RT&S 0912

September 2012 | www.rtands.com

M/W Practices from Abroad

plus Verhelle looks back Transit M/ W: Denver RTD And also AREMA News p.44

Contents

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

September 2012

News

Features

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24

Industry Today 5 Supplier News 12 People

M/W practices from other parts of the world A look at some of the innovative technologies and methods being used to maintain track outside North America.

Columns

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Verhelle reflects on year as AREMA president Amtrak’s Robert Verhelle looks back on his term as he prepares to wrap up his run as president of AREMA this month.

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Transit m/w: RTD FasTracks program Denver’s RTD is in the middle of a multi-billion dollar, multi-year push to extend its current transit system by 122 miles.

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On Track Just the fracs

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Field Report Integrating safety in the welding process

Departments 19 TTCI R&D 44 Arema News 63 Products 65 Calendar 67 Advertisers Index

Plasser & Theurer‘s RPM-RS-900 is one machine used for track maintenance outside North America.

67 Sales Representatives

Story on page 24.

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68 Classified Advertising 69 Professional Directory FOLLOW US on Twitter

Photo courtesy of RTD

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NRC Chairman’s Column Choose to vote, then choose the NRC Conference

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48 e g Pa AREMA al

Annu 2012 rence & le u e Conf n Sched o i sit Expo

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Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 1

On Track

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Vol. 108, No. 9 Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South Clark Street, Suite 2450 Chicago, Ill. 60603 Telephone (312) 683-0130 Fax (312) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com Mischa Wanek-Libman/Editor, mischa@sbpub-chicago.com Jennifer Nunez/Assistant Editor, jnunez@sbpub-chicago.com CORPORATE OFFICES 345 Hudson Street New York, N.Y. 10014 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr./ President and Chairman Jonathan Chalon/Publisher Robert P. DeMarco/Publisher Emeritus George S. Sokulski/Associate Publisher Emeritus Mary Conyers/Production Director Maureen Cooney/Circulation Director Jane Poterala/Conference Director

Railway Track & Structures (Print ISSN 0033-9016, Digital ISSN 2160-2514), (USPS 860-560), (Canada Post Cust. #7204654), (Bluechip Int’l, Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Agreement # 41094515) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 345 Hudson Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10014. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices. Pricing, Qualified individual in the railroad employees may request a free subscription. Non-qualified subscriptions printed or digital version: 1 year Railroad Employees (US/ Canada/Mexico) $16.00; all others $46.00; foreign $80.00; foreign, air mail $180.00. 2 years Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $30.00; all others $85.00; foreign $140.00; foreign, air mail $340.00.

BOTH Print & Digital Versions: 1 year Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $24.00; all others $69.00; foreign $120.00; foreign, air mail $220.00. 2 years Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $45.00; all others $128.00; foreign $209.00; foreign, air mail $409.00. Single Copies are $10.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only. COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2012.

All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact: PARS International Corp., 102 W 38th St., 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10018 Phone (212) 221-9595 Fax (212) 221-9195. For Subscriptions & address changes, Please call (800) 895-4389, (402) 346-4740, Fax (402) 346-3670, e-mail circulation@sbpub.com or write to: Railway Track & Structures, Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 10, Omaha, NE 68101-0010.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Railway Track & Structures, PO Box 10, Omaha, NE 68101-0010.

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Just the fracs

S

econd to Idaho, I think North Dakota may be in the top five overlooked states. By overlooked, I mean those states in which folks generally do not find themselves in the habit of discussing as they would a place such as Florida, California or New York. I do not wish to offend anyone living in either Idaho or North Dakota. Remember, I’m from Nebraska, which could also lay claim to being in the top tier of the same list (unless we’re talking college football and then my biased opinion says Nebraska better be in the top spot).

But North Dakota, along with several other upper Midwest states, has been making itself very well known among the railroad industr y and overall U.S. economy, thanks to the booming frac sand business. Lines that have been dormant are rumbling back to life with traffic, new facilities and yards are being built and just think of all the maintenance that will be required to keep those routes in good condition.

The Minnesota Star Tribune ran an article on August 18 titled “Oil boom gives railroads new life.” I really enjoyed the first paragraph, which described a Wisconsin rail line that was so dilapidated that trains moved along at five miles per hour with a railroad worker on the front of the locomotive watching to make sure the train did not derail. The article said the state nearly turned the same line into a bike trail.

The line, now owned by Canadian National, will undergo $35 million in restoration along nearly 40 miles of track between Ladysmith and Barron, Wis. CN will upgrade rail, replace ties, repair culverts and bridges and restore rail service along the route, which should be ready

later this year, to serve a new frac sand plant and move the product from northern Wisconsin to shale drilling areas across North America, including Western Canada. Not too shabby for an almost bike trail.

Anytime a level of business can be considered a “boom” it’s a good thing, but when that boom comes just as another piece of business begins to wane, well, that might be called a stroke of luck.

While coal has decreased, I don’t think anyone is ready to declare the old king dead as of yet. If my recent visit to Union Pacific’s Kearney Subdivision is any indication, there is plenty of life left in coal. A report on my time spent with the UP can be found in this month’s “Field Report” on page 72.

The UP’s Kear ney Sub is the busiest route I have witnessed in a long time and not just from a freight traffic perspective, but maintenance wise, as well. The day I visited the triple-track route between Grand Island and just west of Lexington, Neb., UP had a welding gang, switch gang, tie and surfacing gang and a bridge gang all performing various tasks for the upkeep of the railroad.

In addition to their jobs maintaining the route, all the crews had to be aware of the close to 80 coal and intermodal trains that traverse the line in a given workday.

With the beginning of conference season upon us, I’m sure there will be many presentations and conversations covering all angles of this subject. I look forward to learning more and discussing further.

Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor

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September 2012 3

INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News Alion was awarded a $10 million FRA contract to study human performance in rail operations and maintenance.

L.B. Foster Company was awarded a $60 million contract by Kiewit/Kobayashi, a Joint Venture, for the county-wide construction of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation passenger transit system; the company was also awarded a contract to provide 89,175 of its CXT Concrete Ties for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) project and another contract by RailWorks Track Systems, Inc., to supply 11,000 CXT Concrete Ties for the construction of an unloading facility at the Tesoro oil products refinery in Anacortes, Wash.

Michael Baker Jr., Inc., a unit of Michael Baker Corporation, has been awarded a $1.57 million contract by the District of Columbia Department of Transportation for a study of Long Bridge over the Potomac River to assess existing conditions and options for rehabilitation or replacing the bridge crossing in the future.

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Rail projects to benefit from We Can’t Wait initiative Several rail projects will benefit from President Obama’s We Can’t Wait i n i t i at i ve , w h i c h m a d e more than $470 million in unspent earmarks immediately available to state depar tments of transportation. The DOTs will have the ability to use the unspent earmarked highway funds, some of which are The Columbia River Crossing project will replace the Interstate Bridge with a new bridge high enough to eliminate the need for nearly 10 years old, on any lifts. Photo courtesy of WSDOT. eligible highway, transit, passenger rail or port project. States must identify the projects they plan to use the funds for

by October 1 and must obligate them by December 31, 2012. To ensure that this funding is quickly put to good use to improve our nation’s infrastructure, funds not obligated by the December 31 deadline will be proportionally redistributed in FY 2013 to states that met the deadline.

“Across the country our investments in infrastructure are putting people back to work building and modernizing our transit systems, railroads, bridges and highways,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “The Administration is committed to doing its part to help communities across the country move forward with these critical projects as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

The Devils Lake Rail Improvements project in North Dakota will raise the BNSF rail line to address the rising level of Devils Lake and ensure the line remains open to passenger and freight traffic. The project, which received a $10 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery III (2011) grant for phased infrastructure improvements as part of an overall $100 million program, will allow Amtrak’s operating speeds to increase, improve longterm reliability and lower maintenance costs for both passenger and freight rail.

The rail line connects rural communities in North Dakota, Montana and eastern Washington to larger urban centers with essential services in an area where extreme weather conditions frequently close roads and airports. The project is an example of recovery efforts in the Devils Lake area and involves extensive coordination between the North Dakota Department of Transportation, BNSF, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Railroad Administration to ensure timely permitting and environmental approval processes.

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Through careful engineering and planning, the rail improvements will be constructed with little to no environmental impact and all work will be completed within existing BNSF right�of�way.

Also expedited is the $3.5-billion Columbia River Crossing project that will replace the I-5 bridges over the Columbia River connecting Vancouver, Wash., to Portland, Ore. The project will also extend an existing light-rail system, making a long sought after rail transit link between Portland and Vancouver finally possible. The project also includes the reconstruction of highway interchanges, improved freight access, the procurement of light-rail vehicles and the construction of park-and-ride spaces. This multimodal project is focused on increasing the mobility of motorists, freight traffic, transit riders, bicyclists and pedestrians. The project is a long-term, comprehensive solution funded jointly by the Federal Highway and Federal Transit Administrations and state and local sources to improve safety and relieve highway and freight congestion problems throughout the region.

The initiative also pushes forward Wash-

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ington state’s $89-million Point Defiance Bypass Project, part of the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor (PNWRC). The purpose of the Point Defiance Bypass Project is to provide more frequent and reliable high-speed intercity passenger rail service between Seattle and Tacoma to points south. The project will reroute passenger trains to an existing rail line along the west side of I-5 through south Tacoma, Lakewood and DuPont. Passenger trains, including Amtrak Cascades, currently must slow down due to curves and single-track tunnels on the BNSF mainline tracks near Point Defiance and along southern Puget Sound. This project, with extensive regional benefits, is key to providing more competitive intercity passenger rail service between Seattle and Portland, Ore. In an effort to reduce the overall environmental impacts of the project, the preliminary design calls for the use of an existing transportation corridor and associated infrastructure, rather than the creation of a new corridor, allowing for the use of an Environmental Assessment instead of a possible Environmental Impact Statement, potentially saving multiple months of environmental review.

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Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 7

INDUSTRY TODAY Bridge placement marks milestone for CREATE grade separation project Mark Llanuza

The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program marked a milestone on Saturday, August 25, with the placement of a commuter rail bridge on new piers as part of the 130th & Torrence grade separation project. General contractor, Walsh Construction, used four Self-Propelled Mobile Transporters to relocate the fully-assembled, 4.3-millionpound, 394-foot-long truss bridge to its final position.

According to the Chicago Department of Transportation, it is believed to be the largest truss bridge ever moved into place after assembly.

The 130th & Torrence grade separation is project GS15a of the CREATE Program. The project consists of a grade separation at the intersection of 130th Street, Torrence Avenue and Brainard Avenue. The roadway will be lowered to allow traffic to flow unimpeded on all three roads while rail traffic on the Norfolk Southern and the Chicago South Shore and South Bend tracks travels on bridges.

Daniel Gross, vice president Construction Management Services Director, Great Lakes, with Alfred Benesch & Company, which designed and served as construction management on the bridge, said an option to build the bridge in place was considered, but the construction would take place over live Norfolk Southern tracks, which meant work on the bridge would have to shut down for safety reasons each time a train passed, making assembly of the bridge off site and then moving it into place the better option. “[The move] is a success,” said Gross. “Everything has been planned and pre-tested and we all were very confident this would work.”

The CREATE Program is a partnership of the State of Illinois, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the city of Chicago, Amtrak, Metra and the Class 1 railroads. To date, 14 CREATE projects are complete, reducing passenger and freight train delays by 33 percent and 28 percent, respectively, in the areas in which the projects have been completed. Another 12 are in construction now, with four more in final design.

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INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News Michigan Department of Transportation awarded an on-call contract to Parsons Brinckerhoff for construction services in support of the agency’s efforts to implement accelerated rail services along a high-speed rail corridor between Pontiac/Detroit, Mich., and Chicago, Ill. RailComm has been selected to provide a wireless remote control third rail and switch heater system for Port Authority Trans-Hudson’s Harrison Yard in New Jersey; the company also added its Blue Flag Indicator System to BNSF’s Belen Yard in New Mexio.

Las Vegas Railway Express, Inc. (X Train), selected Carpenter Sellers Del Gatto Architects as its chief architectural design firm for the X Train’s Las Vegas terminal facility, as well as the interior design concepts for the passenger cars; it also selected R&O Construction as the general contractor for the X Train’s Las Vegas Station.

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BNSF plans $260 million capacity and maintenance projects in three states B N S F R a i l w a y C o m p a ny u nve i l e d $260 million in capacity and maintenance plans to be invested across three states: Illinois, Iowa and Washington state. Illinois and Washington will each see close to $100 million in improvements aimed at strengthening the railroad’s core network.

BNSF will invest approximately $106 million on infrastructures improvements and expansion projects in Washington state this year.

BNSF’s 2012 capacity enhancement projects in Washington include the construction of a new lead to access the Por t of Longview, as well as significant signal upgrades for federally mandated positive train control.

The railroad’s track maintenance prog ram in Washington will include 1,020 miles of track surf acing and undercutting work and the replacement of 56 miles of rail and about 178,000 crossties.

In Illinois, the railroad will spend close to $93 million in its infrastructure. BNSF’s maintenance program in Illinois will continue with 1,216 miles of track surf acing and undercutting work and the replacement of 34 miles of rail and about 270,000 ties.

“BNSF’s investments will improve our ability to provide rail freight ser-

September 2012

vices to Illinois businesses and communities and will expand oppor tunities to create more jobs and growth for the Illinois economy,” said Matthew Rose, chairman and chief executive officer.

The railroad will also perform $61 million on projects in Iowa including two bridge projects. BNSF will continue its work on the Burlington Bridge by replacing existing through-tr uss spans and also begin work to replace BNSF’s bridge over the Missouri River between Plattsmouth, Neb., and Pacific Jct., Iowa. Additionally, BNSF will perform 315 miles of track surfacing and undercutting work, replace 27 miles of rail and about 183,000 ties.

The planned capital investments in Illinois and Iowa are part of BNSF’s total 2012 capital commitment of $3.9 billion. The largest component of the capital plan is spending $2.1 billion on BNSF’s core network and r e l at e d a s s e t s. B N S F a l s o p l a n s t o spend approximately $1.1 billion on locomotive, freight car and other equipment acquisitions, many of which will serve both states. The prog ram also includes about $300 million for PTC and $400 million for terminal, line and intermodal expansion and efficiency projects.

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PEOPLE Gannett Fleming, Inc., named David Thomas director of the firm’s Southeast Region.

Harsco Corporation elected James Earl to the Harsco Board of Director and hired Patrick Decker as president and chief executive officer.

Holland Co. appointed three new regional sales managers; Jon Pecha will be responsible for the Northeast U.S., Bobby Taylor will be responsible for Western U.S. contracting, transit and shortline and Luis Gonzales will be responsible for Kansas City Southern and Mexico.

Kansas City Southern promoted David Ebbrecht to executive vice president and chief operating officer for KCS and its U.S. subsidiary, The Kansas City Southern Railway Company; the company also appointed Carlos Velez to vice president business solutions and marketing.

L.B. Foster Company appointed John Kasel to senior vice president, Rail Business.

Nordco Rail Services and Inspection Technologies, Inc., promoted James Rose to program manager rail inspection.

Parsons Brinckerhoff appointed Paul Skoutelas to director of the firm’s Transit & Rail Technical Excellence Center.

Patriot Rail Corp., appointed Arthur Shoener to its board of directors.

Re a d i n g a n d N o r t h e r n Ra i l ro a d hired Dennis Shaffer as vice president of business development.

S o u t h e a s t e r n Pe n n sy l va n i a Transportation Authority promoted R onald Hopk ins to assistant general manager of operations and appointed Elizabeth Bradford to director of marketing in the authority’s Division of Public and Government Affairs.

Union Pacific elected John Koraleski to the company’s board of directors.

Dr. Allan M. Zarembski accepted a position as research professor and director of the Railroad Engineering and Safety Program, Department of Civil Engineering, at the University of Delaware.

Watco Compliance Service Team hired Carl Hybinette as vice president of engineering.

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NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN

Choose to vote, then choose the NRC Conference

The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association, Inc. 500 New Jersey Ave., N. W. Suite 400 Washington D. C. 20009 Tel: 202-715-2920 Fax: 202-318-0867 www.nrcma.org info@nrcma.org

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With election time f ast approaching , I encourage everyone to take the time to understand the choices that you will have in the ballot box on November 6. For each race, for everything from city council, mayor and governor, to U.S. representative, senator and president, take a look at the candidates’ positions and think about how their actions will affect the interests of you and your family, both personally and professionally.

At every level of government, decisions are made every day that influence your life at work and at home.

The NRC staff is available to discuss with you the issues that involve the rail construction, freight rail and rail transit industries and where the federal candidates stand on those issues. Don’t hesitate to contact anybody on the NRC staff with questions or comments at any time. Please remember that your vote is your voice and it does count.

Shifting my attention to the operations of the NRC, I would like to thank our Membership Committee for their continued hard work. NRC membership currently stands at a record high of more than 350 member companies and the annual retention is north of 90 percent.

The NRC Safety Committee has been actively participating in several FRA Railway Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) working groups, including groups revising the Roadway Worker Protection (RWP) rules, writing new Minimum Training Standards requirements, increasing drug and alcohol testing regulations and improving track safety standards. NRC members play an important role in the RSAC working groups by bringing the views of rail construction and maintenance contractors to the attention of the group.

The NRC Safety Committee is also putting the finishing touches on our next two safety DVDs. John Zuspan, an NRC Board member and president of Track Guy Consultants, continues to do an excellent job producing our Safety DVDs. The next two DVDs, “Fall Protection in the Rail Industry” and “Safety around Flash Butt

September 2012

Welding,” will be made available at the NRC Conference in January.

This year’s NRC Conference and joint NRC-REMSA Exhibition will be held at Loews Miami Beach Hotel in Miami, Fla., from Wednesday, January 9, through Saturday, January 12, 2013.

Registration is now available at https:// www.nrcma.org/form3.cfm? and you can go to www.nrcma.org/go/conference for more information.

The conference will include close to 1,000 executives from the rail construction and maintenance industry, including a 100plus company exhibit hall and speakers outlining capital programs from Class 1 railroads, shortline railroads and major rail transit agencies. I hope to see you there.

The main hall of the exhibition is now sold out, but good foyer booths are still available for the exhibition. You can sign up for a booth at: www.nrcma.org/go/exhibition2013 or contact Urszula Soucie of REMSA at 202715-2921 or soucie@remsa.org.

To book your hotel room at Loews Hotel Miami Beach at the discounted group rate, call the resort at 877-563-9762 and mention that you are with the “NRC Conference” or reserve online here: www. nrcma.org/go/hotelreservations2013. This hotel block will sell out, so the sooner you book the better.

• Hotel information: www.nrcma.org/go/hotel • Travel information: www.nrcma.org/go/travelinfo • Attendee registration: w w w. nrcma.org/form3.cfm • Exhibit booth registration: www.nrcma.org/go/exhibition2013 Please contact NRC Operations Manager Ashley Bosch at 202-715-1247 or abosch@ nrcma.org with questions regarding the NRC Conference or see www.nrcma.org/go/ conference for more information.

Work safe and keep those around you working safe.

by Terry Benton, NRC Chairman

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TTCI R&D Wide-gap weld performance in heavy-axle-load revenue service Dingqing Li, scientist and Daniel Gutscher, senior engineer, TTCI ; Steve Lakata, project engineering specialist, NS

A six-year field-testing effort has shown that wide-gap welding is a viable rail joining practice for heavy-axle-load operating environments.

T

hermite wide-gap welds (WGW) were developed to join two rails with a nominal gap of 2.75 inches. Because of their extra width, WGWs can be used to directly replace most field welds or some rail defects without plug rails. This could lead to several major benefits for railroads, including fewer welds being performed in the field (a plug rail uses two welds) and less track time for replacing weld or rail defects, thus increasing train operating safety and reducing track maintenance costs.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., conducted extensive laboratory tests comparing WGWs to standard welds (nominal gap of one inch) and found that average properties of WGWs were similar and that their

Figure 1 shows wide-gap welds (left-Railtech Boutet; right-Orgo-Thermit).

fatigue test performance was actually better than that of standard welds.1,2 WGWs were also installed at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST), in Pueblo, Colo., and tests showed that for adequate performance in the field, these welds should have hardness measured above 300 Bhn (Brinell hardness).3 In 2005 to 2006, TTCI in cooperation with Norfolk Southern, installed 32 WGWs at its eastern mega site near Bluefield, W.Va. The mega site supports a number of experiments jointly sponsored by the Association of American Railroad and the Federal Railroad Administration, including rail performance, ties and fasteners, rail/bridge span interaction and bridge approaches.

WGWs from two different weld manufacturers (Orgo-Thermit and Railtech Boutet) were installed in track one year apart, in October 2005 and 2006 respectively. At this time, the Orgo-Thermit welds have accumulated 350 mgt of heavy-axle-load (HAL) traffic and the Railtech Boutet welds have accumulated 295 mgt of HAL traffic.

An earlier Technology Digest summarizes the performance of these welds in the first three years of service.4 This article provides an update of test results and findings from the monitoring effort over the past six years.

Wide-gap welds installed

The WGW test at the eastern mega site consists of a total of 32 welds, 16 from each manufacturer, located in the spirals of four curves (6.8 to 11 degrees). The welds were staggered and alternated between the high and low rails to minimize any preferential effects due to the location within the spiral on any one-weld product. The test was located in 141RE section rail immediately adjacent to a rail performance test located in the curves. As a result, the welds are located in regions that do not receive periodic rail grinding. Figure 1 shows www.rtands.com

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TTCI R&D the WGWs made by the two different weld manufacturers.

These test zones receive a p p r ox i m a t e l y 5 5 m g t o f H A L traffic per year. TTCI engineers took measurements and documented the condition of the welds on a semi-

annual basis during the repor ting period. Measurements included surface hardness and longitudinal profiles. Hardness measurements were taken using a handheld hardness tester on the running surface at five locations for each

weld. These locations were at the weld centerline, both heat-affectedzones (HAZs) and both parent rails at 12 inches on each side of the weld.

Profiles were taken longitudinally along the center of the running band and include both HAZs and the weld. NS provided periodic manual ultrasonic inspection of the welds.

Hardness and profile results

TTCI collected and analyzed the weld hardness values to determine trends. Figure 2 shows the average hardness results for each of the weld regions for the welds installed on the low rail (similar trends for the high rail). All of the welds showed a typical increase in hardness with accumulated tonnage in the weld metal and HAZs. For both weld products, most of the work hardening of the weld occurred within the first 100 mgt. In general, for similar mgt levels, the two weld products have maintained a difference in hardness of approximately 15 Bhn. These welds were also measured to have a minimum hardness of approximately 300 Bhn, even at the HAZs before work hardening occurred.

As mentioned earlier, a minimum hardness of 300 Bhn is essential to ensure adequate performance under a HAL operating environment, as based on the test results at FAST. TTCI collected and analyzed the longitudinal weld profiles for the various tonnage levels. The plots were overlaid and compared to determine degradation trends. This method of plotting aligns the profiles in a manner that essentially removed rail wear from the plot. As such, this type of plot should be understood as batter or wear relative to the running surface of the rail. This method of plotting allows the examination of relative wear rates by observing the vertical distance between successive plots.

Figure 3 shows the longitudinal profile measurements for one of the welds. The profile plot shows a typical thermite weld degradation pattern. The HAZs experience a high initial rate of batter due to the low initial hardness.

However, the relative degradation rate quickly slows as work hardening occurs.

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Figure 2 illustrates the average hardness of wide-gap welds.

Weld failure and weld life analysis

At this time, a total of four welds have been replaced at the mega site: two because of ultrasonic indication and two because of service failure or surface condition. Table 1 gives a summary of the welds removed, including information of weld ID, reason for removal, defect type, date of removal and accumulated tonnage.

One ultrasonic indication was found immediately after installation (weld ID - R4). The weld contained a gas pore in the weld collar that was approximately 1/8 inch in diameter and 1/2 inch long (Figure 4, left). This type of defect is not unusual and may occur in thermite welds regardless of the weld gap size. Another weld (R12) also was removed because of an ultrasonic indication of gas pores (Figure 4, right).

Another weld was removed because of service failure (Figure 5, left) at 265 mgt. This weld developed severe shelling, without preventative grinding and fractured from the base because of repeated large wheel impact forces.

Another weld was removed at 321 mgt, not from failure, but from the development of a similar surface-shelling problem (Figure 5, right).

As reported in a 2009 Technology Digest, a majority of the welds started to show some plastic metal flow or minor www.rtands.com

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TTCI R&D Figure 3 top, illustrates the weld profile degradation.

Figure 4 middle, shows ultrasonic indications (left-weld collar gas pore; right-has pores.)

Figure 5 bottom, shows welds removed from service failure or surface condition (left-shelling on gauge corner and fatigue fracture from base of weld; right-shelling on gauge corner).

expected life, for the welds under HAL revenue service operating conditions. On average, this analysis shows that 50 percent of the welds will fail by 490 mgt and almost all the welds will fail by 740 mgt. From the test at the eastern mega site, the minimum life of these welds is 265 mgt.

Conclusion

A six-year field-testing effort has shown that wide-gap welding is a viable rail joining practice for HAL operating environments. Even without the benefits of regular preventative grinding, these welds have had a minimum fatigue life of 265 mgt, with the average life estimated to be 490 mgt.

With preventative grinding to remove minor spalling and plastic flow, life expectancy under these conditions is expected to be longer.

WGWs installed at the eastern mega site were measured to have a minimum hardness of approximately 300 Bhn. Early longitudinal profile degradation patterns of these welds generally followed the hardness variation from the parent rail to the HAZ and to the centerline of the weld. Spalling and plastic flow are the early signs of surface degradation issues.

If not ground, these surface issues can grow into shelling problems, leading to service failures.

TTCI and NS will continue to monitor long-term performance of the welds remaining at the eastern mega site.

Table 1. Summary of weld removals

Acknowledgement

Weld ID

Reason Removed

Defect

Date

mgt

R4

ultrasonic indication

gas hole in web

10/2006

0

R12

ultrasonic indication

gas hole in web

10/2010

209

AAR and FRA jointly funded this research. NS provided all needed track support. Orgo-Thermit, Inc., and Railtech Boutet, Inc., provided the WGWs and installation support for this testing. Jay Baillargeon of TTCI assisted in the data analysis.

O6

service failure

fracture from base

10/2010

265

References

O3

surface condition

shelling of gauge corner

11/2011

321

gauge corner shelling towards the end of 2008.4 No periodic preventative grinding has been conducted on these test welds because they are located adjacent to the rail test curves where such grinding has not been allowed for testing purposes. If preventive grinding had been performed on these welds, severe shelling like those shown in Figure 5 would not have occurred and a longer weld life would have been expected.

Based on the test results shown in Table 1, a Weibull analysis was performed to estimate the time to failure, or 22 Railway Track & Structures

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1. Sun, J. and Sawley, K. October 1998. “Laboratory Evaluation of WideGap Thermite Rail Welds.” Technology Digest TD-00-007. Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.

2. Sun, J. November 2002. “Bending Fatigue Properties of Rail Welds.”

Technology Digest TD-02-026. Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.

3. Kristan, J. February 2002. “Thermite Weld Evaluations at FAST.” Technology Digest TD-02-006. Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.

4. Gutscher, D., Dingqing, L. and McDaniel, R. April 2009. “Preliminary Performance of Wide Gap Welds at Eastern Mega Site.” Technology Digest TD-09-012. Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo. www.rtands.com

M/w practices developed

abroad

by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

Track maintenance practices in North America have undergone a metamorphasis during the past two decades. Similar evolution has been happening in other parts of the world.

Harsco Rail’s plain line Stoneblower has been used on rail lines in the UK for more than 17 years.

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orth America has had its share of maintenance practice exports, but innovative track maintenance methods are being developed and put in practice in other parts of the world. What follows is a highlight of four of these methods, which began abroad and may be making an appearance on North American railroads in the near future.

Formation rehabilitation machines

“The use of formation rehabilitation machines introduced

by Plasser & Theurer is a process, which has become very popular in Europe and many other railways around the world,” said the company. “The deciding factor for performing formation rehabilitation is maintaining track geometry quality in areas, which have chronic track formation problems. To achieve long lasting track geometry, the correct layered sub-ballast and ballast is required. The machine concepts described herein combine the advantages of formation rehabilitation with ballast recycling.”

The company notes that today, most high-quality substructure improvement work can be performed utilizing one pass rail-mounted, high-performance formation rehabilitation machines working in a production-line method.

It also points out that recycling the cleaned used ballast and the installation of geotextiles reduces the amount of new material required.

Plasser & Theurer says it offers a suitable machine for every type of operation depending on the length of the 24 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

construction site and the available work window.

“The lasting effect of formation rehabilitation technology has been confirmed through studies made by numerous European railways that the time between maintenance cycles is dramatically extended, resulting in reduced total life-cycle cost of track maintenance,” said the company.

Plasser & Theurer gives two examples of these machines including the PM 1000 U-RM, a rail-mounted recycling system and the RPM-RS-900, a sound material logistics and integrated ballast recycling system.

The PM 1000 is around 885-feet long and combines rail-mounted formation rehabilitation using three excavating chains and ballast recycling including a ballast washing plant. Plasser & Theurer points out that as on all of its formation rehabilitation machines, the PM 1000 U-RM is designed so that all movements of new and waste material are performed solely in the track under repair, which allows traffic to on the adjacent track.

“This machine removes ballast and formation in three layers and performs a higher degree of recycling, which substantially reduces the amount of new material required,” said Plasser & Theurer. “A special feature is the washing/screening unit, which recycles the ballast. The soiled water is reconditioned in an onboard-integrated clarification plant. The goal of this new production-line method for mechanized formation rehabilitation is the placement of thicker sub-ballast and ballast layers.” www.rtands.com

M/w practices from abroad Plasser & Theurer’s PM 1000 U-RM, a rail-mounted recycling system.

The RPM-RS-900 is a high-capacity machine for the continuous installation of a formation protective layer (FPL) without removing the track or using the adjacent track. Plasser & Theurer says the multi-section design of the machine allows the application of processes known from existing reconditioning technology. The RPM-RS-900 has two independent excavating chains, one ballast crushing plant for sharpening the ballast, a pre-separator (finger screen), a double screening unit, sub-ballast compacting units and a tamping satellite in the rear section of the machine to perform the first tamping pass.

“The machine allows a number of applications: from ballast recycling to FPL recycling, high capacity ballast cleaning using the production-line method. Total excavation with supply of new ballast via the rear MFS Con-

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veyor and Hopper Cars coupled to the transfer car is also possible. Dual supply of new material from the rear enables the simultaneous supply of new ballast and FPL material. This requires a specially-adapted material

conveyor and hopper unit,” said Plasser & Theurer.

High-speed grinding

Vossloh Rail Services says its high speed grinding system (HSG) is a

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September 2012 25

M/w practices from abroad A rendering of Vossloh Rail Services’ high-speed grinding machine.

technology used in areas where track time and traffic density restrict the use of present lower technology or traditional grinding systems.

“Presently, railroads are finding it difficult to keep up with their rail

maintenance requirements due to lack of track time. The cost of delays and traffic disr uption is causing delays in the maintenance schedule, which is causing further degradation of the rail and causing lower rail-life

expectancies. This will eventually have a very negative impact on overall costs to the railroads,” said Ron Martin, vice president and general manager with Vossloh. “The HSG system allows the roads to work in scheduled traffic at speeds up to 50 mph and maintain the profile with minimal disruption to traffic. This will lower the overall life-cycle costs of the rail.

The philosophy is a little different in that this technology is used more frequently, but with lower metal removal rates to eliminate the head checks before they are prevalent so they are not able to do any damage to the rail.

With the ability to work within schedules, it is much more effective and has less impact on operations.”

While this specific technology is in use in Europe and other areas around the world, it is not currently active in the North American mar-

M/w practices from abroad ket. However, Vossloh expects to have the technology available in early 2013 and Martin says several railroads have expressed interest in working with the system to evaluate the benefits.

Rail milling

Vossloh Rail Services and MFL, an Austrian rail specialist company, formed a joint venture that offers rail milling services. According to Vossloh/MFL, the application is directed towards track structures where a complete re-profile, or corrective profiling, is required and where traditional grinding is not feasible. The system allows single pass metal removal and exact re-profiling of the head area of the rail to the original specification. The companies point out that the system is environmentally-friendly and is very quiet when in working mode, which allows its use in highdensity areas with minimal impact to the surrounding area. The joint venture also notes the system is ideal for

use in tunnels and overhead rail lines because it does not emit grinding dust, fumes or sparks.

The use of rail milling has been introduced to the North American market, but at this time, is not being used.

“Several roads and transits have been looking at the technologies application and agree there are areas and applications it would be superior to present methods,” said Vossloh/MFL. “One of the reasons for its slow acceptance has been the actual working speed of the system. Vossloh/ MFL have addressed that issue with the newest system, allowing the system to work at much higher speeds than previous and other similar technologies. Other smaller truck type applications have also been looked at but with the minimal weight of these systems, the effectiveness of the systems are still in question.”

Stoneblower method

Harsco Rail, in collaboration with the

United Kingdom’s Railtrack (Network Rail), developed the Stoneblower specifically as an alternative to traditional tamping methods for restoration of vertical and lateral alignment of the track by mechanising the principal of Measured Shovel Packing (MSP) where voids are measured under the crosstie and measured amounts of small stone is used to fill the void.

The Stoneblower works by measuring the alignment of the existing track to an accuracy of 0.5mm and Harsco says the design uses a pre-selected track quality level to minimize lifts and the quantity of stone required.

“The Stoneblower car r ies out maintenance of the track by utilizing a process, which pneumatically injects small stone under the crosstie to fill the voids, therefore, achieving vertical and lateral track positioning to an accuracy of 1.0mm. This provides longer smoother profiles without disturbing the pre-existing compacted foundation below the sleeper,”

M/w practices from abroad said Harsco.

“The Stoneblower traverses the site at up to 10 mph, measuring the track geometry relative to distance and also records other salient features, such as transitions, partly obstructed crossties, fixed points and any areas requiring special treatment.

On-board computers use the data collected during the measurement process to determine the profile of the track and calculate the required lift, slew and stone quantity for each sleeper. The Stoneblower then moves down the track in the opposite direction to measurement, treating each selected pair of sleepers simultaneously. At completion, a record of preand post-treatment track quality is produced. The resultant condition of the track is suitable for immediate unrestricted line speeds of up to 125 mph,” the company said.

The Stoneblower has been used in the UK for more than 17 years and it has maintained more than 20,000 km

28 Railway Track & Structures

(12,000 miles) of track.

Harsco Rail has supplied 18 plain line machines and three multipurpose (S&C) machines to the UK, as well as one machine in Australia (narrow gauge) and another in China.

“It has been proven that the Stoneblower reduces ballast damage and increases the periods between interventions. The stone used comes from the same quarries as the normal-sized ballast and has the same attrition values as normal ballast, tests have shown that the forces needed to crush the small stone are greater than those needed to crush normal ballast. The small stone is less likely to fail under heavy-axleloads as the force pushing down on the stone is spread over a greater surface area, therefore, causing less damage to the under neath of the crosstie,” said Harsco.

The company continued, “Tests and experience have also proven that the small stone does not cause any

September 2012

drainage problems because the stone size and shape are such that they form identical structures to that of the larger ballast, therefore, allowing good drainage to take place without percolation of the small stone through the existing ballast.

“Test and experience has also proven that the unfounded concern that track becomes more rigid after being treated by the Stoneblower, therefore, potentially causing more damage to the track as the forces and loads from the train are transposed through to the track bed. The Stoneblower only treats the area underneath the foot of the rail. The majority of the [crosstie] is still supported on the existing ballast and formation, therefore, there is no loss in flexibility of the track and in cer tain cases where the track is contaminated with mud, fines, etc., the introduction of the stone from the Stoneblower improves the flexibility of the track,” said Harsco.

www.rtands.com

Verhelle takes count on past year at the helm AREMA’s outgoing president, Robert Verhelle, recaps the year and attests to the promising future of the association.

by Jennifer Nunez, assistant editor

Verhelle and his wife Jan in Paris.

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ccomplishing his many goals as AREMA president, Robert Verhelle attributes the past year’s success to association members and employees at headquarters for their hard work and dedication.

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September 2012

During his 2011-2012 term, the AREMA organization grew tremendously. Within the following pages, Verhelle reflects upon his past year as president and shares his hopes for the future.

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AREMA president wrap up

RT&S : How did your day job at Amtrak prepare you for your role as AREMA President?

Verhelle: I need to first say that it was an honor and privilege to serve the AREMA organization as president working with a fantastic staff at headquarters. The opportunity to be associated and work with the leaders of REMSA, RSSI, RTA, NRC and the other organizations in the rail industry was a great experience. My position at Amtrak requires me to work not only with internal customers, electr ic traction employees, but also across many disciplines, such as transpor tation, environmental, government affairs, human resources, track, structures and communication and signal departments, thus preparing me for the many interactions the AREMA president has in the industry. In addition, as an electr ified railroad operating through eight states and the District of Columbia, I am required to interface with public officials, supplier s, contractors, commuter agencies and freight operators in managing the electrification network. Serving as AREMA president just allowed me to interface across the country with similar partners as we worked together to strengthen the organization.

the extra travel required.

RT&S : Have you reached all the goals you set? Was there anything you wanted to do that you did not get around to or could not do?

Ve r h e l l e : L o o k i n g b a c k o v e r

this past year, the goals I set were accomplished by our AREMA member s and all of you in your suppor t of AREMA and the rail industry. First, we look at another year where the AREMA Educational Fo u n d at i o n i n c r e a s e d t h e t o t a l

RT&S: What are your thoughts on the past year as president of AREMA? Verhelle: The year went by quickly, other than a brief period in late December–early Januar y, when I had some health issues, it was busy interfacing with the RSSI, RSI, RTA, NRC and REMSA organizations, as well as working with the terrific staff we have at AREMA. These organizations support AREMA along with the many consultants that work in the railroad industry as we expand and build for the future. The staff assistance makes the president’s role simple. While I was not able to attend every function requested, the oppor tunities gave me insight into railroad functions outside the electric traction world that I live and breathe everyday. Overall, it was a tremendous experience and I want to thank my wife, Jan, for being supportive throughout the year with www.rtands.com

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September 2012 31

AREMA president wrap up

Verhelle and his wife Jan, enjoying what they love to do - be with each other.

scholarship amount given and the annual conference and exposition appears to be on track for meeting all target goals. As our membership has grown to more than 6,000, our technical committees continue to grow and the participation in the technical seminars/webinars they present to the industry continue to surpass the previous year. These are only a few of the goals that were set and met during this past year. When I look at a goal that was high on my priority but not entirely met, was making sure I remembered everyone by name at various functions. I have to apologize, because senior moments are setting in. One goal that I set and was not able to accomplish was to find time to get to know the new APTA president, Michael Melaniphy and strengthen the support between our organizations. We saw each other in passing at the UIC High Speed Rail Conference held in Philadelphia this year, but never connected.

RT&S: What did you accomplish during your term in office? What are you most proud of having accomplished?

Verhelle: At the beginning of the year, I wanted to recognize our Functional Groups and Technical Committees for their hard work through the President’s Column in the RT&S AREMA News section. I believe through the monthly articles, I shared how these men and women are the strength of our organization and the future for the rail industry. Our country is on the verge of breaking through in one high-speed rail corridor and creating many higher-speed rail corridors on existing lines, as well as increasing the capacity for freight cargo of all 32 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

www.rtands.com

AREMA president wrap up Proud moment holding his first grandchild, Esme Catalina Verhelle; born on July 12, 2012.

34 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

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AREMA president wrap up commodities with infrastructure improvements that will assist our country’s economic recovery.

The most proud accomplishments have nothing to do with serving as AREMA president, because I think it is the staff and our members who have done the work this past year. My greatest accomplishments are personal and shared by my wife, Jan, as we became grandparents for the first time when our son, Robert, Jr., and daughter-in law, Catherine, brought Esme Catalina Verhelle to us on July 12, 2012. Robert Jr. graduated from NYU with his MBA in finance and our daughter, Elizabeth, announced that she was engaged to Michael Skibbie and to be wed in April 2013. As parents, these are the greatest accomplishments for this year.

RT&S: Where do you see the organization going from here? Five Years from now? Ten years from now?

Verhelle: When I look at the AREMA organization, I see a committed group of volunteers supported by an excellent, paid staff at headquarters that provide the rail industry recommended practices and technical support around the world. We continue to grow in membership and through partnering with universities, are revitalizing the interest in young, talented engineers to enter rail industry employment. Staying focused on meeting the needs of the industry will be AREMA’s key goal moving into the

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Railway Track & Structures

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AREMA president wrap up

Top, Verhelle hard at work.

Verhelle with Amtrak co-workers at a safety fair.

future. I believe with the renewed interest in high speed rail, passenger rail and freight the future is bright for AREMA and we will have to find ways to increase our ability to provide

36 Railway Track & Structures

educational seminars through the web technology and production of courses that will get taught at local high schools and colleges for introducing students to a rail industry career.

September 2012

RT&S : What do you see in the future for AREMA? What do you think AREMA needs to do in the future to succeed?

Verhelle: I believe, as our country continues with economic recovery, the rail industry and AREMA will have a role in the advancement. Our members and industry partners will continue to work on testing, designing, building innovative materials and equipment to improve rail operations. The technology enhancements will require our committees to be in the forefront of Manual updates for materials and recommended practices to support the industry. In addition, I think highspeed rail is on the verge of linking specified city pairs that will reduce travel times, not only for business travelers, but those wishing to travel for pleasure. AREMA will have to continue t o l e a d i n t h e d e ve l o p m e n t o f recommended practices to fit our U.S. railroads operations. While dedicated routes would be nice, many cases will require use of some existing corridors to improve the infrastructure to allow higher-speed rail to accomplish the task. AREMA will have to continue to provide technical seminars, conferences and expositions that keep us as leaders in the rail industry.

www.rtands.com

a mile-high transit plan

by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor All photos courtesy of RTD

Denver RTD’s FasTracks plan is transforming the metro area’s public transit system, but also it’s quality of life.

Work being performed west of Sheridan Station on the West Line, which will open in April 2013.

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esides its “mile-high city” moniker, Denver, Colo., may be known best as the gateway to the Rockies or the capitol of the nation’s healthiest state, but thanks to the planning of the Regional Transportation District (RTD), Denver can add progressive public transit city to its list of accomplishments.

The details of RTD’s FasTracks program include expanding the current 35-mile RTD system by 122 miles of both light-rail and commuter rail; redeveloping Denver Union Station and building 18 miles of bus rapid transit.

Currently, 81 miles of rail and bus transit is either in construction or will soon be in construction.

The West Line is the first RTD FasTracks corridor to enter full construction and will be the first to open in April 2013.

The 12.1-mile light-rail line is 95 percent complete and will serve Denver, Lakewood, Golden and Jefferson County.

According to RTD, the multi-billion dollar FasTracks program came to life because RTD and leaders of the Denver metro area were committed to planning for future growth.

“The Denver Regional Council of Gover nments (DRCOG), the regional metropolitan planning organization, projected that the metro area would grow by another one million people by 2025. The planning process for FasTracks began in 1999, when RTD began conducting Major Investment Studies on the project areas that were identified by DRCOG as priorities for transportation planning,” said Pauletta Tonilas, FasTracks public information manager with RTD. “The FasTracks plan was fine-tuned 38 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

with more detail in 2002-2003 with input from regional elected officials. The plan was unanimously supported by all 31 mayors of the Denver metro area, as well as the business community and environmental groups – all who had the foresight of how the transit expansion plan would serve as a catalyst for smart growth, economic development and better quality of life.”

Most of the program will be complete by 2017. However, Tonilas says that due to two major economic challenges – unprecedented increases in the cost of construction materials and lower than projected sales tax revenues due to the recession – the rest of the program will be done as revenues become available.

Planning and partners are two vital factors when executing a program of this size and RTD has found success in public-private partnerships, as well as a solid partner in the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“RTD has developed a strong partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration, specifically. Much of this can be attributed to the fact that RTD coordinates closely with FTA from the beginning of the planning process,” said Tonilas. “RTD and FTA have very open and transparent communication and have been able to work through issues to accommodate both FTA and RTD’s needs. RTD staff is also very diligent about following the federal environmental guidelines when planning projects, even on projects that are not candidates for federal funding.” www.rtands.com

mile-high transit The rollout of the 6th Ave. bridge on the West Line in May 2010.

Eagle P3 Project

RTD is involved in the largest transit public-private partnership in the nation with its Eagle P3 Project, part of the FasTracks plan. The project includes construction of 40.2 miles of commuter rail line spread among three corridors: The 11.2-mile Gold Line, the 22.8-mile East Rail Line and the 6.2-mile first segment of the Northwest Rail Line, as well as construction of the commuter rail maintenance facility.

“When RTD first started to realize the extent of its financial challenges due to the escalation in construction materials costs and the recession, the agency began to pursue a public-private partnership (P3) to implement part of its FasTracks transit expansion program. As one of three transit agencies accepted into the Federal Transit Administration’s Public-Private Partnership Pilot Program (Penta P),

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and the only one that completed the program, RTD was able to leverage its assets into a successful $2.1 billion P3 project. One of the biggest benefits of the Eagle P3 project is that it has shown how the transportation industry

can optimize the three-legged financing stool when implementing projects: federal funds, local funds and private funds,” said Tonilas.

The Eagle P3 project includes longterm privatized operations and mainte-

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September 2012 39

mile-high transit

nance, as well as a unique workforce development program embedded in the project.

“RTD utilized the expertise of financial and legal advisors to prepare and distribute a Request for Proposals to design, build, finance, operate and maintain two complete commuter rail lines, a short segment of another rail line, a commuter rail maintenance facility and supply the commuter rail vehicles needed for the Eagle P3 project,” said Brian

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September 2012

Middleton, RTD’s Eagle P3 project director.

“In just three years, RTD was able to bring this innovative project from concept to contract, executing a 34-year agreement with a comprehensive team of private partners.

The Eagle P3 project is also the first project to implement the regional Workforce Initiative Now (WIN) program, which identifies, assesses, trains and places community members, including military veterans, into careers in trans-

www.rtands.com

Denver Transit Partners East Line work: Left, Crews weld rail for the 22.8-mile commuter line between downtown and Denver International Airport.

Right, DTP relocate water and sewer lines under the Coors Field parking lot and build a concrete wall where the tracks will be laid.

portation and mixed-use development projects, which, in turn, grows the local workforce and strengthens the economy,� said Tonilas.

The East Corridor, Gold Line and commuter rail maintenance facility are in full construction, with nearly all design packages completed in the design-build effort, noted Tonilas. The final project to begin construction, the first segment of the Northwest Rail Line from Denver Union Station to Westminster, broke ground in June.

As far as more specifics of the project, Tonilas says nine bridges are under construction, significant portions of the airport line alignment are being

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Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 41

mile-high transit

Trackwork being performed between the West Line’s Perry and Knox stations.

graded, the first half dozen rail car shells are completed, rail welding has commenced and retaining walls are being placed, most significantly in the maintenance facility segment. All elements of the Eagle P3 Project are scheduled for completion in 2016.

Beyond construction

RTD’s FasTracks program extends past the construction phase and once all projects have been completed, keeping them in top shape has also been planned.

“While planning for FasTracks, RTD included in the long-range financial projections the costs to operate and maintain all the FasTracks corridors. Additionally, the ballot language [of a voter-approved sales tax increase of 0.4 percent passed in 2004] specifically identified that once the capital projects were completed, the sales and use tax would sunset to the amount required for the long-term operations and maintenance of the corridors,” said Bill Van Meter, RTD’s assistant general manager of Planning.

RTD expects ridership of each of the FasTracks rail lines to exceed projections and if that isn’t indicator enough, RTD will look to its “Quality of Life” report to keep abreast of the success of the plan.

“In 2006, RTD published the first ‘Quality of Life’ report, establishing the framework to track the impact of FasTracks over time on our patrons and the community. It has metrics to track transit travel times, ridership, auto congestion and travel times, land use changes (TOD and development patterns), economics, revenues, crime, safety, etc. Each year, RTD updates the key measures and every few years we update all measures. We plan to continue tracking and publishing these measures over time as the FasTracks program is constructed and after, as well. The measures are based on the goals that were established by the Board of Directors when they approved the FasTracks plan,” said Van Meter.

As a more immediate mark of FasTracks success, Tonilas points to the plan’s employment numbers.

“Since RTD began implementing FasTracks in 2005, FasTracks has created 9,400 direct jobs, which is a total of full-time jobs from 2005 through 2012. The Eagle P3 project alone will create some 4,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs during construction,” said Tonilas.

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September 2012

www.rtands.com

AREMA NEWS Professional Development Upcoming Seminars See page 45 for a new online seminar Seminars being held in conjunction with the AREMA 2012 Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago, IL, September 16-19, 2012:

Message from the President

A final farewell

By Robert J. Verhelle

introduction to practical railway engineering September 14-16

FRA 214: Roadway Worker on TraCk Safety

Robert J. Verhelle AREMA President 2011-2012

September 15

Rail Bulk terminal design September 15

Environmental Permitting Issues in Railroad construction projects September 16

intermodal design planning September 19-20

Track alignment design September 19-21

FRA 213: Track safety standards September 19-21

Intermodal Design Engineering September 20-21 For more information on upcoming seminars please visit www.arema.org or contact Desiree Knight at dknight@arema.org or +1(301) 459-3200, ext. 703.

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September 2012

What a wonderful time of the year summer presents to us, vacations and back yard barbeques, getting together with family and friends to enjoy each others’ company, while possibly laying out plans for the future. However, the numerous volunteers on our committees are busy reviewing papers submitted for the technical conference and making contact with individuals who have promised their final papers will be in on time to ensure a full slate for September. In addition, the AREMA staff at headquarters is making sure all “T’s” are crossed and “I’s” are dotted so we all can enjoy a great exposition of vendor materials and the best technical presentations.

Through the year, I have attempted to provide some background of the subject matter covered by each of our functional groups. I have used the column to bring to light the various committees and volunteers in them and all the excellent work they do, because honestly, AREMA could not survive as an organization without their dedication to the industry and desire to share their knowledge and experiences with all of us. One group of individuals that I have forgotten are those that serve on the Conference Operating Committee (COC).

These individuals are AREMA members who help out at the registration desk, make sure equipment is where it needs to be, as well as monitor the technical conference attendees for their correct badges. These folks are valuable, not only in their dedication, but monetarily, as it would cost the organization to hire individuals to handle this function. Thanks and gratitude to all these individuals who mentor all of us.

My railroad career began more than 36 years ago, when my wife and I moved from the Detroit area to Philadelphia as I began a one-year management training program with Conrail. I think of Orville Snyder, catenary foreman, on the Old Reading electrification. He never grew tired of me asking question after question and was a mentor I will never forget. That is exactly what all of us have to do with the many new college grads and current students that will be attending our fall conference this year. We are their mentors and we need to be as willing as Orville was with me, answering their questions and providing guidance for their careers in the rail industry. I appreciated the many mentors who took an interest in me and it has been my pleasure to work with so many young engineers coming into the rail industry and see them flourish and become our next leaders.

I was able to share with a couple of Drexel Engineering students at the recent UIC High Speed Rail Conference in Philadelphia, Pa., about AREMA and our position as the rail industry leader in developing and maintaining the recommended practices for the rail industry maintenance and construction.

Their enthusiasm and interest in high-speed rail in the United States brought back memories of my first days on the railroad back in July of 1976. I trust they will follow through with reaching out to the AREMA headquarters and seeing how they can get involved as students as they anticipate where they will be moving in their careers. We are in exciting times in the rail industry, whether you are in the freight or passenger side of the business, these young engineers www.rtands.com

2012 Upcoming Committee Meetings Sept. 15 Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment Sept. 15-16 Committee 24 - Education & Training Sept. 16 Committee 5 - Track Sept. 16 Committee 6 - Buildings & Support Facilities Sept. 16 Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction Sept. 16 Committee 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems Sept. 16 Committee 12 - Rail Transit Sept. 16 Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals Sept. 16 Committee 16 - Economics of Railway

Engineering & Operations Sept. 16 Committee 17 - High-Speed Rail Systems Sept. 16 Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization Sept. 16 Team 40 - Engineering Safety Steering Team

FYI… P r o f e s s i o n a l D eve l o p m e n t H o u rs By attending the AREMA Annual Conference, seminars and workshop, you are entitled to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and Professional Development Hours (PDHs).

PDHs for New York and Florida are available through AREMA’s special relationship with the Florida Board of Professional Engineers and the New York Professional Engineers Program.

AREMA is also an approved provider for the state of Indiana. Individuals needing PDHs for other states may self-declare using AREMA’s form. In addition to PDHs, CEUs are available through a special agreement negotiated with the University of North Florida. Committee meetings are also approved for PDHs through the Florida Board of Professional Engineers.

AREMA is also an approved provider of the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP). Please note that your individual state board has the final authority on approving all PDHs for activities attended. The CEU and PDH form will be available at the conference and can be picked up at the AREMA Registration Desk or online at www.arema.org after the conference. Please visit www.arema.org for more information.

Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL

Sept. 16 Team 41 - Track Maintenance Steering Team Sept. 18 Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways Sept. 19-20 Committee 38 - Information, Defect Detection

& Energy Systems Oct. 2-3 Committee 15 - Steel Structures Oct. 2-4 Committee 39 - Positive Train Control Oct. 7-8 Committee 34 - Scales Oct. 15-17 Committee 37 - Signal Systems Oct. 16-17 Committee 4 - Rail Oct. 17-19 Committee 36 - Highway-Rail Grade Crossing

Warning Systems Oct. 25-26 Committee 30 - Ties Jan. 29-30 Committee 15 - Steel Structures

Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL New London, CT Ft. Worth, TX Savannah, GA Germantown, WI Danbury, CT Germantown, WI Tampa, FL Galveston, TX

are needed to meet the planned growth across our country. This expansion is needed to stimulate the economy and make efficient and economic decisions as we transport goods and passengers into the future.

Thank you all for your support through this year and I look forward to seeing you in Chicago as we meet in committee meetings during the conference, attend any of the great number of technical presentation on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or explore out on the exposition floor with the many vendors that will be there. I wish you all a great summer and safe traveling journeys along the way.

UPCOMING AREMA ONLINE SEMINAR Ethical Decision-Making for PEs: Today’s Standards and Benefits Presented by: Gerard P. Cavaluzzi, ESQ., vice president and counsel, ARCADIS U.S., Inc. Date: Thursday, October 4, 2012 I Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Eeastern I Location: Your computer

Member Rate: $99 Non-Member Rate: $129 Please visit www.arema.org/onlineseminars for more information and to register online.

AREMA’s Official Facebook Page Become a fan of the official AREMA Facebook Page and stay up-to-date on the most recent AREMA information.

The Official AREMA LinkedIn Group Join

the official AREMA LinkedIn Group by visiting www.linkedin.com and searching groups for “American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association.”

The AREMA LinkedIn Group will hold the 3rd Annual LinkedIn Networking Hour

at the AREMA 2012 Annual Conference & Exposition on Sunday, September 16, from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Be sure to join the group online for more information on the event including location.

www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 45

AREMA NEWS

Getting to know James N. Carter, Jr. Each month, AREMA features one of our committee chairmen. In September, we are pleased to feature AREMA’s 2012-2013 president, James N. Carter, Jr. AREMA: Why did you decide to choose a career in railway engineering?

Carter: I was born in the southern West Virginia coal fields. At that time, most people there either worked for the coal companies or the railroad. Both of my grandfathers were coal miners. My father worked in the engineering department of the Virginian Railway, later Norfolk and Western. He started as a rodman and advanced through several positions at N&W. I was always fascinated by his railroad stories and decided at an early age that I wanted to be a part of the industry, and I wanted to attend Virginia Tech and become a civil engineer. The bottom line is that it was in my blood, I guess.

James N. Carter, Jr. AREMA President 2012-2013 Chief Engineer, Bridges and Structures Norfolk Southern Corporation

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

Carter: I enjoy many things, particularly spending time with my family and friends, even more so since I have a new granddaughter, tailgating and attending Virginia Tech football games, playing golf, traveling, cooking, enjoying wines, listening to music and history.

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

Carter: I started my railroad career as a co-op student in the spring of 1971 with the Southern Railway, so I have been working in the industry for more than 40 years. I thoroughly enjoy the people in this industry, they are what make it such a wonderful place to spend a career.

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

Carter: Anyone pursuing a career in this industry must be willing to work hard and spend long hours, nights, weekends and holidays on the job. I advise any young people to gain all the experiences that they are afforded, volunteer for the hard jobs and learn all that they can from the “old heads” and build relationships. But most of all, I would tell them to enjoy it and be passionate about the work, it is truly a great place to be.

46 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association 10003 Derekwood Lane, Suite 210, Lanham, MD 20706-4362 Phone: +1.301.459.3200 / Fax: +1.301.459.8077 www.arema.org

www.rtands.com

AREMA Publications 2012 Manual for Railway Engineering© NEW CHAPTER 10 - Structures, Maintenance and Construction.

There have been numerous updates to more than 5,000 pages of the Manual for Railway Engineering. The chapters are grouped into four general categories, each in a separate volume: • Track • Structures • Infrastructure & Passenger • Systems Management. The Manual is an annual publication, released every April. The Manual is available in four-volume looseleaf format, CD-ROM, revision set (looseleaf only) and individual chapters (looseleaf format only).

AREMA Bridge Inspection Handbook© The AREMA Bridge Inspection Handbook provides a comprehensive source of information and criteria for bridge inspections for engineers engaged in the assessment of railway bridges. This handbook is published as a guide to establishing policies and practices relative to bridge inspection. It covers such topics as confined spaces, site conditions, loads & forces, nomenclature, bridge decks, timber, concrete & steel bridges, movable bridges, tunnel and culvert inspections, and emergency & post-earthquake inspections. Also included are many color photographed examples in several chapters, as well as a glossary in the back of the book.

To order any of the AREMA publications, please visit www.arema.org or contact Beth Caruso at +1.301.459.3200, ext. 701, or bcaruso@arema.org. www.rtands.com

2012 Communications & Signals Manual of Recommended Practices© The Communications & Signals Manual is a manual of recommended practices written

by AREMA technical committees in the interest of establishing uniformity, promoting safety or efficiency and economy. The Communications & Signals Manual of Recommended Practices is an annual publication released every October.

“New” Edition available October 2013.

Practical Guide to Railway Engineering© This guide provides a comprehensive overview and understanding of the railway system.

Whether you are new to the rail industry or a long-time contributor wanting to learn more, this bound book and CD-ROM offer in-depth coverage of railway fundamentals and serve as an excellent reference. (Also available in a CD-ROM version only.)

Portfolio of Trackwork Plans© New Edition NOW AVAILABLE The Portfolio of Trackwork Plans consists of plans and specifications that relate to the design, details, materials and workmanship for switches, frogs, turnouts and crossovers, crossings, rails and other special trackwork. This is a companion volume to the Manual for Railway Engineering.

Committee meetings being held in conjunction with the AREMA 2012 Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago, IL: Saturday, September 15, 2012 Committee 27, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Williford A-C (Main) and Rooms 4 A-D (Breakouts) Committee 24, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Marquette (Main) and Rooms 4 I-J (Breakouts) Sunday, September 16, 2012 Team 41, 7:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Room 4H Committee 5, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Williford B-C (Main) and Rooms 4 K-L (Breakouts) Committee 24, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Marquette (Main) and Rooms 4 I-J (Breakouts) Committee 11, 9:00 a.m.-Noon, Continental A (Main) and PDR 6-7 (Breakouts) Committee 12, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Boulevard (Main) and Rooms 4 D, F and G (Breakouts) Team 40, 10:00 a.m.-Noon, PDR 5 (3rd Floor) Committee 10, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Williford A (3rd Floor) Committee 17, 1:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m., Continental A (Main) and Rooms 5 I-J (Breakouts) Committee 16, 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Room 4A Committee 33, 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Astoria (3rd Floor) Committee 14, 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Room 4C Committee 6, 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Room 4E Committees 11 & 17, 3:45 p.m.-4:45 p.m., Continental A (Lower Level) Tuesday, September 18, 2012 Committee 18, 4:15 p.m.-10:00 p.m., Room 4A Wednesday, September 19, 2012 Committee 38, 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Astoria (Main) and Room 4A (Breakout) Thursday, September 20, 2012 Committee 38, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Astoria (Main) and Room 4A (Breakout)

Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 47

AREMA 2012 Annual Conference & Exposition Schedule FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Registration: Seminars Only 12:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering Seminar (Day 1) PDR 2 (3rd Floor) SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Registration: Conference, Exposition, Workshop and Seminars 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering Seminar (Day 2) PDR 2 (3rd Floor) 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

FRA 214: Roadway Worker On-Track Safety (Workshop) PDR 3 (3rd Floor) 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Rail Bulk Terminal Design Seminar

PDR 1 (3rd Floor) Committee Meetings 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

(See Page 47 for Locations) Committee 27 Committee 24

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.

Registration: Workshop and Seminars Only 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering Seminar (Day 3)

PDR 2 (3rd Floor) 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Environmental Permitting Issues in Railroad Construction Projects Seminar

PDR 1 (3rd Floor) Registration: Conference, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Exposition and Seminars 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

LinkedIn Networking Hour Room 4A Noon Exposition Opening Ceremony Outside Exposition Entrance Noon - 2:00 p.m.

Exposition Opening Reception Sponsored by NMC Railway Systems and Phoenix Contact Noon - 5:00 p.m.

Exposition Open Northwest, Southwest and Southeast

Exhibit Halls (Lower Level) 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Presentation in Exposition

Briefings on Manufacturing, Testing

and Licensing of Technology for PTC Systems Presented by Meteorcomm Northeast Expo Hall (Lower Level) Committee Meetings 7:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

9:00 a.m. - Noon 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m. - Noon 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

(See Page 47 for Locations) Team 41 Committee 5 Committee 24 Committee 11 Committee 12 Team 40 Committee 10

48 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Committee 17 Committee 16 Committee 33 Committee 14 Committee 6 Committees 11 & 17 Joint

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 6:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Registration: Conference, Exposition and Seminars 6:45 a.m. - 7:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

Continental Ballroom (Lobby Level) Sponsored by AECOM, Ames Construction, Inc.,

Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.

and N.E. Bridge Contractors, Inc.

Musical Entertainment sponsored by Nordco, Inc. 7:45 a.m.

Opening General Session International Ballroom (2nd Floor) 7:45 a.m. - 7:50 a.m.

Presentation of Colors 7:50 a.m. - 7:55 a.m.

Safety Briefing 7:55 a.m. - 8:05 a.m.

President’s Address Robert J.Verhelle, AREMA President , Amtrak 8:05 a.m. - 8:10 a.m.

REMSA Greeting

Philip J. Homan, REMSA President

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. 8:10 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.

RSSI Greeting Thomas J. Ulrich, RSSI Executive Vice President Arthur N. Ulrich Company 8:15 a.m. - 8:20 a.m.

AREMA Welcome Charles H. Emely, PhD, Executive Director/CEO 8:20 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.

Keynote Address

The Honorable Deborah A. P. Hersman Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board 8:45 a.m. - 9:10 a.m.

Railway Industry Update

Anthony B. Hatch, Transportation Industry Analyst ABH Consulting 9:10 a.m. - 9:20 a.m.

Presentation of 2012 Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence

Michael W. Franke, AREMA Treasurer Chair, Hay Award Committee, Amtrak 9:20 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

AREMA Scholarship Winners Announcement 9:30 a.m. - 9:40 a.m.

Member-Get-A-Member Campaign Winners 9:40 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Coffee Break Continental Ballroom (Lobby Level)

Sponsored by Design Nine, Inc.,

Georgetown Rail Equipment Company

(GREX), IAT International, Inc.,

PTMW, Inc., TKDA and URS Corporation 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Passenger & Transit Presentation Chicago - St. Louis High Speed Rail

Continuing Partnerships in Implementation Michael R. Garcia, PE, IL Dept. of Transportation (Ret.) www.rtands.com

AREMA 2012 Annual Conference & Exposition Schedule Sponsored by Design Nine, Inc., Philip G. Pasterak, PE, Parsons Brinckerhoff

David D. Orrell, PE, Union Pacific Railroad Georgetown Rail Equipment 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Maintenance Presentation

Company (GREX), IAT International, Inc., SEPTA’s Optimizing Track Outage PTMW, Inc., TKDA

Planning on a Busy Commuter Railroad and URS Corporation Jeffrey D. Knueppel, PE, Southeastern 12:15 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

AREMA Annual Chairmen’s Luncheon Pennsylvania Transportation Authority International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

Kevin Jurgelewicz, Gannett Fleming

(Ticketed Event - Separate Fee Required.

Transit & Rail Systems

Please visit the Registration Desk to 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Engineering Services Presentation purchase a ticket.)

BNSF Response to 2011 Record Featured Speaker: Joseph H. Boardman,

Flooding in the Missouri River Basin CEO, Amtrak

Robert J. Boileau, BNSF Railway 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Exposition Open 11:30 a.m. - Noon Communications & Signals Presentation Northwest, Southwest and Southeast

Impact of Safety Rule Non-Compliance Halls (Lower Level) John R. Buchanan, CSX Transportation Noon - 12:30 p.m.

Track Presentation Committee Meeting (See page 47 for location)

Track Quality from the Ground Up 4:15 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Committee 18 James Hyslip, PhD, PE,

HyGround Engineering WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

Steven M. Chrismer, PhD, PE, Amtrak 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Registration: Conference and Seminars 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Structures Presentation 7:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.

Continental Breakfast Construction of New Vertical Lift Span

Continental Ballroom (Lobby Level) on Mobile River Sponsored by AECOM, Peter J. Davis, PE, HDR Engineering, Inc. Ames Construction, Inc.,

Charles Davis, Scott Bridge Company

Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.

Kamal Elnahal, United States Coast Guard

and N.E. Bridge Contractors, Inc. 1:00 p.m.

End of General Session 8:00 a.m.

Closing General Session 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Reception in the Exposition International Ballroom (2nd Floor) Northwest, Southwest and Southeast 8:00 a.m. - 8:05 a.m.

Safety Briefing Halls (Lower Level)

James N. Carter, Jr., PE

Sponsored by Loram Maintenance ofWay, Inc. AREMA Senior Vice President and

and Stella Jones Corporation Program Committee Chair 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Exposition Open Norfolk Southern Corporation Northwest, Southwest and Southeast Installation of 2012-2013 8:05 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

Halls (Lower Level) AREMA Officers 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Meet The Next Generation 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Maintenance Presentation Sponsored by AECOM, ARUP, BNSF, CN, Passive Icing Shields for Railroad Tunnel CSX Transportation, in Gallitzin, PA

Hanson Professional Services Inc., HDR, Inc., Phaidra Campbell, Jacobs Associates HNTB, Norfolk Southern,

Ruth Brown, Norfolk Southern Corporation Stantec Consulting, TranSystems, 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Passenger & Transit Presentation Union Pacific Railroad State Rail Plans: The Integration

and URS Corporation

of Freight and Passenger Rail Planning

Kevin K. Keller, PG, CGWP TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 HDR Engineering, Inc. 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

R egistration: Conference, Exposition 9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Structures Presentation and Seminars

Increasing Train Capacity and Speeds: 7:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

Kansas City Southern Railway

International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

- Shreveport Terminal Improvements, Sponsored by AECOM,

Retaining Walls and Bridge Replacement Ames Construction, Inc.,

James P. Hyland, PE, TranSystems

Herzog Railroad Services, Inc. 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Coffee Break

and N.E. Bridge Contractors, Inc. Continental Ballroom Foyer (2nd Floor) 7:55 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Functional Group Technical Sessions Sponsored by Design Nine, Inc., (See Pages 51-56 for Details)

Georgetown Rail Equipment Company 9:00 a.m. - Noon Exposition Open

(GREX), IAT International, Inc., Northwest, Southwest and Southeast

PTMW, Inc., TKDA and URS Corporation Halls (Lower Level) 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Track Presentation 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Coffee Break Decades of Automated Track Inspection Expo Hall (Lower Level)

Success and Strategy for Tomorrow www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 49

AREMA 2012 Annual Conference & Exposition Schedule

Yu-Jiang Zhang, PE, PhD and Arthur Lee Clouse

Federal Railroad Administration 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Communications & Signals Presentation Web Mapping Improves Efficiencies and Reduces Headaches Matthew W. Woodworth TranSystems 11:30 a.m. - Noon Engineering Services Presentation CREATE Update William C. Thompson, PE, Association of American Railroads Noon Adjournment of the AREMA 2012

Annual Conference & Exposition 12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Intermodal Design Planning Seminar

(Day 1) Room 4M 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Track Alignment Design Seminar (Day 1) Room 4D 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

FRA 213: Track Safety Standards (Day 1) Room 4L Committee Meetings 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

(See Page 47 for Location) Committee 38

50 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Intermodal Design Planning Seminar (Day 2) Room 4M 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Track Alignment Design Seminar (Day 2) Room 4D 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

FRA 213: Track Safety Standards Room 4L 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Intermodal Design Engineering Seminar (Day 1) Room 4M Committee Meeting 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

(See Page 47 for Location) Committee 38

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Intermodal Design Engineering Seminar (Day 2) Room 4M 8:00 a.m. - Noon Track Alignment Design Seminar (Day 3) Room 4D 8:00 a.m. - Noon FRA 213: Track Safety Standards (Day 3) Room 4L

www.rtands.com

Tuesday Functional Group Sessions Communications & Signals - 9/18 Marquette (3rd Floor) Session Sponsored by The Okonite Company

7:55 a.m.

Safety Briefing and Group Comments

Gary E. Kujala, PE 8:00 a.m.

Mitigating Risks on Existing Rail

Systems to Allow Infrastructure

Improvements and Upgrading Michael P. Izbicki, The Louis Berger Group, Inc. 8:30 a.m.

Advanced LRT Train Control David Thurston, PE, FIRSE, Parsons Transportation Group 9:00 a.m.

Industry Leaders’ Panel Moderated by Robert P. DeMarco, Simmons-Boardman 9:30 a.m.

Industry Leaders’ Panel (Continued) Moderated by Robert P. DeMarco, Simmons-Boardman 10:00 a.m.

Coffee Break – Expo Hall (Lower Level) Sponsored by Design Nine, Inc.,

Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX),

IAT International, Inc., PTMW, Inc.,

TKDA and URS Corporation 10:30 a.m.

PTC Panel Discussion Moderated by Robert P. DeMarco,

www.rtands.com

Session Chair: Gary E. Kujala, PE AREMA Functional Group Vice President Xorail

Simmons-Boardman 11:00 a.m.

PTC Panel Discussion (Continued) Moderated by Robert P. DeMarco, Simmons-Boardman 11:30 a.m.

Wayside Defect Detector Data Mining to

Predict Potential Railcar Failures Leila Hajibabai and Rapik Saat, PhD,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 12:15 p.m.

Annual Chairmen’s Luncheon

International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

(Ticketed Event - Separate Fee Required. Please

visit the Registration Desk to purchase a ticket!)

Featured Speaker: Joseph H. Boardman, CEO, Amtrak 2:00 p.m.

Inductive Coordination Study of a

Power Distribution Line and Railroad

Signaled Grade Crossing Marvin Frazier, Corr Comp Company

David W. McCord, PE, McCord Engineering, Inc. 2:30 p.m.

Radar Based Vehicle Detection for Four

Quadrant Gate Warning Systems and

Blocked Crossing Detection

Thomas N. Hilleary, ByStep, LLC

Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 51

Tuesday Functional Group Sessions Engineering Services - 9/18

Boulevard A-C (2nd Floor) Session Sponsored by voestalpine Nortrak Inc.

7:55 a.m.

Safety Briefing and Group Comments Brian A. Lindamood 8:00 a.m.

Ensuring Acceptable Vibration Levels in

Buildings by Means of Precise Vibration

Measurements and Highly-Efficient Floating Slab Track Thomas Jaquet, Dipl-Phys and Victor Salcedo , GERB Vibration Control 8:30 a.m.

Systems Engineering Approach in the

California High Speed Train Project Richard W. Schmedes and Oliver M. Hoehne, PmP

Parsons Brinckerhoff 9:00 a.m.

Win - Win: Shortline Railroad and University Team Up Pasi Lautala, PhD, PE, Michigan Technological University Darryl Babbitt,

Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad 9:30 a.m.

Railway Design and Operations for the Canadian Arctic Carolyn Fitzpatrick, PEng and

Thomas Hewitt, Eng, CANARAIL Consultants Inc. Coffee Break – Expo Hall (Lower Level) 10:00 a.m.

Sponsored by Design Nine, Inc.,

52 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

Session Chair: Brian A. Lindamood AREMA Functional Group Vice President Alaska Railroad

Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX),

IAT International, Inc., PTMW, Inc., TKDA

and URS Corporation 10:30 a.m.

Non-Contact Measurement of Wire Indent

Profiles on Prestressing Reinforcement Steel

Mark Haynes, Kansas State University 11:00 a.m.

CN’s Matteson, IL Loop Connection David E. Crader, PE, Canadian National Railway

Eric S. Bullerman, PE, TranSystems 11:30 a.m.

Leveraging Mobile LiDAR on Rail Infrastructure

Gordon Perry, RPLS, PLS

and Adam Horn, PLS HNTB Corporation 12:15 p.m.

Annual Chairmen’s Luncheon International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

(Ticketed Event - Separate Fee Required.

Please visit the Registration Desk to

purchase a ticket!)

Featured Speaker: Joseph H. Boardman, CEO, Amtrak 2:00 p.m.

Amtrak King Street Coach Yard

Facilities - Seattle, WA

John D. Lyon, RA, Amtrak

Bobby W. Bishop Jr., RA, TKDA

www.rtands.com

Tuesday Functional Group Sessions Maintenance - 9/18

Waldorf (3rd Floor) Session Sponsored by Rail Construction Equipment Co.

7:55 a.m.

Safety Briefing and Group Comments Donald R. Briggs 8:00 a.m.

Vancouver’s Port of Possibility Improving Rail Access Eleanor Bayley and Scott Hale, PmP,

HDR Engineering, Inc. 8:30 a.m.

High Speed Automated Optical Track Inspection Robert Grant and Don Searle, STI-Global 9:00 a.m.

Mitigating Severe Differential

Settlement in an Active Rail Yard Ken Eichstaedt, PE, TE, URS Corporation Robin Reynolds, Amtrak 9:30 a.m.

Testing of Innovative Rail Welds

and Methods Under Heavy Axle Load Daniel Gutscher, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. 10:00 a.m.

Coffee Break – Expo Hall (Lower Level)

Sponsored by Design Nine, Inc.,

Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX),

IAT International, Inc., PTMW, Inc., TKDA

and URS Corporation

www.rtands.com

Session Chair: Donald R. Briggs AREMA Functional Group Vice President Kansas City Southern Railway

10:30 a.m.

Kensington Interlocking Improvement -

Eliminating a Three Railroad Bottleneck Paul E. Bobby, PE, STV, Inc. 11:00 a.m.

Development of SP3 Rail with High Wear

Resistance and Rolling Contact Fatigue

Resistance for Heavy Haul Railways

Ryo Matsuoka, JFE Steel Corporation 11:30 a.m.

Ports of Long Beach-Los Angeles Rail Enhancement Program Carlo Luzzi, PE, The Port of Long Beach

Michael Leue, PE, Parsons Transportation Group 12:15 p.m.

Annual Chairmen’s Luncheon International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

(Ticketed Event - Separate Fee Required.

Please visit the Registration Desk to

purchase a ticket!)

Featured Speaker: Joseph H. Boardman, CEO, Amtrak

Experience of Rail Grinding on 2:00 p.m.

Indian Railways Tushar Kant Pandey,

Indian Railway Service of Engineers UPRR Railroad Relocation for the O’Hare 2:30 p.m.

Modernization Program Martin A. Ross, PE, TranSystems

Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 53

Tuesday Functional Group Sessions Passenger & Transit - 9/18

Continental A (Lobby Level) Session Sponsored by Parsons Brinckerhoff

7:55 a.m.

Safety Briefing and Group Comments Bruce R. Pohlot 8:00 a.m.

Identifying and Prioritizing Shared Rail Corridor Technical Challenges Brennan M. Caughron,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 8:30 a.m.

The Benefits and Challenges of Constructing

a Commuter Rail System in a Freight

Mainline Corridor/Utah Transit Authority

FrontRunner Project Update

Jon D. Cluff, Utah Transit Authority

Matthew E. Carter, PE, Parsons Brinckerhoff 9:00 a.m.

Rail Security – Integration of DHS Security

Agenda with Transit/Transportation Priorities David Armour, Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc. 9:30 a.m.

Planning, Developing and Completing the

Carlsbad Double Track and Bridge Project

John P. Eschenbach, J.L. Patterson & Associates, Inc.

Michael J. Albanese, Amtrak Thomas Cornillie, Independent Scholar 10:00 a.m.

Coffee Break – Expo Hall (Lower Level) Sponsored by Design Nine, Inc., Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX), IAT International, Inc.,

PTMW, Inc.,TKDA and URS Corporation 10:30 a.m.

Sacramento Railyards: Multi-Stakeholder Transit

Hub Integrating History and Urban Infill Marian L. Rule, PE, TranSystems

54 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

Session Chair: Bruce R. Pohlot AREMA Functional Group Vice President Parsons Brinckerhoff

11:00 a.m.

Modern Streetcar Design in Texas - Continuing

to Climb the Learning Curve Scott L. Hudson, PE and Kenneth J. Hughes, PE Huitt-Zollars, Inc. 11:30 a.m.

Amtrak’s Atglen and Susquehanna Branch

Transmission Line Replacement

Michael A. Rassias, HNTB Corporation Daniel P. Tasker, Amtrak 12:15 p.m.

Annual Chairmen’s Luncheon International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

(Ticketed Event - Separate Fee Required.

Please visit the Registration Desk to

purchase a ticket!)

Featured Speaker: Joseph H. Boardman, CEO, Amtrak 2:00 p.m.

Leveraging Technology to Facilitate Predictive Maintenance Planning Blaine Peterson, PEng, voestalpine Nortrak Inc. Building a Bridge Within a Bridge - Replacement 2:30 p.m.

of the Hog Island Channel and Powell Creek Bridges Michael Sweeney, PE and Leo A. Fernandez, PE,

TranSystems 3:00 p.m.

Maintaining a Railroad in 2012 with 1950s

Technology – Findings form the AREMA Cuba Railroad Tour

Mark C.Walbrun, PE, CH2M Hill

Thomas R. Hickey, AICP, Parsons Brinckerhoff

www.rtands.com

Tuesday Functional Group Sessions Structures - 9/18

Continental B (Lobby Level) Session Sponsored by TranSystems

7:55 a.m.

Safety Briefing and Group Comments NigelW. Peters, PhD, PEng 8:00 a.m.

Developments in Alternative Bridge Ties for

Open Deck Steel Bridges

Duane Otter, PhD, PE,Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

Ronald D. Patton, Norfolk Southern Corporation 8:30 a.m.

Replacement of the EJ&E Bridge No. 552

Vertical Lift Span over the Illinois River Ralph J. Eppehimer, PE, Modjeski and Masters, Inc.

RodneyW. Nagel, PE, Canadian National Railway

Joseph M.Bodzioch,PE,James McHugh Construction Company 9:00 a.m.

Structural Health Monitoring of Railroad Bridges Fernando Moreu, PE,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 9:30 a.m.

Design-Build Bridge Replacement for CSX Brian E. Harper, Patrick Engineering Inc.

Fyiad Constantine, CSX Transportation, Inc. 10:00 a.m.

Coffee Break – Expo Hall (Lower Level) Sponsored by Design Nine, Inc.,

Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX),

IAT International, Inc., PTMW, Inc.,TKDA

and URS Corporation Replacement of Timber Approach Trestles of NS 10:30 a.m.

Bridge V-2.8 over the Eastern Branch

of the Elizabeth River Andrew T. Burkholder, PE,Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.

HaroldW. Plott, PE, AECOM

www.rtands.com

Session Chair: Nigel W. Peters, PhD, PEng AREMA Functional Group Vice President Canadian National Railway

11:00 a.m.

Installation of Multiple Deck Girder Bridge

Spans Utilizing a Rail Mounted Launching

Truss/Gantry Crane on Amtrak Empire Line Paul DelSignore, PE and Joshua Kessler, Amtrak

Paul H. Markelz, Rcrane, LLC 11:30 a.m.

Investigating an Aging Infrastructure: Bridge

Lesson from the Field

Duncan Paterson, PE, PhD and Steven P. Lorek,

HDR Engineering, Inc. 12:15 p.m.

Annual Chairmen’s Luncheon International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

(Ticketed Event - Separate Fee Required. Please visit

the Registration Desk to purchase a ticket!)

Featured Speaker: Joseph H. Boardman, CEO, Amtrak

2:00 p.m.

Replacement of Two A.m.trak Bridges During a

20-Hour Rail Outage – Challenges and Solutions

Joseph P. Foley, PE, Cianbro Corporation John C. Cicia, PE,

URS Corporation David R. Hill, EIT, Amtrak 2:30 p.m.

Morgan Draw Rolling Lift Tread and Track Plate Replacement Jeffrey D. Keyt, PE, Parsons 3:00 p.m.

Considerations for Develop.m.ent of High Speed Rail Bridge Design Guide

Yi Edward Zhou, PhD, PE, URS Corporation Innovative Design for the Colton Flyover Grade 3:30 p.m.

Separation of the UPRR and BNSF, Colton, CA JeffreyW.Teig, PE, HDR Engineering, Inc.

Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 55

Tuesday Functional Group Sessions Track - 9/18

Continental C (Lobby Level) Session Sponsored by RailWorks

7:55 a.m.

Safety Briefing and Group Comments Joseph A. Smak 8:00 a.m.

Causes of Rail Cant and Controlling Cant Through Wheel/Rail Interface Management Brad Kerchof, PE, Norfolk Southern Corporation 8:30 a.m.

Design Challenges of an Asymmetrical Double Crossover Paul E. Bobby, PE, STV, Inc. 9:00 a.m.

Characterization of Ballast Gradation,

Delivery and Performance on the Union Pacific Railroad Eric Gehringer, Union Pacific Railroad 9:30 a.m.

A Wayside System Based on Ultrasonic

Guided Waves for Measurement of Neutral Temperature in CWR Francesco Lanza di Scalea, PhD,

University of California, San Diego 10:00 a.m.

Coffee Break – Expo Hall (Lower Level) Sponsored by Design Nine, Inc.,

Georgetown Rail Equip.m.ent Company (GREX),

IAT International, Inc., PTMW, Inc., TKDA

and URS Corporation 10:30 a.m.

Development of an Improved Rail Flaw Detection System Jeffrey B.Wigh, Herzog Services, Inc.

56 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

Session Chair: Joseph A. Smak AREMA Functional Group Vice President Amtrak

11:00 a.m.

Switch Point Profile Design and Revenue

Service Prototype Evaluation David D. Davis, PE,Transportation Technology Center, Inc. 11:30 a.m.

Measuring Rail Seat Pressure

Distribution with Matrix Based Tactile Surface Sensors Christopher T. Rapp,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 12:15 p.m.

Annual Chairmen’s Luncheon International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

(Ticketed Event - Separate Fee Required. Please

visit the Registration Desk to purchase a ticket!)

Featured Speaker: Joseph H. Boardman, CEO, Amtrak 2:00 p.m.

Innovative Rail Deflection Measurement

System On-track Testing Results Gary P.Wolf, TUV- Rail Sciences Inc. 2:30 p.m.

Application of Translational Friction

Welding for Rail Assembly and Repair Jerry E. Gould, PhD, Edison Welding Institute 3:00 p.m.

Updates on Recent FRA Regulation Changes

Joseph E. Riley, PE, and Arthur Lee Clouse Federal Railroad Administration Updates on Recent FRA Regulation Changes 3:30 p.m.

(Continued) Joseph E. Riley, PE, and Arthur Lee Clouse

Federal Railroad Administration

www.rtands.com

The 7th Annual Meet The Next Generation Event Monday, September 17, 2012 This event will provide: • Prospective employees and students the opportunity to learn about the rail industry and meet industry representatives.

• Industry representatives a chance to establish relationships with potential employees.

Panel Discussion

Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Location: Continental A (Lobby Level)

Five pre-selected panelists from various areas of the railroad industry, with 3-10 years of experience will present on recent projects and answer questions (for prospective employees and students).

• •

•

Welcome by Dr. Charles H. Emely, AREMA Executive Director/CEO Introduction of panel members: • Will Gebhardt, CN • Brett Johnson, CSX • Gabrielle La Porte, J.L. Patterson & Associates, Inc. • Scott Moran, AECOM • Craig Morehouse, BNSF Railway Q&A

Networking Reception

Time: 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Location: Continental B-C (Lobby Level)

Networking Reception to welcome student participants and those who are new to the industry and give them the opportunity to network with industry representatives.

Hosted by AREMA Headquarters and Committee 24 – Education & Training

58 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

www.rtands.com

Annual Chairmen’s Luncheon Tuesday, September 18, 2012 12:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

Ticketed Event - Separate Fee Required Please visit the Registration Desk to purchase a ticket.

The Annual Luncheon is held as a well-earned recognition and expression of our appreciation for our Committee leaders’ support and efforts toward the mission and goals of the Association. The Luncheon will feature keynote speaker Joseph H. Boardman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amtrak.

www.rtands.com

Spouse Program Suite Location: Joliet (3rd Floor) Sponsored by N.E. Bridge Contractors Inc. Sunday, September 16 Noon – 4:00 p.m.

Spouse Hospitality Suite Open

Monday, September 17 7:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Spouse Hospitality Suite Open

9:30 a.m. – Noon Spouse Brunch with Daniel and Caitlin Shirley Professional Opera Singers Waldorf (3rd Floor) Noon – 4:00 p.m.

Spouse Hospitality Suite Open

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Movie Time

Join friends for popcorn and an afternoon movie.

Tuesday, September 18 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Spouse Hospitality Suite Open

Wednesday, September 19 Spouse Hospitality Suite Open 8:00 a.m. – Noon

The spouse program is for registered spouses only.

Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 59

60 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

www.rtands.com

www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 61

PRODUCTS

Locomotive DVR Railhead Corp., through its subsidiary Railhead Vision Systems, introduced a locomotive DVR named the LDVRH. The steel-constructed digital video recorder is Mil-Spec, SAE and AAR rated for proven durability and reliability in the harshest mobile environments. The LDVRH also utilizes H.264 file compression, which achieves higher video quality in lower bitrates. Also included are license-free software and a three-year LDVR warranty.

The company says the system provides superior video quality in an easy-to-use system for years of reliable service, along with the lowest cost of ownership. RVS supplies shortline, commuter and Class 1 railroads both nationally and internationally. Phone: 1-800-235-1782.

Switch machines voestalpine Nortrak Inc. launched its line of Buy America compliant dual control and manual switch machines in the United States for use in transit and streetcar applications. The small, low profile HY-300 machine houses all of the throw, locking and point detection modules required for powered operation or manual control. Installation into existing earth boxes is usually possible with no changes necessary. The manual HY-310 switch machine is designed for operation by manual lever or by a trailing vehicle. The manual switch machine is available for installation between gauge starting at 35.5 inches (900 mm). Both machines can be installed between gauge in ballasted or embedded environments and can be installed directly on top of existing ties. They are also available factory sealed to avoid water damage and ensure reliable operation. Phone: 307-633-8204. www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 63

CALENDAR SEPTEMBER 16-19. AREMA Annual Conference & Exposition. Hilton Chicago. Chicago, Ill. Contact: Vickie Fisher. E-mail: vfisher@arema.org. Website: www.arema.org.

18-21. InnoTrans 2012. Messe Berlin Convention Center.

Berlin, Germany. Phone: 732-933-1118. E-mail: mjbalve@ globaltradeshow.com. Website: www.innotrans.com.

30-Oct. 3. APTA Annual Meeting. Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Washington State Convention and Trade Center.

Seattle, Wash. Contact: Anitha Atkins. Phone: 202-4964839. E-mail: aatkins@apta.com.

OCTOBER 8-9. Railway Bridge Engineering. Madison, Wis. Contact: Dave Peterson. Phone: 800-462-0876. Website: http://epd. engr.wisc.edu/emaN391.

10-11. Railway Age Passenger Trains on Freight Railroads. Washington Marriott. Washington, D.C. Contact: Jane Poterala. Phone: 212-620-7209. E-mail: jpoterala@sbpub.com. Website: www.railwayage.com.

13-16. ASLRRA Eastern Region Meeting. Hilton Scranton and Radisson Lackawanna Station. Scranton, Pa. Phone: 202-628-4500. Website: www.aslrra.org.

16-17. 2012 Railroad Environmental Conference.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Urbana, Ill. Contact: Kimberly Schlichting. Phone: 217-244-0841. Fax: 217-333-9464. Website: http://ict.uiuc.edu/railroad/RREC/ overview.php.

23-25. Railway Tie Association 94th Annual Symposium and Technical Conference. Tampa Marriott Waterside and Marina. Tampa, Fla. Contact: Debbie Corallo. Phone: 770-460-5553. E-mail: dcorallo@rta.org.

Website: www.rta.org.

24-26. Engineering Modern Mass Transportation Systems: Light Rail - Rapid Transit - Commutter Rail.

Minneapolis, Minn. Contact: Dave Peterson. Phone: 800462-0876. Website: http://epd.engr.wisc.edu/emaN388.

NOVEMBER 5-6. Fundamentals of Railway Train Control and Signaling, Including PTC Systems. Madison, Wis. Contact: Dave Peterson. Phone: 800-462-0876. Website: http://epd.engr.wisc.edu/emaN389.

11-13. ASLRRA Southern Region Meeting. Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort. Birmingham, Ala. Phone: 202-6284500. Website: www.aslrra.org.

DECEMBER 5. CWR and Thermal Forces Workshop. Orlando, Fla. Contact: Dave Peterson. Phone: 800-462-0876. Website: http://epd.engr.wisc.edu/emaN687.

6. Understanding and Complying with FRA 213 Track Safety Standards. Orlando, Fla. Contact: Dave Peterson.

Phone: 800-462-0876. Website: http://epd.engr.wisc.edu/ emaN688. www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 65

Ad Index Company

Phone #

Airtec International Ltd. American Public Transportation Association AREMA Marketing Department Auto Truck Group Axion International, Inc. Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc. Ballast Tools Inc. Brandt Road Rail Corporation Danella Rental Systems, Inc. Diversified Metal Fabricators Inc. Encore Rail Systems, Inc. ESCO Equipment Service Co. GENSCO America, Inc. Georgetown Rail Equipment Co. Harsco Rail Herzog Services, Inc. HiRAIL Corporation Holland Co. Hougen Manufacturing, Inc. HYTORC IP Automation Irwin Transportation ISCO Snap-Tite J.F. Brennan Co., Inc. L.B. Foster Co - Friction Management Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. Modern Track Machinery Inc. Neel Company, The NMC, Inc. Nordco Inc. Omega Industries, Inc. OMNI Products, Inc. Osmose Railroad Services, Inc. Pandrol USA, LP Plasser American Corp.

PortaCo, Inc. Progress Rail Services, Corp. - Leasing Racine Railroad Products Rail Construction Equipment Co. RAILCET Rails Company RailWorks Corporation Railway Educational Bureau, The Sieb Sales & Engineering Inc. Sperry Rail Service Unitrac Railroad Materials, Inc. V & H Inc., Trucks voestalpine Nortrak Inc. Western-Cullen-Hayes, Inc. Willamette Valley Company

Fax#

0141 552 5591 410-978-9174 301-459-3200 816-412-2131 908-673-3134 888-250-5746 636-937-3326 306-791-7533 610-828-6200 404-879-7885 866-712-7622 847-758-9860 416-465-7521 512-869-1542 ext.228 803-822-7551 816-233-9002 800-274-7245 708-672-2300 ext. 382 866-245-3745 201-512-9500 719-579-8776 724-864-8900 800-CULVERT 800-658-9027 ext.236 412-928-3506 763-478-6014 847-697-7510 703-913-7858 402-891-7745 414-766-2180 360-694-3221 815-344-3100 800-356-5952 1-800-221-CLIP 757-543-3526 218-236-0223 810-714-4626 262-637-9681 866-472-4570 866-724-5238 973-763-4320 866-905-7245 402-346-4300 877-924-7548 203-791-4500 412-298-0915 913-780-6526 307-778-8700 773-254-9600 541-484-9621

e-mail address

0141 552 5064 ---- 301-459-8077 816-412-2191 908-542-0999 904-378-7298 636-937-3386 306-525-1077 610-828-2260 404-875-4835 303-922-6178 847-758-9861 416-465-4489 512-863-0405 803-822-7521 816-233-7757 319-455-2914 708-672-0119 800-309-3299 201-512-9615 719-579-8735 724-864-0803 502-238-8102 608-785-2090 412-928-3512 763-478-2221 847-697-0136 703-913-7859 866-662-7799 414-766-2379 360-694-3882 815-344-5086 608-221-0618 856-467-2994 757-494-7186 218-233-5281 810-714-4680 262-637-9069 630-355-7173 217-522-6588 973-763-2585 952-469-1926 402-346-1783 ---- 203-791-4512 865-693-9162 913-780-0045 307-778-8777 773-254-1110 541-284-2096

Page #

---- lriggs@ntpshow.com marketing@arema.org eschoenfeld@autotruck.com wjordan@axionintl.com info@bbri.com sales@ballasttools.com nmarcotte@brandt.com pbarents@danella.com pkrohnert@dmfatlanta.com www.encorers.com tgehresco@aol.com info@genscoequip.com karen@georgetownrail.com mteeter@harsco.com rebersold@herzogservices.com info@hirail.com gpodgorski@hollandco.com info@trak-star.com btapp@hytorc.com info@ipautomation.net bspringer@irwincar.com www.culvert-rehab.com markbinsfeld@jfbrennan.com glippard@lbfosterco.com sales@loram.com info@geismar-mtm.com btemple@neelco.com info@nmcrail.com info@nordco.com omegaxings@aol.com bcigrang@omnirail.com dostby@osmose.com ---- plasseramerican@plausa.com info@portaco.com ddaugherty@progressrail.com custserv@racinerailroad.com dennishanke@rcequip.com grif1020@yahoo.com rails@railso.com jrhansen@railworks.com bbrundige@sb-reb.com sales@siebsales.com mnottelmann@mail.sperryrail.com ppietrandrea@unitracrail.com b.boehm@vhtrucks.com gweatherly@nortrak.com cp@wch.com 03alishab@wilvaco.com

40 42 62 13 18 25 30, 36 6 6 43 Cover 4 34 7 31 29 2 8 21, 52 53 35 51 20 12 40 4 9 54 41 5 58 28 56 11 Cover 2 26, 27 59 39 10 32 7 34 33 66, 63, 65 41 23 55 50 37 35 Cover 3

Reader Referral Service This section has been created solely for the convenience of our readers to facilitate immediate contact with the RAILWAY TRACK & STRUCTURES advertisers in this issue.

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

Advertising Sales Jonathan Chalon, Publisher, jchalon@sbpub.com; Emily Kalmus, ekalmus@sbpub.com; Mark Connolly, mconnolly@sbpub.com; Heather Disabato, hdisabato@sbpub.com; Donna Edwards, de@railjournal.co.uk; Steven Barnes, sales@railjournal.co.uk; Dr. Fabio Potesta, info@mediapointsrl.it; Katsuhiro Ishii, amkatsu@dream.com; Craig Wilson, cwilson@sbpub.com (classified) www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 67

Professional Directory

WEED & BRUSH SPRAYING Specialized fleet of computer operated sprayers

Tree Trimming/Brush Cutting

Line Clearance-Hazardous Trees-Whole tree chipping

POLE LINE REMOVAL

A variety of on/off track removal equipment

Road Crossing Site Safety Maintenance Re-cut & Herbicide Programs 800.822.9246 www.merciers.com

Mercier’s

Products and services NEW & USED EQUIPMENT

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New High Speed Turnout Design For a free report in PDF format send request to HerbLandow@yahoo.com

68 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

QTY MAKE DESCRIPTION ENGINE MODEL PRICE 1 Obear Rail Saw Diesel 26 Lease 1 Nordberg Tie Spacer Diesel TS Lease 1 Nordberg Spike Driver-Dual Diesel B $4,500 2 Geismar E Clip Applicator Gas AP21 $6,750 2 Cannon Undercutter Diesel G04 $38,500 1 Racine Anchor Applicator Diesel AF $11,500 8 Nordberg Tie Drill-Dual Gas KT $8,500 2 Racine Anchor Tite-Dual Diesel DAT $19,250 1 Racine Rail Vibrator-Dual Diesel DTV $24,500 1 Safetran Bolt Machine Gas C $6,500 4 Geismar Truck Jacks Diesel PUM $35,000 2 Shop Rail Pullers Gas D $6,500 170 Fairmont Motor Cars Gas All $2,500+

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NEW & USED EQUIPMENT Some things never change. Quality, Service, and Dependability. Since 1910.

ATTENTION RAILROAD CONTRACTORS AND ENGINEERS Wanted to buy: locomotive (running or not), tank cars, for parts.

Also car bodies (flatcars) for 150-ton and 300-ton railroad crane.

Mowing and cleaning the right of way. Chemical spraying on railroad abandoned property.

Want to buy a railroad siding in the Western USA and one in the Eastern USA. Also want to obtain railroad property with rail, road service, truck and barge terminal. Also for unloading trains, barges, cut up locomotive, railroad rolling stocks and loading truck for heavy loads. Selling of railroad parts and buyer of salvage surplus material. Rebuilding parts for resale.

Contact Jerry Stanton, ECO Consulting Group, USA Kentock Group Ltd, 215-285-2930, 267-997-8133 phone, fax 215-864-9665, email jerrystanton95@gmail.com.

Products and services

get results with RTS’s classified advertising Craig Wilson Classified Advertising Sales Representative phone

2011 NRC SAFETY AWARD WINNER www.rtands.com

212.620.7211 • fax 212.633.1325

cwilson@sbpub.com Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 69

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EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT Amtrak Albany (Hudson) Line C&S Positions

The Amtrak Communications and Signals (C&S) department is seeking qualified applicants for the following positions: Electronic Technician Communications, Electronic Technician Signals, Signal Maintainer, and Inspector Forman C&S. Qualified applicants for these positions must be a minimum of 18 years of age, a high school graduate, must have a valid driver’s license on the date of hire, and must possess excellent oral and written communication skills.

Applications will be accepted by mail, email and/or fax. If interested, please contact Greg Jordan, Assistant Division Engineer, Amtrak Rensselaer Station, 525 East Street, 2nd Floor, Rensselaer, NY, 12144, greg.jordan@ amtrak.com (email), 518-462-5713 (fax).

Amtrak Michigan Line C&S Positions

The Amtrak Communications and Signals (C&S) department is seeking qualified applicants for the following positions: Electronic Technician Radio, Electronic Technician Communications, Electronic Technician Signals, Signal Maintainer, Inspector Forman C&S and Signal Supervisor C&S. Qualified applicants for these positions must be a minimum of 18 years of age, a high school graduate, must have a valid driver’s license on the date of hire, and must possess excellent oral and written communication skills.

Applications will be accepted by mail, email and/or fax.

If interested, please contact Rodney Pena, Deputy Division Engineer at 600 Dey Street, Niles, Michigan, 49120, pena 2033@amtrak.com (email) or 202-799-6437 (fax).

RT&S Classified Section Craig Wilson 212-620-7211 cwilson@sbpub.com s r

70 Railway Track & Structures

September 2012

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NEW & USED EQUIPMENT

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Call 217-268-4823 today for more information. J.E.R. Overhaul is now Nordco www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2012 71

Field Report

Integrating safety in the welding process

Members of Union Pacific’s In Track Welding Gang #6309 work on Track 3 of the Kearney Sub.

72 Railway Track & Structures

Rail is both a capital intensive and maintenance intensive asset to the industry. When that rail is located along one of North America’s busiest freight corridors, making sure it remains in top condition is crucial.

Union Pacific’s 12-man In Track Welding Gang #6309 is tasked with changing out field welds along the railroad’s Kearney Subdivision, a triple-tracked, heavy-haul route that can see up to 80 trains pass in a 10-hour workday.

The welding gang aims for 15 welds a day and, as of the first week of August, had already completed 1,400 in 2012. In the past three years, 5,000 welds have been performed on the Kearney Subdivision.

An accomplishment made more impressive when one considers not only the route’s traffic, but also the temperatures typical of summers in central Nebraska. The National Weather Service reported that Kearney, Neb., experienced 27 days in July near or above 90 degrees. When the temperature of the rail can be 30 degrees higher than the temperature of the ambient air, the welding gang brings new meaning to the term “hot work.” The traffic and heat, along with the nature of welding work mean the welding gang concerns itself with safety along every

September 2012

step of the process.

Rick Martinez, foreman of the welding gang, says it doesn’t matter how many welds are completed, the real goal is to make sure everyone goes home safe at the end of the day.

“These are 12 guys who are all professionals and work as safe and as productive as they can,” said Martinez. “This is rewarding work. We feel like we’re helping the railroad.”

Bloyce Pruett, welding manager of the northern region, says the gang is a good, safe and productive crew.

“Production isn’t a problem with this crew, safety is where our attention needs to be,” said Pruett. “Communication is important because when you can learn from close calls you help other guys become more aware of potential risks. Our goal is to hold on to our level of production, but we want to be world class in safety, as well.”

Pruett said a good member of the welding gang is someone with the right attitude, which includes a focus on production and a commitment to safety.

“It’s not just about the individual working safe, it’s making sure the other guys working around them are being safe, as well,” said Pruett. “All that comes with pride in your work. The work itself can be trained, but you really need to care about what you’re doing.”

Pruett was then called over by one of the crew who just completed a weld. After a brief conversation and laying a straight edge along the weld, Pruett grinned and came back to the side of the track. When asked what transpired, Pruett explained the man who completed the weld was happy with the end result but wanted to know if Pruett was happy with what he saw.

Pruett smiled and held up the straight edge, “It’s in compliance and it’s a good weld. I like that weld.”

Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

www.rtands.com