RT&S September 2016

September 2016 | www.rtands.com

intermodal container transfer facility brings

new era for jaxport PLUS ballast maintenance distributed acoustic sensing for rail and also AREMA News p.37

Contents

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

September 2016

News

4

Features

18

Industry Today 5 Supplier News 8 People

JAXPORT’s new ICTF Well planned capital projects, such as JAXPORT’s ICTF are enhancing the port’s critical role in the global supply chain.

Columns

Distributed Acoustic Sensing DAS-based systems hold the potential to track people, monitor work groups, detect trespass, protect infrastructure and more.

33

Montana hydraulics, LLC

Ballast maintenance Maintenance practices are advancing past basics and into the realm of added automation in an effort to make the service safer and more effective.

3

An aerial view of JAXPORT’s new ICTF. Photo courtesy of JAXPORT. Story on page 18

On Track Tapping into innovation

16

NRC Chairman’s Column Politics and conferences

jaxport

33

22

18 Departments 14 TTCI R&D 37 Arema News 43 Calendar 44 Products 45 Advertisers Index 45 Sales Representatives 46 Classified Advertising 46 Professional Directory

LIKE US on Facebook

www.rtands.com

Frauscher Sensortechnik GmbH

FOLLOW US on Twitter

22

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 1

On Track

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Vol. 112, No. 9 Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 Chicago, Ill. 60603 Telephone (312) 683-0130 Fax (312) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com Mischa Wanek-Libman/Editor, mischa@sbpub.com Kyra Senese/Assistant Editor, ksenese@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES 55 Broad St 26th Fl. New York, N.Y. 10004 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr./ President and Chairman Jonathan Chalon/Publisher Mary Conyers/Production Director Wendy Williams/Creative Director Maureen Cooney/Circulation Director Michelle Zolkos/Conference Director

RT&S Railway Track & Structures (Print ISSN 00339016, 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 SimmonsBoardman Publ. Corp, 55 Broad St 26th Fl., New York, N.Y. 10004. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices. Pricing, Qualified indi vidual in the railroad employees may request a free subscription. Non-qualified subscriptions printed and/or digital version: 1 year Railroad Employees (US/Canada/Mexico) $16.0 0; all others $46.0 0; foreign $80.00; foreign, air mail $180.00. 2 years Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $30.00; all others $85.00; foreign $140.00. Single copies are $10.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only. COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2016. 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 (80 0) 895-4389, (402) 346-4740, Fax (402) 346-3670, e-mail rtands@omeda.com or write to: Railway Track & Structures, SimmonsBoardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 3135, Northbrook, IL 60 062-2620. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Railway Track & Structures, PO Box 3135, Northbrook, IL 60062-2620.

www.rtands.com

Tapping into innovation

W

e are fresh from the 2016 American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association Annual Conference and Exposition held in Orlando, Fla., Aug. 28-31.

While the annual gathering is always a worthwhile event for the sole purpose of reconnecting with so many industry folks, I came away from this year’s conference with a little extra pep in my step. I understand that traffic is down and everyone is on edge about how the next year to 18 months will develop. However, based on the conversations I had with suppliers and manufacturers at the expo and the technical presentations I saw, I feel as if the industry has been loaded into a slingshot and we’re just about ready to launch.

The equipment, services and practices we utilize are becoming smarter.

So how do we keep moving in the right direction with the right advancements?

As a bit of a read-a-holic, I’ve found just about every general business and financial journal in publication (Forbes, Inc, BusinessWeek, Business Insider, Fast Company, etc.) has tackled the subject of how to promote innovation. While I haven’t read all of these articles, I have read enough to notice a trio of themes that crop up when the subject of innovation is being discussed.

Your customer may not be able to tell you how to innovate. This may come across as sacrilegious to the tenet of “the customer is always right,” but bear with me. What this comes down to is customer needs versus customer wants. Say you have a user who tells you he (or she) would like a stronger power switch in the cab of a machine because after flipping said switch on and off a few hundred times a year, it breaks at a weak point and has to be replaced. Now, you can make the switch bigger, you can invest in advanced materials to make the switch less breakable or you can replace the switch with a push button. The most referenced situation of listening to customer needs instead of wants is that of Henry Ford who is so often quoted as saying, “If I had asked people what they

wanted, they would have said faster horses,” that I have no idea if it’s true, but it sure frames the point nicely.

Is innovation top down or bottom up? As you all know from real world applications, it’s both. The customer in the above example probably isn’t going to call the machine manufacturer’s president or CEO about the power switch issue, but he (or she) will let the machine’s field representative know about the problem. Innovation and leadership are not always grouped on the same team due to the (erroneous) belief that a company’s leaders are too concerned with financial performance to worry about what the base drivers of that performance may be. However, quality service and products usually help with that performance and innovation driven by customer needs, in turn, propels quality service and products.

Crawl before you walk before you run. This concept has two interpretations, one is that, “hey, I have an idea,” is the first step of the proverbial 1,000mile journey. Ideas need solid execution plans to flourish. The second way of viewing this statement is to understand that the little victories count. A bunch of smaller ideas can build over time until a large shift has occurred. I’ve made previous references in this column to what Semih Kalay, senior vice president of technology at Transportation Technology Center, Inc., said during an annual research review a few years back, but it is again pertinent: Not everything will be a home run, but we can still benefit from a bunch of singles.

Now, back to my earlier comment about the industry being loaded into an almost-ready-for-launch slingshot. There can be two areas that launch can take us: Up to the next level, wherever that may be, or straight into a wall. How do we ensure we travel along the right course?

Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 3

INDUSTRY TODAY AREMA Hay Award recognizes Englewood Flyover project

CSX Transportation (CSX) and the Louisville and Indiana Railroad (LIRC) have announced that train traffic on LIRC between Louisville, Ky., and Seymour, Ind., is set to increase. The train speeds will gradually escalate from the current limit of 25 mph to 49 mph.

Track and signal improvements have been made to allow for the safe increase in train speeds in accordance with federal regulations.

The federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) approved the changes in April 2015 as part of an agreement between LIRC and CSX. The apRail being unloaded as part of the $100 million in upgrades the proved agreement dictates that CSX will fund $100 LIRC line between Louisville and million in infrastructure enhancements to facilitate Seymour is undergoing. the increased traffic from both railroads along the LIRC line.

The Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville is expected to see improved rail access as a result of these modifications, as well as boosted capacity and efficiency along the corridor and improved connectivity for manufacturers.

The number and average length of CSX trains is also expected to rise. CSX currently operates up to four trains daily on the LIRC rail line, but there could be as many as 10 of the Class 1’s trains running per day between Louisville, Ky., and Seymour, Ind., and officials say the number of trains operating daily could rise again in the future. Train length could also reach up to 14,000 feet and the number and length of the trains is expected to vary depending on freight volumes.

CSX also plans to increase speeds between Seymour and Butlerville from 25 mph to 40 mph at several locations. The average length and number of CSX trains in operation will increase and is expected to fluctuate based on rail freight volumes. These changes work in tandem with those made on the LIRC property.

CSX and LIRC representatives are said to have held numerous meetings with community leaders to share project status updates and address concerns related to anticipated increases in freight volume and construction plans. Officials from both companies say they will continue to share such information as it becomes available.

Anacostia Rail Holdings

TranSystems was awarded the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-ofWay Association (AREMA) 2016 Dr. W.W. Hay Award of Excellence for its work on the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) P1 – Englewood Flyover project.

The Hay Award, AREMA’s highest honor, recognizes innovative railway engineering procedures, projects and products. TranSystems served as the lead designer on the project.

“TranSystems has a long history of railroad engineering and flyover design experience,” Principal Chuck Stenzel said. “We’re proud to be a part of this award-winning project easing rail congestion in Chicago.”

The $133 million project was completed on schedule and under budget, meeting the requirements of the federal High-Speed Rail grant.

The construction of the complex railroad bridge project was completed without additional right of way, a rarity in an urban setting.

CSX, LIRC set to raise train speeds between Kentucky and Indiana

Senese joins editorial staff of Railway Track & Structures The September issue of R a i l wa y Tr a c k & S t r u c t u r e s i n t r o d u c e s yo u t o o u r n e w est editorial voice, Kyra Senese, who has joined RT&S as assistant editor.

Senese graduated from Columbia College Chicago in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and a magazine writing and editing concentration.

She recently completed a research internship with

4 Railway Track & Structures

September 2016

Advertising Age. Her journalism career began as copy editor/copy chief at the student newspaper, The Columbia Chronicle, where she worked her way up, eventually being named as the paper’s editor-inchief during her senior year. She oversaw a staff of 40 and expanded the number of special issues the paper produced.

Senese also serves as a mentor with the Columbia Links journalism program, which is a skills-building and leadership development program for youth and teachers in Chicago Public Schools.

www.rtands.com

INDUSTRY TODAY FRA awards $25 million to help with PTC implementation Eleven projects across six states and the District of Columbia will receive grants from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to assist in the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC).

FRA awarded $25 million to the projects, as appropriated by Congress for Fiscal Year 2016, but received 30 eligible applications requesting $90.6 million, nearly four times the appropriated amount. FRA notes that many of the awards will help railroads achieve interoperability among the different PTC systems that railroads are deploying.

“Every dollar we invest in implementing Positive Train Control as quickly as possible is money well spent because ultimately it means fewer accidents and fewer fatalities,” said FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg.

In 2008, Congress mandated PTC implementation on the mainlines of Class 1 railroads and entities providing regularly scheduled intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation over which any poisonous or toxic by inhalation hazardous materials are

www.rtands.com

transported or over which intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation is regularly provided. Last October, Congress extended the original PTC implementation deadline from Dec. 31, 2015 to at least Dec. 31, 2018.

Those entities to receive grants include: • $2.4 million to Metrolink • $3 million to Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District • $2.88 million to Caltrain • $2.64 million to Amtrak • $2.5 million to American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association • $965,832 to Providence and Worcester Railroad Company • $1.1 million to Twin Cities & Western • $3 million to the Missouri Department of Transportation • $771,070 to the North Carolina Department of Transportation • $3 million to Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority • $2.56 million to the Fort Worth & Western Railroad

Supplier News The Sound Transit Board of Directors selected Absher Construction Company to build the Northgate Station, guideway and parking garage that will serve future Northgate Link Extension trains.

Alstom was awarded a contract from Rideau Transit Maintenance General Partnership to maintain the O-Train Confederation Line, Ottawa’s light-rail transit system.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority hired

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 5

INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News Ernst & Young Infrastructure Advisors, LLC, to help select the best delivery methods possible for advancing major transportation projects in L.A County.

The Sound Transit Board of Directors selected HDR Engineering, Inc., to provide final design services for the Tacoma Link Expansion and an expanded maintenance facility.

LTK Engineering Services began work for the Utah

6 Railway Track & Structures

MTA taps efficiency of track machine to finish double track The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) completed track laying between Central Islip and Ronkonkoma for the Long Island Rail Road Double Track project (LIRR).

The MTA cites its use of a Harsco Rail New Track Construction (NTC) Machine as a key factor in the timeliness of the project.

The machine lays track more than 10 times faster than the MTA has ever previously been able to do manually, which officials say will save $2.4 million in construction costs. At the faster speed, MTA officials say the machine is capable of laying one mile of track per day.

With $387.2 million in state funding, the project is set to be complete in the second phase through design-build contracting. MTA officials say work has begun on the final phase of the project between Farmingdale and Central Islip and is expected to wrap up in 2018.

The double track is expected to significantly shorten delays along the LIRR, as

September 2016

well as allow more off-peak service in both directions by adding 13 miles of parallel track. The project is expected to boost frequency of rides available to one train every 30 minutes in both directions, a possible improvement from the previous standard of one train every hour. Lowered delays due to service disruptions are also predicted with the added track.

“New York State is moving aggressively to bring our mass transit systems into the 21st century—not just to meet the needs of our current population, but to foster smart, sensible and sustainable growth,” said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

“Adding a second track to the Ronkonkoma Branch is a project has been talked about for decades, but was never set into motion. By pairing innovative equipment with our strategy of design-build construction, we are accelerating the pace of these critical infrastructure projects to improve Long Island commutes and strengthen the region’s economy.”

www.rtands.com

INDUSTRY TODAY Kansas City Southern’s Greenville Sub to see $13 million in improvements Kansas City Southern (KCS) Railway is performing approximately $13 million of construction and improvement projects in 2016 on its Greenville Subdivision, which runs between Louisiana and Texas.

Rail, crosstie and crossing improvements began between Leesburg, Texas and Blanchard, La., on Aug. 23 through September. Communities that KCS will work through include Leesburg, Pittsburg, Cason, Daingerfield, Hughes Springs, Avinger, Jefferson and Karnack, Texas and Blanchard, La. In total, the project work will include the replacement of 2.5 miles of rail and 64,000 crossties, as well as improvements to more than 80 road crossings.

“KCS, through its U.S. and Mexican subsidiaries, continues to invest in capital projects to expand network capacity, keep maintenance in a regular and healthy cycle, and enhance the safety of our operation,” said President and CEO Patrick J. Ottensmeyer. “These in-

www.rtands.com

vestments also help us be an economic growth partner to our customers and the communities through which we operate.”

The Class 1’s Louisiana property has seen many improvement projects this year including a $15 million project in 2016 on rail and bridge improvement projects on its Beaumont Subdivision between DeQuincy and DeRidder, $5.6 million in construction and improvement projects on its Shreveport Terminal Subdivision and rail improvements in Blanchard, La., which were part of a larger $20 million five-state investment.

Additionally, Meridian Speedway©, LLC, a joint venture between KCS and Norfolk Southern, performed $28 million in work that included the replacement of six miles of rail and 83,000 crossties and improvements to more than 90 road crossings between Gibsland, La. and Vicksburg, Miss., as well as upgrades to multiple bridges between Shreveport, La. and Meridian, Miss.

Supplier News Transit Authority on a study to improve the FrontRunner commuter rail service.

Michael Baker International was awarded a contract to provide engineering, construction management and inspection services to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority projects.

NESCO LLC, has acquired V&H Leasing Services from material handling and truck equipment manufacturer V&H Inc.

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 7

PEOPLE Amtrak named Charles “Wick” Moorman president and CEO effective Sept. 1.

Moorman is the retired chairman, CEO and president of Norfolk Southern.

Florida East Coast Railway named Bradley S. Hall vice president of sales for the carload segment

Gannett Fleming a p p o i n t e d Larry C. Russell as a new vice president Aug. 8, 2016, and hired Eric Olson as Transit & Rail Business Line leader for the West Region.

Scott Jacoby resigned as president of

Harsco Rail. Harsco Corp. President and CEO Nick Grasberger will serve as interim president.

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit Executive Director and CEO Dan Grabauskas resigned Aug. 18.

HART ex-officio voting board member Michael D. Formby is immediately serving as acting executive director.

Bonnie D. Shepherd has joined Michael Baker International as senior vice president and national market lead in the railroad and transit practice.

Christopher Booth was named vice president and chief operating officer of OrgoThermit, Inc., in Manchester, N.J.

Patriot Rail Company appointed Matthew Reddell as vice president and chief safety officer.

Jeffrey Stiles joined TranSystems Corp., where he will lead the firm-wide passenger rail and transit market sector.

T h e Utah Transit Authority named Jerry Benson president and CEO, a role he has filled on an interim basis during the past year.

Obituaries The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s fifth and longest-serving chairman, Robert R. Kiley, died Aug. 9 at the age of 80.

G o r d o n D a n b y, Brookhaven National Laboratory, an investor of the superconducting maglev, died Aug. 2.

8 Railway Track & Structures

September 2016

www.rtands.com

NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN

Politics and conferences

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

10 Railway Track & Structures

The summer work season is coming to a close and the push is on to finish the year strong. Working to get existing contracts completed on time and under budget while trying to fill gaps in the schedule for the rest of the year has us contractors scrambling. While we are working hard building and maintaining the rail infrastructure across the country, the NRC staff is working hard on many fronts in Washington, D.C. Our nation’s capital is in a waiting period right now, with the election season in full swing, and they’ll be busy come January with a new Administration and a new Congress. With so many issues facing our country, it is crucial for us to get involved. We need to learn as much as we can about our candidates and not just the presidential candidates. We need to get to know our candidates for Congress and Senate, as well as our local candidates. We need to understand how their positions affect our industry.

There are many issues of great importance that will shape the future of our industry, including the permanency of the shortline tax credit, intercity passenger rail infrastructure funding, truck size and weight laws, the regulatory structure of the freight rail industry, rail safety rules, rail transit funding and potential reforms to ensure taxpayers are getting the best bang for their buck when making necessary, but admittedly quite expensive major rail infrastructure investments. The NRC staff is available to all NRC members to discuss the issues facing the freight, passenger and rail transit industries. They can provide more information on the issues and provide information of the candidates and where they stand on those issues.

The NRC staff is not only busy with the ever-changing political dynamic in Washington, but they are also running the September 2016

growing operations of the NRC. The staff is preparing for the premier event (in my humble opinion) in the railroad industry, the 2017 NRC Annual Conference and NRC-REMSA Exhibition, which will be held at the Boca Raton Resort in Florida, from Jan. 8–11. This year’s event is shaping up great and is filling up quickly, so make your reservation now. We’ll have another strong line-up of speakers from Class 1 railroads, shortlines and rail transit agencies. Visit http://www. nrcma.org/2017conference to register. We also have sponsorships available, which are about the most effective marketing dollars you can spend. For information about reserving an exhibit space, please visit www.remsa.org/nrc-remsa2017 or contact Urszula Soucie with REMSA at 202-7152921 or soucie@remsa.org.

For hotel rooms, the NRC has a discounted room block at the Boca Raton Resort with rates ranging from $220 $350/night, depending on the type of room. To make your hotel reservations, reser ve online at http://tinyurl.com/ NRC2017Hotel or call 888-543-1224.

It is also time to start putting your submissions together for the NRC’s annual awards. Every year, the NRC has contests for the Construction Project of the Year, Field Employee of the Year and a safety contest. These contests are a great way to acknowledge the hardworking members of your organization on a national level.

Please contact NRC Vice President of Operations Matt Bell at conference@nrcma. org or 202-715-1264 with any questions regarding the NRC Conference or our contests, or visit www.nrcma.org.

I hope everyone has a safe and successful month.

by Chris Daloisio, NRC Chairman www.rtands.com

TTCI R&D Evaluation of: Subgrade improvements at FAST using drop weight and shear wave analysis TTCI evaluates the effectiveness of various soil injection methods as soil subgrade issues continue to rattle the industry.

by Colin Basye, principal investigator and David Read (retired), TTCI

S Figure 1 displays the weight in position prior to being released for a 12-inch test.

Figure 2 shows the position of the pressure transducers.

14 Railway Track & Structures

September 2016

oft, moist, fine-grained soil subgrades pose significant challenges to the railroad industr y with regard to maintaining track geometry and stability under heavy and dynamic rolling load environments.

Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), is investigating the effectiveness of three soil injection techniques as soft subgrade remediation methods at the Facility for Accelerated Testing (FAST) in Pueblo, Colo. This research is funded jointly by the Association of American Railroads and the Federal Railroad Administration.

Soft soils exhibit decreasing shear strength under increasing moisture conditions and may lose more strength under dynamic loads from passing trains.

Wheels that are out-of-round or have flat spots can generate impact forces, inducing shear waves into the underlying soil. Nonetheless, these clay r ich soils compr ise a significant percentage of the available surficial cover and fill material in much of the western U.S., and they are sometimes used for embankment fill in their remolded (disturbed) state.

Subgrade clay in the Low Track Modulus (LTM) test zone of FAST Section 29 has undergone extensive research and testing in recent years.

In early 2015, a deforming section of the clay subgrade was treated by injection of two proprietary remedial injection technologies (RITs) in order to evaluate their effectiveness and longevity in a heavyaxle load (HAL) environment.

Each RIT was also injected into a control section that was not failing in order to evaluate the improvements under controlled conditions. In www.rtands.com

addition, a third RIT was also injected in the control section only, in order to compare its beneficial properties.

Initial test results using top-of-rail (TOR) elevation sur veys show the RITs improved track geometr y performance while shear wave generation and analysis of the treated sections has shown variable results in correlating subgrade performance improvement with an increase in shear wave speed and soil mass stiffness.

Investigation at FAST

Drop weight tests were performed during the summer of 2015 to evaluate the three RIT methods. The test involved measuring dynamic lateral subgrade pressures generated by a falling-weight impact load and comparing it to an untreated section.

The premise of the test was that lateral pressure from shear waves induced by vertical rail impacts cause lateral deformation of embankments when the soil is overstressed. The drop weight technique was used to simulate a flat wheel impact force into the track substructure to generate a distinct shear wave induced dynamic lateral pressure response.

The lateral earth pressure responses of the remediation methods were compared in terms of pressure magnitude and apparent shear wave propagation speed. Increased stiffness of the clay subgrade should reduce the lateral earth pressure and increase the wave speed.

Test description

A 3,300-pound weight was dropped from heights of 1, 6, and 12 inches onto a 5-foot long instrumented rail (IR) as shown in Figure 1. The IR was strain-gauged and calibrated to measure vertical force and was attached to the ties in the center of the track with elastic rail clips.

Soil pressure transducers were installed in the clay subgrade 78 inches (deep pressure cell) and 67 inches (shallow pressure cell) below the top of the rail (Figure 2).

The transducers were oriented vertically and facing toward the track center to measure sidewall lateral shear wave pressure. They were installed side-by-side along the side margin of the clay trench approximately 6 feet from the track centerline, and were aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal center of the instrumented rail.

Two additional pressure transducers were installed at the same locations as the lateral pressure cells but oriented to measure vertical pressure in the untreated zone only.

Four test zones were established: •Untreated zone with no modification of the clay subgrade, which served as the control. Two additional pressure transducers were installed in the untreated zone to measure vertical pressure at the deep and shallow cell locations as shown in Figure 2.

•Cement grout (HB) injected zone, which was injected as three grout columns per crib.

•Polyurethane foam (UR) injected zone, which alternated between two and three columns of material per crib for the entire injected zone.

•Chemical injection (PVR) zone, which produced a www.rtands.com

Figure 3 presents a comparison of Rail Impact Force Time histories.

bulb of treated clay beneath the rail and changed the clay properties.

Three drop tests were performed at the 1-, 6-, and 12-inch heights in the untreated zone. Ten drop tests were performed at the same heights in the HB, PVR and UR zones.

Impact force data analysis

The average rail impact forces from the three tests in the untreated zone and the 10 tests in the HB, PVR, and UR zones are compared in Figure 3 for each drop height.

As indicated, the average rail impact force in the HB Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 15

TTCI R&D Figure 4 shows the test zone’s maximum deep and shallow lateral sidewall pressures.

zone was higher for each drop height than the average force in the other zones.

The measured rail impact force from a single test in each zone is plotted against time for each drop height to illustrate the measured impact load responses. The time data was normalized to begin 0.0005 second (five digital samples) prior to the increase in force for all channels to allow the data to overlay as accurately as possible.

Shorter travel time generally indicates stiffer material, and as shown, the average impact time for each drop indicates that: •The highest rail impact forces were recorded in the HB zone, and the lowest were in the PVR or untreated zones, indicating that: •The stiffest clay mass (highest modulus) was the HB-treated zone, and the softest clay mass (lowest modulus) was the PVR or untreated section.

•The overall duration of the impact load was 15–20 milliseconds for all three drop heights, but the PVR and untreated sections show slightly longer travel time (softer material).

The falling weight generated two distinct force pulses in the PVR and untreated zones with the second pulse being the highest; these zones had loose ballast in the upper 18 inches below top of tie.

The two pulse load response was not as evident in the UR zone and least evident in the HB zone; these zones had grouted ballast in the upper area especially the HB section.

The cause of the two force pulses is unknown, but it may be related to upper ballast grouting or a resonance effect in the system at the ballast/clay boundary.

Lateral sidewall pressure

Lateral pressures induced from the drop tests are related to lateral shearing forces in soft soils. Injection technologies should be able to reduce these forces in order to preserve embankment geometry.

The maximum deep and shallow sidewall (lateral) pressures from all the tests performed in each zone are plotted against the maximum impact force in Figure 4. Results of the pressure versus impact force analysis are as follows: •A relatively strong linear lateral pressure/impact load relationship was found in all zones.

•In general, injections did not reduce the average shallow zone lateral dynamic pressures by a significant margin; in fact the shallow cell dynamic lateral pressures were increased in the PVR zone over the untreated clay readings.

•The deep lateral earth dynamic pressures were improved in all three cases over the untreated section. The UR deep section exhibited the lowest lateral pressures.

•The low pressures recorded in the UR zone may have to do with soil mass stiffening and wave damping properties of the urethane.

16 Railway Track & Structures

September 2016

Conclusions

This study indicates that the drop test procedure was an effective method of generating and evaluating lateral subgrade pressure. However, locating the impact load on one of the running rails rather than the center of the track would better simulate train induced pressure responses.

The lateral pressure evaluation showed a relatively strong linear relationship between the impact load and the dynamic lateral pressure in all test zones.

In addition, similar rates of increasing pressure with increasing force were measured by the deep cell in the PVR, HB and UR test zones, but those rates were approximately 25 to 30 percent less than that measured in the untreated zone.

The lowest deep and shallow lateral pressures were noted in the UR zone, and those rates may be related to shear wave damping properties of urethane. However, unlike the deep pressure data, the shallow lateral pressure data does not show a significant difference between the three remediation zones and the untreated zone. Consequently, a remediation method that increases the stiffness of the clay mass may not necessarily reduce the shear wave induced dynamic lateral pressures in shallow earth environments. Clay shear may still be induced between injected columns.

Acknowledgements

TTCI would like to thank Hayward Baker Services, Inc., Uretek USA, Inc. and PVR Ltd. for their contributions to this study. www.rtands.com

The new ICTF at Dames Point increases the port’s competitive profile while enhancing its growth strategy.

rail builds opportunities at

JAXport

by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

U

nited States Maritime Administration (MARAD) estimates that America’s growing population will require the freight network to haul 4 billion more tons of international freight annually by 2050 and since more than 90 percent of imported cargo by volume already moves through our nation’s ports, a good portion of that 4 billion tons will be transported on American waterways and through ports and intermodal hubs.

JAXPORT hopes to attract some of that business with its new Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF), which is receiving its final touches before commercial service begins early this fall.

Prior to the construction of the ICTF, JAXPORT’s on-dock rail offering among its three cargo facilities could have been classified as substantial. The South Atlantic port, situated northeast of downtown Jacksonville, Fla., offers CSX-served on-dock rail at its Blount Island Marine Terminal, while switching services for CSX and Norfolk Southern are located at the port’s Talleyrand Terminal. Including access to the Florida East Coast Railway intermodal ramp just a short distance away and off-load18 Railway Track & Structures

ed goods at JAXPORT could travel to southern Florida, as far north as Canada and as far west as Des Moines and Kansas City from local rail connections.

When the TraPac terminal opened at JAXPORT in 2009 to serve Asian trade, developing on-dock rail at Dames Point became more of a priority in order for the port to fully tap into its location at a rail and highway crossroads.

“The ICTF has the capability for CSX to handle intermodal containers both international and domestic, but international is the primary focus particularly because our TraPac terminal is dedicated to Asian trade,” explained Chris Kauffmann, chief operating officer at JAXPORT. “Blount Island is more on the domestic trade and there will be intermodal opportunities, as well, but the ICTF at Dames Point was put in place in order to support our future growth in the international trade with Asia.”

Nancy Rubin, senior director of communications added, “The Asia container business is the fastest growing business to JAXPORT, currently. This rail facility is meant to not only assist with the increase in some of the volumes that we’ve been seeing, but to also make us

September 2016

Photos courtesy of JAXPORT

more competitive. An ICTF like this is the mark of mature seaport.”

Moving the ICTF from concept to reality depended on funding. A well-supported Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant application in 2011 resulted in a $10-million award for the project and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) allocated $20 million.

Of the state support, Kauffmann noted that Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been “incredible as it relates to ports; he understands the impacts and the return on the investment.”

ICTF build out

“The ICTF itself consists of four processing tracks, approximately 1,600 feet in length, three support tracks, approximately 4,000 feet in length and when you take the CSX mainline track, the four main processing tracks and the support tracks, you get about 30,000 feet of track length that was put in under this project,” said Kauffmann.

The Dana B. Keynon Company was awarded a design/build contract for the ICTF in January 2014; the project broke ground in May 2014 www.rtands.com

The first rail cargo operations at JAXPORT’s newly completed ICTF at Dames Point supported a high-level military training exercise in April 2016.

and construction was completed at the end of 2015.

Kauffmann explains that stormwater runoff had to be built in and designed for within the geography JAXPORT had to work with, but one construction element that provided a level of flexibility for the ICTF’s future operations was the use of roller compacted concrete.

www.rtands.com

“We did employ roller compacted concrete in the area adjacent to the four processing tracks, which gave us the flexibility to use reach stackers that would have a heavier load on the wheels and, therefore, a heavier load on the surface. In the future, when volumes dictate it, we can put in rubber-tired gantry cranes,” said Kauffmann. “Roller compacted concrete, pound-for-pound, gives a greater load-bearing capacity than just asphalt over limestone. So, what it does operationally, it gives you greater flexibility in the kind of equipment you can use.”

In addition to the four processing tracks and three support tracks, the ICTF was associated with many smaller projects that will all work together to speed rail

movements, reduce truck traffic and grow the port’s container business.

One of the sub projects was constructing a portion of Dames Point Road connecting New Berlin Road to Interstate 295. The new road, located just east of the old one, allows drivers to bypass the commercial traffic entering and leaving the new rail facility. Additionally, there was a portion of CSX’s mainline that needed to be relocated based on the layout of the ICTF. The ramps leading on/off of I-295 directly to the TraPac Terminal underwent a major overhaul courtesy of FDOT. The $20.5-million I-295/Heckscher Drive interchange reconstruction widened New Berlin Road south of Heckscher Drive, built new southbound ramps from I-295 with direct access to the TraPac Cargo Container Terminal, constructed a new ramp from New Berlin Road at the existing TraPac Cargo Container Terminal and ICTF to northbound I-295, added new retention ponds, expanded existing ponds for

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 19

JAXPORT ICTF this page: The first continuous welded rail for the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at Dames Point was laid in early August 2015. opposite page: Officials held a ground breaking ceremony for the ICTF in May 2014.

“There was a lot of equipment going in and a lot of time associated with [this exercise]. We had just finished the ICTF and were slammed at Blount Island with containers and automobiles, so we had the opportunity to use the ICTF to bring the equipment in by rail,” said Kauffmann.

Marks of success

drainage and installed new signs and new high-mast lights.

Finishing touches

While construction has been complete on the ICTF since late 2015, the port’s terminal operator, Ceres Terminals, is making the final effort to ready the facility for commercial operations.

The ICTF did host its first rail traffic

20 Railway Track & Structures

in April 2016 when it was used in support of a high-level military training exercise. Kauffmann explained that the exercise saw the Army moving about 1,000 pieces of equipment from Fort Campbell, Ky., down to Louisiana. The equipment moved by rail from Kentucky to the ICTF where soldiers performed the stevedoring and other movements of the cargo off rail and on to ships.

September 2016

The ICTF drew attention at the federal level when it was included on a list of 43 priority infrastructure projects as part of President Obama’s “We Can’t Wait” initiative, an effort to make the permitting and review process for infrastructure projects more efficient and effective. The project was also held up as an example of what public-privatepartnerships can accomplish by Gov. Scott and Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen.

“Financing wise, without the TIGER grant and the funding from the state, we didn’t have funds to

www.rtands.com

JAXPORT ICTF

www.rtands.com

Meredith Fordham Hughes

do this ourselves. From the capital perspective, the support has always been huge under Gov. Scott and, for us specifically, without the support from him for our major projects, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” said Kauffmann. “The geography and geometry of the land was key and then it comes down to partnerships. We had a good contractor in Dana B. Kenyon. Because this project had all these different players, from communicating with the community, moving the road and getting the permits in, having a practical design that is doable as far as getting completed and a good contractor that you can work and partner with to accomplish the construction is important.”

While the ICTF can be counted as a success, Kauffmann and Rubin explain that it has been a rewarding project to see to fruition, as well.

“Being able to grow the ICTF out of an empty spot that wasn’t being used as efficiently as it could have been and see

it turn into this terminal has been exciting,” said Kauffmann.

Rubin added, “The ICTF provides an incredible return on [the $30 mil-

lion] investment and the intangible benefit of building our competitive profile around the world. The ICTF makes JAXPORT attractive to the industry.”

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 21

SEMI-ANNUAL

BALLAST UPDATE PART 2

The BTE Hi-Rail Skid Steer, launched to the general rail market in June 2016, can pair with many attachments, including the BTE Rail Saw Attachment.

Suppliers of ballast maintenance equipment continue to develop more flexible solutions to offer quicker, safer to use products. by Kyra Senese, assistant editor

E

ffective ballast maintenance is crucial to a safe and useful track for any railroad. Suppliers are continuously developing equipment to better address concerns regarding flexibility, innovation, safety and efficiency.

Brandt

Brandt Road Rail Corporation’s RTB130, which launched in 2015, has been operating efficiently in the field.

Shaun Gettis, sales manager for Brandt, says the company added a 36-inch brush cutter option in July 2016 for spot and crossing cutting, an addition that he says has proven to be productive.

“The RTB130 has a complete line of attachments that is able to [address] any type of spot maintenance that a 22 Railway Track & Structures

railway would desire, from undercutting to tie handling and tamping,” Gettis said. “We are very proud of the power and performance this unit brings to the table.”

He added that while the company has not launched any major new products this year, Brandt is in the process of developing its next generation rail tools.

“Stay tuned as there are some great things to come,” he noted. Brandt is also currently developing a smaller version of its RTB130 based on the John Deere 410 chassis, Gettis said.

“We have been focusing on providing high quality products that can be used effectively and safely day in and day out on the railway,” Gettis added. “We are going to continue to focus on supporting our existing line of product.”

September 2016

BTE

Ballast Tools Equipment (BTE) continues to develop ballast maintenance solutions to fit customers’ needs while focusing on spot track maintenance with hi-rail backhoes and excavators that perform efficient tamping, tie handling, ditching, drainage and undercutting. The company also says it is actively working to develop new attachments to make ballast maintenance more safe, effective and productive. In addition to the BTE hi-rail backhoes and attachments, the company introduced the BTE Hi-Rail Skid Steer (HRSS) in June 2016. The common skid steer is one of the most versatile pieces of construction equipment with many standard attachments available.

“The BTE HRSS br ings this versatility to the rail and is customized www.rtands.com

Crew members work with the Dymax Ballast Tamper for Grapple Trucks.

with hi-rail, rail clamps, dual hydraulic hand tool circuits, the ability to use standard attachments and, now, with newly engineered BTE attachments for ballast and track maintenance,” said Ned Williams, president of BTE. The company says the BTE HRSS focuses on quick response for rail yard, track work with tight work windows and is very productive for bridge maintenance. Specialized BTE attachments include the Safeloc 1 and 3 clipper/declipper with tie nipper/side shifter, Bridge Tie Drill automated rail drill, Trak-Spyder hydraulic hand tool carrier, highproduction automatic rail saw and the E-Clip applicator/remover.

The BTE HRSS uses advanced computer controls to easily perform sophisticated hydraulic functions with high instances of repeatability and minimal operator training or experience needed, Williams says.

www.rtands.com

The BTE HRSS is a mobile hydraulic power pack, too, and is considered a “workhorse” for completing difficult tasks in short track windows. Hi-rail speeds of more than 10 miles per hour will get the machine to the work site fast, and it

will operate quickly both on- and offtrack to accomplish ballast maintenance with “excellent operator comfort” and ergonomics and improved safety and productivity, the company says.

“We are focused on turning manual into mechanical activities for safety and

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 23

BALLAST UPDATE The DumpTrain for Curves® made by GREX allows trains to unload at curves up to 27 degrees.

lineup with a new ripper model chain that features extended wear life and carbide bits and spoil removal wheel.

“BTE continues to innovate new equipment that provides great customer value, gang safety, high production and operator safety and comfort with quick track response time to the available maintenance time,” Williams said.

Dymax production,” Williams said of the BTE equipment line up.

W i l l i a m s a l s o s ay s t h e B T E hi-rail backhoes and excavators have performed exceedingly well with little down time in the past three years. New models have undergone improvements

this year, such as upgraded computer controls for attachment recognition and identification, which automatically sets the hydraulic flows and pressures for each attachment.

In addition, BTE recently introduced its improved undercutters

DymaxRail continues to develop new products for ballast maintenance to meet the developing needs of the industry.

“We have several new products that have just come on line that are going to provide more versatility using existing equipment. This promotes more efficiency and makes operations safer for railroads and contractors

BALLAST UPDATE a l i k e ,” s a i d K e v i n K l e n k l e n , DymaxRail sales manager.

In June 2016, Dymax introduced a single-motor tamper mounted to hi-rail grapple trucks utilizing a new manual quick coupler to safely change grapple truck work tools. Klenklen says it takes just minutes to change from a grapple to the new tamper, a clam shell bucket or a rail handler.

Prior methods of changing attachments took 30 minutes or more and involved a “messy” process of getting on and off the operator’s station multiple times, knocking out pins, positioning the material handling boom over the next attachment and inserting the pins, the company says.

“It seldom worked on the first pass,” Klenklen said. “With the Dymax manual quick coupler, the entire process takes about three or four minutes and all that is done is unscrew the coupler lock, pull the material-handling boom away from the attachment, relocate it to the next attachment, place the grab

around the pin and then screw the coupler lock back in place.”

The company says the quick coupler rules out the need for multiple trips on and off the machine for the operator while also eliminating pinch points in the changeover process.

“This dramatically increases the flexibility of equipment fleet use, allowing deployment of grapple trucks, making them a much more versatile piece of hi rail mobile work equipment,” Klenklen said.

Dymax pairs the tamper with its new 180-degree tamper for 5-ton excavators. The combination extends the ballast tamper range from miniexcavators and backhoes to grapple trucks and the largest excavators with the 4-motor model.

“Improved safety, efficiency and versatility is what our objective is with these new products,” Klenklen said.

He added that improvements have also been made to the DymaxRail Ballast Blaster Undercutter.

“With the patented Blaster bar, hydraulic nose tensioning system for larger models and improved chain that increases chain life dramatically, we have the tools that are ready to take on any ballast maintenance program,” Klenklen said.

DymaxRail offers Tie Handlers for backhoe loaders and excavators, along with the versatile Tie Clam Bucket for backhoes and excavators plus Slot Buckets for wheel loaders, backhoe loaders, compact loaders and telescoping forklifts.

“DymaxRail has an aggressive new product introduction schedule for the next 16 months,” Klenklen said.

“We remain highly positive about the rail market and see the excellent management of the railroads and the major contractors providing us with many new challenges. Our objective of making the best tools for the most cost-effective operations and additions to our customers’ bottom lines remains foremost.”

BALLAST UPDATE GREX

In an effort to continue providing innovative rail solutions, Georgetown Rail Equipment Company has recently announced the DumpTrain for Curves®.

The company explains that this new solution eliminates the single belt concept and dedicates an individual belt to each car in the consist, allowing trains to unload in curves of up to 27 degrees and 6 inches of super elevation. Each car has a 104-ton load capacity with a standard train configuration of 15 cars and one stacker. Individual configurations can also be adapted based on customers’ needs, said Nate Bachman, vice president marketing and sales.

For the past year, GREX has tested a prototype version of the Dump Train for Cur ves, working on multiple properties and the unit unloaded more than 100 times in that period, Bachman says.

“These results allow the company to fine-tune the prototype’s design,

26 Railway Track & Structures

assuring optimal performance of the new trains,” he explained. “Customer feedback is exceptional as the train has unloaded a variety of material types and operated in various weather conditions.”

GREX is now working on enhancements to its GateSync ® product. With more than 2,000 cars in service, GateSync® has successfully enabled customers to convert their manual ballast cars to automated unloading solutions, Bachman says.

“With GateSync, customers can use push buttons, wireless remotes or surveybased unloading that eliminate the need for people on the ground,” he said.

The newest version of GateSync allows for longer train lengths, includes a more sophisticated communications n e t wo r k a n d b o a s t s a d d i t i o n a l software features that enable easy train formation and startup.

“GREX is committed to developing innovative solutions to better serve its customer s,” Bachman added.

September 2016

T h e l at e s t d e ve l o p m e n t w i t h i n the BallastSaver ® system uses the 360-degree LIDAR data stream in conjunction with the Aurora® machine vision track inspection system.

Together, the two developments provide locations, images, lengths and detailed measurements at grade crossings. This helps track owners determine whether there are potentially dangerous conditions in the slope of the road approaching the crossings, the company says.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e c o m p a ny ’s research and development department is designing a new vehicle capable of recording Aurora Xi® Backscatter and BallastSaver® streams simultaneously, saving track time and increasing productivity. The Aurora Xi truck was also named a finalist Aug. 1 in the R&D 100, an awards program that has recognized excellence in innovation for more than 50 years. The new, combined platform will roll out in 2017.

www.rtands.com

BALLAST UPDATE Montana Hydraulics says the company’s Bi-Directional Ballast Plow is consistently growing more popular among customers.

HRSI

In 2016, Herzog Railroad Services, Inc. (HRSI), launched the Automated Conveyor Train (A.C.T.). The A.C.T.’s discharge belt reaches 35 feet from the tip of the belt to the track center and the company says it is capable of discharging material at a 90-degree angle from the track and up to 50 feet from the track center.

The front of the discharge car has an automated plow, allowing the car to strike off material that is off-loaded in front of the machine and directly in the center of the track.

With a super-elevation of up to 5 inches, the A.C.T. can unload up to a 13-degree curve and meets Plate C

www.rtands.com

specifications, which HRSI says allows for the train to unload on the field side while in motion.

The A.C.T. can offload multiple material sizes, such as “B” stone, mainline ballast, sand and walking ballast.

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 27

BALLAST UPDATE Rail Construction Equipment’s undercutter bar is intended to make mobilization easier for crews on site.

the field due to its latest redesign in 2014, as well as the addition of the folding conveyor feature. The company plans to implement this feature on future machines, as well as rebuild units.

“As 2016 unfolds, our business has been moderate and we have taken advantage of opportunities to train new operators and mechanics for several of the railroads in the U.S. to help maintain a constant workforce,” said Pugh. Knox Kershaw’s vision for 2016 and 2017 is to maintain the company’s current business level and grow by promoting alternatives to the railroads for the necessary MOW equipment.

“Our product focus this year is on designing equipment that will work autonomously, utilizing less personnel and developing equipment that will multi task, eliminating the need for multiple pieces of equipment to complete a task,” Pugh added.

Loram

The unit’s cars can carry as much as 97 tons each and the company says the A.C.T. can regulate which car is unloaded first, allowing the product to handle multiple material types in one consist.

Tim Francis, vice president of marketing, added that the size of the consist can be adjusted based on customers’ needs.

Knox Kershaw

Knox Kershaw’s Ballast Regulator models are continually reevaluated based on customer feedback and field observations. The company’s recent developments include an improved entryway to the operator’s station, enhanced operator station ergonomics and high visibility labeling for certain machine functions, says President and Chief Operating Officer George Pugh.

This year, the company has continued to expand its inventory, offering complete plow and broom assemblies for ballast regulators. The company has added rebuilt components including complete engine assemblies, propel pumps, transmissions and differentials to its inventory to offer customers more options while ensuring timely delivery.

Knox Kershaw’s KYC 550 Yard Cleaner includes a newly designed folding conveyor to ease the transport of the machine by truck. The company notes this machine has been successful in 28 Railway Track & Structures

September 2016

Loram introduced the UC 1200 and SBC 2400 last August and the company says it has continued to develop the products through active research and development efforts.

The company reports that it has been focused on providing superior customer value through increased productivity, as well as improved operational efficiencies and safety. The company says trends continue to show customers are working to optimize their programs through coordinating resources to capitalize on available work windows. Customers leverage the combination of gangs, coupling equipment with similar productivity rates and utilize major track outages to reduce unit cost and maximize productivity.

“Loram continues to develop and integrate technology to ensure our equipment leverages cutting-edge technology that enhances our operators’ abilities to offer valued customer service,” the company said.

Additionally, Loram continues to add to its fleet of equipment and implement fleet renewal strategies to deliver “unmatched speed, performance and reliability.”

Miner Enterprises

With many unique design features, Miner’s AggreGate® is the only gate that can effectively ballast inside, outside or both sides of the rail simultaneously, the company says.

The company noted the AggreGate’s other features include large guillotine door openings designed to stop ballast flow with minimum effort, easily operated toggle-type linkage systems and tapered doors for easy ballast shutoff at switches, crossovers and bridges.

Christopher Gaydos, Director of Engineering, says the company’s AggreGate is available in pry bar manual, pushbutton or remote-control operations using pneumatic or electric power to operate the gates. The air- and electricpowered AggreGates can be equipped with remote-control use, allowing the user to deposit ballast while remaining a safe distance from the activity. Miner has made improvements to its Miner Electric AggreGate and has reportedly seen benefits to both the car shops applying the systems and to the end users.

“The positives for the car shops is the simplification of apwww.rtands.com

BALLAST UPDATE

www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 29

BALLAST UPDATE plication that the improvements have availed,” said Gaydos.

“And the end users are seeing longer life of key components.”

In the past year, Miner Enterprises has also developed a lighting system for railcars. The lighting system has been designed to help ballast crews light the area around a railcar.

The system uses battery-powered LED lights and the company says the batteries are rechargeable during daylight.

“The use of a self-sufficient power source gives the users the ability to provide light to any railcar that does work in darkness without the need for generators and cables,” Gaydos said.

During the past year, Miner has supplied AggreGates to Class 1, shortline and international railroads for new cars and car conversions.

“Our customers are finding the electric standalone AggreGate provides independent operation of the car from anywhere within the ballast train, thus eliminating the need for grouping manual and automatic cars and can ultimately be operated without connection to another car for power,” said Bill O’Donnell, executive director of Global Sales.

The optional remote control with push button override is also available and the company says it has been designed to allow for individual car and gate selection.

Montana Hydraulics

In 2015, Montana Hydraulics, LLC, made some slight changes to the Center Mounted Bi-Directional Ballast Plow

to extend the life of the machinery and further improve the wear parts life.

“The plow continues to perform amazingly well and is steadily gaining popularity,” said Della Ehlke, co-owner of the company. “We did make a minor improvement to the plow that greatly extends the life of a small wear part.”

The plow has become popular among ballast crews due to its flexibility with bi-directional self articulating blades, the significant increase in safety features and the single person operation, the company says. The company currently has 180 of the Center Mounted BiDirectional Plows in operation on ballast cars in the field, Ehlke said. The plow is offered as an option on ballast car builds with several of the car builders, and Ehlke noted it has been quoted on a couple of upcoming builds. Montana Hydraulics also reports that the Grizzly Side Dump Ballast Car prototype continues to post “record performance,” even through harsh winter conditions. The company plans to update several additional cars throughout the next year and to be considered for upcoming new ballast side dump car builds.

Ehlke also explained that the company is putting “finishing touches” on a mechanized rail car tarping system. It has been designed to cater to ease of use in the field, low maintenance and Federal Railroad Administration compliance. Adaptable to all open-top cars and to any car length, the mechanized rail car tarping system is reported to be low maintenance. She also says customers may see the first Montana Hydraulics Big Sky Tarp system on ballast cars in early 2017.

“We have had a crew of technicians working in the field on ballast cars continuously since 1998. Any decision we make to develop a ballast-related product or upgrade is based entirely on the experiences of the field crew,” Ehlke said. “They know what works and what doesn’t; how products could work better and more safely for the railroad crews and what improvements can be made to minimize repairs and maintenance.”

The company is currently working to spread awareness of the benefits Montana Hydraulics’ ballast products can bring customers, Ehlke said, adding that the company is striving to be included in more ballast car related RFQs for both new car builds and retrofits.

Nordco

Nordco introduced the RoadReady™ surfacing team concept in 2015, consisting of a production switch tamper (RST1000) and a production ballast regulator (RBR-1000) that are road-legal and designed to be towed down the highway without requiring permits.

The RoadReady surfacing team concept allows customers to move equipment on the highway without having to navigate travel restrictions, the company says. Nordco notes the equipment can now be moved during the day, night, holidays and weekends, enabling the machines to arrive at work sites faster and maximize equipment use without occupying service-critical train paths. Since the 2015 introduction of the RoadReady surfacing team concept, Nordco has continued to make major investments in the equipment.

“We have built multiple RoadReady surfacing prototype machines and have been testing these machine extensive30 Railway Track & Structures

September 2016

www.rtands.com

ly,” the company says. “The testing has gone exceptionally well and we expect to deliver the first production units early in 2017.”

“Like with many new product launches, there have been lessons learned throughout the process,” said Bob Coakley, director of sales and marketing. “With each new lesson learned and obstacle cleared, the product is improved and enhanced. We are committed to ensuring that when the RoadReady™ equipment officially goes into service in 2017, it will be fully tested and ready to meet and exceed our customers’ needs and expectations.”

Plasser American

Plasser American Corp. offers several products to help customers maintain long-lasting track quality through proper ballast maintenance. Scheduled ballast undercutting-cleaning to create proper drainage and remove fouled material from the track is the first step to long-lasting track, the company says. The “workhorse” of Plasser’s fleet of ballast cleaning machines is the RM80, which the company says can clean and undercut plain track and switches. Highcapacity double screening units including the RM2003 and the RM802 High Speed Undercutter-Cleaner, which works with pre-dumped ballast are available. The company also offers various single and double shaker shoulder cleaners, such as the FRM802 Shoulder Cleaner, that operate with endless paddle-type excavation cutter chains and have an adjustable “on the fly” cutting width of 24 inches to 60 inches. The cutting angle can also be adapted to facilitate adequate drainage.

Plasser’s latest machine, the URM700, performs ballast undercutting-cleaning on switches and plain track. The URM700’s core component is its excavating unit. In the form of a sword, The URM700’s horizontally rotating excavating chain can cut as wide as 20 feet. The cleaned ballast is then returned to the track behind the cutter bar. New ballast can also be added to the cleaned ballast if needed.

Plasser explains that when track quality cannot be maintained as a result of weak subgrade or continuous fouling from the subgrade, a subgrade renewal machine may address the issue. Subgrade renewal machines clear away the ballast layer and the sub-ballast layer. The machines replace these layers with a formation protection layer and a layer of ballast.

All work is performed without physically removing the track, allowing for shorter track outages, the company says. Plasser offers many versions of these machines, including the AHM 800 R Formation Rehabilitation Machine.

Plasser says its BDS100/200 Ballast Distribution System persists as the optimal tool to accompany the high-speed 09-3X tampers or multiple tampers working together. The machines are equipped with plows to profile the ballast, as well as hopper and conveyors to distribute ballast as needed.

With the use of double brooms, the machines can sweep up and store excess ballast and for final track dressing. MFS Hopper/Conveyor cars can be added to provide increased ballast storage. The company says all of this work is carried out in a “one pass” operation.

“Plasser’s PBR2005 Ballast Regulator can plow, profile and broom in one pass,” the company said. “The unique design of the shoulder plow allows the machine www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 31

BALLAST UPDATE

Loram says the company is continuing to work on implementing fleet renewal strategies for 2016 and 2017.

work behind two-tie tampers where it can easily keep up with the tamper in a ‘one pass’ operation,” the company added.

RCE

to pull in ballast, which was previously outside the scope of conventional ballast regulators.”

32 Railway Track & Structures

The machine is also available with an optional double broom, Plasser said.

“The PBR2005DB is ideally suited to

September 2016

For the past year, the Rail Construction Equipment Company (RCE) Equipment Solutions Rail Division has been working to expand its Railavator product line and undercutter bars to enhance the excavator undercutting process.

RCE can now supply the 75G, 85G, 135G, 245G, 250G and 350G excavators with undercutter bars ranging from 9 feet to 15 feet in size, compared to the average of 12 feet.

“With an increased variety of options, RCE customers can perform undercutting with all the RCE models of hi-rail or standard excavators,” said Dennis Hanke, sales manager.

The largest machine, the 350G, has more hydraulic power to perform under tough conditions and the longer bar is beneficial for switch undercutting, the company says. Most recently, the 9-foot undercutter bar has been well received as an alternative to the larger options.

“For our contracting customers, the smaller machine and undercutter bar has made mobilization an easier task,” Hanke said.

RCE says its expanded Railavator models have also been accepted well by customers and the company has received several new orders due to their successful performance in the field.

Versatility remains a high selling point to RCE customers, the company says, and it plans to continue improving the machine offerings to support added rail maintenance tasks.

“RCE’s rail division continues to grow year-over-year, allowing us to invest in new products and facilities and support infrastructure,” Hanke said. “We’re also expanding into the energy sector with new products and offering enhanced engineering services to work on specialized projects for our customers.” www.rtands.com

Distributed Acoustic Sensing

as a base technology for

railway applications Developing DAS for rail industry use could have enhanced asset management, crew management and security applications.

by Martin Rosenberger, product management director and Andrew Hall, chief engineer FTS, Frauscher Sensortechnik GmbH

D

uring the past five years, different technologies, for example fiber optic sensors using technologies such as Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) and Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) gained increasing interest within the railway industry. Several tests and trials regarding proof of concept, reliability and safety standards were performed by various railroad companies. As a leading supplier of sensor technology for railway applications, Frauscher Sensor Technology is aware of such trends and continually investigates innovative sensor technologies to improve detection and monitoring with less effort and costs. True to this basic philosophy, only DAS revealed comprehensive potential to become a base technology for various specific railway applications.

Fascinating results

Appropriate tests have been made on tracks of Transportation Technology Center, Inc., and CSX, as well as in various countries all over the globe, such as Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom. Besides comprehensive train tracking and asset condition monitoring capabilities these projects revealed the ability of DAS-based www.rtands.com

systems to track people, monitor work groups, detect trespass, protect infrastructure and more. On that base a substantial number of applications in the areas of train tracking, asset condition monitoring and security of people and infrastructure have been carried out. Whereas the realization of complex and safety relevant applications in the fields of train tracking and asset condition monitoring still needs further development, full wayside security solutions are already available.

As a worldwide expert for sensor technologies used on railroads, Frauscher has started a comprehensive and highly focused research and development program to make DAS ready for the railway industry. This program comprises various concepts, which include starting to enhance the DAS system and to provide a rail-specific Human Machine Interface (HMI) that displays data in a proper way and enables appropriate reactions to tracked events.

Principle of DAS

The principle of DAS is based on the ability of detecting changes in intensity of light reflections caused by sound waves radiating against a single-mode fiber optic cable as Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 33

DAS for rail applications figure 1, top: A graphic representation of the principle of DAS. figure 2: DAS would alert the moment the anomaly, in this case a trespasser, transmits structure-borne sounds.

shown in Figure 1. A coherent laser is pulsed into this fiber at a set frequency. Natural impurities within the fiber cause a small portion of light to be reflected back to the source, which is called backscatter. The intensity of the reflected Rayleigh backscatter is measured as a function of time after transmission of the laser pulse, translating to physical changes in any given fiber section. These changes can be caused by structure-borne sound and vibrations in the vicinity of the fiber optic cable. Classification algorithms have been developed to alarm the user for various activities that cause measurable signatures, such as movements of vehicles, footsteps of persons or activities, for example manual and machine digging. These capabilities of DAS are in use in the oil, gas and border/area security business, where it is a proven concept for monitoring infrastructure and to carry out various security applications.

Any single-mode fiber can quickly be turned into a series of listening devices using DAS with minimal fiber work at both ends of the monitored fiber section. Using spare capacity on the existing fiber cables next to a track enables similar and related applications to be realized for railway specific requirements. Considering the factors within this industry, trains, maintenance vehicles, rail breaks, personnel, trespassers, environmental events and more can be detected as soon as they transmit structure-borne sounds.

Limitations of DAS

Although the basic idea behind these operations is the same as for the use in other industries, it is not possible to use exactly the same systems and the same approach in the rail sector. First, tracking of trains is a special application with no similarity within the existing applications outside rail. Following a train continuously over hundreds of miles 34 Railway Track & Structures

September 2016

without interruption and filtering out all the different impacts along the route is a very challenging and unique task.

Second, railways do have their own standards and requirements, which differ between or even within national areas and must be considered to provide appropriate solutions.

None of the currently available DAS systems addresses rail-specific requirements and standards. Considering all these factors reveals three main limitations of DAS in the railway industry: • Track ID: Up to now, there is no possibility to identify if the impacts are on or near the track. It is also difficult to define, on which track a train is moving within multitrack areas and nearly impossible in even more complex track layouts.

• Accuracy: DAS does not yet have the proven capability to detect individual axles in a robust or fail safe manner, which is affordable for train integrity over long stretches of a network.

• CENELEC compliance: In existing DAS-based solutions, no basic developments and processes were generally fulfilled to create a solid foundation for SIL applications. Also the limitations regarding track ID and accuracy have to be solved to fulfill criteria regarding CENELEC.

Frauscher Tracking Solutions

Having learned more about what is possible and what is not by using DAS on railroads, Frauscher combined results from various test installations with knowledge that was gathered in close co-operation with operators and companies who have worked with this technology for years. On that base, Frauscher started initial developments for railway-specific adaptions of existing DAS systems.

The company’s own DAS experts work on technological developments to meet the industry’s specific requirements.

These include for example maximum resolution for specific applications, as well as transmission and storage of data.

Increased insights and research enabled the development of first generation algorithms to enable the detection of specific events and asset condition, such as rail breaks and wheel flats.

Adjustments that have been made to allow these first fundamental steps still need further improvement of hardware and software. However, the outcome of this process – the Frauscher Acoustic Sensing (FAS) – is now available for some basic applications.

Capabilities of FAS

FAS enables an accuracy of detection up to 30 feet along the fiber and also provides the corresponding route mileage or GPS coordinates of detected activities. Depending on the resolution, one FAS-laser unit is able to monitor up to www.rtands.com

DAS for rail applications figure 3, top: HMI that provides clearly arranged delivery of data and allows the translation of specific data to reports and alerts that can be used in individually defined processes.

TABLE 1: Frauscher Tracking Solutions utilizes the DAS principle to monitor several variables.

25 miles of track with whole networks being monitored by multiple FAS units. Based on pilot installations and close cooperation with operators, individual categorization of events that are tracked is possible in order to generate specific alarms and reports.

As a stand-alone solution, FAS can be used for nonvital train tracking, basic applications in asset condition monitoring, as well as security applications. Used for train tracking, it delivers the position of the train, velocity, acceleration, driving direction, length of train and more. This enables efficient handling of timetable management, train speed management, arrival announcements, as well as supporting train localization. In the area of asset condition monitoring rail breaks can be detected, as well as wheel flats, loose track joints or vibrations from a catenary flashover and rock falls or landslides.

By developing FAS a range of adaptions has been carried out on existing DAS-based approaches to create a base for the use of this technology within the rail industry. However, by implementing these adjustments, not all limitations as above have been resolved yet. It is clear, though, that FAS can provide benefit now, and as the years progress additional capabilities can be added.

Human Machine Interface

Having created a system that generates a wide range of information, Frauscher has also focused on how to transmit this data to other systems and/or present them to the system users in the back office. As described above, FAS is able to provide railway operators with a wide range of information. The system’s output consists of a considerable amount of data that has to be sorted and structured to allow useful processing.

This is enabled by a newly developed Human Machine Interface (HMI) that provides clearly arranged delivery of data and allows the translation of specific data to reports and alerts that can be used in individually defined processes. Signals from the FTS system are collected, categorized, displayed and can also be provided to mobile devices via text message or even by drones that can be sent to appropriate locations. This enables the quickest possible reaction to any activities on and near the tracks. Additionally, interfacing with IT networks is enabled.

Collaborating with system integrators and railway operators all over the world has convinced Frauscher that it is crucial for future oriented products to be able to provide approved individual operator interfaces. This knowledge and concept was also considered when developing FTS and enables simple implementation in interlockings, diagnostic systems, management systems and more.

Security applications

In the past, various security monitoring applications rewww.rtands.com

Trespass: FTS can detect trespassers on or about the sensing fiber cable. It may assist in identifying persons on track to send personnel and to switch off power in the right areas or in determining the most effective evacuation route in case of train evacuation.

Work crews: With the FTS monitoring range capability, maintenance of way and workcrew activities can be more closely coordinated and better protected for rail operations, which increases productivity and can improve operational efficiencies.

Cable theft: The FTS system sensitivity allows identification of different types of activities and can be a powerful tool to protect against vandalism and theft. This sensitivity will naturally shorten response times for front-line security to suspicious activities.

Vandalism: By targeting security patrols to the FTS location alerts the effectiveness of security patrols can be increased significantly. A paradigm shift to vandalism prevention will save tremendous amounts of time and resources in reducing damage remediation.

quired individual systems, which made a single point of surveillance and integration expensive and complex.

Moreover, installations were short-range and needed to be handled on a local level, which was both costly and inefficient. Security patrols are often employed to conduct random checks at all points on the network. The ideal security system installed for railroad use should address several minimum requirements: the ability to detect trespassings, to guarantee worker and passenger safety, protection of infrastructure and assets on trains and tracks, as well as improving operational efficiency.

Based on FAS, Frauscher Tracking Solutions (FTS) offers railroads and transit agencies the opportunity to install an all-in-one security system which can expand the reach of rail network surveillance for a relatively low-cost and in one simple package. Using a proven technology protecting oil and gas pipelines and now adapted especially for the rail environment, the DAS principle is employed to detect activities for a distance of up to 25 miles from a single monitoring point.

A network of FAS sensors enables it to provide a security capability across a client’s total network.

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 35

DAS for rail applications Developing combined solution

A second and parallel concept study at Frauscher includes the integration of DAS with axle counter and wheel detection information or even to combine axle counters with DAS systems. These ideas will compensate for the limitations mentioned above. Especially if it should be possible to detect each axle in a fail-safe way, the DAS system resolution must be very high. Thus, there will be disadvantages regarding costs, as higher resolutions reduce the length of track sections that can be monitored by one unit – and as a result, more data will be generated that has to be handled in real-time. It is expected that integrated solutions will be available sooner than SIL conforming DAS systems.

FTS-FAS+

To reach the next level of data quality when using DAS in the railway industry, FAS has been designed to enable combined solutions consisting of optical sensors and position sensors. Overlaying data from both approaches increases the possibilities of proceeding with information generated by the FAS+ significantly.

FTS-FAdC+

The most advanced combination consists of FAS and a modern axle counter, such as the Frauscher Advanced Counter FAdC. In this constellation the FAS provides

36 Railway Track & Structures

September 2016

valuable data to enable carrying out of complex and safety relevant applications, as the axle counter operates on a CENELEC SIL 4 level.

This solution also has the potential to be used in challenging areas, such as long and remote block sections. Due to the fact that axle counters can be used on small track sections, as well as on long block sections and FAS is able to monitor up to 25 miles per unit, this combination can now provide those areas with fail-safe train detection, train localization and rail break detection.

Conclusion

The new approach with Frauscher Tracking Solutions FTS will be the only track-based technology, which allows a permanent train location without any technology on the rolling stock. It does not matter which trains are moving in the network or if they have the right on-board equipment.

This reduces the number of systems and components onboard, as well as on-track, significantly and simplifies traffic management and interoperability. Sooner or later continuous train detection via one single trackside solution will be available also with regards to the required quality, reliability and safety. These capabilities and massive reduction of complexity and costs improves existing requirements and opens up exciting new ideas and concepts for train control and traffic management.

www.rtands.com

AREMA NEWS Professional Development 2016 Seminars BRIDGE INSPECTION & STREAMBED SCOUR SEMINAR October 24 - 27 Chicago, IL This Seminar is designed for Consultants, Contractors, Engineers, Front Line Supervisors, Foremen, Managers, Roadmasters, Superintendents and Supervisors who are involved in the bridge construction and maintenance and track, bridge and civil engineering design.

Additionally, those who are interested in engineering services, maintenance-of-way, structures, and/or track should attend this seminar. sEISMIC DESIGN OF RAILROAD BRIDGES November 7 San Bernadino, CA This seminar will teach the practicing bridge designer how to apply the seismic design procedures of AREMA Chapter 9 to railroad bridges. The seminar will be conducted by current members of AREMA Committee 9 with practical experience designing railroad bridges in high seismic regions of North America.

The seminar will provide the practicing bridge designer with the skills necessary to design typical railroad bridge structures for seismic loads.

To see a complete list of all upcoming seminars and webinars and to register, please visit www.arema.org or contact Desireé Knight at dknight@arema.org.

www.rtands.com

Message from the President

Greetings fellow rail industry professionals!

David A. Becker, PE AREMA President 2016–2017

My name is David Becker, chief engineer - Design & Construction with Norfolk Southern. I am ver y honored and humbled to have been selected by my industry peers to serve as president of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) for 2016–2017. For those whom I have not yet met, please allow me to give you a little background on my history with the organization.

My involvement with AREMA committee work started in 1990 while I was working as a geotechnical engineer. At the suggestion of my boss, I asked to join Committee 1 - Roadway & Ballast, and was assigned to Subcommittee 1 - Roadbed. I volunteered for several rewrite assignments, and soon was ‘volunteered’ for subcommittee leadership. A few years later, I was asked to enter the leadership progression for the committee and served terms as secretary, vice chair and chair.

Following those roles, I served as both a director and vice president for the Track Functional Group, and for the past year ser ved as senior vice president (SVP). As SVP, I was responsible for chairing the Board of Directors and leading the Program and Publication Committees. The SVP also is a member of the Board of Gover nors. Each of these steps provided insight into the organization and its membership and I plan to use the lessons learned to help guide me through the challenges of my new role.

I am grateful to the industry leaders who have recently preceded me in this important role. They, along with the current Executive Director and CEO Beth Caruso, have worked diligently to lay a firm foundation for AREMA to succeed in the future. I would also like to use this column to publically thank two individuals who were instrumental in getting me involved with AREMA and fostering my personal and professional growth; Dick Zimmerman, past Chair of Committee 1, and Larry Etherton, past president.

I owe both of these gentlemen a big debt of gratitude for not just being good bosses and longtime friends, but more importantly, for being good mentors through the years.

Typically, each year the president tries to focus on one or two key initiatives. This year, I plan to focus on continuing the important work begun by immediate Past President Brian Lindamood. Brian started his term mentioning the need for AREMA to remain relevant and ended it by championing the upgrade of our four Maintenance Teams to full Committee status.

I know of no better way to grow the relevancy of AREMA than to broaden the active involvement of our maintenance-of-way focused members and to provide them a more structured means for continued on page 40

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 37

Upcoming Committee Meetings Sept. 20-21 Committee 15 - Steel Structures

Buffalo, NY

Oct. 26-27

Committee 37 - Signal Systems

Jacksonville, FL

Oct. 18-19

Committee 4 - Rail

Danbury, CT

Oct. 23-24

Committee 34 - Scales

St. Louis, MO

2017 Meetings Jan. 24-25 Committee 15 - Steel Structures

Fort Myers, FL

Oct. 25-26

Committee 30 - Ties

Bonita Springs, FL

Feb. 1

Committee 9 - Seismic Design for Railway Structures

San Jose, CA

May 23-24

Committee 15 - Steel Structures

June 7-8

Committee 9 - Seismic Design for Railway Structures

Oct. 25-26 Committee 36 - Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Warning Systems

Jacksonville, FL

Calgary, ON Canada Denver, CO

For a complete list of all committee meetings being held at the AREMA 2016 Annual Conference & Exposition please visit www.arema.org/meetings/2016.

Negotiated airline discount information for AREMA Committee Meetings can be found online at http://www.arema.org/meetings/airlines.aspx.

FYI…

See you in Orlando, FL for the AREMA Conference & Exposition being held August 28-31, 2016.

The AREMA 2016 Manual for Railway Engineering i s n o w available. Order your updated, 2016 version online at www.arema.org or with Morgan Bruins at 301-459-3200, ext. 711 or mbruins@arema.org.

Post your career opportunity now on AREMA’s Railway Careers Network. Target your recruiting and reach qualified candidates quickly and easily. Use code AUGUST2016 for 20 percent off the 30 or 60 day job posting during the month of August.

Start posting jobs today.

continued from page 37 capturing their practical real world knowledge and sharing it with the industry via the AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering.

By the time you read this, the AREMA 2016 Annual Conference & Exposition will be in the histor y books and planning for Railway Interchange 2017 events will be well underway. As such, I thought I’d take advantage of this forum to request your assistance in making next year’s event even more beneficial for our membership and supporters.

The first way you can help is to provide feedback on the AREMA 2016 Annual Conference & Exposition as a whole and the program in particular.

Surveys are emailed to all registrants soon after the event to capture your thoughts while they are fresh in your mind.

This feedback information is important, and as past Program Committee Chair, I can assure you it is reviewed by the AREMA headquarter’s staff and considered in the planning of future year’s events and programs.

The second way you can help is to foster the submission of good content for the technical sessions. Many who are reading this column are in leadership roles within your organizations and can help encourage staff to prepare and submit abstracts. To help prime the idea pump this year, the ‘Call for Papers’ will be accompanied by a ‘Hot Topic’ list developed by the Functional Groups.

Please be an advocate for participation. Developing papers and making presentations is a great way for employees to gain confidence, get exposure and be recognized for their professional contributions.

I am excited to be in a leadership role for YOUR organization for the next twelve months. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your ideas on improving AREMA to better serve our industry.

AREMA on social media... Stay up-to-date on the most recent AREMA information through all official social media outlets. Become a fan of the AREMA Facebook Page and join the AREMA LinkedIn Group.

Not an AREMA Member?

Join today at www.arema.org 40 Railway Track & Structures

September 2016

AREMA website advertising

Want to be listed on the AREMA website to gain exposure to more than 6,500 AREMA Members? Contact Lindsay Hamilton at 301.459.3200, ext.

705 or lhamilton@arema.org now to get advertising rates.

Call for Mentors

As the years pass, it becomes more vital to introduce and educate the next generation to the railroad industry. To aid in this cause, AREMA has developed a Mentoring Program to benefit the AREMA Student Members. We would like to extend an invitation for you to influence the next generation as part of this Mentoring Program. As part of the Mentoring Program, you will be paired with a Mentee that is an AREMA Student Member. The pairing will try to match Student Members with someone with experience in the areas of the railroad industry they are interested in. Please visit the AREMA website listed under Education & Training to become a mentor today.

www.rtands.com

David A. Becker gets personal Each month, AREMA features one of our committee chairs or members. We are pleased to announce that the September featured member is our incoming President David Becker.

AREMA: Why did you choose a career in railway engineering?

BECKER: I think I was probably genetically pre-destined to be a civil engineer. I’ve always had a natural grasp of mechanics and an eye for geometric layouts. I have always found satisfaction in building (and rebuilding) things.

I got my first real exposure to railway engineering at a young age in the early 1970s, holding the end of a survey chain for my father while he did side clearance checks on industry spurs in New York. He was a surveyor and engineering officer with the New York Central, Penn Central, and then Conrail—so the railway industry was always part of my life. Dinner table conversations often revolved around the real world engineering challenges the division faced that day. Despite the hard times being faced by the railways in that era, I witnessed firsthand the dedication and esprit-de-corps of the engineering team my dad worked with and I wanted to be part of that world.

When it came time for college, I pursued a civil engineering degree at Michigan State University. Railway topics were largely non-existent in curriculums at that point, so I focused on highway transpor tation and construction. The job market was pretty bleak when I graduated in the mid-1980’s and options for CE’s in the highway design and construction world were limited.

However, the railway industry had turned the corner after the Staggers Act and was again hiring for growth.

I [found] my way to Norfolk Southern at a career fair and was hired as trainee in the Maintenance-of-Way Department. Over the past 30 years of my career, I have held a variety of positions. At each step, I have felt very fortunate to be part of a great organization and an industry doing things that matched up well with my childhood ambitions.

AREMA: What are your hobbies outside of work?

BECKER: Spending free time with family tops the list.

Kimberly, my wife and best friend of 28 years, is a director of global supply chain processes with Colgate-Palmolive, and is at the moment, headquartered in central New Jersey.

This unique situation has required us, as a couple, to do a lot of weekend travel to stay connected. Rather than approaching this as a problem, we have treated it as an www.rtands.com

DAVID A. BECKER, PE Incoming AREMA President Chief Engineer of Design & Construction, Norfolk Southern

adventure, and have really enjoyed exploring that region and getting reacquainted with a very interesting part of the country. We have a son Justin, who is in his last semester at the University of Georgia, so by default, our fall hobby in recent years has been taking part in the Saturday rituals of SEC football, despite my BIG10 roots. I have always enjoyed just being outdoors and try to spend at least some of my free time each week road biking, running or distance walking. I also get a lot of pleasure and relaxation from just puttering around in the yard, or simply putting the top down on our car and taking a drive to no-where in particular just for the fun of it.

Reading has always been a big part of my life, and I like nothing better than sitting on my back porch with a good book when time allows. I tend to gravitate to historical biographies or works on business history. Of course, if those books relate to industrial, construction or transportation topics that is all the better.

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

BECKER: I really like to cook. My mother raised four boys and was determined from the start that we would learn to cook – a key life skill my father lacked. Since Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 41

Attention Students:

railway engineering can be stressful, and at times unimaginative due to rigid design criteria, I find that cooking is a great creative outlet for me. For me, having a chance to prepare a good meal for those I love is very relaxing.

2017 Scholarship Program

AREMA: What advice do you have for those who are pursuing careers in the railway industry?

Students, the AREMA Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for the 2017 academic year!

BECKER: The primary advice would be to ‘be patient’ – the freight side of the industr y is at a pivot point and adjusting to new nor ms of traffic, r e ve n u e a n d f u n d i n g , b u t t h e r e are oppor tunities to be had due to natural attrition. I am confident that the role of rail transportation in our hemisphere, be it transit, passenger or freight, will grow in the decades to come. That growth will require a next generation of engineering and maintenance professionals to safeguard the practical knowledge gained over the past 175 years and develop new solutions. I would also encourage those interested in a career in the industry to be open to non-traditional paths, such as opportunities with engineering and maintenance service companies, transit agencies and shor tlines or regional carriers, as opposed to focusing solely on opportunities with Class 1’s.

I would also advise those who

The AREMA Educational Foundation provides scholarships to engineering students who are specializing in the railway industry and supports other educational and training endeavors that help ensure the future of the profession.

Application Deadline:

are new to the industry to be willing to make personal sacrifices in the short term. Most entry-level railway engineering and maintenance positions are not glamorous, but they offer unparalleled oppor tunities to take on responsibility, gain knowledge, display strengths and develop valuable contacts. Hard work, a willingness to assume responsibility and dedication are timeless commodities in our industry.

As for professional development, I would encourage those who are new to the industry to read as many trade publications monthly as they can to gain a broad view of the industr y a n d u n d e r s t a n d c u r r e n t bu s i n e s s trends. The industr y is a network, and under standing its histor y and how it functions is ver y impor tant.

I would also encourage engineering professionals to join AREMA and become active on an AREMA Technical Committee.

The committees offer great oppor tunities for less exper ienced engineers to interact with peers from other companies and meet people who want to help the next generation.

In my experience, individuals who are involved with the committees are by nature, generous with their time, want to share their knowledge with others and can be a great source of formal or informal mentors.

December 9, 2016

For more information on if you qualify, the complete scholarship listing and the application process, please visit www.aremafoundation. org.

www.aremafoundation.org

42 Railway Track & Structures

DAVID and kimberly becker David A. Becker with his wife of 28 years, Kimberly Becker.

September 2016

www.rtands.com

CALENDAR SEPTEMBER 15-16. Next-Gen Train Control. Key Bridge Marriott. Arlington, Va. Phone: 212-620-7208. E-mail: conferences@sbpub.com. Website: www.railwayage.com/nextgen.

20-23. InnoTrans. Berlin, Germany. Phone: +49 30 3038 2376.

Fax: +49 30 3038 2190. E-mail: mjbalve@globaltradeshow.com, innotrans@messe-berlin.de. Website: www.innotrans.com.

22-23. 12th Annual Railroad Night/Rail Day. Michigan Tech Transportation Institute. Houghton, Mich. Website: http://www.rail. mtu.edu/event/3rd-annual-rail-day-and-student-expo.

OCTOBER 2-4. RSI/CMA 2016 Rail Expo & Technical Conference. Hilton Omaha. Omaha, Neb. Phone: 202-347-4664. Website: http://www. rsiweb.org/rsicma16.

10-12. Fundamentals of Railroad Bridge Inspection. University of Winsconsin - Madison. Madison Concourse Hotel. Madison, Wis. Contact: Dave Peterson. E-mail: dmpeter5@wisc.edu. Website: https:// epd.wisc.edu/course/fundamentals-of-railroad-bridge-inspection/.

25-28. Energy by Rail. Key Bridge Marriott. Arlington, Va. Phone: 212-620-7208. E-mail: conferences@sbpub.com. Website: www. railwayage.com/energy.

www.rtands.com

26-28. 98th Annual Railway Tie Association Symposium and Technical Conference. Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Bonita Springs, Fla. Phone: 770-460-5553. E-mail: ties@rta.org. Website: http://www. rta.org/2016-conference.

27-28. Track Safety Standards Part 213 Classes 1-5 Workshop. Council Bluffs, Iowa. Phone: 800-228-9670.

E-mail: studentservices@sb-reb.com. Webiste: http://www. railwayeducationalbureau.com/TrkInspWrkShp.html.

NOVEMBER 1-2. 18th Railroad Environmental Conference. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign. Urbana, Ill. Phone: 217-300-1340.

E-mail: rrec-conf@illinois.edu. Website: http://railtec.illinois.edu/ RREC/overview.php.

DECEMBER 15-16. 2016 Big Data Railroad Engineering Conference. Two-day event from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at the University of Delaware Newark, Del. Website: http://www.engr.udel.edu.

JANUARY 2017 8-11. 2017 NRC Conference & NRC-REMSA Exhibition. Boca Raton, Fla. E-mail: conference@nrcma.org. Website: http://www. nrcma.org/2017conference.

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 43

PRODUCTS Rail car coupler lock, sign holder

Aldon Company, Inc., a railroad safety products manufacturer for more than 100 years, has announced a new product, the rail car coupler lock and sign holder. The product exceeds expectations outlined by OSHA to warn against moving a stationary car where workers could be present by instead preventing locomotive or other freight cars from coupling to the stationary car.

The coupler lock fits into the signpost hole found on all railway coupler heads and is padlocked from below. The steel “cage” in the middle of the coupler lock sits inside the knuckle of the coupler, blocking other rail vehicles from attempting to couple. The “cage” cannot be forced out of the knuckle. The company suggests installing a coupler lock on both couplers on a rail car to rule out any theft or unauthorized movement of the rail car. Several OSHA-mandated Blue Flag sign plates are available from Aldon that can be used with the coupler lock and are sold separately. Phone: 847-623-8800.

44 Railway Track & Structures

September 2016

REO-USA’s current transducers

REO-USA has recently introduced its next generation of closed-loop current transducers. Designed for use in all industrial applications, the company says its WKO-2C series promises improved current measurement accuracy of more than 0.5 percent in the whole frequency range of DC to 120 kHz. The company says its transducers can be used for various applications, including variable frequency drives, servo motor drives, uninterruptable power supplies and switched mode power supplies. “Our patented double core technology has outstanding accuracy and frequency response and is more affordable than what was initially developed in the WKO-2C-B series,” said Alex Ward, technical sales engineer for REO-USA. All materials that were used in the production of this equipment were manufactured using ULlisted materials, and the company says the modular plates provide universal mounting options for customers. Phone: 317-899-1395.

www.rtands.com

Ad Index Company

Phone #

AREMA Marketing Department

Fax#

e-mail address

Page #

301-459-3200

301-459-8077

marketing@arema.org

Cover 3

Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc.

888-250-5746

904-378-7298

info@bbri.com

26

Danella Rental Systems

610-828-6200

610-828-2260

pbarents@danella.com

36

Georgetown Rail Equipment Co.

512-869-1542 ext.5292

bachman@georgetownrail.com

Cover 4

jrhill@HaywardBaker.com

17

tfrancis@hrsi.com

8

rrdiv@koppers.com

13

sales@loram.com

Cover 2, 24-25

Hayward Baker Rail Services Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.

512-863-0405

314 802 2920

816-233-9002

816-233-7757

Koppers Railroad Structures

800-356-5952

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.

763-478-6014

Moley Magnetics, Inc.

844-M-MAGNET (844-662-4638)

716-434-5893

sales@moleymagneticsinc.com

32

Montana Hydraulics, LLC

406-449-3464 ext.1005

406-449-3465

dehlke@mthyd.com

20

jlewis@neelco.com

5

info@nrcma.org

9

bcigrang@omnirail.com

21

plasseramerican@plausa.com

29

jstout@amstedrps.com

27

Neel Company, The

703-913-7858

NRC

608-221-0618

763-478-2221

703-913-7859

202-715-2920

202-318-0867

815-344-3100

815-344-5086

Plasser American Corporation

757-543-3526

757-494-7186

Progress Rail Corporation

913-345-4807

Protran Technology LLC

862-251-1490

973-691-0043

peter.bartek@protan1.com

2

866-724-5238

217-522-6588

grif1020@yahoo.com

6

Rails Company

973-763-4320

973-763-2585

rails@railsco.com

7

Rail Construction Equipment Co.

866-472-4510

630-355-7173

dennishanke@rcequip.com

31

Railway Educational Bureau, The

402-346-4300

402-346-1783

bbrundige@sb-reb.com

30, 43, 44

OMNI Products, Inc.

RailCet

913-345-4818

Taimi Hydraulics

7

Tensar Corp.

rleard@tensarcorp.com

23

ppietrandrea@unitracrail.com

19

Unitrac Railroad Materials, Inc.

800-Tensar-1

412-298-0915

865-693-9162

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 RT&S assumes no responsibility for the correctness.

Advertising Sales general sales OFFICE AL, KY Jonathan Chalon Publisher (212) 620-7224 55 Broad St., 26th Fl. Fax: (212) 633-1165 New York, NY 10014 jchalon@sbpub.com CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA, WV, Canada - Quebec and East, Ontario Jerome Marullo (212) 620-7260 55 Broad St., 26th Fl. Fax: (212) 633-1863 New York, NY 10014 jmarullo@sbpub.com

AK, AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NM, ND, NV, OK, OR, SD, TN, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY, Canada -­AB, BC, MB, SK Heather Disabato (312) 683-5026 20 South Clark St. Fax: (312) 683-0131 Ste. 1910 Chicago, IL 60603 hdisabato@sbpub.com Responsible for advertisement sales in all parts of the world, except Italy, Italian-speaking Switzerland, Japan, and North America.

Suite N2, The Priory, Syresham Gardens, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 3LB, UK

www.rtands.com

Louise Cooper International Sales Manager Suite K5 &K6 The Priory +44-1444-416917 Syresham Gardens Fax: +44-1444-458185 Haywards Heath, RH16 3LB United Kingdom lc@railjournal.co.uk

Italy and Italian-speaking Switzerland Dr. Fabio Potesta Media Point & Communications SRL Corte Lambruschini Corso Buenos Aires 8 +39-10-570-4948 V Piano, Int 9 Fax: +39-10-553-0088 16129 Genoa, Italy info@mediapointsrl.it

Julie Richardson International Sales Manager Suite K5 &K6 The Priory +44-1444-416368 Syresham Gardens Fax: +44-1444-458185 Haywards Heath, RH16 3LB United Kingdom jr@railjournal.co.uk

Japan Katsuhiro Ishii Ace Media Service, Inc. 12-6 4-Chome, +81-3-5691-3335 Nishiiko, Adachi-Ku Fax: +81-3-5691-3336 Tokyo 121-0824, Japan amskatsu@dream.com Classified, Professional & Employment Jeanine Acquart (212) 620-7211 55 Broad St., 26th Fl. Fax: (212) 633-1325 New York, NY 10014 jacquart@sbpub.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 45

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT

Professional Directory

TAKE A LOOK AT QUALITY Kenworths, DMF Gear, Moley Magnets & Serco Loaders

Grapple Trucks

LEASE or Rotary Dumps

BUY

Tunnel Trucks

Custom Build New or Used Chassies Also: Hirail Boom Dump Trucks NOW a Hirail Mechanics Trucks SERCO Crew Cabs DEALER Hytracker for moving equipment Hudson Ballast Cars DMF & Harsco parts, service and installation

Products and services

RAILROAD SERVICES

Est. 1910

Ph: 315-455-0100 • Fax: 315-455-6008 • Syracuse, NY • www.franktartaglia.com

REESE

Hi-Rail trucks engineered for your applications with nationwide deliveries and warranties...

WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU?

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

Grapple Trucks Magnets & Self Propelled

K. W. Reese, Inc.

Box 298 • Mercersburg, PA 17236

(717) 328-5211 •

fax

(717) 328-9541 • www.kwreese.com

5 Time NRC SafeTy awaRd wiNNeR

Section Trucks Telescoping & Articulating Cranes

ALSO AVAILABLE

GLOBAL RAIL TENDERS

Hi-Rail Pickup Trucks Hi-Rail Mechanics Trucks Hi-Rail Aerial Devices Hi-Rail Welder Trucks

and many more truck configurations...

Track Maintenance Trucks

877-888-9370

Turning Opportunities into New Business

Get up-to-the-minute business intelligence by subscribing to GlobalRailTenders.com Powered by

46 Railway Track & Structures

September 2016

ASPENEQUIPMENT.COM/RAIL

RailwayAge.com

RT&S2013revAd.indd 1

2/12/13 2:57 PM

The News Destination for the Rail Industry www.rtands.com

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT

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

PARTS • SALES • SERVICE

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

NEW & USED Grapple Trucks, Roto Dumps, Mechanics Trucks and Pickups.

WE ALSO RENT! Call Rob Wiskerchen at 715-897-2619 Toll Free: 888-405-0110 e-mail: rob@wisktrucks.com • www.wisktrucks.com

Available for Lease 3000 cu ft Covered Hopper Cars 4650 cu ft Covered Hopper Cars 3600 cu ft Open Top Hopper Cars 100 ton Automated/Manual Ballast Cars 4480 cu ft Aluminum Rotary Open Top Gons 65 ft, 100-ton log spine cars equipped with six (6) log bunks Contact: Tom Monroe: 415-616-3472 Email: tmonroe@atel.com

RAILWAY EQUIPMENT SERVICES, INC. www.railwayequipmentservices.net MOW Equipment – Lease & Sale Track Surfacing – Tamp & Reg Brushcutting – Dual side Kershaw Specialized Hauling – Low Boys with Rail 318-995-7006 or 318-469-7133 “A full service company with over 20 yrs exp!”

www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2016 47

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT

Authorized Harsco Remanufacturer For Sale

Remanufactured Harsco 6700 SJ2 Switch Production Tampers Equipped with the latest technology, considerably less expensive than new, and full one year warranty. Customer satisfaction guaranteed.

Have an old, worn out 6700 Tamper? We have your solution.

Call 620-485-4277 or visit precisionrwy.com for more details.

Want to see some of our work? Scan the QR Code for our YouTube channel.

Remanufactured 6700 sales

On-site training

MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF RAILROAD EQUIPMENT

Equipment leasing

Trade ins accepted

MOW Integrated Carbide Tools 6700 Tamping Tool JK-635

MKIV Tamping Tool JK-215L/R

JOHN GALLO

Replace worn components with Harsco Rail’s complete line of integrated carbide tools.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER 402-990-9385 JOHNG@OMAHATRACK.COM

• Class 1 product approval

• Genuine OEM parts

To order, call: 1-800-800-6410 Email: railparts@harsco.com

Marketplace SaleS

contact: Jeanine acquart ph: 212/620-7211 • Fax: 212/633-1165 email: jacquart@sbpub.com

48 Railway Track & Structures

September 2016

All MAjor Credit CArds ACCepted

www.rtands.com