freight locomotive manufacturer to have achieved Tier 4 switch and line-haul certifications in this broad range of horsepower classifications with single-engine prime-movers.”

“KLW’s strategy was to assimilate a team of industry experts and supplier resources capable of advancing to the stringent requirements of Tier 4 locomotive air quality standards,” said Chairman Pete Claussen.

“These locomotives use DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) at a rate of less than 2.5% per gallon of diesel fuel while delivering significantly improved fuel savings and tractive effort vs.

14 Railway Age // September 2017

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You won’t find different shades of information technology on Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS) locomotives. That’s because Wi-Tronix, LLC has equipped the entire IAIS fleet with Violet™.

Violet™ is described as “a real-time, streaming event recorder and advanced video analytics solution that railroads use to manage their fleets through the Wi-Tronix website, offered as a cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS), from anywhere in world on any device.”

The Violet™ hardware platform consists of an event recorder (ER), digital video recorder (DVR), Locomotive Data Acquisition Recording System (LDARS), and Crash-Hardened Memory Module (CHMM) in a single compact device.

“The key difference between Violet™ and other products is its streaming, real-time data capabilities,” Wi-Tronix said. “Data from the locomotive like speed, Positive Train Control (PTC) data, GPS location, throttle notch, and dozens of other signals are sent to the railroad via a Cloud-based website. Information is accessible to railroad management to monitor efficiency of operations and location and safety of the locomotive fleet. Our solution enables railroads to comply with federal regulations and to improve operational efficiency and safety procedures.”

IAIS’s installation of Violet™ on its entire locomotive fleet “allows the railroad to realize the fullest benefits of the system by connecting its assets to a digital network,” Wi-Tronix noted. “IAIS has found many additional applications of Violet™, especially in advanced video analytics. Violet™ aggregates petabytes* of video data in an Internet of Things (IoT) approach to create actionable information from the locomotive video.”

IAIS is the first railroad to complete milepost geo-mapping video surveys using Violet’s artificial intelligence-based video analytics.

Violet’s high-definition cameras and video analytics software analyzed the milepost signage and compiled data to create an automated survey and database of all mileposts. “This saves the railroad railwayage.com

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significant time, cost, and resources by completing a geo-mapping survey during normal locomotive operation,” Wi-Tronix said.

According to IAIS Chief Mechanical Officer of Locomotives Andrew Reid, IAIS uses real-time streaming alerts from Violet™ to monitor its AESS (automatic engine start/stop) systems. The AESS data provides important information “to ensure these systems are functioning properly for locomotives to realize maximum fuel savings,” Wi-Tronix pointed out. “IAIS also has the opportunity, like all Wi-Tronix customers, to contribute feedback and requests for future software features. These features become available in software releases that are pushed through over-the-air updates to the locomotive hardware. In essence, the solution continuously advances and grows with the railroad to deliver lasting value.”

The Violet™ system also meets federal requirements for recording PTC data. PTC generates many event logs, including PTC banner messages and prompts. These messages appear on the in-cab monitor, prompting the engineer to take action. Violet™ displays these messages within the Violet View webpage and fuses data including PTC message, speed, location, maps and real-time images. The real-time information creates a historical log of PTC data “to simplify troubleshooting system issues and investigating incidents,” Wi-Tronix said.

“We truly appreciate Wi-Tronix in the way they listened to what we needed and got it done,” said IAIS Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Joe Parsons. “They are a true partner, which is refreshing as that is an extremely uncommon attribute for most vendors. We look forward to a continued, successful partnership with Wi-Tronix.” *A petabyte (PB) is measured as 1,000 terabytes (TB) or one million gigabytes (GB).

Midwest Charger Debuts Amtrak’s Midwest Charger locomotives debuted last month in Chicago, and have started revenue operations in Illinois and Wisconsin. The Siemens SC-44s, purchased by five state transportation agencies and maintained by Amtrak, carry the new Amtrak Midwest logo to promote the five-state rail network.

Siemens is building the Buy America-compliant SC-44 at its facility in Sacramento, to be deployed on state and Amtrak services in Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, California and Washington. The Midwest states will own 33 of the 4,400-horsepower locomotives, which were purchased through $216.5 million in federal funding.

The Charger is powered by a Cummins 4,400-hp QSK95 diesel engine, with a rated top speed of 125 mph. Siemens touts the Charger as the first higher-speed passenger locomotives to meet Tier IV emissions standards. A year-end 2017 order completion is expected.

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September 2017 // Railway Age 17

Update

For many years, Kinkisharyo in the U.S. has been identified solely as a builder of light rail vehicles, supplying LRVs to such agencies as New Jersey Transit, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Santa

Clara Valley Transportation Authority, Sound Transit (Seattle), Valley Metro (Phoenix) and Los Angeles MTA. The company’s recently established Eastern Rail Division, based in Piscataway, N.J., on Conrail’s Port Reading Secondary in a

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Kinkisharyo Eastern Rail Division

Kinkisharyo: Moving Beyond LRVs

redeveloped industrial park, adds repair and overhaul of locomotives and passenger railcars and their heavy components (trucks, for example) to its capabilities.

Headed by rail industry veterans Larry Conrad (former CEO of Brookville Equipment Corp.), Preston Cook and Bill Covino, the Eastern Rail Division is Kinkisharyo’s fifth North American facility.

The 18-acre plant, which has room for expansion, is completing a full-service finishing shop and is also bidding on a substantial amount of work.

The shop’s biggest project thus far is construction of 28 carshells for NJ Transit’s extended LRVs being deployed on the agency’s two light rail lines, Hudson-Bergen and Newark Light Rail. This program (pictured, at left) converts a standard three-sectionarticulated LRV into a five-section LRV that is 36 feet longer, adding capacity without having to acquire additional vehicles.

The Eastern Rail Division constructs the carshells; NJT performs final assembly. This program is based upon a similar one

Kinkisharyo did for DART. One of the more recent contracts the Eastern Rail Division has fulfilled is rebuilding trucks with cracked equalizers on 120 SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) Silverliner V electric multiple-unit cars manufactured by Hyundai Rotem.

SEPTA on July 1, 2016, discovered the defect and took these cars out of service. An [Online Now] kathy Ireland® discusses with HARTING engineer had first noticed one Silverliner V “The Future of Manufacturing” car leaning slightly, and upon investigation, discovered a crack in a nine-foot steel equalizer beam. Follow-up inspections on the entire fleet showed a structural defect, with HARTING America’s President & CEO, Jon DeSouza, was recently invited to cracking in the main suspension systems. appear on World Wide Business with kathy ireland® to discuss connectivity Within 24 hours, all 120 Silverliner Vs had and manufacturing trends in America. been taken out of service. The Eastern Rail Watch to learn about some critical topics in manufacturing, such as: Division replacied the equalizers with stronn Reshoring and challenges associated n How to increase productivity and reliability ger forged units. n The future of connectivity Denver RTD operates 66 of the same EMUs on its new commuter rail line to WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE: www.HARTING-usa.com/kathyireland Denver International Airport; the Eastern Rail Division upgraded the equalizers on HARTING.ca these railcars as well.

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September 2017 // Railway Age 19

Watching Washington

Alt-Facts Tar A Low-Road Assault

H

ow will we ever communicate without communication?” was asked in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1958 musical, Flower Drum Song. Six decades later, communication is under assault from so-called “altfacts”—intellectual vandalism polluting social media.

Particularly disturbing is an otherwise responsible trade association brewing a skunk-like stew containing long-debunked chestnuts about 19th century railroad land grants and other spurious myths.

In an opinion column aimed at Capitol Hill, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) launches an unprovoked, unsubstantiated and undignified attack on railroads that is impervious to explanation beyond hopes of shifting congressional focus from adjusting inadequate big-truck highway user charges so they better-match bridge and pavement damage caused.

Creating cesspools of misinformation fertilize negative impressions of corporate America. A Gallup poll found some 40% of Americans have “little or no confidence” in big business.

Consider the positives had ATA taken the high road, perhaps encouraging education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to accelerate development of autonomous freight-carrying vehicles that, unlike rogue human truck drivers, won’t engage in homicidal highway tailgating of family sedans.

ATA could have promoted artificial intelligence to design a more equitable road pricing formula than the antiquated

40% of americans

Have “Little or no confidence” in big business

20 Railway Age // September 2017

per-gallon fuels tax that drove the Highway Trust Fund insolvent. Or ATA could have encouraged more collaborative intermodal public-private partnerships to improve supply chain efficiency and speed.

But ATA chose a low road, using alt-facts to allege “freight railroads have historically enjoyed subsidies through land grants, and continue to receive federal subsidies. In 2014-2015,” ATA alleges, railroads “received $135 million in federal grants under the TIGER program [and] freight railroads are protected by federal laws that allow them to minimize competition and enjoy subsidies not afforded to trucking companies.”

Land grant subsidies? Congress determined in 1946 that “the government has gotten all and more than it bargained for in the original land grant transaction [and it is time to] relieve the land grant railroads of the injustice of being required to continue to make payments on a debt that has long been extinguished.”

TIGER grants? The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant Program primarily funds highway projects, transit and passenger rail—the funds going to states and localities. No private entity is eligible. Where freight railroads benefit, freight rail pays.

Freight railroads protected from competition? Economic regulation remains for rail shippers lacking effective transportation alternatives. At least 95% of rail traffic faces barge or truck competition. It was ATA that once unsuccessfully opposed economic deregulation, preferring to preserve a pre-1980 regulatory scheme protecting truckers from competing among themselves, and retain regulatory rate floors on competitive traffic to benefit truckers.

Subsidies not afforded truckers? Privately owned freight railroads are the only mode that constructs, maintains and pays property taxes on its infrastructure. When traffic declines, railroad infrastructure costs remain. Truckers pay already inadequate user charges only when actually operating on public highways, with automobiles providing a cross-subsidy.

ATA ignores that wherever railroads

ATA’s attack is unprovoked, unsubstantiated, and undignified.” have received government dollars—mostly pre-1980 and primarily loans and loanguarantees, not grants—there were costly regulatory burdens attached, such as branch-line retention and mandatory commuter service. Public aid to motor carriers is measured in independently confirmed inadequate highway user charges that further ignore costs for policing, snow removal and property taxes—costs railroads pay on privately owned infrastructure.

Wretchedly, ATA uses railroads as a stereotypical red herring to divert attention from studies showing that increases in maximum truck weights cause crash rates to rise exponentially; and that a higher 91,000-pound weight limit would create more than $1 billion in additional bridge costs.

With the American Society of Civil Engineers putting a $4 trillion price tag on repair and renewal of America’s aging infrastructure—most relating to highways, and with the Highway Trust Fund cupboard bare—national economic and security imperatives beg for a positive, collaborative intermodal response, not an alt-fact assault by truckers on a crucial supply chain partner.

FRANK N. WILNER Contributing Editor

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Financial Edge

Industry Growth is Everyone’s Responsibility

F

ueled by recent growth in a recovering Chinese and global economy, industrial commodity prices (steel rebar, iron ore, copper) have been staging a recovery. Prices of iron ore, steel rebar and aluminum are up roughly 12%, 35% and 22% respectively over the past 12 months. This is joining with a weakening U.S. dollar and a tangible increase in demand for residential and commercial construction steel (even as autos demand softens).

Is this demand increase an indicator that new railcar prices will rise and that the railcar market will have additional headwinds on the road to recovery?

The past year has seen scrap prices moving within a narrow range between $225 and $275 per ton for Chicago Heavy Melt No 1. Today’s big consumer of U.S. scrap is Turkey, not China. In spite of the modest uptick in price, the volume of cars being scrapped has increased. After speaking with some industry sources, scrapping rates seem to be up 25% year over year. One increase is coming generally from older coal equipment that investors have decided is excess to their needs or that alternatively is of a design that may have less utility in the current environment for leasing coal cars.

CSX is cutting up more than 2,000 cars in a post-Hunter-Harrison fury.

Since the peak of the railcar market in 2014-2015, new car prices have been on the decline. Recent shifts in demand and some bottom feeding have generated a higherthan-expected 2017 order pace. That pace can be viewed as pulling orders forward

when the steel market gets hot, prices increase

10 to 15

percent 22 Railway Age // September 2017

faster than what is healthy for the market.

Luckily, railcar steel—specifically, the plate steel used in railcar manufacturing—has not been following suit, so pricing has remained stable. Industry sources have confirmed that. However, as iron ore goes, so go railcar prices. Those in the market for railcars might begin to keep tabs on steel pricing. After being caught short due to steep steel price increases in 2007 and 2008, almost all railcars are built with escalation clauses for changes in steel prices. Caution is king: When the steel market gets hot, price increases of 10% to 15 % occur rapidly.

Yet, there’s more at stake these days than shorter-term railcar prices. Industry focus on service problems at CSX, the strong sound of customer complaints and an STB investigation into CSX service problems are at high levels. Buzzwords abound in discussions about Harrison and the current state of affairs at CSX. Some of these same terms d’art are heard in discussions about the future of railroading and rail’s approach to the future.

“Improving service levels,” “customer growth,” “increasing freight volumes” and “focus on expanding markets” are railroad concepts that may conflict with the “Precision Scheduled Railroading” being applied at CSX today.

Rail industry growth is everyone’s responsibility. This industry is a beloved and romantic part of American history.

People that have worked in the industry have a fondness and a strong belief in its importance to the U.S. business landscape and in potential opportunities for success.

One criticism leveled at Class I railroads is a seeming unwillingness to change with the times. Another is that railroads are more interested in protecting franchises than serving customers. A third criticism is that Wall Street, rather than good sense, has taken over the business of moving freight.

The history of railroading is littered with good plans gone awry, from the Union Pacific-Southern Pacific merger that slowed rail traffic for years, to the BNSF sinking $60 million on capex into the Bakken region in South Dakota only to see crude by rail go from a bright yellow

are the railroads mostly interested in protecting their franchises?” star to supernova in 36 months, to the splitting of Conrail and the problems that subsequently occurred. One difference today is that Hunter Harrison is less than beloved as his boardroom antics have laid out a pattern of Faustian behavior backed by a private equity Mephistopheles.

Railroading in North America, and its future, may have reached a point of belated adolescence. Technology in trucking is besieging intermodal, a core business of railroads poised for long-term growth and returns on capital. While carloadings have recovered from 2015, coal will not reach its pre-2011 loadings levels. The next “big thing” in the railroad industry seems to be the great unknown.

These issues are present at CSX, but they are also bigger concerns for the entire industry. Harrison’s attempt to remake CSX has the feel of a leveraged buyout.

Someone took over, is taking actions that seem inscrutable, and no one knows how it’s going to turn out. On average (more or less), leveraged buyouts have a 50/50 chance of survival. Ouch.

Got questions? Set them free at dnahass@railfin.com.

DAVID NAHASS President Railroad Financial Corp. railwayage.com

COMMODITY FOCUS: MOTOR VEHICLES

IT’S ALL ABOUT

THE RIDE Railroads remain the critical link in the automotive supply chain.

By STUART CHirLS, SENIOR EDITOR

24 Railway Age // September 2017

railwayage.com

COMMODITY FOCUS: MOTOR VEHICLES

Y

ou might say that automakers have hit a rough stretch of road. In August sales of new vehicles dipped 2.9% from the same month a year ago, according to analyst J.D. Power—the fifth straight month of lower retail demand amid forecasts that sales for all of this year will come up short of the record 17.6 million news cars and trucks sold in 2016.

While the slowdown is concerning, the fact remains that there are still millions of vehicles to be sold and railroads are the critical link in the automotive supply chain, moving about 70% of all finished motor vehicles from factory to dealer distribution centers, along with substantial volumes of parts and sub-assemblies. It’s a white-glove test for builders of autoracks and component suppliers to handle this high-value freight across a number of retail and commercial markets. And their thinking reflects that, as well as how best to evolve amid changing market conditions.

A major market shift that goes right to the heart of motor vehicle logistics are growing sales of sport-utility vehicles. Buoyed by an improving economy and several years of moderate gas prices, consumers continue to snap up SUVs, crossovers and other light trucks rather than cars at an accelerating rate. SUVs this year are expected to grow to more than 63% of retail new-vehicle sales, a record, and 42% of total light-vehicle sales, up from 40% in 2016, while the market share for cars is projected to shrink by two points, to 33%. It’s a transformation that has railroads hustling to keep pace.

“We think that a light vehicle Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM’s) biggest challenge in the coming year will be to manage a volatile customer demand for small sedans vs. light trucks/ SUVs,” says Tom Jackson, Vice President

of Marketing for carbuilder The Greenbrier Companies, based in Portland, Ore. “Also, high-profile [utility] vans are in high demand now. Designing railcars that are capable of being quickly and easily converted so that their deck heights can be adjusted to handle the shorter sedans or the taller SUVs and trucks is critical.”

Greenbrier has been aggressive in its development of new railcar technology to accommodate evolving customer demands. Among other features, Greenbrier has designed autoracks—also known as multi-levels—that can be converted from three decks (tri-level) to handle sedans, to two decks (bi-level), which are better suited to hauling taller SUVs and trucks.

But changing consumer tastes come with a host of supply-chain requirements in getting new vehicles from factory to showroom floor.

“We continue to enhance our designs with the goal of making the conversion quicker and less costly,” Jackson says. “More customization of vehicles also presents challenges such as securement without damaging the vehicles, less space in wheel wells to apply securing chocks, and driving onto railcars without scuffing the underside of cars with little ground clearance.”

While cost is always a factor, Jackson observes that OEMs and railroads want durable railcars, too, while also challenging builders to “design out” anything that slows loading and unloading, such as applying bridge plates, so that vehicles can be driven through multiple railcars.

Greenbrier offers its Multi-Max car as a solution that addresses these concerns of convertibility, damage and the most efficient movement of autos. The Plate J car with proprietary rack provides maximum flexibility for all types of light vehicles, with design enhancements that allow deck adjustments to be made at

New Volkswagens built in Mexico are shipped to U.S. distribution centers cross-border by rail. railwayage.com

All photos: The Greenbrier Cos.

The challenge for carbuilders is how to evolve amid constantly fluid market conditions.

September 2017 // Railway Age 25

COMMODITY FOCUS: MOTOR VEHICLES

loading sites. The standalone rack can be installed on existing low-profile 89-foot flat cars, so there is less upfront investment for fleet owners and railroads trying to predict the next shift in automotive production.

“High-profile vans, trucks and SUVs are very popular now and they require

bigger, flexible railcars to move them efficiently,” Jackson says. “In fact, North American industry data shows consumers are moving away from the small sedans and moving toward crossovers, SUVs and trucks. These typically fit 10 to a traditional bi-level [railcar], with the smaller sedans fitting 15 to a tri-level. If the vehicles are longer, that may reduce the load factor to eight and 12, respectively.

“So, we are continuously looking at ways to create more space to carry more and larger vehicles safely and efficiently. We are looking into ways to use different materials in the racks to take weight out. We are also looking to add additional safety features such as interior rack lighting, to safely enable 24/7 railroad loadings.”

Greenbrier also builds the 145-foot, articulated Auto-Max, which features three decks, each with more height clearance to accommodate light trucks that won’t fit in a standard tri-level. “By utilizing these cars, OEMs can get many more vehicles in a fixed linear footprint,” Jackson says. “This

improves efficiencies for both the OEMs and the railroads. The Auto-Max typically sees load factors between 22–24 vehicles per railcar. This also makes it one of the “greenest” modes of freight transportation available today.”

Worth noting is the similarly specialized but less well-known Mono-Max, a single-level enclosed vehicle carrier built by Greenbrier some years ago for transporting commercial vans, recreational vehicles, firefighting equipment, military and similar outsized shipments. It comprises a small segment of the industry fleet. The MonoMax has seen increasing use near production centers for the Mercedes Sprinter van and for Winnebago motor homes, among others, according to an executive with a Class I railroad.

While railcar makers figure out how to move vehicles, component suppliers are offering products to help get that valuable lading to its destination in pristine condition. The excess height and high center of gravity of a multi-level makes it challenging.

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COMMODITY FOCUS: MOTOR VEHICLES “Autoracks are a small market segment,” says Ingrid McClure, general marketing manager at Miner Enterprises, Geneva, Ill., adding that performance aspects must be accounted for, particularly in a market where owners and lessors are currently retrofitting and upgrading existing rolling stock rather than ordering new equipment.

Miner manufactures side bearings, which provide support between the carbody and the truck. Fitted with its trademark TecsPak™ elastomer, made in-house, the bearings work to absorb energy generated by the car, cushioning it from side to side, and reducing a truck’s tendency to “hunt” at speed, which can cause the car to oscillate and damage the rail.

“We offer different pre-load—weight the bearings can handle—otherwise, they work across every car type,” McClure says.

“Also we offer performance features such as vented caps, to handle higher heat.”

Miner’s TecsPak™ Constant Contact (TCC) bearings are offered in an assortment of pre-load and travel varieties, for specific

28 Railway Age // September 2017

railcar applications. “The TCC IV is a highspeed, high-mileage bearing for autoracks and is more of a premium product,” says McClure. “But dollars are counting in this market, and customers have pushed the market down somewhat on prices. About 60% of the market is TCC III.” The TCC IV features a vented housing to dissipate heat across the life of the side bearing, and anti-rotational lugs to resist rotational resistance, maximizing energy absorption and preventing hunting. Cars can run at higher speeds with reduced truck and wheel wear.

“Our focus is on energy management devices,” says Brad Myers, Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for Amsted Rail, a truck and component maker based in Chicago. “This minimizes any damage to the vehicles being carried.”

Amsted’s extensive line of cushioning units features a long-travel shock absorber that is installed behind the yoke and coupler.

A piston rod moves hydraulic fluid through a reservoir, to efficiently manage energy

coming into the railcar’s underframe.

Where the wheels meet the rails, Amsted markets the Swing Motion™ truck, a proprietary transom stabilization system specifically designed to help improve the dynamic ride quality of autoracks and other cars carrying finished goods at higher speeds.

Swing Motion trucks are rated for cars up to 286,000 pounds gross rail loading, or 32.5 tons per axle. Whether the autorack is a bi- or tri-level car determines the specific choice of truck, Myers says.

Miner side bearings with TecsPak™ elastomer.

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mechanical FOCUS MECHANICAL focus

Jumbo Loadings WEIGH ON

By STUART CHIRLS, SENIOR EDITOR

ne thing is certain about near-term prospects for raising the Association of American Railroads’ longtime maximum Gross Rail Loading (GRL) per car for interchange from 286,000 pounds to a proposed 315,000 pounds: It’s not happening anytime soon.

“At the present time, the railroads are not interested in going to a heavier car interchange standard,” says Semih Kalay, Senior Vice President, Technology, for Transportation Technology Center Inc., the AAR’s research subsidiary in Pueblo, Colo. “Why? Issues with wheels, rails, brakes, bridges. The railroads appear to be more interested in running longer trains than higher axle loads.”

While TTCI’s Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) continues to test a range of track and car components under 315,000-pound loadings, Kalay says there

30 Railway Age // September 2017

is little physical or economic incentive to change from the current standard.

“Our research has found that the 36-ton [per] axle load is the most economical and efficient given the current state of railroad infrastructure in this country and Canada,” he says. “Going to 315K cars is not on the railroads’ agendas. Currently, there are more than 100,000 bridges in the U.S., and some are 100 years old or more. There is an economic issue in North America, and maybe longer trains are more viable.

Heavier axle loads potentially will cause fatigue problems on older bridges, or cause more rapid component replacement.”

TTCI does perform testing on three revenue sites, on a western and eastern U.S. railroad, and a Canadian railroad. But Kalay points out that there is still a difference between the controlled lab testing environment and a real-world setting.

“We are testing a range of track and car

components, not specifically testing 315K cars,” he explains. “Also, we are testing improved suspension systems for trucks, wheel steels, brake system components and so forth. We are also loaned cars for testing by a western railroad.”

Then there are equipment and component issues that make a higher GRL even more problematic.

“Wheels and axles are still a problem area, although there have been improvements in wheel steel chemistry and we are working with suppliers on these issues,” says Kalay. “There are also considerations with car components, truck suspension systems, problems with carbody centerplates, couplers. Several years ago, a broken knuckle led to a serious derailment.”

Kalay says a new issue that has emerged is rolling contact fatigue, and TTCI designed and built a $5 million machine to test.

At the same time, TTCI is closely railwayage.com

The Greenbrier Companies

O

CAR MARKET

mechanical focus

watching testing in other regions.

“In Australia, there is testing of 40- and 44-ton axle loads, but that is on longdistance tangent track specific to the region,” Kalay says. “At the same time, the International Heavy Haul Association (IHHA) is benchmarking, with data from North America, South America, from iron ore railroads, and elsewhere. But it’s not clear yet whether the organization will publicly release that information.

“A lot of work is being done by TTCI and the railroads to improve safety and efficiency and reliability. Railroads are investing in infrastructure, and getting safer and safer. We’ve come a long way in car and track development.”

Among carbuilders, discussion of heavy axle loading for interchange typically focuses on jumbo-type cars, such as covered hoppers and boxcars. (Dimensional high-and-wide loads and other heavy shipments usually move among railroads under special agreements.)

“In today’s market, 286k is the maximum rail load,” says Robert Pickel, President of Marketing and Sales for National Steel Car, based in Hamilton, Ont. “With a 315k GRL car, you can’t retrofit an older car.

The wheels are 38 inches in diameter, and the trucks won’t fit under a car designed for 36-inch wheels. Now, an operator can upgrade a 263k car to 286k. But you only 32 Railway Age // September 2017

find 38-inch wheels on an intermodal car. It affects the economics of the business.”

At NSC, current jumbo cars include a 5,431 cubic-foot covered hopper for grain, and a 6,245cf covered hopper for plastic pellet service.

“We’re not covered with new demand for such cars; we’re looking at the replacement market,” said Pickel. “We have built a hell of

Australian railroads are testing cars of up to 44-ton axle loads, but only on tangent track. a lot of cars that are out there right now. We still have open orders on jumbo cars.”

While there’s been a lot of talk about the plastic pellet business, Pickel said there are fundamental changes going on within the industry that are obscuring the outlook for carbuilders.

“The export market is driving growth in the plastic pellet business,” Pickel says, “but

that’s shipping primarily in containers, not covered hoppers. If a railroad can operate a facility and reconsolidate the pellets in boxes, than that’s growth for rail.”

The price of natural gas is driving the pellet business, Pickel says, and notes that the United States in three of the first five months of this year became a net exporter of natural gas for the first time since 1958.

“There is talk of certain projects coming online in North America, maybe resin production, and generating new car orders two to three years down the road. But what we’ve seen mostly is fleet replacement during the past five years.”

Similarly, NSC’s production of jumbo grain cars is still in a replacement cycle.

“Most railroads have not replaced their fleets,” Pickel says. “Small-cube cars are being phased out of grain; operators want the 286k car size. The 4,750cf cars are being replaced by 5,431s and 5,150s—and it has been that way for the past 10 years. The 4,750cf cars are still out there, built to 286k specs, but they’ve been moved to fertilizer and other service.”

National Steel Car also builds a 6,500cf car for hauling DDG (dried distillers grains) for livestock feed. The byproduct of ethanol production is a sticky, gummed up commodity and a challenge to unload, and such cars take a beating from shakers, vibrators and even hammers. Says Pickel, railwayage.com

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mechanical focus lining, weld cracks, porosity. Stainless steel doesn’t have a lining, so there is no source metal to contaminate the lading. You have to dedicate part of your facility to a pure stainless steel environment, to satisfy quality production.”

But cleanliness is rather expensive. A new stainless steel car is priced from $250,000300,000, as much as 50-55% more than a carbon steel car. A lining for the latter can cost $10,000, not including re-linings through the car’s lifetime.

Also in the jumbo category, Vertex production is set to begin on 7,500cf open top hoppers for woodchip and cottonseed service. “We will be making hundreds of these starting in January, 2018,” says Croteau. The car’s light weight of about 72,000 pounds is well-suited to a maximum capacity where the commodities are compressed for loading. The flat-bottom car can unloaded by rotary dumper, and is also equipped with a full-width door on the A end, for unloading by skid steer vehicle.

The Greenbrier Companies, Portland,

Greenbrier covered grain hopper for Canada Malting Co. Ltd.

“The old 30-inch by 30-inch gates were too small for efficient unloading and went to 42x42. Now, we offer a 43x54 gate.”

Vertex Railcar Corp. of Wilmington, N.C., is looking to enter the jumbo car market for plastic pellets and woodchips.

“When you’re talking about cars for plastic pellets, in reality you’re talking about large storage containers,” says Vertex

Chief Executive Donald Croteau, referring to the practice of shippers letting cars sit for extended periods, unloading pellets when needed. “Pellets have to be stored in pristine conditions. It’s critical for products used in the food, beverage, medical and medical equipment industries. Customers have the ability to analyze each pellet in a car, and the load can be affected by a deteriorated

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mechanical focus Ore., offers jumbo covered hoppers for both plastics and grain. The company’s 6,250cf 286k car is specially lined and features four aluminum pneumatic gates for unloading.

Four vented and six unvented top hatches protect against contamination in the allwelded, curved-side car.

A 6,580cf DDG car holds 95 cubic feet of volume per linear foot, among the most efficient in the industry. A wide trough has a 30-inch, reinforced opening for loading, and 54x43-inch outlet gates for faster, trouble-free unloading.

Among component suppliers, AmstedRail of Chicago offers its full line of trucks and end-of-car systems cushioning devices for the heavy-haul market.

“We are in heavy-haul markets around the world where loads greater than 32.5 tons per axle are common,” says Brad Myers, Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. “In the United States, the infrastructure is not generally prepared to handle loadings beyond 286,000 pounds, and there are bridge and [grade] crossings

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issues. But, heavier loadings are options for some dedicated corridors.”

Amsted this month was scheduled to unveil a new “smart” truck for jumbo class and other cars at Railway Interchange in Indianapolis, Myers says. “The truck includes a new brake system and moves technology from wayside to onboard the railcar, to provide near-real-time

information and data for improving overall operational efficiencies.”

Amsted also is testing a smart unloading gate for pellet cars, which can validate opening of the gate and unloading of product, “for shippers concerned with demurrage charges,” or whether the car has just been sitting somewhere. The gate is expected to go into production in 2018.

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next-gen TRAIN train CONTROL control

What’s Next

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The federal PTC deadline is less than 18 months out. Meanwhile, North American transit agencies press forward with CBTC.

D

ec. 31, 2018, the federal deadline for PTC (Positive Train Control), is fast approaching. What’s the industry’s status? Will the deadline be met, or will extensions be required? Meanwhile, CBTC (communications-based train control) for rail transit is

38 Railway Age // September 2017

re-gaining momentum in North America, with numerous projects in the pipeline, under way or completed at agencies like BART, SEPTA, NYC Transit and TTC. Next-Generation Train Control (NGTC), as PTC and CBTC are collectively known, provides lucrative business for consulting engineering firms like Parsons, WSP,

SYSTRA, L.K. Comstock and Gannett Fleming, who work closely with the industry’s key suppliers: Ansaldo STS USA, Siemens, Thales, Wabtec Railway Electronics, Bombardier, Alstom Signaling and Mitsubishi Electric Power Products.

Following are recent developments, many of which will be addressed at the Railway railwayage.com

next-gen train control

Joseph M. Calisi

By William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief

Age /Parsons NGTC international conference in Philadelphia, Oct. 19-20: • As an agency with extensive rapid transit (NYTC) and regional/commuter rail (Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North) networks, the New York MTA is deeply involved with NGTC. In terms of increasing capacity and improving reliability and safety on all three systems, “nothing is more important than CBTC and PTC,” says former Chairman Tom Prendergast. Much of NYCT’s signal system dates back to the 1930s. The network operates railwayage.com

24/7, presenting formidable challenges for installing, testing and commissioning advanced-technology train control.

The MTA recently identified a need to accelerate the pace of CBTC. Working with transit experts and top management consultants, the agency conducted a comprehensive audit to identify strategies for short- and long-term transformational change, and put forward a detailed, longterm plan, in conjunction with the MTA Genius Transit Challenge, to overhaul the system, focusing on a series of MTA priorities, including changing and training personnel, implementing and executing processes that work, improving customer communication and engaging and implementing new technology—CBTC. Siemens and Thales are currently executing two 67-month contracts worth a total of $205.8 million to install CBTC on a portion of NYCT Queens Boulevard Line (QBL), which incorporates portions of the E, F, M and R lines and is one of the busiest and longest subway lines, in terms of track-miles.

The Siemens share of the contract is $156.2 million; the Thales share is $49.6 million.

Siemens is supplying its radio-communications-based Trainguard MT CBTC technology for QBL West Phase 1. The contract includes onboard equipment for 305 of 309 four- or five-car R160 units, and wayside signaling and train control technology (zone controllers) at seven of eight interlockings.

NYCT employees will install the onboard equipment on 301 of the 309 units.

With a length of around 27 track-miles, the QBL is the second-longest line on NYCT. It has 25 stations and stretches from Jamaica Station in the Borough of Queens to Manhattan. With a daily volume of more than 250,000 passengers, it is one of NYCT’s most heavily used lines..

Prior to receiving the QBL contract, Siemens successfully installed CBTC on MTA’s Canarsie “L” line that operates from Chelsea (Manhattan), through Williamsburg to Canarsie (Brooklyn). Also equipped with Trainguard MT, the Canarsie Line has been running in full ATO (automatic train operation) mode since 2009. NYCT’s Flushing/No. 7 Line (including the extension to 34th Street and 11th Avenue) is currently undergoing installation of a Thales-supplied system and is scheduled for

completion this year.

QBL West Phase 1 will be the third NYCT line to be equipped with CBTC.It represents a change from MTA’s other CBTC projects, which have been installed on single subway lines such as the L and 7. QBL West Phase 1 encompasses four subway lines with multiple train overlays.

Siemens and Thales were for a long time the only suppliers certified for CBTC on NYCT. Both contracted with the MTA to develop a standard CBTC system design as well as standardized specifications that will allow other suppliers to provide interoperable systems compatible with those specifications. Both equipped NYCT’s Culver Test Track to create an integrated test facility for demonstrating the interoperability of their equipment and to allow other suppliers to demonstrate compatibility. The new CBTC specifications have now been codified and are required for all future NYCT CBTC procurements. As such, QBL Phase 1 is the first implementation of the agency’s interoperability standards and specifications.

The MTA recently gave the go-ahead to a third supplier, Mitsubishi, to demonstrate interoperability with Siemens and Thales by installing its own CBTC technology on the Culver Test Track. Mitsubishi was awarded a 36-month contract over two other bidders and is doing the installation largely at its own cost, accepting what NYCT called a $1.2 million stipend to complete the project. NYCT had anticipated the cost of this project at around $20 million.

In a related development, the MTA awarded a $98-million contract to RailWorks Corp. subsidiary L.K. Comstock & Company Inc., to upgrade NYCT’s Kings Highway Interlocking plant on the Culver (F) Line/IND 6th Avenue Line in Brooklyn.

Work on the project extends 55 months with a targeted completion date in the spring of 2021. L.K. Comstock will install a microprocessor-controlled solid state interlocking plant with CBTC-ready equipment.

MTA’s two regional/commuter rail properties, LIRR and Metro-North, aided by a $1 billion RRIF loan for PTC, are said to be on track to meet the 2018 deadline. Siemens and Bombardier are supplying the PTC technology in a joint venture.

• The Maryland Transit Administration recently awarded a joint venture of Hitachi Rail Italy and Ansaldo STS USA, September 2017 // Railway Age 39

next-gen train control Hitachi Ansaldo Baltimore Rail Partners (HABRP), a contract worth $400.5 million to provide a new fleet of metro railcars and a CBTC system for the Baltimore Metro Subway Link. The project includes 78 Hitachi railcars, and replacement of the existing signaling system with an Ansaldo CBTC system.

• The Port Authority of New York/New Jersey earlier this year instituted a $32 billion 2017-26 Capital Plan that outlines new major capital projects the agency will invest in over the next 10 years. The plan includes $7.6 billion to finish projects currently in construction, among them the PATH rapid transit system’s CBTC-based train control modernization program.

• The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has authorized initiation of Revenue Service Demonstration (RSD) operations for PTC on North County Transit District (NCTD) Coaster trains, including revenue (passenger-carrying) trains, on the San Diego subdivision.

“RSD is an important step in

implementation of PTC as it allows NCTD to collect and validate data on the performance of our PTC system,” NCTD said. “This testing supports the PTC Safety Plan that NCTD anticipates submitting to the FRA in September 2017.”

NCTD’s PTC system has been tested for several months on a non-revenue train in the Stuart Mesa Rail facility and along the Coastal Corridor. This testing “was aimed at developing and enhancing the PTC infrastructure while troubleshooting any potential challenges prior to moving to RSD,” the agency said.

NCTD informed Coaster riders that “Despite robust testing, during this period of RSD, Coaster passengers may experience delays at origin locations (Oceanside Transit Center or Santa Fe Depot) when trains are initializing the system. The trains could also come to a brief stop based on PTC automatically applying the brakes.

While there are challenges to implementing any new technology, the long-term benefits of having PTC is increased safety

on the rail. NCTD, its rail partners, and its contractors will continue to work diligently to minimize the impacts of PTC implementation on customers.”

“Safety is NCTD’s top priority,” said Deputy Chief Operations Officer of Rail Systems Eric Roe. “Implementing a system as complex as this does not happen overnight. But with that complexity comes a great leap forward in rail safety.”

• Wabtec Corp. has signed a contract worth approximately $22 million to design, install, test and commission PTC for the Belt Railway Company of Chicago (BRC).

Wabtec will provide its Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS®) equipment for five locomotives, a back-office server, office hosting, wayside and communications design, a track database, construction, training, and system integration. The contract is expected to be completed in 2018.

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next-gen train control Kenton and 59th Street. The railroad’s PTC interoperability requirements “are complex,” Wabtec notes. “BRC’s PTC system will be fully interoperable with the PTC system being implemented by all its Class I owners as well as Metra, Amtrak and five short line railroads.”

“The scope of our work on this project demonstrates the wide-ranging roles that Wabtec can play in the implementation of PTC for our customers,” said Wabtec President and CEO Raymond T. Betler. “We are continuing to invest worldwide in this important segment of our business.”

• U.S. Class I railroads continue their push to implement PTC by the 2018 federal deadline. As of February 2017 (the most recent available statistics), freight railroads have spent more than $7.9 billion on PTC development and deployment; are spending $100 million a month on continuous development, testing and installation; retained more than 2,400 signal system personnel to implement PTC, and geomapped 96,000 miles of railroad and 486,000 assets.

At the end of 2016, 38% of the 60,153 route-miles identifed for PTC had been completed; 63% of 18,500 freight rail locomotives have been equipped with PTC; 51% of the 125,000 employees requiring training are PTC-qualified; 87% of the 32,654 track-side signal systems are PTCready, and 77% of the 3,968 base station radios have been installed.

In short, progress has been solid on what is largely an unfunded federal mandate.

The Association of American Railroads has been very clear on why it considers PTC an extremely complex undertaking, and why it is not the “magic bullet” that will address all railroad safety issues: “As mandated by law, PTC is being developed to prevent train-to-train collisions; derailments caused by excessive speed; unauthorized incursions by trains onto sections of track where maintenance activities are taking place, or movement of a train through a track switch left in the wrong positions.

PTC will not prevent accidents caused as a result of track equipment failure; improper

vehicular movement through a grade crossing; trespassing on railroad tracks, or some types of train operator error.

“The sophisticated and complicated PTC technology must account for a number of factors to measure the appropriate train stopping distance, including train information (weight, length); track composition (curvature, terrain); train speed and train authority (authorization to move across a stretch of track).​​Much of the technology PTC requires did not exist when the mandate became law in 2008. Railroads had to develop the required technology.

“Implementation of PTC must occur in phases and location by location, starting with less complex areas and proceeding to the more operationally complex areas with lessons learned incorporated at each step to ensure that the system functions safely.

Rushing PTC development and installation and foregoing a logical plan for sequencing its implementation would sharply increase the likelihood that the system would not work as it should.”

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PENN STATION

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W

elcome to New York City.” For Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and Long Island Rail Road passengers, that means stepping off their train into arguably one of the least-welcoming environments in passenger rail: New York Penn Station, located in a section of the city’s West Side once known as “Hell’s Kitchen.”

Aptly and accurately called “horrible” by New York Gov. (and prospective 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate) Andrew Cuomo, the current NYPS has been described as “a hole in the ground,” “Hell,” a “pit,” “Purgatory,” “dense,” “dark” and other choice terms. NYPS is overcrowded and stifling, with passengers shouldering and shuffling themselves from concourses where the air conditioning chronically breaks down, into narrow staircases and escalators that often aren’t working, onto skinny and potentially dangerous high-level train platforms. It’s a wonder people aren’t accidentally shoved onto the tracks.

44 Railway Age // September 2017

Getting off a train and going upstairs is just as awful. Picture a six-lane highway at rush hour with one toll booth.

To be fair, over the past 20 years, some significant improvements have been made.

Among these are New Jersey Transit’s East End Concourse, opened in the early 2000s, and the LIRR concourse, which was rebuilt in the early 1990s. But these facilities suffer from the same claustrophobic conditions as the older elements of what was once a magnificent and welcoming structure.

Relief, however, is finally in reach for New York City’s huddled masses (at least those that aren’t fortunate enough to call Grand Central Terminal their home train base).

More than a half-century after the cashed-strapped, woefully mismanaged, bankruptcy-headed Pennsylvania Railroad demolished the original, spacious and beautiful New York Pennsylvania Station, selling the air rights to developers and leaving a dismal, overcrowded underground complex in its place, construction is finally under way to transform the former Farley Post

Office Building, across Eighth Avenue from NYPS, into a grand new train station.

Interestingly, the architects who designed the original Pennsylvania Station in the early 20th century—McKim, Mead, and White—also designed the Farley Building.

The centerpiece of the new station, dubbed “Moynihan Station,” is Moynihan Train Hall, a 255,000-square-foot, spacious, skylight-topped concourse for LIRR and Amtrak passengers that will increase total concourse floor space in the Penn StationFarley Complex by more than 50%. (NJT trains, at this juncture, will not be using it.)

The light-filled Train Hall will be much like that of the original station, opened in 1910.

The skylight will contain an acre of glass to provide natural light that will filter down through escalators to the train platforms.

Gov. Cuomo on Aug. 17 announced start of major construction on Moynihan Train Hall during a ground-breaking ceremony.

He said the new facility will be “everything Penn Station is not.”

“The Penn Station experience is so railwayage.com

Penn station

All illustrations courtesy New York MTA

penn

horrible—the density, the darkness. This is the exact opposite. It’s spacious, it’s light, it reduces stress, it reduces anxiety, and it’s one of these grand spaces that says New York—it has a style to it,” Cuomo said. “It will stand the test of time, it will handle the increased volume, but it will also say, ‘Welcome to New York.’”

Moynihan Station, with Moynihan Train Hall, will consist of 700,000 square feet of commercial, retail and dining space, with a mezzanine containing cafes and shops.

Eleven escalators will transport passengers between the concourse and the train platforms. “This is going to be a destination in and of itself,” Cuomo said.

Moynihan Station is expected to cost $1.6 billion and is scheduled for completion in 2020. It is named in honor of the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.), whose dream it was to transform the Farley Building into a new Penn Station. “I’m in a state of shock, because on my father’s death bed in 2003, I vowed to him I would try to get the station built,” Moynihan’s daughter, railwayage.com

Hell’s Kitchen’s foreboding hole in the ground is about to be transformed into something more civilized.

By WILLIAM C. VANTUONO, Editor-in-Chief

Maura, said at the ground-breaking ceremony. “Governor Cuomo will forever be praised by the nearly one million commuters who have to suffer the indignity of the pit for releasing them from Purgatory.”

The existing Penn Station, of course, will remain in service. Presumably, it will be less congested, and somewhat friendlier.

Track Travails Amidst all the hoopla, Purgatory this year temporarily transformed into Hell. Signal problems, power problems, catenary problems—these were becoming part of the normal course of daily operations, and they seemed to be getting worse through the winter of 2016-17. Major delays during peak hours, once rare occurrences, were increasing in frequency, and chalked up mostly to aging infrastructure that needed serious investment. Many wondered: Could it get any worse?

It got worse when two trains derailed at low speed on NYPS’s complex interlocking plant in the space of two weeks. On

March 24, at 9 a.m., an outbound Amtrak Acela Express derailed as it was departing platform Track 6, sideswiping an inbound NJT train. On April 3, also at approximately 9 a.m., an inbound NJT train derailed as it was entering platform Track 9.

Both derailments resulted in minor injuries and temporarily suspended Amtrak and NJT service between New York and Newark, N.J., on the Northeast Corridor.

LIRR service also suffered.

Both incidents were track-related, due largely to deferred maintenance. Misaligned rail heights following welding repair of a broken rail, and a wide-gauge condition resulting from rotted concrete-embedded wood ties, were blamed for the derailments.

The interlocking plant at NYPS, where two Hudson River tunnel tracks fan out to connect with 22 platform tracks, is highly complex, containing numerous doubleslip switches and other special trackwork.

Though it has been modified over the years and its rail replaced numerous times, its configuration hasn’t changed much September 2017 // Railway Age 45

PENN STATION

since the Pennsylvania Railroad originally completed it in 1910. And though it is designed to AREMA specifications and standards, much of it, when it requires replacement, must be custom-fabricated, as it is unique to that interlocking plant.

A fast fix was needed, so a plan was devised to shut down a portion of the station and perform major track rehabilitation that would last through the summer.

But to add insult to injury, on July 6—just

days before the rehab program was set to begin—yet another incident occurred when an inbound NJT train derailed just after 9 p.m. as it was entering the interlocking plant. Passengers were stuck on the derailed train for about two hours before a rescue train was able to connect with it.

Finally, on July 10, Amtrak, which owns and operates NYPS, embarked on an eightweek program, making extensive repairs to the western side of the interlocking plant (between the two Hudson River tunnels and the platform tracks), breaking up and replacing aging embedded trackwork with fresh concrete, ties, rail and fasteners. NJT, Amtrak and the LIRR, with the cooperation of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, MTA New York City Transit and New York Ferry, implemented a contingency plan to handle the disruption.

Operations were expected to return to “normal” by early September.

Gateway to Glory?

Moynihan Train Hall is just one element

of a much larger initiative: the Gateway Program. It includes construction of a new two-track Hudson River rail tunnel from New Jersey to Manhattan, rehabilitation of the 106-year-old, existing Hudson River Tunnels, which were heavily damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and the Portal Bridge Project, to replace a centuryold swing bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey with a fixed-span bridge.

The existing Portal Bridge hosts close to 450 NJT and Amtrak trains per day traveling between several points in New Jersey and NYPS. The existing span is a major bottleneck and source of delay for train traffic due to aging mechanical components that sometimes malfunction while opening and closing for maritime traffic. The new bridge, estimated to cost $1.64 billion, will eliminate the movable components and risk of malfunction.

Portal Bridge is currently in the project development phase of the FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program. The project’s partners—PANY&NJ, NJT and

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PENN STATION

Amtrak, are seeking $811 million.

In July, USDOT released the Draft EIS for the Hudson Tunnel Project, with the Final EIS expected to be issued in March 2018.

U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) recently renewed their call for the Gateway Program to advance with funding commitments. Both senators pointed to the repairs at NYPS as demonstrating “a dire need to complete the Gateway Program” and said the summer

delays for commuters would “pale in comparison to how bad things will get” should the Gateway Program not progress.

But at the end of June, the USDOT withdrew its position on the board of Gateway Development Corp., the governing body that oversees the project, citing that it is not standard practice for USDOT on other transportation projects.

“In a matter of years, the only two rail tunnels operating under the Hudson River into Manhattan could become inoperable, and if that were to happen, rail delays would become insufferable,” warned Schumer.

“Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past.

Backing out of the Gateway Development Corp. was a troubling sign that President Trump isn’t serious about this project. But an even more egregious error would be failing to make good on previous commitments to provide the necessary federal funding for the tunnel and Portal Bridge projects. Failure would have catastrophic impacts on the region and the economy.”

“The nightmare commuters continue to

experience gives us a glimpse of the unbearable situation they would endure should a tunnel need to be taken offline,” added Booker. “Ongoing delays are a direct result of decades of failing to invest in our region’s infrastructure and not only threaten the economic competitiveness of our entire region, but keep thousands of New Jerseyans from getting to work and home to their families predictably and on time.”

The Hudson Tunnel Project published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement on July 6. Both the tunnel project and the Portal North Bridge project entered the project development phase, seen as the first step in qualifying for federal funding, in July 2016, during the Obama Administration.

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee has released a FY 2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill proposal. It contains language that earmarks $500 million for new program called the Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair grants.

The next step remains to be seen.

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railwayage.com

TTCI R&D

FAST-TRACKING

SPECIAL TRAckwork

By Duane Otter, Scientist, and Joseph LoPresti, Scientist, Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

E

ngineers at Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) are researching a number of special trackwork innovations, namely, turnout geometry, pad materials and flange bearing components, at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST). The primary goal of these innovations is to reduce dynamic forces from trains, which in turn should lead to reduced maintenance and longer component life.

Turnout Geometry Improvements Improvements to turnout geometry have 50 Railway Age // September 2017

been studied to reduce the peak dynamic forces. The most significant force in turnout negotiation is a large lateral force that can occur as a rail vehicle enters a turnout.

To reduce the peak lateral force, TTCI is currently testing a turnout with superelevation in the closure curve.

The closure curve superelevation allows for a lower entry angle at the point of the switch, while still complying with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) speed limitations in the closure curve.

Compared to a standard-geometry turnout, peak lateral forces are reduced. Testing with load measuring wheelsets has shown that the majority of the benefit actually comes

from the reduced entry angle of the turnout, rather than from the superelevation.

TTCI is also testing a turnout with a presteering geometry in the area of the switch points. The idea is to use the conical wheel shapes to steer the axles slightly before the point of the switch in order to reduce the peak lateral force at switch entry, as well as reduce the maintenance demand in the switch point area.

Pad Materials for Special Trackwork Based on previous success with pad materials for tie and bridge applications, TTCI worked with special trackwork suppliers railwayage.com

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TTCI R&D and pad suppliers to evaluate the use of elastomeric pad materials in strategic locations in a turnout and a crossing diamond. Both concepts were tested at FAST. Engineered under-tie pads on a turnout have provided more uniform stiffness throughout its length, particularly reducing the stiffness in the frog area. A recent inspection shows that the pads continue

to maintain their integrity after more than 600 MGT. The stiffness has remained constant over time and reduced the surfacing demand.

Meanwhile, engineered pads positioned between the base plate and the running rails and castings of a high-angle crossing diamond have reduced the peak impact forces in the crossing and resulted in a

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service life of nearly 100 MGT without any surfacing required.

Engineered pad materials are proving to reduce peak forces and the resulting maintenance in several areas of the track infrastructure. With the high dynamic forces in special trackwork, the application seems particularly appropriate.

Flange Bearing Components As flange bearing components become more common in special trackwork applications, there is desire to optimize the shapes and materials for such components. A special panel at FAST is being used to test flange bearing ramp designs, as well as the shape of the running groove in flange bearing.

The addition of this small running groove has significantly improved the performance of some flange bearing components as compared to a flat flange bearing surface.

Further testing will be required to optimize the shape.

TTCI will continue its research this year in this are, working with the railroads to demonstrate some of these technologies in revenue service.

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YARDS

to hump cars

or not?

William C. Vantuono

F

What’s needed is a flexible-manufacturing paradigm, rather than the linear-fixed-flow concept embodied in traditional hump yard designs.

rom the 1950s into the early 1980s, hump yards were considered hallmarks of railroad automation and efficiency. But since deregulation, railroads have been focusing mainly on the development of unit trains and intermodal business. As a result, many hump yards have been closed or converted to flat switching as carload traffic declined.

BNSF’s Kansas City Argentine yard reconstruction in 1997 and Norfolk Southern’s 2012 Moorman Yard in Bellevue, Ohio, expansion buck the trend, but both these projects reflected one-time mergerrelated traffic shifts, rather than any natural growth of carload traffic.

Recently, hump yard conversions to flat

railwayage.com

By EDWIN R. “CHIP” KRAFT, Ph.D., Director, Operations Planning, Transportation Economics & Management Systems, Inc.

switching have accelerated as a result of E. Hunter Harrison’s Precision Scheduled Railroading philosophy, first at CN and Canadian Pacific, now at CSX. Why is this?

The shortcomings of traditional hump yard designs have been known for a long time (sidebar, p. 56): The Achilles heel of a hump yard is its lack of flexibility. Computers and new hardware have automated speed control and switching, but the basic yard operating concept was developed around the same time as Henry Ford’s automobile assembly line, and hasn’t changed much since then.

Ford’s customers in the 1920s could purchase a Model T in “any color they like, so long as it’s black.” The same concept applied to hump yard design.

Specifically, the track layouts of most hump yards force every car to go through the full receiving-classification-departure process, without allowing cars to bypass any of the steps of the normal production process of the yard This lack of flexibility undermines the ability to make expedited connections or block swaps within the track layouts of most hump yards.

Meanwhile, flat switching has seen a quantum improvement in efficiency as a result of remote control operations and beltpack switching. Speed governors on remote control locomotives have sharply reduced the problem of over-speed kicking and lack of speed controls that formerly damaged equipment and lading. In the past, it was considered that the cost per September 2017 // Railway Age 55

car of humping was lower than that of flat switching. Because of improvements in flat switching, it is no longer clear that this is the case anymore, even for individual car sorting. The economics of gravity sorting have become very site-specific.

Under Harrison’s Precision Scheduled Railroading philosophy, multi-car shipments are consolidated into the general carload service network instead of moving in unit trains. This builds economies of scale in the carload network, but unfortunately it also runs afoul of the capabilities of hump yards.

On balance, it would appear that CSX has chosen the flexibility of flat switching over the supposed efficiency of humping.

Flat switching does not offer quite the level of capacity that a hump might, but it needs a lot less costly infrastructure. In most cases, the capacity of flat switching (at least in a properly and efficiently designed yard) is now sufficient to process available traffic volumes, and flat switching can offer a lot more flexibility for handling a mixture of individual car and block switching.

The Yard of the Future In the 1920s, when current approaches to hump yard design were developed, buyers were willing to sacrifice purchasing choices for the affordability made possible by mass production. But today, consumers want choices. Manufacturing companies have used technology to develop flexible “mass customization” capabilities rather than building the kinds of inflexible fixed assembly lines that they developed in the past.

Railroads need to do the same by implementing flexible yard designs that will offer operating efficiency both for individual car sorting as well as for block switching, in the same yard.

The typical life expectancy of a hump yard is about 20-25 years, after which the infrastructure and control systems need a major renewal. Many surviving hump facilities have not seen significant investment in years, and their infrastructure is basically life-expired. They are technically obsolete facilities with technologically obsolescent designs. They are ripe for renewal, which offers an opportunity to reconfigure these yards into more flexible and effective track configurations.

What is needed today is a flexible 56 Railway Age // September 2017

manufacturing paradigm, rather than the linear-fixed-flow concept that is embodied in traditional hump yard designs.

Except for the highest-volume applications, it has become clear that the inflexibility of the hump yard’s track layout outweighs the benefit that gravity sorting can provide.

A new approach to yard design should seek to combine the efficiency and flexibility of flat-yard switching for large-cut processing, with the ability to efficiently sort individual cars either by gravity or by kicking, depending on the volume and capacity requirements.

An important objective of a new yard design should be to eliminate the wellknown bottleneck at the trim end of most hump yards. New yards should generally feature longer tracks that more closely match the train lengths that are being operated today, rather than the short 30-50 car lengths that have traditionally been constructed in classification yard bowls.

Having a single body of fewer, longer tracks reduces the number of switches in the yard, which reduces the cost of building, operating and maintaining the yard, and results in better train operations and more productive asset utilization.

Rail terminal operations can and should be more efficient for shareholders, and more effective for customers. But the current trend toward rationalizing hump yards is a double-edged sword. It may be expedient to make short-term changes, but if a hump yard operation was inefficient beforehand, then simply shutting it down will not solve the problem.

Shutting down a hump without making any investment to reconfigure tracks will only exacerbate yard operating problems.

Such approaches to yard rationalization can only produce inefficient terminals unless they are immediately followed by a targeted capital program to right-size yard facilities. To optimize efficiency, a railroad must be willing to invest in deploying yard automation technologies as appropriate.

This should be based on development of an economic business case for determining the level of investment that is cost effective for handling the intended yard workloads in a given facility.

A scientific approach is needed that utilizes the proven principles of industrial engineering to optimize efficiency. This needs to be done in the context of a broader rethinking of how rail terminals can be more effectively designed and operated.

Conrail Oak Island Yard hump yard control tower. railwayage.com

William C. Vantuono

YARDS

AILWAY GE

womeninrail Do you know a visionary woman in the rail industry?

Railway Age presents its inaugural Women in Rail awards, where we will recognize 10 women for their achievements in the rail industry in our November issue. These outstanding women— five from freight railroading, five from rail transit—

Nominate a colleague or yourself.

will be selected based on their leadership, vision, innovation and accomplishments. Entries will be judged by a panel of women rail transportation professionals.

WomENiNRAil.sTRuTTA.mE 32

Railway age

July 2015

YARDS Shortcomings of Legacy HUMP YARD Designs

T

raditional hump yard designs have the following shortcomings. New yard designs should seek to remedy these deficiencies: A large number of tracks are required.

For each track, switches and car retarder units (used for speed control) are required, which are expensive and laborintensive to build and maintain.

As classification tracks “fan out” from the hump, the outermost tracks have sharp curves, which can bind the wheels of cars, causing them to stop short of their destinations. When this happens, collisions or derailments may occur.

Processing must be stopped, and those cars must be pushed clear with switch engines. Because of these interruptions, frequent use of “outer tracks” reduces the productivity of humping operations.

Contrary to popular notion, each car must be handled at least twice: first when the car is classified at the hump, then

again in a flat switching movement when cars are pulled out of the trim end of the yard and moved to the departure yard.

If a block has only a part-time assignment, and if that block is not allocated in the classification yard when cars come to the hump for it, those cars must be sent into a designated “rehump” track for reprocessing later. Rehump cars must therefore be handled at least three times before they finally depart the yard.

Since classification tracks are usually too short to make up a whole train, several tracks must be assembled at the trim end of the yard to complete each train.

If a train consists of only a single large block, usually that block will have too many cars to fit into a single classification track; it will spill over into additional tracks, thereby reducing the total number of blocks that can be built in the yard.

If more than one switch engine is working on the “trim” end at the same time,

switch engine movements can interfere with one another, causing unproductive delays and a reduction of yard capacity.

Typically, the capacity bottleneck occurs at the trim end of the yard, rather than at the hump. Then, the heavy financial investment in automated speed control and switching systems at the hump end of the yard cannot be fully utilized due to the bottleneck at the yard’s trim end.

All the time cars now spend waiting in the classification yard (typically 12-24 hours) is wasted. Since other cars may be routed into any classification track at any time (impacting standing cars), it is not safe for mechanical personnel to inspect or repair cars while they reside in the classification yard. Mechanical inspection and repair activities must typically be performed in either the receiving or departure yards, adding directly to the total time required to process cars through the terminal.

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People / 100 years / Meetings VERONIQUE “RONNIE” HAKIM New York MTA

High profile: New York Metropolitan Transportation Au-

thority Chairman Joseph Lhota in August appointed Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim as Managing Director. She, along with NYMTA President Patrick Foye and Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber, serve in the newly created Office of the Chairman, with responsibility for the authority’s day-to-day operations. Hakim had served as Interim Executive Director of the NYMTA since January 2017. In 2015 she was named President of MTA New York City Transit, returning to the NYMTA after an earlier 23-year career at the authority. She has also previously served as Executive Director of NJ Transit, and nearly four years as Executive Director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Lhota recently announced what is described as “a comprehensive plan to immediately stabilize and modernize the subway system,” for which Hakim and Foye will be responsible for implementing.

A

ndrea Waldock Niethold has joined the Washington, D.C. office of CN where she will serve as the railroad’s Director of Government Affairs. For the past five and a half years, she served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), chairman of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Economic Development Subcommittee.

Anacostia Rail Holdings named James R. Zubik as Vice President, Finance and Administration. R. S. (Scott) Morgan, Vice President and Controller, retired in August. George H. Griggs was promoted from Director of Accounting to Controller.

ENSCO named Steven Chrismer, Ph.D., Senior Project Engineer for Rail in the Applied Technology and Engineering Division, focusing on vehicle design and dynamics, vehicle/track interaction and passenger rail safety.

Michael Barbour, P.E., has joined HNTB Corp.’s Southern California team as Senior Project Director and Associate Vice President, with responsibility for the California High-Speed Rail Construction Package 4 project, where he oversees project and construction management of technical and management staff.

The MBTA named Luis Manuel Ramírez as General Manager/CEO. He succeeds Interim GM Steve Poftak.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency selected Seneca Group LLC to perform a Definitional Mission to Mexico covering surface transportation modes.

Seneca Senior Associate Richard Sherman is traveling to Mexico for the Mission, which will be conducted through September.

WAGO named Andy Chesla to its sales force to cover Southern Minnesota and South Dakota.

100 years ago in railway age gazette SEPTEMBER 1917 From a Vegetarian Point of View To The Editor of the Railway Age Gazette: In my travels, I have noticed what seems to me to be very small dining car servings.

In the matter of essentials, such as bread and butter, toast, etc., the servings are stingy. Breakfast foods, such as oatmeal, are served in unfairly small proportions, considering the cost of the material and the preparation of it. The Lackawanna plan of servings as shown by you recently affords opportunity for greater discrimination as to size of portions desired. — F. T. Whittelsey railwayage.com

oct. 4-5, 2017

Southwest Association of Rail Shippers 2017 SemiAnnual Meeting Irvine, Calif. https://www.swrailshippers.com/ upcoming_meetings.asp

oct. 16-20, 2017

Michigan State University Railway Management Certificate Program: Railway Engineering & Technology Pueblo, Colo. https://railway.broad.msu.edu/ education/ Contact: Nick Little 517-353-5663

oct. 19-20, 2017

Next-Gen Train Control presented by Railway Age and Parsons Courtyard Philadelphia Downtown http://www.railwayage.com conferences@sbpub.com

oct. 23-25, 2017

ASLRRA 2017 Eastern Region Meeting Providence, R.I. Contact: cboyle@aslrra.org.

202-585-3447 https://www.aslrra.org/

nov. 6-10, 2017

Railroad Track Inspection & Safety Standards Chattanooga, Tenn. http://ttap.utk.edu/

nov. 7, 2017

CARS (Canadian Association of Railway Suppliers) National Railway Day Conference 2017 The Westin Ottawa Hotel, Ottawa, Canada Contact: Taisha Poulin 613-237-3888

September 2017 // Railway Age 59

Products Signaling Charger

C

RAM Corp 4 Stage Pit Jack RAM Corp. Inc., a U.S. company founded in 1995, offers the 4 Stage Tower Jack, a revolutionary pit jack providing more convenience for the end user. Pit jacks are often riddled with problems: arching design that takes guesswork to position accurately, excessive manpower to crank the jack, minimum height extension, insufficient lift capacity, unsecured loads resulting in user injuries, etc.

The 4 Stage Tower Jack is unlike anything else on the market. One person can easily handle the entire process. It lifts 2,000 pounds effortlessly with 45 PSI of air

60 Railway Age // September 2017

pressure, using an air-operated pump that will generate the necessary oil pressure (under 250 PSI). If higher lift capacity is needed, the factory set pressure can be adjusted by RAM, so that the jack can lift up to 20,000 pounds, using higher oil pressure.

A flow control determines how fast or slow the jack lowers for safety and ultimate control at every step of the process.

This jack can easily rotate 360 degrees, and has brakes on four of its six heavy-duty casters for maximum stability. The carriage, or platform, that fits on top can be customized and easily changed out for multiple uses. The carriage smoothly rotates 360 degrees due to a brass ring cushion for easier movement. It has a coated tank to ensure zero rust or corrosion and stress-free cleaning during regularly scheduled maintenance.

The jack also has a remarkable lowered height of 19 inches, unheard of for a jack with an extended height of more than 56 inches (without the carriage). This jack has the ability to reduce accidents in the workplace, speed up maintenance and repair time, and lower overall costs.

RAM Corp. Inc. is a small Nashvillebased hydraulics company known worldwide as a leading provider of fluid power services and parts. We routinely handle the biggest jobs for some of the biggest companies in the country and worldwide. For information, call (615) 7051728, or email ptippets@ramcorpinc.com.

-Can Power Systems Inc., a leading manufacturer of DC power systems used to support critical communication, industrial process and transportation systems, and manufacturer of the RLW-Series of Switching and Signaling chargers, offers the 12VDC/600 watt signaling charger with a convenient Ethernet connection.

In the past, a signal maintainer would have to visit a site to check for alarms. C-Can’s RLW12/600E unit integrated with the site location’s Ethernet enables a maintainer to remotely access the charger’s onboard monitor for real-time information. Users can also prioritize and centrally manage sites. The RLW12/600E does not require proprietary software and weighs less than 12 pounds, making it easy for one person to install.

C-Can, based in Acton, Ont., has also expanded Ethernet connectivity as an option on both its 12V signaling chargers, models RLW12/40E and RLW12/600E. All C-Can equipment is designed, manufactured and tested in accordance with CSA C22.2 No.. 107.1.

In addition, the equipment is designed in accordance with applicable EEMAC, ANSI, IEEE, NEMA and AREMA Standards.

For information: 800-461-7017; www.c-can.com. Visit the C-Can booth, 1706, at Railway Interchange in Indianapolis, Sept 17-19.

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BOOK REVIEW Review: The Great Railroad War: United States Railway Operations During World War I The Great Railroad War: United States Railway Operations During World War I by Rudolph L. Daniels, Ph.D. 152 pages, April 2017. The Garbely Publishing Company. ISBN: 978-0-9966963-3-3.

I came to The Great Railroad War: United States Railway Operations During World War I, Prof. Rudolph L. Daniels’ book on the history of American railroads during World War I, from a different perspective.

During my 40-year career in railroad public relations—which began less than two years before the Penn Central bankruptcy—I had frequent occasion to compare the operations of U.S. railroads during World War II with their operations during World War I. That comparison showed that during World War II railroads moved more personnel and more war supplies than they did during World War I and they did so with greater efficiency and less port and track congestion and fewer freight cars, passenger cars and locomotives. The big difference was that during World War II, railroads remained in private hands, but they were taken over by the government during World War I. Comes now Prof. Daniels, with—in the words of the late broadcaster Paul Harvey— “the rest of the story.” As he makes clear, government control came at the behest of the railroads themselves because they could not overcome all of the problems they faced in mobilizing for their wartime role. Shortly after war was declared, railroads established the Railroads War Board, which “had the task of guiding the managers of all the nation’s railroads in carrying out government requirements for the war effort.”

But they couldn’t keep up with the steep increases the war brought. Regulations hampered efficiency, leading to congestion and equipment shortages. Federal regulations prohibited one possible solution, pooling. So the Railroads War Board sought assurances from Attorney General Gregory Watt that he wouldn’t prosecute railroads if they engaged in the practice. Not so fast, said the AG. So long as the law remained on the books, he vowed to uphold it.

If everything is prioritized, then nothing really is, as was demonstrated by a placard system for moving priority freight that led to as much as 85% of freight in some regions 62 Railway Age // September 2017

receiving priority status. Coordination between train schedules and port shipping schedules was virtually non-existent. Freight cars became prime storage facilities.

So at the end of 1917, “the Railroads War Board and railroad managers in general appealed to the federal government to run American railroads as one large system.”

On December 26, President Wilson issued a proclamation giving control to the federal government.

Prof. Daniels traces the history of the new United States Railroad Administration (USRA) through the end of the war and beyond. In fact, it remained in existence until 1926, long after the railroads were returned to their pre-war owners in 1920.

Although it faced multiple challenges, and Professor Daniels shines considerable light on them, USRA’s accomplishments were many in contributing to the successful conclusion of the war effort.

But U.S. rail involvement in World War I went beyond just the challenge of moving hundreds of millions of tons of supplies and millions of soldiers domestically. U.S. railroaders also took their expertise overseas.

American railroaders were recruited to operate trains supplying the American Expeditionary Force in France. They applied American technology and operating practices to a French system that was at times ill-suited for those practices. But they succeeded admirably. As Daniels writes, “There is no doubt that the United States Army railroad soldiers met and accomplished their immense tasks, which directly contributed to Allied victory.”

Even farther afield was their journey to Russia, where Americans were involved in keeping railroads running in both the North of Russia and the Far East along the TransSiberian Railway. Ostensibly they were deployed to aid in the movement of battlehardened Czech soldiers to the Western Front, a mission that was perhaps a cover for British schemes to thwart the Russian Revolution. The last United States Army railroad forces didn’t leave until 1920, well after the 1918 armistice ended “the war to end all wars.”

World War I ended rather abruptly, with no firm plans on when or how to restore the control of the railroads to their private

owners. But no one, according to Daniels, “expected or wanted a return to the prewar railroad situation. All wanted government control to some degree.” He also details some of the financial issues that dogged this return to private ownership.

Daniels successfully explores how conflicting views on the way railroads should operate in the future led to passage of the Transportation Act of 1920. Daniels writes that the Act’s motivation was to “create a more unified system.” One way it attempted to do that was by giving the Interstate Commerce Commission more authority over railroads, covering everything from finances to new construction to freight car usage and movement. Of course, the system that emerged proved woefully inadequate in the years following World War II, when new, subsidized competition and outdated regulations combined to bring the industry to its knees.

All of this is placed in an historical context that is necessary to fully understand some of the later developments in American railroading.

Tom White retired from the Association of American Railroads in 2009 after more than 40 years in public relations, most of that time with the AAR. While at the AAR he worked with the news media and wrote speeches, articles and testimony. Before succumbing to “the dark side,” he worked as a newspaper reporter and radio announcer.

In retirement, he lives in the old railroad town of Brunswick, Md. railwayage.com

We’re current, are you? FRA Regulations FRA News:

Mechanical Department Regulations A combined reprint of the Federal Regulations that apply specifically to the Mechanical Department. Spiral bound.

Part Title 210 Railroad Noise Emission Compliance Regulations 215 Freight Car Safety Standards Updated 4-3-17.

216 Emergency Order Procedures: Railroad Track, Locomotive and Equipment Updated 4-3-17.

217 Railroad Operating Rules Updated 4-3-17.

218 Railroad Operating Practices - Blue Flag Rule Updated 4-3-17.

221 Rear End Marking Device-passenger, commuter/freight trains

Updated 4-3-17.

Safety Glazing Standards Updated 4-3-17.

Railroad Accidents/Incidents Updated 4-3-17.

Locomotive Safety Standards Updated 4-3-17.

Safety Appliance Standards Updated 4-3-17.

Brake System Safety Standards Updated 4-3-17.

223 225 229 231 232

Mech. Dept. Regs.

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49 CFR Parts 240 and 242: Evaluation of Safety Sensitive Personnel for Moderate-to-Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) (collectively, the Agencies) withdraw the March 10, 2016, advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) concerning the prevalence of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among individuals occupying safety sensitive positions in highway and rail transportation, and its potential consequences for the safety of highway and rail transportation. The Agencies have determined not to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking at this time.

DATES: As of August 8, 2017 the ANPRM published on March 10, 2016, at 81 FR 12642 is withdrawn.

Current FRA Regulations Item Code

FRA Part #

209 211 BKTSSAF 213 BKTSSG 213 BKWRK 214 BKFSS 215 BKROR 217 218 BKRRC 220 BKEND 221 BKSEP

Update effective

4-3-17 7-20-09 4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17

BKHORN 222 4-3-17 BKRFRS 224 4-3-17 BKHS BKLSS BKSLI BKSAS BKBRIDGE BKLER

228 229 230 231 237 240

4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17

BKCONDC 242 4-3-17

BKBSS

BKCAD BKSTC

BKPSS

232 4-3-17 FRA Part #

40 219

233 234 235 236 238 239

Update effective

Each

50 or more

RR Safety Enforcement Procedures & Rules of Practice Track Safety Standards (Subpart A-F) Track Safety Standards (Subpart G) RR Workplace Safety RR Freight Car Safety Standards RR Operating Rules and Practices

28.50 10.50 9.50 9.95 7.65 9.95

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5.95 5.50

5.35 4.95

13.75

12.40

6.95 11.00 11.50 23.95 9.95 6.95 13.25

6.25

8.95 6.25 11.90

11.50

10.35

Each

25 or more

15.25

13.70

Each

25 or more

Brake System Safety Standards

10.35

Combined FRA Regulations

8-8-16 Drug and Alcohol Regulations in 6-12-17 the Workplace

37.00

4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17 4-3-17

20.50

Signal and Train Control Systems

18.45

Part 213: Track Safety Standards, Subparts A-F 49 Part 213, Subparts A-F. Classes of Track 1 through 5: Applies to track required to support passenger and freight equipment at lower speed ranges. Includes Defect Codes and Appendices A, B, and C to Part 213. Softcover. Spiral bound. 120 pages.

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The Railway Educational Bureau 1809 Capitol Ave., Omaha NE, 68102 I (800) 228-9670 I (402) 346-4300 www.RailwayEducationalBureau.com

Compliance Manuals BKTRACKCOMP

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Track and Rail and Infrastructure Integrity Compliance Manual - Volume II, Track Safety Standards - Part 213 Technical Manual for Signal and Train Control Rules. - Includes Part 233, 234, 235, 236

33.00

30.00

47.00

42.30

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

Add Shipping & Handling if your merchandise subtotal is: U.S.A. CAN U.S.A. CAN $4.50 $8.75 25.01 - 50.00 10.78 16.80 7.92 12.65 50.01 - 75.00 11.99 21.20

UP TO $10.00 10.01 - 25.00

Orders over $75, call for shipping

*Prices subject to change. Revision dates subject to change in accordance with laws published by the FRA. 9/17

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Ad Index Company

Phone #

Fax #

847-623-8800

847-623-6139

e-rail@aldonco.com

37

312-922-4516

312-922-4597

kskibinski@amstedrail.com

29

CARLOAD EXPRESS INC

412-426-2800

412-426-4000

www.carloadexpresss.com

7

CENTRAL RAILWAY mfg

(904)647-7783

tsmith@centralrwy.com

C3

danella rental systems

610-828-6200

610-828-2260

pbarents@danella.com

28

dixie precast

770-944-1930

770-944-9136

fbrown142@aol.com

12

Freightcar america

312-928-0850

312-928-0890

tbaun@freightcar.net

C4

harting inc na

847-204-4970

847-741-8257

bob.Laskowski@harting.com

19

holland lp

708-367-2987

708-672-0119

ptenhoven@hollandco.com

16

hotstart mfg

509-536-8667

509-534-4216

mfloyd@kimhotstart.com

14

huber+suhner

802-764-4332

802-878-9880

jnee@hubersuhner.com

18

kinkisharyo international llc

732-230-4501

732-979-2378

businessdevelopment@kinkisharyo.com

48

ltk engineering services

215-641-8826

215-542-7676

tfurmaniak@ltk.com

19

mac products

973-344-0700

973-344-5891

edward.gollob@macproducts.net

51

midland manufacturing

847-677-0333

www.midlandmfg.com

40

sales@minerent.com

13

ALDON COMPANY INC AMSTED RAIL GROUP

URL/Email Address Page #

FRAUSCHER SENSORTECHNIK Gmbh

miner enterprises

17

630-232-3000

630-232-3055

mtu friedrichshafen gmbh

27

nATIONAL STEEL CAR

905-544-3311

905-547-4069

hnicholson@steelcar.com

31

nRE

618-241-9270

618-242-8519

sales@nre.com

34-35

201-825-0300

201-825-3524

info@okonite.com

9

1-800-221-CLIP

856-467-2994

okonite company pandrol usa l p

15

plasser American

757-543-3526

757-494-7186

plasseramerican@plausa.com

11

progress rail a caterpillar co

256-505-6402

256-505-6051

info@progressrail.com

21

qual-tran products co llc

215-699-9102

215-565-2563

sales@qual-tran.com

58

railhead corp

800-235-1782

708-844-5559

jdonnan@railheadcorp.com

C2

railquip inc

770-458-4157

770-458-5365

sales@railquip.com

26

rails company

800-21-RAILS

973-763-2585

gburwell@railsco.com

12

402-346-4300

402-346-1783

bbrundige@sb-reb.com

61,63,67

salco products inc

630-685-4661

630-783-2590

sales@salcoproducts.com

3

siemens corporation

800-SIEMENS

www.usa.siemens.com/transportation

47

softrail inc

888-872-4612

sales@signalcc.com

36

strato inc

732-317-5406

korozco@stratoinc.com

41

subway

203-877-4281

smethurst_L@subway.com

52

railway educational bureau

trainyard tech llc

732-981-1222

cra2@zooninternet.com

36

trans evironmental systems

800-220-2466

www.transenvsys.com

40

vertex railcar corp

508-556-5500

info@vertexrail.com

33

www.vhb.com/RailOpsSolution

46

vhb

724-443-8881

617-728-7777

724-443-8881

617-728-7782

vossloh na

54

zhuzhou crrc times

23

zmax

704-455-3270

704-454-1377

cajohnson@zmax.com

49

The Advertisers Index is an editorial feature maintained for the convenience of readers. It is not part of the advertiser contract and Railway Age assumes no responsibility for the correctness.

railwayage.com

September 2017 // Railway Age 65

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Contact: Jeanine Acquart Ph: 212/620-7211 Fax: 212/633-1165 Email: jacquart@sbpub.com

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www.RailwayEducationalBureau.com September 2017 Railway Age 67

Supply side

Suppliers Need a Voice on Capitol Hill

A

fter a Presidential election, it’s not uncommon or even unreasonable to expect the din to die down in D.C., as legislators and the Administration return to the decidedly less exciting daily grind of drafting policies, crafting laws and appropriating funds.

It’s safe to say that has not exactly been the case in 2017. Not only has the “noise” here in Washington continued unabated, but it has grown louder—and it’s making a difficult policy environment even tougher.

This uncertainty has necessitated that advocacy organizations like the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) reexamine policy toolboxes and even revisit the fundamentals of their missions to be sure they still apply in this exceptional and unorthodox moment.

One result of that soul-searching at RSI: We’re entirely convinced that now is not the time to sit tight, hold our tongues and wait for the dust to settle. It is, instead, the time to speak with one, unified, clarionclear rail supplier voice. Not doing so risks losing ground and an opportunity to show just how important our industry is to the nation’s economic engines.

Consider the issues under the microscope of the Trump Administration and the 117th Congress, and RSI’s analysis of and position on them: • Free Trade: Executive Order (EO) 13796 mandates a review of all trade agreements entered into by the U.S., but it is important to note that nothing in the EO specifically states how current trade agreements will be or should be impacted. RSI believes the Trump Administration and Congress should ensure that any renegotiations of trade agreements—NAFTA in particular— do not harm rail industry participants by making it harder, more expensive and more complex to move goods across borders and to distribute products globally.

If renegotiations and trade policies are too blunt, and if they do not preserve and promote balanced imports and exports, they risk depriving rail industry suppliers of important short-term and long-term growth opportunities. This result would undermine the entire rail industry and put at risk hundreds of small- and medium-sized 68 Railway Age // September 2017

manufacturers across America.

• State-Owned Enterprises: Recently, there has been an increase in state-owned foreign involvement in the U.S. passenger and freight rail market. This trend has the potential to change the entire dynamic of a multi-billion dollar industry, with current U.S. railway supply manufacturers concerned that more state-owned enterprise involvement could lead to price dumping and a reduction in domestic jobs.

America’s rail system covers more than 140,000 miles and carries 40% of intercity freight, including 111 million tons of hazardous materials. Allowing foreign, state-backed entities to increase direct investment in our nation’s critical public infrastructure—without appropriate review—creates significant economic and national security concerns. Similar mergers involving state-owned companies have threatened other critical sectors of our economy beyond rail, such as public transit, steel fabrication, energy production, food manufacturing, real estate and more.

• Buy America: RSI believes Buy America helps support good-paying American jobs.

RSI member companies have played by the rules and built their business models to comply with Buy America. USDOT should apply and enforce these provisions strictly and consistently.

• Infrastructure Investment: To ensure that the railway sector can continue to provide good employment opportunities to American workers, RSI highly supports an infrastructure package to improve the safety, reliability and productivity of the nation’s overall transportation system. The federal government should provide predictable and dedicated funding for capital investment in our intercity passenger rail system, along with investment to improve the efficient movement of freight through public-private partnerships.

Digital infrastructure applications should be included as part of eligible public investments in order to provide better reliability and lengthen the life of an asset.

RSI also opposes any efforts to increase truck sizes and weight on our nation’s interstate highways. Increasing either the

Now is not the time to sit tight and wait for the dust to settle.” allowable weights or lengths of trucks would divert freight traffic from the railroads to the nation’s highways, reducing railroad resources available to invest in maintenance and capacity and would therefore have negative impacts not only on freight rail service but also on the intercity passenger rail and commuter rail services that depend on freight rail infrastructure. Shifting freight from rail to highway would add to congestion, increase transportation related fatalities and injuries, fuel consumption, harmful emissions, and highway maintenance costs, and worsen pavement conditions.

Finally, investment in railroad safety by providing money to the Section 130 highway-rail grade crossing safety program is a proven way to save lives. RSI strongly believes funding should be expanded.

Railroads and their suppliers have much at stake inside the Beltway this year. And the Railway Supply Institute is as committed ever to keeping a sharp eye on developments, applying leverage whenever and wherever opportunities arise, and strongly advocating for our members and their customers, despite the unusual noise and heightened policy uncertainty.

Nicole Brewin Vice President of Government Affairs, RSI railwayage.com

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