RT&S August 2017

August 2017 | www.rtands.com

Ballast maintenance

beyond Rocks

PLUS Engineering Wish List Carriage welding and also AREMA News p.32

Contents August 2017

News

Features

13

Industry Today 4 Supplier News 8 People

M/W equipment trends Our annual survey of engineering departments reveals the top must-haves in equipment. Spoiler alert: safety is still the top requirement.

Columns

26

16

Ballast maintenance Customer feedback is helping propel the next wave of ballast maintenance machines.

26

Welding street track SEPTA evaluates the use of carriage welding to help the agency maintain its broad track design.

herzog railroad services, Inc.

4

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

16 Departments 10 TTCI R&D 32 Arema News 39 Products 40 Calendar

SEPTA

41 Advertisers Index

3

On Track Financing needs innovation too

NRC Chairman’s Column Contractors to the rescue

9

Loram’s SBC2400 series Shoulder Ballast Cleaner.

Story on page 16

41 Sales Representatives 42 Classified Advertising 44 Professional Directory

LIKE US on Facebook

www.rtands.com

amtrak

FOLLOW US on Twitter

13

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 1

On Track

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Vol. 113, No. 8 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 Maggie Lancaster/Assistant Editor, mlancaster@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

Railway Track & Structures (Print ISSN 0033-9016, Digital ISSN 2160-2514), (USPS 860-560), (Canada Post Cust. #7204564; Agreement #40612608; IMEX P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Canada) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publ.

Corp, 55 Broad St. 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004.

Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices.

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

Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only.

COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2017. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact: PARS International Corp., 102 W 38th St., 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10018 Phone (212) 221-9595 Fax (212) 221-9195.

For subscriptions and address changes, Please call (800) 895-4389, (402) 346-4740, Fax (402) 346-3670, e-mail rtands@omeda.com or write to: Railway Track & Structures, Simmons-Boardman Publ.

Corp, P.O. Box 3135, Northbrook, IL 60062-3135.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Railway Track & Structures, P.O. Box 3135, Northbrook, IL 60062-3135.

www.rtands.com

Financing needs innovation too

I

t is well known that the current administration believes cutting regulatory red tape will help stimulate infrastructure investment. That concept seemed dangerously close to reaching a very loose standard when Elon Musk tweeted that he “just received verbal govt approval for The Boring Company to build an underground NY-Phil-Balt-DC Hyperloop. NY-DC in 29 mins.” on July 20. Various news outlets reported that the White House confirmed conversations with Musk had occurred and they were promising, but said nothing more.

Should it come to fruition, the New York to D.C. Hyperloop would be a melding of two of Musk’s innovative ideas: Hyperloop, a concept to move goods and people at supersonic speeds within a tube and The Boring Company, which claims to have developed a new boring technology that can dig tunnels faster and cheaper.

Musk followed up his original tweet with two more that explained the East Coast Hyperloop tunnel is far from a done deal: “Still a lot of work needed to receive formal approval, but am optimistic that will occur rapidly” “If you want this to happen fast, please let your local & federal elected representatives know. Makes a big difference if they hear from you.”

Musk is a first-thinker. The man wants to colonize Mars and truly believes it can be done. He’s spent the past 11 years making electric cars more accessible to consumers and, important to the above, the concept of the Hyperloop is being embraced and explored by various stakeholders not connected to Musk. There are a handful of private companies that are pursuing the development of Hyperloops around the world. One of them, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Inc. (HTT), has agreed to collaborate with Deutsche Bahn to create an “Innovation Train.”

The Innovation Train would be a con-

ventional train using new technologies under development by HTT to increase efficiency and bring a modern digital presence to today’s train transportation.

Additionally, there is also some momentum behind The Boring Company’s tunneling concept, with major urban hubs such as Los Angeles and Chicago expressing interest in using the technology.

The Boring Company technology is said to be able to tunnel for one-tenth the cost of traditional methods. A project with $10 million in tunneling costs could, in theory, get a tunnel dug for $1 million.

I can’t decide if I love or hate this idea. While one wants to embrace a new, promising concept, there are a fair amount of questions with something that isn’t just out of the box, but on an entirely different plane.

There is a competing, or perhaps complementary idea, for northeast transportation issues: the Northeast Corridor (NEC) FUTURE program. The Federal Railroad Administration issued its Record of Decision (ROD) on the program in mid July, which details a long-term vision for the corridor to improve and grow passenger rail service at a cost between $121 billion and $153 billion. The ROD lays out many recommendations to improve service along the NEC that local municipalities can use in future project planning, but makes no recommendation on funding the improvements.

Musk’s northeast Hyperloop completely disregards legacy infrastructure, while the NEC FUTURE program requires a lot of capital to enhance that legacy infrastructure. Perhaps what is really needed is an Elon-Musk-style thinker who can develop a way to finance these needed improvements.

Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 3

INDUSTRY TODAY Shortline update: Hudson Bay Railway; NCDOT, Progressive Rail; FEC and VIP Rail acquisitions, 45G OmniTRAX is developing a 60-day plan to return the northern portion of the Hudson Bay Railway (HBR) to service following floods that caused significant damage to the line in May. HBR has been unable to operate between Amery and Churchill, Manitoba, since May 23 when high water made the track impassable. OmniTRAX, which owns HBR, has been working with AECOM Canada to fully assess the damage and institute an action plan to return the segment to service. However, the shortline company does not sugar coat that the estimated price tag to do so is difficult to justify as the line has not been commercially viable.

Peter Touesnard, ‎chief commercial officer at OmniTRAX, explained that spending between CA$20 million (US$16 million) and CA$60 million (US$48.3 million) to repair and restore the line is not economically viable, but the company recognizes the line is important to the community.

“We want to be supportive, we recognize the importance [of the line], but we simply do not have the money,” said Touesnard. “We’re still here and ready to help in every reasonable way we can. We are committed to working through this process with the community and all levels of government.”

The 200-year flood event resulted in 31 washouts, which includes nine culverts with washout damage, 13 bridges and 68 culverts in need of major repairs. Additionally, AECOM and OmniTRAX still need to assess three more bridges and piers at another three bridges to determine work that will be needed, as well as geotechnical inspections at several unstable locations.

AECOM and OmniTRAX plan to begin the work on the south end of the line and work north, but point out there are several challenges to the project including no access, no housing for workers and no supplies along the work route.

The plan is to release contracts to bid by Aug. 1 with mobilization and construction to occur by the end of August. Work would commence through September and October with Om-

4 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

niTRAX also trying to incorporate suspended annual maintenance into its restoration plans.

In other news concerning North American shortlines, Progressive Rail, Inc., was selected to operate a 14-mile corridor between Gastonia and Mt. Holly, N.C., by the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Rail Division. The route will preserve rail service along a portion of the 137-mile Piedmont & Northern Railway corridor.

Progressive Rail was selected to operate the line following a competitive bid process. Per the agreement with NCDOT, Progressive Rail is investing $800,000 in the development of new industrial access along the corridor, in addition to marketing its rail services. The lease to operate is for a period of 10 years with three renewable terms of five years.

In shortline acquisition news, Grupo México, S.A.B. de C.V. completed the acquisition of Florida East Coast Holdings Corp. through its Transportation Business Unit Grupo México Transportes, S.A. de C.V. (GMXT). As previously reported, the US$2-billion acquisition positions GMXT as a relevant player in the North American transport business, together with its current operations in Mexico and the state of Texas.

Additionally, Alpenglow Rail LLC acquired its first shortline rail business with the purchase of VIP Rail LLC, based in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

Finally, the Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy (BRACE) Act, legislation that would permanently extend the shortline maintenance tax credit, also known as 45G, has reached a majority level of support in both houses of Congress. The legislation was introduced in March 2017 and has achieved 226 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives (H.R. 721) and 51 co-sponsors in the Senate (S. 407).

According to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, the tax credit has enabled shortline and regional railroads to invest $4 billion in infrastructure since its introduction in 2005.

www.rtands.com

INDUSTRY TODAY First trains roll through 1.4-mile San Gabriel Trench A multi-year project to build a 1.4-mile trench in San Gabriel, Calif., to separate freight and passenger train traffic from vehicle traffic, welcomed its first train on July 24. The trench will reduce congestion, improve rail reliability, eliminate noise and enhance safety.

While full train service from Union Pacific and Amtrak has yet to begin, the trench’s inaugural train signals the nearing completion of a five-year project that sought to mitigate the impact of rail line traffic on the community.

The trench is billed as one of the largest construction projects the city has undertaken at $312.8 million. The 30-foot deep, 65-foot wide trench required the Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority (ACE) to excavate more than 500,000 cubic yards of soil and use more than 33,000 dump trucks and 6,500 concrete trucks to complete the project.

The purpose of the trench was to relocated rail traffic at four busy intersections. With railway tracks relocated below-grade in the

www.rtands.com

trench, construction crews also constructed four bridges at Ramona Street, Mission Road, Del Mar Avenue and San Gabriel Boulevard to ensure a constant flow of motorists and pedestrians over railway traffic.

The final step in completing the trench is for Union Pacific officials to install new mainline tracks inside the trench. Work on the mainline track was originally scheduled to begin earlier this year, though severe rainfall and weather conditions in the state forced Union Pacific to refocus their work elsewhere to address service interruptions to their rail network.

Once completed, the city of San Gabriel says the new trench will reduce congestion at four crossings by nearly 90,000 motorists, improve rail reliability for an average of 18 trains per day, eliminate noise caused by locomotive horns and crossing bells and reduce pollution caused by idling cars and trucks. More importantly, the new trench will also improve safety by eliminating delays for emergency responders at railway crossing points.

Supplier News AECOM is set to acquire Shimmick Construction; the companies expect to close in AECOM’s fiscal fourth quarter.

The Rail Division of

Custom Truck & Equipment

is expanding its offerings to the Railroad Maintenance of Way marketplace.

Hitachi Ansaldo Baltimore Rail Partners, LLC, has been awarded a contract from Maryland Transit Administration to provide a

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 5

INDUSTRY TODAY FRA issues Gulf Coast passenger rail report; ROD on Northeast Corridor program A report submitted to Congress on July 17 says restored Gulf Coast Amtrak service would expand travel markets; improve access to jobs, education and healthcare; reduce vehicular congestion and provide support for disaster and emergency response during coastal storm events.

The Gulf Coast Working Group (GCWG) report identifies two routes as preferred options and includes the restoration of service between New Orleans, La., and Orlando, Fla., via longdistance train for one daily round trip, and New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., via state-supported train for one daily round trip.

The GCWG is chaired by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and consists of members from the Southern Rail Commission (SRC), CSX, Amtrak, state departments of transportation and various other local stakeholders.

The report estimates that a total of $112.6 million in track and station improvements, in addition to $5 million in project planning, would be required to support ongoing service on the two preferred routes. The report notes that Positive Train Control estimates and needs have not been determined along the entire route, which could significantly increase the restoration costs.

The reports states the improvements recommended to be made include additional yard bypass tracks, improvements to passing sidings, the addition of higher speed turnouts to existing siding tracks and upgrades to miter rails on moveable bridges.

6 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

FRA also issued a Record of Decision on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) FUTURE program that details a long-term vision for the corridor to improve and grow passenger rail service at a cost between $121 billion and $153 billion.

FRA says that NEC FUTURE is a “comprehensive planning effort to identify ways to improve the reliability, capacity, connectivity, performance and resiliency of passenger rail service throughout the Northeast Corridor through 2040 and beyond.”

Developed in concert with NEC states, local communities and railroads and with significant input from the public, the NEC FUTURE ROD lays out a menu of potential ways to improve passenger rail service by increasing service, improving travel times between key city centers, expanding the NEC to a four- to six-track integrated rail network, adding more track capacity in key areas and studying the potential of passenger service along the Connecticut and Rhode Island shoreline.

“Given the high cost projections of the recommendations in the NEC ROD and the reality of state budgets, the completion of the Tier 1 study will enable states to better prioritize which projects to pursue,” said FRA Deputy Administrator Heath Hall. “Through this effort, localities will have a clearer picture of how their projects will fit in with the rest of the Northeast corridor.”

www.rtands.com

INDUSTRY TODAY Caltrain breaks ground on long-awaited electrification project Following years of planning and recent federal funding uncertainty, Caltrain broke ground on Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project July 21.

The project will electrify the Caltrain corridor between San Francisco and San Jose and will equip the corridor with high-performance electric trains that will deliver faster, more frequent service to help the system accommodate rapidly increasing ridership demand.

Caltrain says the groundbreaking celebration marks a long-awaited milestone toward a future when a modernized Caltrain connects communities with state-of-the-art transit service that reduces travel time, increases capacity and helps relieve congestion Highway 101.

The agency says the project will also reduce noise generated by Caltrain, improve local air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create thousands of jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the country.

Electrification is a long-awaited project that has been a goal for the system since 1999. In 2012, local, regional and state fund-

www.rtands.com

ing partners agreed to commit resources that were used to match a $647 million Federal Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) that was issued by the Federal Transit Administration in April 2017.

An FFGA was recommended in January 2017 following a full assessment of the project’s merits. However, the decision was delayed by the Trump Administration while the 2018 budget recommendations were being developed. Because of the delay in securing the FFGA, Caltrain struck an agreement with its contractors to extend the deadline from March 1 to June 30 for the contractors to begin construction on the project. At the time of the negotiated extension, Caltrain said the additional time would likely require the utilization of up to $20 million in project contingency that otherwise would have been available for construction-related expenses in the future.

Construction will take place throughout the Caltrain corridor and the electrification project is expected to be completed in 2021.

Supplier News Communication Based Train Control system for the Baltimore Metro Subway Link.

Kiewit was unanimously voted as the construction manager at-risk for the South Central Light Rail Extension by the Valley Metro Rail Board.

Louis Berger and Egis joined in an exclusive partnership “to meet the project development and delivery needs for mass transit, rail and freight owners and operators in North America.”

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 7

PEOPLE Aldon Company, Inc. , appointed Deborah M. Hall as vice president – customer service and administration.

ALLEARTH Rail, LLc , of Vermont has named veteran railroad executive Charlie Moore as president.

Stephen Hoye has been appointed vice president of Anacostia Rail Holdings ’s Pacific Harbor Line subsidiary. The company also welcomed James R. Zubik as vice president of finance and administration.

Ronald L. Batory, who recently retired as president and chief operating officer of Conrail has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next Federal Railroad Administrator.

Danny Brown has been chosen to be the new senior director of maintenance of way for Custom Truck& Equipment‘s Rail Division as it enters the Railroad Maintenance of Way marketplace.

Genesee & Wyoming Australia Pty Ltd announced that Luke C. Anderson has been appointed as chief executive officer.

Gay M. Knipper joined HNTB as senior program manager and vice president, specializing in program and construction management.

Kansas City Southern named Ginger Adamiak as vice president, sales and marketing for the energy and shortline relations business unit, and Darin Selby as vice president intermodal operations.

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) Board of Commissioners has selected Jeffrey H. Lynford, the senior New York commissioner, to be the PANYNJ’s new vice chairman.

The Short Line Safety Institute has selected Thomas Murta as its executive director.

James R. Push, chief transportation engineer, James LeVan, senior transportation engineer and Dean Smith, senior structural engineer, have joined Quandel Consultants.

Mary Modelski joined Valley Metro as an internal auditor. The public transit agency also added Paula Novacek as controller.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao appointed David Horner and Steve McMillin to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors.

WSP USA named Stephen Bonina as vice president and Eastern Region fleet manager for WSP’s Transit & Rail Technical Excellence Center. Kevin Cox rejoined the company as a vice president providing management and technical support for transit and rail projects throughout the U.S. Other additions to the company include: Mel Sears as its Northwest Pacific district manager and Seattle office area manager, Luis Porrello as senior vice president and business development director for the company’s West region and John Fisher as the district manager of Northern California.

8 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

www.rtands.com

NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN

Contractors to the rescue

The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association, Inc. 410 1st Street, S.E. Suite 200 Washington D. C. 20003 Tel: 202-715-2920 Fax: 202-318-0867 www.nrcma.org info@nrcma.org

www.rtands.com

In the world of rail transit, train delays, derailments, tracks taken out of service for emergency repairs and commuter reroutement to busses and ferries seem to be increasing themes in the news. Deferred maintenance over the years, due to lack of track time and a shortfall of funding, has started to catch up to some agencies. Some of the largest and most prominent rail transit agencies in the country are having problems performing the amount of work necessary to keep the track in a state of good repair.

These organizations have taken more aggressive actions recently to upgrade the worst track in their system, implementing extended shutdowns of track segments to allow for these upgrades. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for example performed a program called “Safe Track” where they completed three years of maintenance work in one year. WMATA either removed entire line segments from service or performed continuous single tracking. Line segment shutdowns ranged from seven days to 31 days and single track outages ranged from seven days to 42 days.

A similar project is being performed at Amtrak’s Penn Station in New York, shutting down a section of track for an extended period of time to allow for complete renovation. Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit trains are all being affected. It has been referred to as the “Summer of Hell,” because of how difficult it has become to commute in and out of the city due to this shutdown.

These examples demonstrate the need for more infrastructure funding for maintenance and rehab of rapidly deteriorating infrastructure and for capacity expansion projects to give people more travel options. Transportation is the life line of our economy; it is not an optional investment,and it is beyond dispute that the country has been underinvesting. There also needs to be progressive thinking on ways to stretch existing funding further, limit costs and long-term liabilities and improve efficiency, reliability and safety. This is where the railroad contracting industry comes in.

Railroad construction and maintenanceof-way contractors bring tremendous resources, ingenuity, efficiencies and experience to the table. When an agency has

capital projects that need to be completed, they can put the work out to competitive bid and bring in a contractor. There is a robust market waiting for these bid opportunities, resulting positively for the agency.

Agencies can have projects completed for the lowest fixed cost possible, in a fixed time frame. This pushes a lot of the risk and liability away from the agency and on to the contractor. Agencies can hold contractors to specific outages, requiring work be completeled during specific times of day and days of the week; if the work isn’t completed in time, liquidated damages can be assessed.

The agency will not have to hire permanent employees and acquire the equipment necessary to perform the work.

There will be no need to maintain jobs for these employees after the project is complete. There is no pension liability and no job training cost. There is also no need to maintain the fleet of equipment after the job is over.

NRC member companies are ready and eagerly awaiting to serve the transit agencies in any way we can. We have a strong presence in Washington, D.C,. to promote the railroad and rail transit industries. We continuously support increased funding of infrastructure and promote beneficial rail construction regulation and policy.

Registration is now open for the 2018 NRC Conference and Exhibition!

Visit www.nrcma.org/2018conference for registration information. It is the rail construction and maintenance industry’s premiere event. The 2018 NRC Conference and Exhibition will be held in Los Angeles, Calif., from January 10-13, 2018. It is shaping up to be another great show. The outstanding line up of speakers and unique program will definitely impress as always – with repeat attendance well north of 90 percent, we’re pretty sure we’re doing something right! If you’ve been before, we’re looking to seeing you again. If you haven’t, it’s never too late to start! Conference registration, exhibit booths and hotel room block are open now.

Finally, I wish everyone a safe and successful month.

by Chris Daloisio, NRC Chairman

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 9

TTCI R&D Phased array ultrasonics shows potential for advancing rail inspection

by Matthew Witte, Ph.D., scientist, Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

T

he railroad industry relies on periodic ultrasonic inspection (UT) to detect inter nal flaws in rails so they may be removed before they cause a rail to break. Although rail inspection has dramatically improved in recent years, some defects remain undiscovered during the inspection.

Inherent shortcomings with the conventional ultrasonic inspection methods contribute to missed defects. Worn rail can misdirect the inspection beams and the presence of surface defects, such as spalling and shelling, can occlude the ultrasonic inspection signal. These challenges are difficult to overcome with conventional UT inspection. Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), under the Association of American Railroads (AAR) Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI) Program, has researched and developed a phased array ultrasound technology (PAUT) system that can effectively overcome these shortcomings. This prototype has demonstrated the potential for higher inspection efficiency and detection performance relative to the existing ultrasonic inspection approaches. The TTCI PAUT system is capable of detecting and characterizing transverse defects under shells, defects in welds and bolt hole cracks at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. This article addresses implementation features of the technology.

The TTCI prototype was designed for two primar y objectives: to improve defect detection capability (both in terms of fewer missed critical defects and reduction of false alarms) and to improve the process efficiency of rail inspection. The design objectives included a continuous forward inspection speed of 20 mph, less reliance on operator input, keeping the cost reasonable and maintaining a nearterm implementation horizon.

The final result is the TTCI phased array prototype system that is based off of hardware technology available now and software that is available on a royalty-free, nonexclusive basis for North America. The TTCI system employs 10 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

TTCI addresses the implementation of phased array ultrasound technology used to detect internal flaws in rail. both matrix phased array and linear phased array probes arranged in a single roller search unit (RSU). The probes are optimally placed to scan the entire railhead and web section.

The prototype uses the phased array capability to steer and focus the inspection beam to compensate dynamically for profile wear. This is accomplished autonomously without operator input. To improve inspection efficiency, the prototype operates in two independent inspection modes: high speed mode and high resolution mode. The high speed inspection mode mimics conventional ultrasonic inspection by continuously inspecting the rail length at discrete angles.

A series of 28 angles scan the head and web at 1/4-inch intervals along the length of the rail. The high resolution mode replaces manual hand scanning for defect verification.

This obviates the need for the operator to climb down to the track level and use hand held instruments to validate defects. In the high resolution mode, the operator stops the truck over the defect and invokes a mode that scans through a range of angles. These sector scans provide a very detailed

Figure 1: Probe configuration.

www.rtands.com

TTCI R&D

Figure 2: Approximate beam steering coverage from the three MPA probes.

picture of the rail condition at that location. The dual mode operation should substantially reduce the time it takes to validate defects and, thus, improve the overall inspection efficiency. The outcome is improved rail inspection in terms of track time and detection performance.

TTCI optimized the design and placement of the phased array probes for the rail inspection application using advanced modeling techniques. The models showed that a 55- to 60-degree incidence angle was best for detecting transverse defects with phased array. Element count, size and spacing for the matrix phased array (MPA) probes were selected to achieve this level of steering capability while maintaining an element count compatible with commercially available instruments. The matrix phased array probes have 125 active elements each, situated in five rows of 25 elements. The probe configuration is shown in Figure 1.

The linear phased array probe (LPA) can look straight down across the entire head and into the bottom of the rail through the web. It consists of a single line of 64 active elements that span the width of the railhead. Steering and focusing with the LPA happens only in the direction across the width of the railhead. The LPA can inspect slices across the width of the rail, meaning it can detect horizontal split head, vertical split head, shelling and web defects. It will not reliably find transverse defects (TDs) because the LPA can only see them from their on-edge direction where very little reflection is likely.

The MPA probes can steer in any direction: either across the railhead, along the length of the rail or in combinations of both. As a consequence, they can detect defects in any orientation within the railhead. The MPA probes have the ability to inspect at angles up to 60 degrees longitudinally, which makes them ideal to detect TDs in the head. Because it is located on the rail centerline, the center MPA can also see to the bottom of the web. This makes it ideal for detecting bolt hole cracks that are located on the upper www.rtands.com

sector of bolt holes (between the 7:00 and 5:00 positions).

Small bolt hole cracks located on the bottom of the bolt hole will likely not be detectable because the hole itself shadows the defect.

Figure 2 shows the approximate coverage by the MPA probes within the railhead. The transverse LPA probe provides coverage in the white areas where the MPAs cannot, but only on the transverse plane. This means that TDs that initiate in the upper field and gauge corners will not be detectable until they grow large enough to be detected by the MPA probe. The largest TD that could be missed in this area of the railhead is around three percent.

MPA probes have beam steering capabilities to the gauge and field side that can be used to compensate for various rail wear conditions. The range of the custom 5Ă—25 probe is Âą60 degrees along the long axis of the rail and Âą20 degrees side-to-side within the railhead. This is how the overlapping inspection zones shown in Figure 2 are created. With worn rail, the steering capability is reduced because some of the range is used up in overcoming the increased refraction at the worn rail surface.

Figure 3 shows the uncorrected beam on the left and the corrected beam on the right for a nominally worn rail profile.

The target volume of rail material, indicated by the blue dot, can be reached.

In order for this correction to be applied without operator input, the system must determine the corrected focal laws in real time. TTCI has developed an automated method to detect rail wear by measuring the water path distance from the probe to the surface of the rail with every firing of the probes. The water path distance describes the angle of the rail surface. The angle at the rail surface is the critical factor for correcting the beam direction. A series of pre-determined focal laws are stored in memor y according to the corresponding wear angle. The processor determines the wear angle from the previous probe firing and selects the appropriate set of focal laws for the upcoming firing. This completely relieves the operator from needing to correct for rail wear. Aim is maintained autonomously and the intended target volume is inspected every time. The result is higher confidence of detection with less input required from the operator. The TTCI phased array rail inspection system should move the industry a step closer to eliminating broken rails in service.

Figure 3: The MPA beam compensated for a worn rail profile can still hit the target.

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 11

Safety continues to be the top m/w machinery requirement, but versatility, productivity and reliability are needed, as well.

norfolk southern

compiled by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

2017 m/w equipment

trends

M

aintenance equipment used by an Engineering Department plays a key role in a railroad’s safety and productivity goals. RT&S surveyed the Engineering Depar tments from Nor th America’s Class 1 railroads and their answers illustrate what those departments need and expect out of their machinery and what they would like to see in future equipment.

A few of the Class 1s are in transition periods and this year’s survey is notable for the number of railroads that kept their cards close to their chests.

For those railroads that did respond, safety followed by reliability and productivity are the top requirements of their equipment. Railroads are also looking for products with the ability to offer interchangeable parts between machines, as well as expanding the capabilities of existing equipment.

RT&S thanks those railroads that participated in this survey.

1.

Equipment features

Railway Track & Str uctures: Regarding m/w equipment, what www.rtands.com

are key elements you require? For example, is it safety, reliability, speed of operation, ease of getting on and off track, ease of maintenance, cost, productivity or something else?

Kansas City Southern: KCS builds maintenance-of-way equipment with two core concepts in mind - safety and reliability. Most recently, KCS is rebuilding more of its machines to minimize maintenance costs.

Norfolk Southern: Safety, reliability, productivity, vendor support and overall value.

2.

Most important

RT&S: What is the most important single feature, after safety, for you and your railroad? Why? KCS: After safety, the priorities are productivity, maintaining track speed and shorter work windows.

NS: With the current railway operating environment requiring efficient utilization of track maintenance windows and maximizing the capability of a tight workforce, reliability and productivity are essential qualities of our equipment.

3.

New features

RT&S: In today’s market, what new features in m/w machinery have the most appeal to you?

KCS: The most appealing advances are collision avoidance and self-diagnostics.

NS: Equipment that brings us to the “next generation” and improves our safety and efficiency with regards to any of the remaining largely manual processes, such as tie plate handling and bridge tie replacement. Other attractive opportunities involve expanding existing equipment capabilities, such as adding track geometry measurement to tampers or other machines that move across the system.

4.

Ideal machine

RT&S: If you could write the specs for an ideal m/w machine, what features would you include?

KCS: Ideal machine specs would include ease of maintenance and cost reduction through multiple parts being interchangeable between machines. Newer models seem to be going in this direction.

NS: The ideal machine would eliminate Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 13

engineering trends 2017 all employee safety exposures, analyze track conditions, make track repairs only where required and self-diagnose as problems arise – all of this, while operating in an autonomous highly productive manner.

5.

Beneficial machines

RT&S: Looking at recent purchases, what big-ticket piece of equipment has offered the most benefit to your railroad? What about among lower-priced equipment?

KCS: Track surfacing equipment is one of the greatest benefits. KCS established an equipment rebuild program a couple of years ago and found great benefit in working with manufacturers to provide the rebuild kits for spike pullers, spikers and TRIPP machines.

NS: Continuous rail testing equipment is making a significant contribution to the health of our system. It provides for greater testing frequencies while more

efficiently utilizing available track windows during the actual testing process and improving the efficiency of our track repair workforce and correcting any defects. The most beneficial lowerpriced equipment continues to be the hydraulic- or gas-powered hand tools.

6.

Solutions oriented

RT&S: What m/w issue do you spend the most time trying to solve: track time, productivity, etc.? What kind of machine or features would you like to see from suppliers to help alleviate the problem?

KCS: Parts availability to maintain machines is a consistent issue. More available parts inventory to maintain machine efficiency would be useful.

NS: Much of our efforts are focused on improving workforce productivity to better utilize available track time. It may come in the simple form of outage coordination with other operating

departments, improved material distribution/reclamation, work processes or equipment advancements.

7.

Data utilization

RT&S: With the progress made harnessing data analytics, is there a machine, software or service that you would like to see that would allow you to better use all the raw data gathered during inspections?

KCS: Surfacing machine track mapping and geometry recording would be useful.

8.

Supplier interaction

RT&S: When you meet with suppliers, what are you telling them about your m/w machinery needs?

Do you find suppliers responsive to your requests?

KCS: Parts availability continues to be an issue with newer- and older-style

engineering trends 2017 machines. Suppliers have done a good job providing rebuilding kits to support KCS’ rebuild effort.

NS: Machinery addressing manual tie plate handling has the greatest opportunity to impact our capital program work.

Several suppliers are working in this area, but none have achieved clear success with demonstrated productivity and elimination of the labor-intensive processes with the associated employee exposures.

RT&S: Checking trends, would you say today’s equipment is getting safer, more reliable, more productive, or other qualities? On the negative side, what trends are out there, such as too costly, too complicated, etc.?

KCS: On the positive side, machines are more productive and troubleshooting with technology is an added benefit. On the negative side, machines are getting bigger and more costly, which

Kansas City southern

9.

Trending in 2017

makes mobilization more difficult.

NS: Without a doubt, today’s equipment is safer. Most manufacturers are focusing on reliability as well as produc-

tivity, which often requires the application of higher technology, which may have a shorter production life and increased cost.

The BTE-325 Hi-Rail Excavator

BEYOND BALLAST SEMI-ANNUAL BALLAST MAINTENANCE UPDATE: SUPPLIERS ROUND UP THEIR TOP OFFERINGS FOR CLEANING, CLEARING AND UNDERCUTTING.

by Maggie Lancaster, assistant editor

S

uppliers are consistently utilizing customer feedback to improve design and build machines for better ballast maintenance. With ease of use and efficiency in the forefront, these suppliers rounded up the best for ballast.

Ballast Tools Equipment

Ballast Tools Equipment (BTE) recently introduced the BTE-325 Hi-Rail Excavator.

BTE uses a Programmable Logic Control [ML1] ( P L C ) s y s t e m t h at a l l ow s t h e B T E - 3 2 5 H i - R a i l Excavator to automatically recognize if the attachment is a tamper, undercutter, magnet, tie handler or a range of other BTE attachments. The BTE-325 Hi-Rail Excavator allows customers to perform spot ballast tasks or larger section work projects with one large-scale machine. The machine has a zero tail swing radius, allowing it to work in congested areas without impacting train traffic on adjacent tracks.

“Our customers are requesting increased productivity to hold costs down by using a large scale hi-rail excavator,” said Sales Engineer Matt Weyand. “This innovation brought increased power, flexibility and maneuverability to the large production ballast jobs of maintenance-of-way operations.” “ B T E r e c o g n i z e d t h at o u r c u s t o m e r s n e e d e d equipment with the same performance characteristics of BTI tools: high performance, low maintenance and above all, dependability,” said Weyand.

This realization led the company to develop a variety of on- and off-track railroad maintenance equipment. From large undercutters with up to an 18-foot cutting length to powerful tampers and tie handlers, BTE says it guarantees all of its machines are heavily engineered and field-tested to help ensure fast and smooth operation on-track.

16 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

Georgetown Rail Equipment Co.

Georgetown Rail Equipment Co. (GREX) recently expanded on its DumpTrain ® technology with the introduction of DumpTrain for Curves™. In addition to offering all the same benefits of the DumpTrain design, DumpTrain for Cur ves will also allow operators to unload ballast in up to 27-degree curvature. DumpTrain for Cur ves also permits customers to create custom sized DumpTrains to suit the specific needs of individual projects. The company says customers can further extend the efficiency and effectiveness of ballast by utilizing GREX’s technology on portions of their railroads that were not easily accessible with previous technologies.

GREX is also working on enhancements to its GateSync ® product. With more than 2,000 cars in service, GREX says GateSync has successfully enabled customer s to conver t their manual ballast car s to a u t o m at e d u n l o a d i n g s o l u t i o n s. W i t h G at e S y n c , customers can use push buttons, wireless remotes or sur vey-based unloading that eliminates the need for wo r k e r s o n t h e g r o u n d . T h e n e we s t ve r s i o n o f GateSync allows for longer train lengths, includes a more sophisticated communications network and boasts additional software features that enable easy train formation and startup.

GREX also offers customers the ability to convert their existing side dump car s from pneumatic to hydraulic operation through its HydraDump® solution.

GREX says the HydraDump enhances safety and performance by utilizing a more smooth and consistent motion of the car, improving the offload’s control. GREX says hydraulic systems such as HydraDump are also particularly beneficial during colder months. Where users might experience issues with frozen water vapor blocking www.rtands.com

ballast maintenance air lines in pneumatic systems, hydraulic systems such as HydraDump continue to operate without hesitation.

Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.

Since Herzog Railroad Services, Inc., unveiled the industry’s first Automated Conveyor Train (A.C.T.) in 2016, the company says it has remained diligent to stay ahead of the curve.

Herzog’s Vice President of Marketing Tim Francis says that the A.C.T. was engineered to railroad standards and designed with customer needs in mind. The A.C.T. is fully automated and operated from the cab of the discharge car that keeps the operator out of harm’s way and protected from the elements. Herzog says the train’s patented dump program allows for better control the flow of the material in order to maintain a continuous material stream.

The A.C.T.’s 32-car consist has the ability to unload material in a curve of up to 13 degrees and a super elevation of up to five inches. Each car has the capacity to carry 97 tons of material. The discharge car can distribute the material up to 50 feet from track center to either side of the machine and 15 feet in front of it. The conveyor train can handle a variety of materials within the same consist, including anything from sand to five-inch “B” stone.

The automated plow on the front of the A.C.T. can reach 24 inches past the rail when fully extended, which eliminates the need to push a tie to strike off the material.

“The machine’s ability to unload rock in an ‘S’ curve unquestionably sets it apart from the competition,” said

www.rtands.com

Francis. “The A.C.T. is the perfect machine to stockpile material for crossing work, siding extensions, new track construction, washout repair and much more.”

Knox Kershaw Inc.

Knox Kershaw Inc. is focusing its efforts on continual expansion of its product and service offerings. The company says its goals include improving the functionality and efficiency of its machines.

This year, the company is expanding its product line to include two new machines: KTR-450 and the KRC-70.

The KTR-450 is a small tie inserter and extractor designed for narrow access areas. The cab is fully enclosed and air-conditioned. Knox Kershaw says the cab can comfortably accommodate the operator, as well as passengers. The KTR-450’s cab features large windows for a clear work view. The machine is controlled by a joystick.

The KRC-70 is a 70-foot long, seven-section folding ramp, which Knox Kershaw says is ideally utilized for loading maintenance-of-way equipment onto a flat car. At just over five degrees when fully deployed, the distributed angle of the 70-foot ramp prevents center binding of longer wheel base machines.

“Knox Kershaw continues to expand its inventory this year, offering complete plow, wing and broom assemblies and spare parts for ballast regulators for fast delivery,” said President and CEO George Pugh. “Rebuilt components including complete engine assemblies, propel pumps,

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 17

ballast maintenance transmissions and differentials have also been added to our inventory to ensure short delivery timeframes and minimal down time for our customers.”

In addition to new products, Knox Kershaw has also updated its KDB 600 Double Broom.

“The KDB 600 Double Broom include robust brooms with 110-inch sweep widths and hydraulically-controlled deflector assemblies,” said Pugh. “It now also features the Knox Kershaw Inc. ‘clean roof ’ profile which shortens cab height for improved clearance and promotes safety by eliminating the need to maintain components on the roof.”

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc., says it continues to offer a range of services required to undertake any track rehabilitation project including undercutting, high-speed track lifting, shoulder ballast cleaning, ditching and spot undercutting, excavating and trenching.

“Our customers are facing new challenges today, which requires us to work in conjunction with them to develop new machine deployment methods,” said Loram’s Product Development Manager Ken Range. “For instance, railroads are including a shoulder ballast cleaner into a surfacing gang arrangement for consistent and increased productivity.

Coordinating ballast equipment with gangs has proven to exceed individual machine deployment production and reduce the overall cost for our customers.”

Since the introduction of Loram’s latest innovations,

18 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

the UC1200 undercutter cleaner and SBC2400 shoulder ballast cleaner, the company says it’s been working to further optimize the machines’ operation and production.

“The UC1200 undercutter continues to prove its abilities to consistently meet the highest production volumes,” said Range. “Recently, we’ve outfitted the UC1200 with automation and sensor improvements that allows the operator to maximize the undercutter’s capabilities by optimizing machine productivity based on conditions.”

As for the SBC2400, which Loram calls “the world’s most productive shoulder ballast cleaner,” Loram says that the machine’s average operating speed continues to increase.

These increased speeds have resulted in reduced unit costs and higher work volume completion.

Range concluded by saying that Loram’s ballast maintenance equipment is allowing railroads to accomplish preventative maintenance track rehabilitation programs, and that they are seeing reduced overall costs and increased traffic capabilities for their remediation investment.

Miner Enterprises Inc.

Miner Enterprises Inc. recently developed a stand-alone lighting system to aid in night ballasting. The system uses solar panels to store energy during daylight hours in order to power the LED work lights for a safer working environment at night.

Additionally, the company has improved the internal electronics of all the aggregate systems, including the Stand Alone System. The electric stand-alone AggreGate enables

www.rtands.com

ballast maintenance independent operation of the car from anywhere within a ballast train, eliminating the need for grouping manual and automatic cars. Miner says the “state-of-the-art electronics promises improved reliability, longevity and performance.”

Miner says it continues to simplify the application of the AggreGate Systems.

“We made these changes to help car builders and car shops streamline the applications and reduce labor costs,” said Christopher Gaydos, director of engineering.

In the past year, Miner supplied the Stand Alone Electic AggreGates for two separate car conversion programs, a Twin Cylinder AggreGate conversion, as well as manual AggreGate.

The company also continues to supply various models for other car conversions and ballast car upgrades. Miner’s ballast systems can be applied to new or existing cars.

Features included on the AggreGate include large guillotine door openings designed to stop ballast flow with minimum effort, easy to operate toggle-type linkage systems and tapered doors for easy ballast shutoff at switches, crossovers and bridges. The AggreGate can also effectively ballast inside, outside or on both sides of the rail simultaneously. The AggreGate allows the user to deposit ballast while remaining a safe distance from the activity.

AggreGate ballast discharge outlets are available in manual, air-operated, electric and remote-control models to meet several ballast unloading needs. AggreGates are engineered as a fabricated and completely assembled unit, which Gaydos says makes them easy to apply to new or

www.rtands.com

Plasser American says the RM2003 gives “the highest quality results under the toughest operating conditions.”

existing hopper cars.

“Miner works very closely with our customers to help understand all their ballasting needs,” said Gaydos. “We will

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 19

continue to provide safe, reliable and durable maintenance-ofway AggreGate ballasting systems.”

Montana Hydraulics

A little over a year ago, Montana Hydraulics received its first inquiry about an improved ballast tarping system.

“The primary interest in tarping ballast comes primarily from the desire to keep the rock dry and prevent it from freezing in the car,” said Montana Hydraulics Owner Della Ehlke. “Frozen ballast is not functional.”

The company made changes to its Bobcat Ballast Tarping system based on customer feedback. Ehlke says the changes made to the Bobcat Tarping System have made it a more cost-effective solution.

“The improvements we made have provided a far superior product in both effectiveness and safety than any other we know of,” said Ehlke.

Montana Hydraulics has also made some modifications to the Grizzly Side Dump Ballast Car to help ease and eliminate maintenance issues. Ehlke says the car continues to perform well, even in wintery, cold and damp environmental conditions.

The company is expecting to have more retrofits to the system in the field by 2018.

Finally, Montana Hydraulics offers a Center Mounted Bi-Directional Plow. Ehlke says that more than 180 cars are up-fitted with the plow. “Our plow is much safer than any other alternative we are aware of in ballast delivery plowing and so much more efficient and reliable,” said Ehlke.

Montana Hydraulics systems are built and produced in Montana.

Plasser American Corp.

Plasser American Corp. believes that the secret to lasting track quality is ballast maintenance, including ballast undercutting and cleaning, shoulder cleaning, subgrade renewal and ballast management.

The company offers a range of machines fit for ballast cleaning, including what the company considers “the workhorse” of its fleet of machines, the RM80. Ideal for undercutting and cleaning plain track and switches. Additional machines for the job include double screening units like the RM2003 and the RM802 High Speed Undercutter-Cleaner.

The company offers a variety of single and double shaker shoulder cleaners that utilize endless paddle-type excavation cutter chains. The machines are capable of adjusting their cutting width from 24 to 60 inches and the cutting angle may be adjusted to provide proper drainage.

In instances where the track quality cannot be maintained by normal ballast cleaning due to weak subgrade or continuous fouling from subgrade, Plasser American offers subgrade renewal machines that may be used to correct the problem.

These renewal machines remove the ballast and sub-ballast layers and replace them with a formation layer and layer of ballast in one pass. This can be done without removing the track, allowing for shorter track outages. Plasser offers several versions of this machine, such as the AHM 800 R Formation Rehabilitation Machine.

“The BDS100 and BDS200 Ballast Distribution System continues to be the ideal machine to accompany the high-speed 09-3X tampers or multiple tampers working together,” said Plasser American. “The machines are equipped with plows to profile the ballast, hopper and conveyors to distribute ballast as needed and double brooms to sweep up and store excess ballast 26 Railway Track & Structures 20

August March 2017 2017

www.rtands.com

ballast maintenance and for final track dressing.”

Plasser American’s PBR2005 Ballast Profiling machine has the ability to plow, profile and broom in one pass.

“The shoulder-plow design allows the machine to reach out and pull in ballast that might have been missed,” said Plasser American. The machine is also available with a double broom.

“The PBR2005DB is ideally suited to work behind twotie tampers where it can easily keep up with the tamper in a ‘one pass’ operation,” said the company.

RCE Equipment Solutions, Inc.

Previously known as Rail Construction Equipment, Co., RCE has undergone a recent rebranding. The company is now RCE Equipment Solutions, Inc., and has implemented a new name, company website and updated its corporate identity in efforts to reflect the company’s growth and diversification goals.

“For the past 15 years, we’ve focused primarily on rail maintenance equipment,” said Steve Benck, president and owner of RCE. “However, the past few years, we’ve had several customers request custom equipment design projects outside the rail market. Our skilled team of engineers and project managers created new products with ease, making the opportunity of expansion a natural transition.”

RCE Rail will continue to cater to the rail market.

RCE Equipment Solutions says the rail division has put more than 30 highly-specialized machines for rail

22 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

maintenance tasks into production.

For the past year, the RCE Equipment Solutions (RCE) Rail Division says it has been busy expanding its Railavator product line and undercutter bars to enhance the excavator undercutting process.

For high-rail excavators, RCE can now supply the Railavator in 75G, 85G, 135G, 245G, 250G and 350G excavators. RCE also supplies undercutter bars ranging from nine to 15 feet. RCE says the increase in available options allows customers to perform undercutting with all the RCE models of hi-rail or standard excavators.

RCE says the largest of the available options, the 350G, has more hydraulic power to perform in hard conditions. The 350G works well when aired with the longer, 15-foot, undercutter bar, for switch undercutting, says RCE. RCE says that most recently, the smallest, nine-foot, undercutter bar is a good alternative to larger machines and bars. RCE says the smaller machines and undercutter bars are ideal for contractors. The company believes the smaller machines are easier to transport from site to site.

In addition to the expansion of the Railavator product line, RCE says it’s recently announced an all-makes rail gear package for the 20 metric class excavators. The company says high-rail gear is its patented hydraulic high-rail system that can be installed on John Deere, Caterpillar or Komatsu 20 metric class excavators. RCE’s undercutter bars can also be attached to any of these brands.

www.rtands.com

KEYNOTE ADDRESS Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim, President, MTA New York City Transit

KEY TOPICS • Project Updates: New York City Transit BART LIRR/MNRR Metrolinx Toronto Transit Commission Banedanmark ERTMS • Culture Shift – Impact of New Technology Systems on Operations & Maintenance • Rising Technologies (Big Data, Autonomous Vehicles, Smart Cities) • Testing and Implementation Issues • PTC Federal Communications Commission Hurdles • Communications, Positioning, Information Processing & IT Architecture • Supplier Roundtable Agenda subject to change.

SPONSORSHIPS & EXHIBITS Jonathan Chalon • (212) 620-7224 • jchalon@sbpub.com

R AILWAY AGE AND PARSONS PRESENT

GEN

TRAIN CONTROL

CBTC & PTC:

Tomorrow’s technology for today’s railways The International Conference on Next-Gen Train Control features in-depth technical sessions and comprehensive project updates on CBTC for rail transit and PTC for main line railways presented by leading experts from around the world.

Now in its third decade, it’s the rail industry’s single-most important gathering of communications and signaling professionals from around the globe.

REGISTER TODAY www.railwayage.com/nextgen

GOLD SPONSOR

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

OCTOBER 19 & 20, 2017

COURTYARD PHILADELPHIA DOWNTOWN PHILADELPHIA, PA AILWAY GE

a closure look:

carriage welding for street track

SEPTA pursues automated carriage welding to aid in its street track maintenance program.

by Anthony Fazio, PE, director of Track Engineering, Richard Green, project designer, and Matthew Kohlenberg, track forman, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

S

o u t h e a s t e r n Pe n n s y l va nia Transpor tation Authority (SEPTA) is unique among many other operating agencies within the country due to its broad variety of track design and engineering.

SEPTA was originally formed to continue passenger service of the late Red Arrow Lines headquartered in Upper Darby, Penn., and the Philadelphia Transportation Company in Philadelphia. Well after the agency’s charter, it was tasked with The Reading Company’s and the Pennsylvania Railroad’s commuter rail service for the local region.

Because of this, SEPTA Track Department responsibilities cover a City Transit Division, a Suburban Division that is entirely unique in itself and a Railroad Division. The City Transit Division includes subway/elevated lines and streetcar lines. This division was essentially built with Philadelphia’s City Hall as the focal point. The Suburban Division (a.k.a. Red Arrow Division) was established around Upper Darby’s 69th Street (the System Terminal and shopping area) 26 Railway Track & Structures

with a direct route to Philadelphia City Hall via Market Frankford Elevated. The

Administration-compliant and serves the northern suburbs (former Reading

FIGURE 1, TOP: 69th Street in Upper Darby, Penn., is a well-planned transit terminal and shopping district. The station terminates a light-rail system, a high-speed interurban railroad-style line and a rapid transit line – all with their own unique engineering criteria.

The location offers convenient travel for the surrounding suburban area.

Inset: SEPTA has adopted a vast street car and light rail network such as this from the Red Arrow Lines, all with extensive special track work. Photo www.delawarecountyhistory.com FIGURE 2, BOTTOM: Cross section of test area taken from welding plan.

Suburban Division is most consistent with modern light rail. Lastly, the Railroad Division is fully Federal Railroad

August 2017

Co.) and western suburbs (Pennsylvania Railroad). The two commuter railroad networks were directly connected for www.rtands.com

street track carriage welding

FIGURE 3, LEFT and CENTER: A conventional railroad frog versus a flangebearing frog. This difference in design also varies inspection/maintence practices.

FIGURE 4, RIGHT: Side view of Tramtrac II’s welding carrige.

through traffic by a one-mile tunnel in 1984 in downtown Philadelphia.

Track geometry, structure and materials vary greatly for SEPTA as a result of these acquisitions. Types of track include block ties, concrete plinths, open deck bridge tie-decks, exclusive ballast

www.rtands.com

railroad right-of-way and, for the topic of this paper, street track in concrete.

Street track requires more special engineering than any other track type at SEPTA, this is due to the fact that all curved rail is pre-bent to a reasonably high level of precision before installation into the street. Thus, every street interlocking (for lack of a better term; the street switches are not necessarily interlocked) is entirely unique. Also note that tampers and production track equipment cannot be used to field-line street track for SEPTA’s street construction methodology as could be done for a railroad. Generally, wear of the rail head

and guard rail is a controlling factor in street track maintenance and replace-

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 27

street track carriage welding

FIGURE 5A and 5B: SEPTA test vehicle on test plug rail (left). Test plug rail was girder rail with a guarded “tee” approach (right) so that the tee rail gauge face could also get a weld bead.

ment (as opposed to say tie condition and “surface” of a railroad). It is for these reasons that SEPTA has chosen to pursue automated “carriage” welding to

rail head, guard rail and frogs.

Automated welding with a carriage to travel an excessive linear distance for the purpose of joining two pieces of metal in

not uncommon in the shipbuilding industry; however use of an automated carriage welding to deposit filler metal on rails and frogs is uncommon in the U.S. rail industry and has not been practiced extensively. It must be noted that manual frog welding, miter rail welding and welding battered rail joints is a common practice in the U.S. rail industry, but without the use of a carriage.

The specific product reviewed was the “Tramtrac II” built by ESAB. The Tramtrac II is a welding carriage specially intended for use of welding tram rails (or girder rail) and is reportedly used in applications in Europe. The intent of this research is to consider this type of system’s use in the rail industry, not necessarily to test the manufacturer. The Tramtrac II system is comprised of the welding transformer and an adjustable welding carriage. The carriage can be lifted by two people on or off rail and controls weld travel speed, weld angle and filler metal feed speed (the heat/amperage is controlled at the welding machine). A solidcored wire was tested with this system specifically for “hard-facing” steel. The particular filler metal was a self-shielded flux core wire (brand name Stoody 110), which is manufactured for hard-facing softer metals exposed to impact loading.

Background on rail

With respect to rail, the intent is that the rail is harder than the train’s wheel so 28 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

www.rtands.com

street track carriage welding

FIGURE 6 LEFT: Filler welds in flangeway on test plug rail. Note the clean welds indcate that the wheels’s flanges were, in fact, contacting the weld beads.

Figure 6a, top center: Clean 180 rail.

The BHN of the rail was tested at 241 for the flangeway and 248 for the gauge face.

FIGURE 6B, top right: 180 rail with a bead welded on “gauge face” by tested device.

FIGURE 6C, bottom center: 180 rail with multiple beads welded on flangeway by tested device preheated to 150 F. The filler metal had a 311 BHN. FIGURE 6D, bottom right: 180 rail with multiple beads welded on flangeway by tested device preheated to 200°F. The filler metal had a 321 BHN.

that the wheel is the “sacrificial” member of this integrated system. The obvious reason being that the wheel can be machined (i.e. “trued”) and the cost to relay rail is high - especially in embedded track. Rail manufacturers use the Brinell Hardness Number (BHN) as a standard measurement to establish the rail’s hardness. Typical BHNs for standard tee rail is 310 and 370 for head hardened tee rail.

Other rail, such as 180/105 Construction Rail (referred to as “180 rail” by SEPTA, but actually named 105C1 Rail), which is used for construction of flange-bearing frogs, tested at an approximate 245 BHN. Although 245 BHN is at the lower end of the hardness spectrum for 180 rail and for girder rail, the lower BHN of this rail makes fabrication more productive as used by SEPTA. 30 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

Girder-type rail was a prevalent rail selection in street track territory for American trolley systems and mainline railroads alike. Tee rail, however, is now commonly accepted for street track in the U.S. Girder rail is still common in Europe. It should be pointed out that places such as SEPTA use girder rail for street interlockings along with tongue and mate switches and flange-bearing frogs – which also require special consideration.

Some reasons for continued use of girder rail as opposed to fully guarded tee rail include; precise “guard rail gauge,” easier street construction and consistency of rail cross section to mating street frogs and switches. Other territories within the street use unguarded tee rail for tangent track and guarded tee for curved track.

Maintenance practices at SEPTA for street territory are limited in tight street curves – curves as tight as 33foot radius. Grease cannot be applied to them – this would be a safety hazard for pedestrians and automobiles. Also, it is not currently practiced at SEPTA to weld gage face wear of the running rail. The corrective action for worn rail; the street is ripped up and new rail laid when wear becomes excessive.

Background on frogs

Rail-bound manganese railroad frogs typically have a solid cast insert that consists of a riser and a point. The force on the wheel exerted upward by the frog is on the wheel’s tread only. The riser and point safely and smoothly transition the wheel over the bottom of the frog’s flangeway. The bottom of the wheel’s flange never contacts the frog. Maintenance is condition based and includes welding and regrinding frog point/riser as

needed through inspection.

Flange-bearing frogs, however, use the frog’s flangeway area to push upward on the wheel’s flange (not necessarily just the wheel’s tread). These frogs are made as solid castings or welded monoblocks. Both frog types are maintained by building up lost metal with filler metal through welding. SEPTA uses these frogs extensively in their city streetcar territory. Maintenance for flange-bearing type frogs includes welding/regrinding both the frog point/riser and the frog flangeway area as necessary.

Test

The intent to test the Tramtrac II welding system by SEPTA is in support of rail/ frog fabrication “hard-facing” (i.e. creating a harder wearing surface) and to test equipment suitability to replace lost metal in worn curves and frogs. To determine the product’s suitability for the task, the SEPTA Track Department performed some basic testing with the device. A 180 construction rail plug was milled, pre-bent and then installed into a curve with a radius of 120 ft. (four degrees of curve). The rail was placed into service in a maintenance-of-way siding track under full control of the Track Department.

The test vehicle was a 100,000 Track Car (four axles). Note that a SEPTA trolley streetcar weighs 58,000 lbs. (four axles).

The goal of the test was to see the suitability and penetration of the weld and filler metal under high loads. The test 180 plug rail was milled so that a quarter weld bead in the rail flangeway would take loading directly from the wheel flange. Also, the rail’s gauge face was milled back to simulate wear. Welding of the flangeway and gauge face was at two www.rtands.com

street track carriage welding FIGURE 7A and 7B: Wearing girder rail such as this will be a potential use for the TRAMTRAC II (left). A flange-bearing frog such as the one at right will be another application for the equipment.

temperatures, 150 F and 200 F, the lower temperature to burn off any moisture and the higher was to ascertain if heat improved the weld. Going above 200 F was thought to be impractical since those temperatures could damage the concrete around typically embedded track.

Once all welding was complete, the work Track Car was cycled over the weld beads 15 times and the test plug rail was removed. Clean coupon cuts were made with a band saw. The results were sent for BHN and x-ray testing.

The x-ray test was to check for slag inclusions into the weld. Also, a clean unwelded coupon was tested for BHN.

Results

Gauge face weld testing was reasonably inconclusive due to an effective guard rail not allowing steep angle of attack

www.rtands.com

of lead wheel (despite efforts to loosen the guard rail). However, there was some contact of wheel flange on the rail gauge face and the welds were unaffected. Flangeway welding did not flake or break out for either heat zone and it was apparent that there was contact between the weld beads and the wheel flange by the clean metal, as shown in Figure 6.

Conclusions

The testing was conclusive enough that SEPTA has chosen to consider the use of this type of equipment. The intent of SEPTA’s use of the device would be to

weld flange-bearing frog flangeways for a “hard face” and eventually implemented to “hard face” girder rail gauge face after machining and bending. Also, efforts could be made to use the carriage welder in tight radius street curves as a maintenance tool to maintain wearing gauge face on rail. Variables for future tests of the device will be amount of wear on rail head, adaptability of equipment to a field environment (as opposed to a shop environment), the welds ability to adhere to the rail head and the ability of a work crew to use the equipment in less than ideal conditions.

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 31

AREMA NEWS Professional Development Upcoming If you need additional continuing education credits, plan to attend of the five seminars being held at the AREMA 2017 Annual Conference. Be sure to register early as these popular seminars will sell out quickly! Additional registration required.

AREMA 2017 Annual Conference Seminars Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering (IPRE) September 15-17

Message from the President

Go forth

David A. Becker, PE AREMA President 2016–2017

FRA 213: Track Safety Standards September 20-22 Track Alignment Design September 20-22 Intermodal Terminal Engineering September 20-21 Railroad Bridge Load Rating Steel Structures September 21 To assist your career advancement, AREMA offers seminar and webinar programs that will extend its ability to serve the educational needs of the railway engineering community with PDH accredited web-based courses, as well as classroom-set seminars.

For more information and a complete list of upcoming seminars and webinars, please visit www.arema.org.

AREMA on Social Media Become a fan of the AREMA Facebook Page, join the AREMA LinkedIn Group and now tweet @AREMArail on Twitter!

32 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

I will start this month’s column, my final one, as I did with my first as President of AREMA by exclaiming “Greetings fellow railroad professionals!” Summertime construction work, track programs and signal projects are now in full swing, and I hope those activities you are involved with are going as planned. It is hard to believe that autumn is just around the corner and many of us are already actively working on planning for next year’s work.

As I have mentioned in prior columns, I am a trackwork and roadway focused engineer at heart. I’ve spent the bulk of my career trying to find ways to avoid the need for bridges, culverts, tunnels and walls on the projects I’ve designed. However, since the profession of railway engineering has always been strongly linked to expertise in the design and construction of bridges, masonry structures and tunnels, I thought it was high time I gave some attention to structural matters.

This past month, I had the opportunity to see a multitude of bridges and structures that reminded me about the importance of this segment of the engineering world. First, I participated in an inspection trip covering much of the former Norfolk & Western and Virginian railways’ lines through Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia. This route abounds with both complex bridges and tunnels - you have to look hard to find either a bridge or a tunnel without a curve. It also includes a major crossing of the Ohio River dating from the early 1900s. There are few routes on the North American rail network where the skill of our industry’s bridge engineers would be on greater display. It is hard to contemplate how these major structures were surveyed, designed and then assembled in often very remote areas with poor communication and limited machinery. I am proud that AREMA continues to be a conservator of much of the underlying technical knowledge used to design and maintain these legacy structures.

While these structures were certainly impressive, the highlight of the month was an in-person visit to a project site where one of the most exciting and complex railroad projects in the United States is currently underway. That project is Norfolk Southern’s replacement of the Portageville High Bridge in western New York state. The existing structure is an iron and steel structure with a timber deck, dating from the late 1800s. It soars approximately 235 feet above the Genesee River gorge and is located within an environmentally sensitive area of Letchworth State Park.

Construction projects of this magnitude are not common, nor are the volume of site driven challenges that this project has had to overcome to enable construction to occur. The design firm of record is Modjeski and Masters, and they designed a replacement structure that includes a central steel arch that is 483-foot-long and capped with a modern concrete ballast deck. It is being constructed by primary contractor American Bridge in a cantilever

www.rtands.com

Upcoming Committee Meetings The following committee meetings are being held in conjunction with the AREMA 2017 Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Ind. Sept. 16

Committee 5 - Track

Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems

Committee 24 - Education & Training

Committee 24 - Education & Training

Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment

Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization

Sept. 17

Committee 5 - Track

Committee 42 - Bridge Maintenance

Committee 6 - Building & Support Facilities

Committee 43 - Signals Maintenance

Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction

Sept. 18

Committee 13 - Environmental

Committee 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems

Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization

Committee 12 - Rail Transit

Sept. 20

Commttee 39 - Positive Train Control

Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals

Committee 38 - Information, Defect Detection & Energy System

Committee 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations

Sept. 21

Commttee 39 - Positive Train Control

If you’d like to learn more about the AREMA Technical Committees and would like to get involved, please contact Alayne Bell at abell@arema.org. For a complete list of all committee meetings, visit https://www.arema.org/events.aspx.

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

fashion to limit direct impacts to the waterway.

The uniqueness of this project has drawn site visits from several of the structure-focused AREMA technical committees. Fortunately for those who could not attend one of these field trips, the next best thing will be offered for those attending the AREMA 2017 Annual Conference being held in conjunction with Railway Interchange. The full story of the project will be presented by Howard C. Swanson, assistant chief engineer bridges and structures at Norfolk Southern (and past AREMA Structures Functional Group Vice President), along with Carmen M. Garozzo and Eugene Wardzinski of Bergmann Associates, who were responsible for construction management. Their presentation will take place during the general session on Monday morning, September 18. Be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend.

As this is my final column, I will close it out by publicly stating that it has been an honor to represent the membership of the association over the past year at a variety of industry functions. I also offer sincere thanks for the support I have received from the entire AREMA headquarters staff, Past President Brian Lindamood and incoming President Dwight Clark, as well as the members of the Functional Group Board of Directors and the organization’s Board of Governors. While I have previously had professional interaction with many of these individuals, working with them in my current role has provided even greater clarity on the high quality leadership our industry currently has. It gives me great confidence for the future of both the rail industry and AREMA. I also would like to thank you, the reader of this column, for indulging my writing efforts over the past year. As with most engineers, the task of writing in an informative and entertaining fashion doesn’t always come naturally to me. I hope that I have provided some opportunities for you to consider our professional roles in a broader context that looks beyond simple day-to-day problem solving and firefighting.

Until I next see you, either out on the line of road or at an AREMA event, go forth and be a strong railroad professional for your enterprise, but more importantly, also go forth and be a willing mentor for the next generation of railroad professionals.

2017 Manual for Railway Engineering Order now at www.arema.org or contact mbruins@arema.org for more details.

www.rtands.com

FYI…

Avo i d t h e l i n e s of o n - s i t e registration and pre-register online today at www.arema.org for the AREMA 2017 Annual Conference being held in conjunction with Railway Interchange 2017, September 17-20, 2017 in Indianapolis, IN. AREMA badges will be honored for full access into the exhibition halls during operating hours. For more information on Railway Interchange, please visit www.railwayinterchange.org.

Order the 2017 Manual for Railway Engineering t o d ay ! A R E M A i s pleased to announce the 2017 Manual for Railway Engineering ! There are over 55 new, revised and reaffirmed parts. Downloadable chapters may be purchased and downloaded now from the AREMA online store. AREMA committees have worked diligently over the past year to update all four volumes of the Manual. Order online now at www.arema.org or contact Morgan Bruins today for more details at mbruins@arema.org.

Leverage the power of your trusted a s s o c i a t i o n ’s R a i l w a y C a r e e r s Network to tap into a talent pool of job candidates with the training and education needed for longt e r m s u c c e s s . V i s i t w w w. a r e m a . org/careers to post your job today.

Use code EMPLOYERS to receive a 15-percent discount.

Not an AREMA Member?

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

August 2017 33

AREMA NEWS

Nominees for the 2017–2018 AREMA Functional Group Board of Directors James K. Kessler, PE

Vice President – Engineering and Planning, North Carolina Railroad Company nominated for: Senior Vice President

Kessler has 45 years experience in the planning, design and construction of railroad and rail transit projects. He has been an engineer at STV and Day & Zimmerman. In 1979, he began working at Thomas K. Dyer, Inc., as an engineer and then was promoted to senior engineer. He held the title of principal engineer at HNTB and Hatch Mott McDonald until 2012. Since 2012, Kessler has worked at the North Carolina Railroad Company and his current position is vice president - Engineering and Planning. In his current position, he has responsibility for capital infrastructure, investment planning, design and construction.

He holds a Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering degree from North Carolina State University. He also has a professional engineer designation.

Kessler has been director, Passenger & Transit on the AREMA Board of Directors, as well as the secretary and vice chair of Committee 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems. He is also a member of Committee 5 - Track. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (Fellow) and the New England Railroad Club.

Kessler joined AREA in 1980.

Michael P. Freeman, PE

Director Structures design, union pacific Nominated for: Vice President – Structures (ThreeYear Term)

Freeman has worked in bridge engineering for 35 years.

From 1982 – 1997, he worked for Modjeski and Masters Consulting Engineers. In 1997, he joined Union Pacific. He has held various positions, such as director Bridge Standards and Assessment, director Bridge Maintenance Northern Region and his current position is director Structures Design.

He holds a Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering degree from Mississippi State University and a professional engineer designation.

Freeman has served on the AREMA Board of Directors as director of Structures since 2015. He is an active member of AREMA Committees 9 - Seismic Design for Railway Structures and 15 - Steel Structures. He is a member of the Transportation Research Board Committee on Steel Bridges (AFF 20). He is also a member the Board of Directors of Heavy Movable Structures, Inc. Freeman joined AREA in 1994 and Bridge and Building in 1990.

Stephen J. Ashmore

Engineering Senior Manager Civil Geotechnical, Union Pacific 34 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

Nominated for: Vice President – Maintenance (ThreeYear Term)

Ashmore became involved with Union Pacific in 2006, OMT Program. In 2007, he became the manager of Track Maintenance, and, in 2009, he was promoted to senior manager Track Assessment, then director Track Assessment in 2013. He was later director Civil Construction and most recently director Track Maintenance. His current position is engineering senior manager Civil Geotechnical.

He holds a Bachelor of Science Engineer ing Construction degree from the University of Nebraska.

He also holds a Masters in Business Administration from Bellevue University.

Ashmore has been director, Maintenance on the AREMA Board of Directors as well as the chair of Committee 5 Track and Subcommittee 5 (turnout and crossing design, collaborating as necessary with Committees 1 - Roadway & Ballast, 4 - Rail and 30 - Ties). He presented at the 2013 AREMA Annual Conference.

Ashmore joined AREMA in 2006.

Kevin D. Hicks, PE

Assistant Vice President Engineering - Design, Union Pacific Nominated for: Director – Track (Three-Year Term)

Hicks has been involved in most facets of engineering/ maintenance-of-way at a Class 1 railroad over the past 23 years, from track and roadbed construction to maintenance to director of Standard & Technology to his current position as the lead of the team responsible for the design of track, bridges, signals and most other railroad infrastructure.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from University of Missouri-Rolla. He also has a professional engineer designation.

Hicks is an active member of AREMA Committee 1 Roadway & Ballast (Subcommittee 1) and Committee 30 - Ties and was a member of the Nominating Committee in 2015. He is an executive committee member of the Railway Tie Association and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Hicks joined AREA in 1995.

Keith L. Powley, CCM

Senior Transportation Program Manager, CDM Smith Nominated for: Director – Passenger & Transit (Three-Year Term)

Powley has more than 36 years of experience in national and international large rail, transportation, civil and municipal projects. He has delivered over 50 transportation infrastructure improvement and green field projects and programs valued from $400,000 to $2.1 billion.

His experience includes public agency program and www.rtands.com

AREMA NEWS construction manager as well as a contractor and resident engineer. He has been in his current position since 2015.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Warren National University. He is a Certified Construction Program Manager.

Powley has been actively involved in AREMA Committee 12 - Rail Transit and was previously secretary, vice chair and chair. He is a member of Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), CMAA – Standards of Practice Comm., American Society of Civil Engineers and American Welding Society. In 2005, he won the Association of General Contractors Keystone Award for Project of the Year – Industrial/Infrastructure Category – St. Louis Metro CrossCounty MetroLink Extension (XCO) Segment 2 and in 2007 won the The American Council of Engineering Companies of Missouri Engineering Excellence Award/Grand Conceptor Award – St. Louis Metro XCO Segment 1.

Powley joined AREA and Roadmasters in 1997.

Jerry W. Specht, EIT

Director of Signal Engineering, BNSF Railway Nominated for: Director – Communications and Signals (Three-Year Term)

Specht began his career as an intern with Twin City Signal.

He was also a controls engineer with Hutchinson Technology Inc. He started with BNSF Railway in November 1999 as a corporate management trainee. He held supervisory positions from 2000 – 2008, then assistant division engineer 2008 – 2009 and manager of signal 2009 – 2012. His is now director of signal engineering since February 2012.

He holds a Bachelor of Science Electrical Engineering degree from North Dakota State University. He has an Engineer in Training (EIT) certification.

Mr. Specht currently serves on the AREMA Board of Directors as Director, Communications and Signals and is a member of AREMA Committees 36 - Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Warning Systems, 37 - Signal Systems and 39 Signal Systems. He has served on the AREMA Nominating Committee and Membership Committee. He is also a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers.

Mr. Specht joined AREMA in 1999.

Michael A. Pochop, PE

Vice President, Hanson Professional Services Inc. Nominated for: Director – Engineering Services (Three-Year Term)

Pochop began his career in 1992 as an engineer intern with WHKS & Co. and continued with the company as project engineer after his internship. He started with Hanon Professional Services Inc. in 1998 as project engineer, then project manager, vice president, Hanson Alaska LLC and now in his current position as vice president in Overland Park, Kan. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University. He has a professional engineer designation.

Pochop is a member of AREMA Committee 24 Education & Training, previously serving as secretary, vice www.rtands.com

chair and chair and is currently on the AREMA Membership Committee. Pochop has managed the AREMA Railway Engineering Education Symposium (REES) since 2009. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Association of Civil Engineering Companies of Kansas and Chi Epsilon.

Pochop joined AREA in 1998.

William S. Riehl, III, PE

Assistant Vice President Structures, Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services Nominated for: Director – Structures (Two-Year Term)

Riehl began his career as a civil engineer in 1987. He has been chief engineer with both Seminole Gulf Railway and Florida East Coast Railway, as well as president of Riehl Rail Solutions. He has been in his current position with Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services since October 2007. He has also been with the U.S. Air Force Reserves since 1981 (current assignment, Commander 822d Civil Engineer Flight).

He holds a Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering degree from Pennsylvania State University and an Master of Science Industrial & Systems Engineering degree from the University of Florida. He also has a professional engineer designation.

Riehl is a member of AREMA Committee 24 - Education & Training, previously serving as chair, and Committee 30 - Ties, previously serving as vice chair. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and fellow of the Society of American Military Engineers.

Riehl joined AREA in 1987.

Richard J. Spatafore

Director of Program Construction - Retired, CSX Transportation, Inc. Nominated for: Director – Maintenance (Two-Year Term)

Spatafore has been in the industry for 39 years. He was hired as a trackman in 1975 at the Chessie System Railroad and became a foreman in 1977 – 1985. In 1985, he was hired by CSX Transportation, Inc., as an assistant roadmaster. He held various positions such as roadmaster, engineer track, division engineer, director of Ties, then his final position as director of Program Construction before retiring in 2016. He has worked with C&J Consultants since retirement.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from West Virginia University.

Spatafore has been both Functional Group vice president and director in the Maintenance Group on the AREMA Board of Directors and was previously chair of AREMA Committee 41 - Track Maintenance. He received the CSX Masters Award in 2001 for restoration of 50 miles of mainline double track that was heavily damaged by a major flood. He was awarded the CSX Trail Blazers Award in 2009 for environmental innovation on engineering procedures. He won the 2010 Association of American Railroads Chafee award for the Rail Industry’s top environmentalist and received the 2011 Military Appreciation award for supporting managers that are in the military. He also received the “Run Safe Run Hard” Safety award in the Jacksonville Division.

Spatafore joined AREMA in 2001.

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 35

AREMA NEWS

Catching up with Amanda Hongisto Amanda Hongisto was the recipient of the AREMA 2007 Michigan Tech Alumni Scholarship.

AREMA: Yo u we r e a n A R E M A Student Member at Michigan Technological University, how did this participation guide you to your career goals?

HONGISTO: I learned about AREMA after my engineering internship at CSX Transportation, Inc., on the Florence Division. It was a three-month summer program that allowed me to develop my skills in the areas of engineering that interested me. I was able to spend time with track inspectors, bridge construction teams, bridge inspectors and even ride a couple trains. When I returned to school for my senior year, I focused on developing my railroad knowledge through becoming a student member of AREMA and participated in Michigan Tech’s Railroad Club.

AREMA: How did this scholarship impact you while you were at Michigan Technological University?

HONGISTO: I used the funds to attend Michigan Tech’s study abroad in Finland to lear n more about railroad engineering. At the time, they used CSX standards, which I was already familiar with from my internship. The study abroad program

allowed me to see not only freight railroad operations, but passenger and international railroad operations. It helped guide me toward a career with a Class 1 railroad carrier.

AREMA: What has been your biggest accomplishment during your career at CSX Transportation?

HONGISTO: I was part of a team that received the Chairman’s Award of Excellence, one of CSX’s highest honors, in 2014 for a project in Smithboro, Ill., to install a connection track and then extend it for longer interchange trains. This was a highprofile, joint project with BNSF that helps relieve Chicago congestion. We had less than six months to get the connection designed and in-service.

Another six months was provided to purchase property, relocate a public road and extend the connection to 10,000 feet. It has assisted both railroads for interchange and is now being discussed for expansion.

AREMA: Outside of your career, what do you do with your spare time?

HONGISTO: Most of my time is spent with my three-year-old daughter, Ella.

We are Universal Studios season-pass holders and head to Orlando at least once a month to enjoy the rides and spoil her as often as possible. We also like to attend the Jacksonville Jumbo

AMANDA HONGISTO Senior Design Engineer CSX Transportation, Inc.

Shrimp minor league baseball games.

AREMA: If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?

HO N GI S TO : S p e n d a s m u c h time as possible with employees who have over 10 years experience in the industry. Listen to the same stories repeatedly, learn from their experiences and learn the mistakes not to repeat because it won’t be too long before you are the 10-year employee that people turn to for guidance.

2017 Watford Fellowship Winner

Thomas Cornillie, winner of the 2017 Watford Fellowship.

36 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

The AREMA Educational Foundation, in cooperation with the U.S. Committee to the Watford Group of Inter national Railway Designers, has selected Thomas Cornillie, Capital Projects Administration for the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority to represent AREMA at the annual Wa t f o r d I n t e r n a t i o n a l D e s i g n Conference in October. Cornillie will be making a presentation on the evolution of vehicle bor ne devices to electrically assist the shunting of D.C. track Circuits.

The four-day conference, to be

held in Madrid, Spain, October 20 – 22, includes field trips and presentations by the attendees in all aspects of railway planning and design with an emphasis on buildings, bridge and tunnel structures and corporate identity.

The U.S. Watford Committee welcomes participation by railway professionals committed to quality design in railway transportation to be a part of the U.S. Delegation. For more information, including how to receive an invitation to the 2018 Conference, contact Cesar Vergara, U.S. Chairman at 203-244-5309. www.rtands.com

PRODUCTS Wedge-locking washer

Rotating tree shear

A new wedge-locking washer product line is available from Sherex Fastening Solutions.TheTEC Series washers keep joints secure using tension, where as traditional locking fasteners use friction.

The TEC system utilizes a pair of washers with cams on one side and radial teeth on the other. The TEC Series product line includes standard and large outer diameter styles in carbon steel and stainless steel.

The washers are available in sizes M3 (#5) through M72 (three inches). The company says it tested the TEC Series washers extensively on Junker vibration machines throughout the development process; the company found that the washer consistently protected joints under severe vibration and load. Sherex says that when exposed to vibration or load, the cam angles of the washer is greater then the thread pinch of the bolt, which helps create the wedge effect that prevents the bolt or nut from rotating loose. Wesbite: www. fasteners.sherex.com/category/tec-series-wedgelocking-washers.

Ingersoll Rand ® has announced the release of the QX Series™ Cordless Torque Multiplier – a high-torque fastening tool for industrial applications that the company says achieves up to 1,475 footpounds of torque. To meet heavy-duty fastening needs, the QX Series Cordless Torque Multiplier has a brushless motor paired with a Norbar® gearbox to generate 160 times the torque of a standard QX Series tool. The tool is available in five different combinations of torque and speed capability, ranging from 30 to 1,475 foot-pounds and five to 45 revolutions per minute. At the center of the Torque Multiplier is the Ingersoll Rand closed-loop transducer, which the company says is the “key to delivering torque precision, unmatched accuracy and traceable results.” Ingersoll Rand says the QX Series Torque Multiplier can withstand a variety of tough applications including oil and gas, heavy equipment and rail. Rail applications include rail car maintenance, locomotive assembly and infrastructure installation and maintenance. Website: www.ingersollrandproducts.com/ en-us/power-tools/products/torque-multipliers/

www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 39

CALENDAR AUGUST 15-17. 2017 Grade Crossing Research Needs Workshop. Westin Hotel. St. Louis, Mo. Contact: Michail Grizkewitsch. Phone: 314-5525806. E-mail: michail.grizkewitsch@dot.gov. Website: www.fra.dot. gov/conference/2017/index.shtml.

15-17. 2017 Midwest Rail Conference. Western Michigan University - Fetzer Center. Kalamazoo, Mich. Contact: David Nelson. E-mail: dannelso@mtu.edu. Website: www.rail.mtu.edu/event/mrc2017.

16-17. Engineering for Efficient Railway Operations. University of Delaware, Newark Campus. Newark, Del. Phone: 302-831-8302.

E-mail: enggoutreach@udel.edu. Website: www.outreach.engr.udel. edu/railway-operations/.

22-23. Rail Problems, Rail Maintenance, and Rail Grinding.

University of Delaware, Newark Campus. Newark, Del. Phone: 302831-8302. E-mail: enggoutreach@udel.edu. Website: www.outreach. engr.udel.edu/railroad-maintenance-2/.

SEPTEMBER 11-12. Basic Railroad Track Maintenance Workshop. Center for Transportation Research. Knoxville, Tenn. Phone: 865-974-1812.

E-mail: dclarke@utk.edu. Website: www.ctr.utk.edu/CTRrailcourses/ railclass.php?id=434&loc=1.

13-15. Railroad Track Design Maintenance Workshop. Center for Transportation Research. Knoxville, Tenn. Phone: 865-974-1812.

40 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

E-mail: dclarke@utk.edu. Website: www.ctr.utk.edu/CTRrailcourses/ railclass.php?id=435&loc=1.

17-20. Railway Interchange 2017. Indiana Convention Center.

Indianapolis, Ind. E-mail: info@railwayinterchange.org. Website: www.railwayinterchange.org/.

17-20. Intermodal EXPO 2017. Long Beach Convvention Center.

Long Beach, Calif. E-mail: shanelle.casey@intermodal.org. Website: www.IntermodalEXPO.com.

18-20. Risk Management: Identification, Prioritization and Mitigation. Long Beach Convvention Center. University of Delaware, Newark Campus. Newark, Del. Phone: 302-831-8302. E-mail: enggoutreach@udel.edu. Website: www.outreach.engr.udel.edu/ risk-assessment/.

OCTOBER 17-20. Track Safety Standards Part 213 Classes. Holiday Inn & Suites at Ameristar. Council Bluffs, Iowa. Phone: 800-2289670. E-mail: studentservices@sb-reb.com. Website: www. railwayeducationalbureau.com/TrkInspWrkShp.html 19-20. International Conference on Next-Gen Train Control Presented by Railway Age and Parsons. Courtyard Philadelphia Downtown. Philadelphia, Pa. E-mail: conferences@sbpub. com. Website: www.railwayage.com/index.php/conferences/ nextgen_2017.html?channel=00.

www.rtands.com

Ad Index Company

Phone #

Fax#

e-mail address

Page #

AREMA Marketing Department

301-459-3200

301-459-8077

marketing@arema.org

Cover 3

Danella Rental Systems, Inc.

610-828-6200

610-828-2260

pbarents@danella.com

6

Delta Railroad Construction Inc.

440-994-2997

440-992-1311

info@deltarr.com

18

Diversified Metal Fabricators, Inc.

404-875-1512

404-875-4835

sales@dmfatlanta.com

7

Dixie PreCast

770-944-1930

770-944-9136

fbrown142@aol.com

6

bachman@georgetownrail.com

Cover 4

mteeter@harsco.com

21

Georgetown Rail Equipment Co.

512-869-1542 ext.5292

Harsco Rail

803-822-7551

Herzog Railroad Services, Inc. Herzog Services, Inc.

Hougen Manufacturing, Inc.

816-233-9002

Knox Kershaw Inc.

866-245-3745

803-822-7521

816-233-9002

512-863-0405

334-387-5669 ext.208

816-233-7757

tfrancis@hrsi.com

22

816-233-7757

rebersold@herzogservices.com

8

800-309-3299

info@trak-star.com

31

334-387-4554

knox@knoxkershaw.com

17 2

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.

763-478-6014

763-478-2221

sales@loram.com

Moley Magnetics Inc

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

716-434-5893

sales@moleymagneticsinc.com

28

Montana Hydraulics, LLC

406-449-3464 ext.1005

406-449-3465

dehlke@mthyd.com

4

Neel Company, The

703-913-7858

703-913-7859

jlewis@neelco.com

5

Orgo Thermit Inc.

732-657-5781

732-657-5899

georgeanne.tutunjian@orgothermit.com

29

Plasser American Corp.

757-543-3526

757-494-7186

plasseramerican@plausa.com

23

Progress Rail, A Caterpillar Company

256-505-6402

256-505-6051

info@progressrail.com

27

RailCet

866-724-5238

217-522-6588 grif1020@yahoo.com

19

866-905-7245

952-469-1926

ksimpson@railworks.com

14-15

bbrundige@sb-reb.com

39,40

dennishanke@rcequip.com

20

www.rjcorman.com

Cover 2

RailWorks Corp.

Railway Education Bureau, The

402-346-4300

402-346-1783

RCE Equipment Solutions, Inc.

866-472-4510

630-355-7173

R. J. Corman Railroad Group

800-611-7245

859-885-7804

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

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

Advertising Sales 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

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

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

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 Louise Cooper International Sales Manager Suite K5 &K6

AR, AK, AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, NM, ND, NV, OK,

www.rtands.com

The Priory +44-1444-416917 Syresham Gardens Fax: +44-1444-458185 Haywards Heath, RH16 3LB United Kingdom lc@railjournal.co.uk Michael Boyle International Area Sales Manager Dorfstrasse 70, 6393 St. Ulrich, Austria +011436767089872 mboyle@railjournal.com 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 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

August 2017 41

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT 100 S Paniplus Drive Olathe, ks 66061 main: 913.764.1315 Mobile: 913.972.1013

PARTS • SALES • SERVICE

PARTS • SALES • SERVICE • RENTALS

OLATHE, KS • HOUSTON, TX • BRIGHTON, CO • BRANCHBURG, NJ • SAN MARCOS, CA • CALGARY

www.colliscw.com

MOW Equipment Lease & Sale Brushcutting Specialized Hauling Track Surfacing Low Boys with Rail

NEW & USED

www.RailwayEquipmentServices.net “A full service company with over 25 yrs exp!”

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

Sales

aspenequipment.com/railroad

Rentals

Service Parts

Hi-Rail Trucks Work Ready or Custom Built to Order www.omahatrackequipment.com

New and Used Hi-Rail Trucks Available

• New-Used-Rentals • Work ready trucks available for immediate delivery • Custom Builds - yours specs or ours • Parts & Services • Hi-Rail & Crane Inspections

Grapple Trucks Mag & Creep Drive

Hi-Rail Rail & Tie Carts

Nationwide DELIVERY

- Pickup Trucks - Service Bodies

- Flatbeds - Bucket Trucks

- Welding Trucks - Section Trucks - Grapple Trucks

- Track Inspector Trucks - Boom Trucks

CAll Bruce Harrod: 877-888-9730 BHarrod@aspeneq.com 42 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

Section Trucks

Rotary Dump Trucks

John Gallo • Business Development Manager 402-990-9385 • Johng@omahatrack.com

www.rtands.com

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

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

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

Grapple Trucks

LEASE or BUY

Rotary Dumps

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

RAILROAD SERVICES

Est. 1910

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

Available for Lease 3000 cu ft Covered Hopper Cars 4650 cu ft Covered Hopper Cars 3600 cu ft Open Top Hopper Cars 4480 cu ft Aluminum Rotary Open Top Gons 65 ft, 100-ton log spine cars equipped with six (6) log bunks 60 ft, 100 ton Plate F box cars, cushioned underframe and 10 ft plug doors 50 ft, 100 ton Plate C box cars, cushioned underframe and 10 ft plug doors Contact: Tom Monroe: 415-616-3472 Email: tmonroe@atel.com

Products and services

REESE WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU?

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

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

Professional Directory

K. W. Reese, Inc.

Box 298 • Mercersburg, PA 17236

(717) 328-5211 •

fax

(717) 328-9541 • www.kwreese.com

2016 NRC PlatiNum Safety awaRd wiNNeR www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

August 2017 43

Products and services RAILROAD COMPONENT REBUILDS, INC.

Get the inside scoop on and off the track

205 N. Chestnut• PO Box 404• Arcola, Illinois 61910 Eric Headrick, President – 35 years Experience Phone 217-268-5110 • Cell 217-259-4823 Fax: 217-268-3059 • Email eric@rrcri.com To Purchase parts, contact: sales@rrcri.com

NEW/Rebuilt Electromatic/Hydraulic Vibrator Units Exchange Units Related Tamper Parts And Assemblies

RTS_Ad.indd 1

Units Available For Same Day Shipping

RTandS.com

1/23/17 4:41 PM

MARKETPLACE SALES

Rail BRief: The Weekly RT&S email Newsletter

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

SubScribe at: www.rtands.com/railbrief

GLOBAL RAIL TENDERS

TuRninG OppORTuniTies inTO new Business 44 Railway Track & Structures

August 2017

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

www.rtands.com