RT&S September 2017

September 2017 | www.rtands.com

MITER RAIL REPLACEMENT ON

COS COB BRIDGE PLUS AREMA’S BECKER REFLECTS ON YEAR EMPLOYEE SAFETY AND ALSO AREMA NEWS P.47

Contents

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

September 2017

News

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Features

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Industry Today 4 Supplier News 14 People

M/W worker safety Efforts highlighted from the Class 1, association and supplier markets show what the rail industry does right to enhance roadway worker safety.

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union pacific

Columns

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Cos Cob Bridge work Replacing miter rail joints on the Cos Cob Bridge will help ensure service reliability to MetroNorth’s New Haven Line riders.

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Departments

Becker’s year in review Outgoing AREMA President David Becker reflects on his year at the association’s helm.

20 TTCI R&D 47 Arema News 54 Products 56 Calendar 57 Advertisers Index

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New miter rail joints installed on Cos Cob Bridge.

Photo by MetroNorth Railroad.

Story on page 32

On Track Hard-hitting Harvey

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NRC Chairman’s Column The conference is coming, the conference is coming

57 Sales Representatives 58 Classified Advertising 60 Professional Directory

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Railway Track & Structures

September 2017 1

On Track

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Vol. 113, No. 9 Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 Chicago, Ill. 60603 Telephone (312) 683-0130 Fax (312) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com Mischa Wanek-Libman/Editor, mischa@sbpub.com 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 Nicole Cassano/Art 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.

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Hard-hitting Harvey

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have been dealing with my home insurance company over a roof leak for the better part of eight weeks this summer. The amount of time my husband and myself have spent on the phone, waiting for various representatives to inspect our home and following up on status updates has been, in my opinion, ridiculous and infuriating. Then Hurricane Harvey hit and my perspective received a hard adjustment. I have an annoying drib and an ugly bubble in my ceiling; there are people in Texas who have lost everything.

Preparing for a storm is critical to any future recovery efforts and railroads did just that. Those operating in the region affected by Harvey halted service prior to the storm’s arrival and BNSF, for example, moved vintage locomotives and cars from the Galveston Railroad Museum to higher ground in anticipation of the storm’s landfall.

Hurricane paths can be predicted and planned for, but how do you predict a flood or, much less, what 50 inches of rain can do and where it will do it?

As of press time for this issue, BNSF, Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern, Amtrak and the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County were all looking at lengthy recovery efforts.

Washouts, high water, other storm damage and an inability to access certain locations will hamper efforts to take a full assessment of rail infrastructure. The railroads and transit agencies in southeast Texas will rely on technology and their industr y partners to make a full recovery. And, anything short of a full recovery, even when the extent of the damage is not known, would be unacceptable. As the floodwaters recede, the rail industry will rise.

This has the potential to be the most tech-heavy recovery effort to-date with helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles being used to inspect track.

This recovery effort also has great partnership potential. There may be possibilities for contractors and suppliers to offer innovative solutions in order to get freight and passenger service restored.

Disaster recovery services will be needed immediately and for the longer-term recovery, extra materials and work crews will be required.

On a side note, while the waters rose, Texas coast residents evacuated and the majority of the industry watched and waited for news, there was a group of BNSF employees from Temple, Texas, that illustrated what is best about railroaders.

According to BNSF, the employees gathered and delivered four truckloads of food and supplies to Houston, along with boats and equipment. They were able to rescue 110 people and 30 pets from the flooding. They even took up a collection to help families relocated to Bell County Expo Center in Belton, which was prepared to house as many as 500 evacuees.

This is one of many stories where the industry stepped up to the plate during this disaster. So far, Union Pacific has committed $250,00 to support Harvey relief efforts and the Norfolk Southern Foundation is donating $100,000 in addition to matching employee contributions. CSX has pledged $100,000 to the American Red Cross, Kansas City Southern has pledged $50,000 with the possibility of an additional $50,000 through matching employee contributions and Canadian Pacific will donate $50,000 and match all employee contributions.

While the recovery effort will be long, I do know there are certain things that railroaders do better than anyone else: Bounce back and get to work.

Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor

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INDUSTRY TODAY Rail recommended for more than $56M in FASTLANE grants Rail-specific and rail-related projects across six states have been selected to receive grants as part of the Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies (FASTLANE) program.

The grants are authorized under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act and were submitted to Congress for a 60-day review before being finalized.

The rail project awards total $56.57 million, representing more than 70 percent of the $79 million in projects selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).

The largest grant, $9.9 million, will go toward the Northern Columbia Basin Rail Road Project at the Port of Moses Lake in Grant County, Wash., to provide rail access to the port, which currently has none.

The $30.3-million project will construct a new 4.5-mile route, reroute aging existing rail infrastructure to the new route, upgrade and modernize three miles of existing rail line and construct three miles of new rail to link industrial sites.

The Ports of Indiana was selected for a $9.85-million grant to construct a series of efficiency-enhancing improvements, which includes a new rail connection and west-side rail yard, that will allow the port to increase its cargo handling capacity.

Taylor County Florida will receive $8.67 million for the Competitiveness & Employment by Rail Project, which will rehabilitate the Georgia & Florida Railway. The project includes upgrading approximately 19 grade-crossing warning devices, rebuilding 90 crossings, work to harden 16 bridges, installing 70,000 crossties and resurfacing approximately 80 miles of rail line.

The Maine Department of Transportation was selected for a $7.89-million grant for the Maine Railroad Bridge Capacity project in northeastern Maine.

The project will repair and upgrade 22 rail bridges on the Madawaska Subdivision of the Maine Northern Railway.

One bridge requires complete replacement while three need superstructure replacements and 14 require minor repairs.

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Following project completion, the 151mile section will be capable of carrying 286,000 pounds of rail car weight.

In Mississippi, the North Central Mississippi Regional Railroad Authority will receive a $7.54-million grant for improvements and repairs on a line between Grenada and Canton.

The project will rehabilitate approximately 90 miles of track of between Grenada and Canton and also entails repairing the Coldwater River Bridge near Coldwater, which was damaged by fire in July, as well as repair work on several other bridges. The grant will also support reactivation of 18 active warning devices and new tie installation sufficient to raise the entire 180-mile Grenada Railroad line to Federal Railroad Administration Class II standards.

The Texas Department of Transportation was selected for a $7-million grant to repair the Presidio-Ojinaga International Rail Bridge. The bridge is one of seven rail gateways between the U.S. and Mexico and has been out of service since fire damaged it in 2008. In addition to the bridge reconstruction, the grant funding will help rehabilitate approximately 72 miles of South Orient Railroad. The line rehabilitation work includes replacing approximately 15,000 crossties, repairing 38 bridges and rebuilding 37 grade crossings.

The 391-mile South Orient Rail Line is owned by the state, but operated and maintained by Texas Pacifico Transportation, Ltd. The entire project is expected to cost $16.2 million to complete.

The city of Akron, Ohio, will receive a $5.72-million award for the Evans Avenue Railroad Grade Separation Improvements project. The $9.53-million project realign a short section of Evans Avenue and build two bridges over existing CSX and Akron Metro Regional Transit Authority rail lines. The two at-grade crossings see approximately 4,000 vehicles and 42 passenger and freight trains per day.

The projects selected are part of the Small Project Fiscal Year 2017 FASTLANE grants. USDOT is accepting applications until Nov. 2 for FY2017 Large Project grants and FY2018 Large and Small Projects under the Infrastructure Rebuilding America Grants program. www.rtands.com

INDUSTRY TODAY Maryland Purple Line receives federal funding; begins construction The Maryland Purple Line project was able to mark two milestones Aug. 28 as officials signed a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) with the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and began construction activities.

USDOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) committed $900 million from FTA’s Capital Investment Grants Program to the project, which will build 16.2 miles of light rail connecting Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. In addition to the $900 million FFGA, USDOT approved an $874.6-million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan for the project in June 2016. To complement state funding and federal funding for the project, Prince George’s and Montgomery counties have pledged a combined $330 million in cash and non-cash contributions for the project.

Following the signing of the FFGA, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan started demolition activities to make way for the new Purple Line Operations Center.

The project includes the construction of 21

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stations, two vehicle and maintenance storage yards with shop facilities and the procurement of 25 articulated light-rail vehicles.

Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) officials signed the $5.6-billion P3 contract in March 2016 with the Purple Line Transit Partners to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the 16.2-mile light rail system.

MDOT will be the owner of the project and its selected private partner, Purple Line Transit Partners, will implement the project on a design-build-finance-operate-maintain basis.

The Purple Line will connect major activity centers in Bethesda, Silver Spring, TakomaLangley Park, College Park and New Carrollton to three Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) rail lines, all three Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) rail lines and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor line. Although the project will provide direct connections with WMATA and MARC, it will remain physically and operationally separate.

When completed, the line will make suburbto-suburb cross-county travel easier and faster.

Supplier News 4TRANSIT was awarded a US$239.02-million contract to provide technical advisory services for two work packages offered under Metrolinx’s 10-year Regional Express Rail Capital Program.

Amtrak selected

AECOM in partnership with Network Rail, to conduct an independent review of the interaction, coordination and collaboration between the various passenger concourses within New York Penn Station.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation has selected Cianbro-

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INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News Middlesex Joint Venture for the CP243 Interlocking and Danbury Branch Dockyard projects in Norwalk.

Fluor Corp. reached an agreement with

Texas Central Rail Holdings, LLC , to advance the preliminary development of the proposed 240-mile highspeed passenger rail line connecting Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston.

Hanson Professional Services Inc. has acquired Engineered Rail Solutions LLC. HDR was chosen to lead the final design for GoTriangle’s DurhamOrange Light Rail

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Sleep apnea rule withdrawn; NY, NJ senators ask USDOT to reconsider The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have withdrawn a proposed rule that would have regulated actions addressing sleep apnea for workers in safety sensitive positions.

The FMCSA posted a notice on its website Aug. 4 and the official notice was published in the Federal Register Aug. 8.

In March 2016, the two agencies published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking concerning the prevalence of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among individuals occupying safety sensitive positions in highway and rail transportation and its potential consequences for the safety of highway and rail transportation.

FRA and FMCSA say the proposed rule is being withdrawn because they “believe that current safety programs and FRA’s rulemaking addressing fatigue risk management are the appropriate avenues to address OSA.” FRA recognized the implementation of OSA identification and treatment programs

September 2017

at several railroads and “anticipates these programs will identify best practices for OSA screening, diagnosis, treatment and mitigation.” FRA also noted that the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA) requires railroads to establish a fatigue management plan as part of a Risk Reduction Program (RRP) or System Safety Program (SSP).

“While RSIA does not address OSA by name, FRA believes railroads will consider OSA when addressing medical conditions that affect alertness under a railroad’s fatigue risk management plan as part of an RRP or SSP. FRA will continue to monitor railroads’ voluntary OSA programs, as well as the implementation of fatigue risk management plans, as part of an RRP or SSP,” the agency said in the Federal Register notice.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Most Wanted List for 2017-2018 included a reduction in fatigue-related accidents.

NTSB said it has issued more than 200 safety recommendations addressing fatigue-

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related problems across all modes of transportation and notes company practices and individual responsibility is key to mitigating the risk.

“Ultimately, fatigue-related accidents can be avoided with a combination of science-based regulations, comprehensive fatigue risk management programs and individual responsibility,” NTSB explained in its Most Wanted List fact sheet on fatigue-related accidents.

In response, four U.S. Senators from New York and New Jersey asked USDOT to reconsider the rule.

The four senators, Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), sent a letter to USDOT Secretary Elaine Chao asking to see data used to withdraw a rule that would have mandated sleep apnea testing among transportation workers in safety critical roles.

The senators cited two recent accidents where sleep apnea was either determined to be a factor or is under investigation as a potential factor.

“We strongly believe that USDOT should immediately reconsider the decision in order to help avoid future fatigue-related tragedies,” the senators wrote. “Due to our serious concern over this decision to vacate this potentially life-saving rule, please provide our offices all data and information used to make the decision to withdraw the rule, and USDOT’s plan to identify and treat operators suffering from obstructive sleep apnea before more fatal tragedies take place.”

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INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News Transit Project.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. will acquire CH2M HILL Companies Ltd. Capital Metro board of directors approved a contract with Modern

Railway Systems, Inc., to design, build and commission a positive train control system.

Caltrain awarded a $32.1-million contract to

Proven Management Inc. for the South San Francisco Station Improvement Project.

Watermill Group has acquired track fastener manufacturer Cooper & Turner.

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Eglinton Crosstown LRT sees first track installed; SMART begins service The Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) project installed the first piece of track, a turnout, at the Maintenance and Storage Facility marking another milestone toward bringing the project online by 2021.

The 19-km (11.8-mile) Eglinton Crosstown LRT will connect Mount Dennis Station in the west with Kennedy Station in the east and includes a 10-km (6.21-mile) underground portion between Keele Street and Laird Drive. The line will bring an additional 25 stations and stops to the Greater Toronto Area that will link to bus routes, three subway stations, three GO Transit lines and the Union Pearson Express.

The turnout installed is part of the 8.5km (5.28-mile) track system that will move vehicles through Mount Dennis Station and adjoining maintenance and storage facility. The facility is the first major component of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project scheduled for completion and will be finished in 2018.

September 2017

Ontario is fully funding the CA$5.3-billion (US$4.18-billion) Eglinton Crosstown LRT to expand transit in the city of Toronto.

“The installation of the first piece of track is a significant milestone for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project. It is exciting to see how far we’ve come since work began in 2011. This investment will provide fast, efficient and reliable transit for residents, commuters and visitors in Toronto,” said Ontario Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca.

In other rail transit news, the SonomaMarin Area Rail Transit (SMART) District began full passenger train service on Aug. 25.

SMART’s initial 43 miles of rail corridor includes 10 stations, from the Sonoma County Airport to Downtown San Rafael.

Future extensions include: Larkspur, which is scheduled to be completed in 2019; Windsor; Healdsburg; and Cloverdale. The full project will provide 70 miles of passenger rail service.

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AAR, GoRail honor Rep. DeFazio’s with award U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) was honored Aug. 14 with the Railroad Achievement Award by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and GoRail.

AAR says the award is given periodically to members of Congress who have shown leadership on policies that help ensure the vitality of railroads in the United States. The Railroad Achievement Award was launched in May 2017 with Sens.

John Thune (R-S.D.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) jointly recognized as the inaugural award recipients.

The organizers explain that award winners, such as Rep. DeFazio, have particularly shown an understanding of the distinct role railroads play in the American economy and the need for safe and efficient operations made possible through sustained investment.

Rep. DeFazio is the Ranking Member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, a position AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger says allows him to understand the critical role railroads play in the nation’s economy.

Rep. DeFazio is also credited with many state-level rail accomplishments, such as helping secure a grant for the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay to purchase an abandoned rail line, as well as additional funding to rehabilitate the line. His work with the Coos Bay Rail Link earned him a locomotive named in his honor.

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INDUSTRY TODAY Amtrak wraps up NY Penn Station renewal work; construction begins on Moynihan Train Hall The so called “Summer of Hell” ended for New York area commuters on Sept. 4 as the Amtrak Infrastructure Renewal program at New York Penn Station stuck to its original schedule and returned to regular operations on Sept. 5.

“We thank customers for their patience while we renew the infrastructure at New York Penn Station. We also appreciate the collaboration and support of our commuter partners, New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR),” said Amtrak co-CEO Wick Moorman. “Our engineering forces are making great progress and we look forward to resuming scheduled operations Sept. 5.”

Amtrak engineering forces have completed nearly all of the planned summer infrastructure renewal work. This summer’s work focused on “A Interlocking,” the critical sorting mechanism routing incoming and outgoing trains that enter and exit Penn Station from the Hudson River tunnel LIRR’s West Side Yard to the various station tracks and platforms. The work in A interlocking includes total track and switch replacement. This work will improve the reliability of train service through this area in Penn Station.

The resumption of regular schedules Tuesday, Sept. 5, included all previously announced modified routes at New York Penn Station, as well as Empire Service trains, which will be returning to Penn Station for all arrivals and departures.

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Amtrak and commuter partners LIRR and NJ Transit committed to modified schedules during the summer so that infrastructure renewal work that address aging infrastructure could be accelerated. Additional work will last through approximately June 2018, with most of it taking place on weekends, resulting in minimal impacts to service or disruptions to customers.

In other New York Penn Station news, major construction began on Moynihan Train Hall. The project will create a new 255,000 square-foot Train Hall for LIRR and Amtrak passengers and increase Penn Station’s total concourse floor space by more than 50 percent.

The $1.6 billion project is being funded with $550 million from the state, $420 million from Amtrak, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and $630 million from the joint venture developers. In early July, the project secured a $537.1 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan.

A total of nine platforms and 17 tracks will be accessible from the Train Hall. The Train Hall will provide direct connections to the Eighth Avenue Subway and create direct access to the train station from 9th Avenue for the first time, bringing unparalleled regional transportation options within convenient reach of the booming Hudson Yards and Far West Side areas.

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INDUSTRY TODAY Groundbreaking ceremony held for Glacier Rail Park in Kalispell, Mont.

Federal, state and local dignitaries kicked off construction of the Glacier Rail Park in Kalispell, Mont., Aug. 22.

The rail park is part of the larger $21-million Kalispell Core & Rail Development Project, which aims to revitalize Kalispell’s city center by building an industrial park for rail-served businesses and removing railroad tracks that dissected the town. Stakeholders say the project will improve overall traffic flow, walkability and bikeability of Kalispell, which will contribute to economic development of the western Montana community.

The multi-modal facility will include new rail and road infrastructure with every lot equipped with on-site rail, wastewater management, municipal water and utilities. Additionally, rail to the tenant’s buildings can be custom built.

Following the rail park’s construction and rail line relocation, tracks will be removed from downtown Kalispell and replaced with a trail.

The project was a recipient of a 2015 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant. In the U.S. Department of Transportation’s fact sheet on grant award winners it wrote the following on the project: Developed with extensive stakeholder input and comprehensive planning, this project will eliminate

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a barrier to transportation in the downtown area and create a new multimodal facility, providing greater mobility for bicyclists and pedestrians throughout downtown Kalispell. These improvements will reduce truck traffic and eliminate an existing barrier to emergency services that occurs when trains block at-grade rail crossings in the city. Additionally, the risk of collisions between vehicles and non-motorized travelers will be greatly reduced. The relocation of the rail infrastructure to Glacier Rail Park will maintain local freight access to the national rail network while improving quality of life in downtown Kalispell.

City of Kalispell Mayor Mark Johnson called the groundbreaking ceremony a “truly transformative moment” noting that the project went through three rounds of TIGER grant applications, a process that tested stakeholders faith, but the successful awarding of the grant made the project possible.

U.S. Sen. John Tester (D-Mont.) said in his address at the groundbreaking ceremony that he is committed to finding a bipartisan solution to preserve TIGER funding, noting that the expenditures made possible through TIGER drive economic growth.

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PEOPLE Andrea Waldock Niethold has been named the director of government affairs for Canadian National.

Steven Chrismer, Ph.D., joined the Applied Technology and Engineering Division at ENSCO, Inc.

Gannett Fleming, Inc., is expanding its Security and Safety Practice by four; joining the team is James “Jim” E. Smith, Gene Perry, Jacy C. Harper and Brandon S. Huckeba.

Andrew Robbins will serve as the next executive director and chief executive officer of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.

HNTB named Michael Barbour as senior project director and associate vice president; Thomas J. Spearing III was named national transit program management/construction management practice leader.

L.B. Foster Company named James P. Maloney senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer.

Metrolinx has named Phil Verster as its new president and CEO. The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority appointed Patrick Foye as president and Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim as managing director.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Authority has named Luis Manuel Ramírez as its next general manager and CEO.

Metra‘s Board of Directors has named James M. Derwinski as executive director and CEO. Derwinski will take over from Don Orseno, who is retiring at the end of 2017.

Norfolk Southern Corporation appointed Cynthia C. Earhart as executive vice president and chief financial officer.

SNC-Lavalin appointed Chantal Sorel to executive vice president, Capital, in addition to her current role as managing director.

Global design firm Stantec has added Ryan Raske to its team as senior railway engineer.

Oliver Ernhofer has been named New York transportation planning manager and senior supervising planner for WSP USA ; Charlie Guess was named construction services manager for the firm’s West region.

Obituary Stephen C. Tobias, former Norfolk Southern vice chairman and chief operating officer and former member of the Canadian Pacific Board of Directors, died Aug. 7.

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NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN

The conference is coming, the conference is coming

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

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The last quar ter of 2017 is fast approaching and, as always, this is a busy time of year in the contracting industry.

Frontline managers are pushing to get as much of the existing work log complete as possible while the weather is still good. The senior managers are pushing hard to squeeze more work on to the crews’ backlog for this year, so they can hit or exceed the projections for the year.

This is always a fun balancing act to experience! If you don’t like that tension, contracting isn’t for you!

During all of this, managers are also working hard trying to get some backlog of work for future years, while they put together their 2018 projections and budgets. In order to put together good projections for the future, you need to have a good idea of what the industry is doing and what the shipping customers and the railroads have planned. There is no better way to do this than to attend some of the upcoming conferences Railway Interchange 2017 is being held September 17-20 in Indianapolis, Ind. Railway Interchange is the largest c o m b i n e d r a i lw a y e x h i b i t i o n a n d technical conference in North America.

The show highlights the latest technology, services and research from the member companies of Railway Eng ineer ingMaintenance Supplier s Association (REMSA), Railway Supply Institute (RSI) and Railway System Suppliers, Inc. (RSSI). Technical Presentations and discussions at Railway Interchange are provided by Amer ican Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) and Coordinated Mechanical Associations (CMA). With almost 10,000 industry professional from around the world, it is always a great event and great way to keep your finger on the pulse of the industry.

September 2017

And then, the best one of all! The event that everyone looks forward to every year – the NRC Conference. The 2018 NRC Conference will be held January 10-13 in Los Angeles, Calif., at the JW Marriott LA Live. The speakers at our conference are always excellent and the exhibits are always top of the line. This year is already lining up to be another great one, with senior engineering and procurement executives from major rail transit agencies, state departments of transportation, Class 1 railroads and large shortline and regional railroad holding companies already invited or committed to present. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transpor tation Authority, New York Metropolitan Transit Authority, California High-Speed Rail Authority, Watco, Genesee & Wyoming, OmniTRAX, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, BNSF, Canadian National – they’ll all be there, shouldn’t you? Also, REMSA is working hard putting together the Exhibition hall, and that is expected to sell out as always.

We believe this is the premiere event in our industry and it’s unquestionably a great way to start off a new year. For more information on the conference, registering, hotel reser vations, sponsorships and exhibiting, please visit www.nrcma.org. I highly encourage you to register as soon as possible and book a hotel room, too.

You can do that right now. It’s quick and easy, and you’ll feel better if you get it done now. Don’t wait until the holidays are creeping up on you.

I hope to see ever yone at Railway Interchange in September and at the NRC Conference in January.

Finally, I wish everyone a safe and successful month.

by Chris Daloisio, NRC Chairman

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TTCI R&D Better bridge fatigue life estimates may mean more life from 100-year-old bridge spans

by Duane Otter, Ph. D., PE, scientist Stephen M. Dick,Ph. D., SE, principal investigator II Anna M. Rakoczy, Ph. D., principal investigator I Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

I

n 2014, Transpor tation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) installed two short, steel deck plate girder bridge spans at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST), Pueblo, Colo. The steel spans, measur ing 24 and 32 feet, respectively, were secondhand, of riveted fabrication, and were more than 100 years old. Additionally, both were being loaded above their normal rated capacity by the FAST train.

This article focuses on the 24-foot span, built in 1913 and situated in a five-degree cur ve with four inches of superelevation. Preliminary measurements and analysis of this span indicate the following: • Spans that are shorter than the inside axle spacing of the cars experience full unloading under each car; and thus, full stress range cycles for each car, making them more susceptible to fatigue.

• Estimated f atigue life based on strain gauge measurements is more than 20 times longer than life estimated based only on simple theoretical calculations for the 24-foot span.

• Use of the American Railway Engineering and M a i n t e n a n c e - o f - Wa y A s s o c i a t i o n ( A R E M A ) 1 fatigue rating recommendations, implemented using guidance from the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) 2, can provide a much greater life estimate as compared to simple use of fatigue Category D.

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TTCI uses a 100-year-old steel deck plate girder to better predict the lifespan and maintenance needs of steel bridges.

(Various fatigue categories are described by AREMA and NSBA.) • To date, this span has perfor med well with no maintenance required, no defects noted and more than 350 million gross tons (mgt) of heavy-axle-load (HAL) traffic accumulated.

One of the primary goals of this research is to provide better estimates of steel bridge life to facilitate better planning for bridge capital and maintenance work. Spans of different lengths, designs, track curvature and traffic conditions must be analyzed individually.

TTCI is using these spans to investigate life extension and life estimates for common steel spans as part of the Association of American Railroads’ Strategic Research Initiatives program.

Both the 24- and 32-foot spans are being overloaded by the HAL train at FAST. The normal rating of the 24-foot span is Cooper E-69. The FAST train loading on the high rail girder of this span is E-74 at the normal operating speed of 40 mph.

The FAST train consists primarily of 53-foot rotary dump cars with a gross rail load of 315,000 pounds.

Mid-span tension flange stresses, as measured using strain gauges in the 24-foot span under normal FAST train operations at 40 mph, are mostly under seven ksi. The stress drops to zero between the lead and trail trucks of each car when there are no axles on the span. Since fatigue is governed

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TTCI R&D by stress range, short spans can be more susceptible to fatigue compared to longer spans that do not experience full unloading under every car.

The fatigue life of this span can be estimated in a number of ways. The life estimates can vary widely. Bridge fatigue life estimates are normally first made using theoretical calculations. The quick and simple calculations using basic load rating information are conservative. More detailed calculations, taking full advantage of the AREMA rating provisions, can provide a better estimate. Where actual strain gauge data is available, it provides a more accurate estimate of fatigue life for a particular structure.1 Fatigue life estimates will be demonstrated for this span using both theoretical and measured stress ranges.

Theoretical fatigue life

To begin a fatigue life estimate for a short steel span, it is necessary to use a theoretical loading that is as close as possible to the actual loading. The Cooper design load is not appropriate for a fatigue rating, as it does not provide the same fatigue stress range as revenue traffic. The maximum bending moment from the FAST train is used and increased to account for impact. The design impact is reduced for the normal train operating speed of 40 mph at FAST. The bending moment

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Figure 1: The 24- and 32-foot riveted deck plate girder spans at FAST.

is also adjusted for the effects of superelevation. Maximum stress is computed using the net section modulus of the girder.

These calculations are all made in the same manner as is done for a load capacity rating.

For a fatigue life estimate, the amount of impact can be further reduced per Table 15-1-8 in Chapter 15 of the AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering.1 Girder spans are calculated using 35 percent of the impact used for load capacity rating. This results in a reduced bending moment for calculating the live load stress

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Figure 2: Comparison of fatigue life estimates using various stress cycle ranges and rating provisions.

range. Dead load stresses are not considered in a fatigue life estimate. This makes the fatigue life estimation process relatively simple for these short spans at FAST. The stress range is simply equal to the maximum live load stress. And, the number of load cycles per train is approximately the same as the number of cars in the train, with a few miscellaneous cycles due to locomotives and end of train. The theoretical stress range under the HAL train is about 11 ksi.

For stress ranges above nine ksi, AREMA1 recommends standard Category D fatigue life (S-N) curve. Using fatigue Category D for riveted details, the fatigue life is estimated at 1.66 million cycles for the 24-foot span. This number corresponds to 261 mgt of HAL traffic for the 315,000-pound cars at FAST. This life estimate is likely acceptable only on lines carrying minimal amounts of traffic. For a mainline carrying 50 mgt per year, this is a little more than five years.

Estimates based on measured stress

One method AREMA suggests for improving a fatigue life estimate is to obtain more accurate stress range information by means of strain gauge measurements under actual traffic.

Comparison of the theoretical stress range (11 ksi) to the measured data (mostly under seven ksi) indicates that the measured stresses are considerably lower. Thus, use of the measured stress ranges should produce more acceptable life estimates for this span.

In the measured data, the peak stresses vary somewhat from car to car. In order to use the data from a typical train pass, the cycles should be counted using a rain flow cycle counting method. Following AREMA guidelines, an equivalent stress range can then be calculated using the rootmean-cube method.

AREMA recommends ignoring cycles below the variable amplitude fatigue limit of six ksi. The equivalent stress ranges using the root-mean-cube method is 6.64 ksi (neglecting cycles less than six ksi). The corresponding fatigue life based on the Category D S-N curve is 7.5 million cycles (1,160

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Railway Track & Structures

September 2017 23

TTCI R&D mgt). The Category D fatigue life estimate using the measured stress ranges is more than four times the theoretical life.

For this 24-foot span, the measured stress range cycles are all below nine ksi, so further options are available using the AREMA rating guidelines. For riveted spans with no stress range cycles above nine ksi, Category C may be used.

This essentially doubles the life to 15 million cycles (2,300 mgt) or about nine times greater than the estimate using theoretical stresses.

The AREMA rating guidelines offer a further life increase if the rivet holes were drilled or reamed and the rivets are in tight condition. In this case, stress cycles less than 7.65 ksi can be compared against a fatigue life curve that extends out to 100 million cycles at six ksi. In order to properly implement this AREMA provision, the cycles must be evaluated against different portions of the S-N curve using the Palmgren-Miner rule, as described in the NSBA Fatigue Primer.2 The equivalent stress range equation given in AREMA cannot be used. While the computations are more extensive, the resulting fatigue life estimate using this provision is 36 million cycles (5,700 mgt), or more than 20 times the first simple estimate using theoretical stresses. For a 50 mgt per year mainline, this span would be expected to provide more than 100 years of service, carrying exclusively HAL traffic (all loads, no empties) based on this life estimate.

There are several possible f actor s contr ibuting to measured stress range being less than that calculated using

24 Railway Track & Structures

September 2017

basic beam theory: 1) distribution of wheel loads by the rail and deck; 2) partial fixity of the bearings in translation and rotation; 3) partial section contribution from the rail and deck; 4) actual impact due to smooth, continuous welded rail being less than that assumed; and 5) all components of the girders acting in unison.

Further analysis and testing is needed to determine the effects of rating methods on spans of other lengths and spans subjected to different train loadings. Further work is also needed to account for past load history.

Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to Norfolk Southern Railway for the donation of this particular span. And to Dr. Robert A.P. Sweeney, CN (retired); and Dr. Robert J. Connor of Purdue University for their assistance with interpretation and implementation of the various fatigue evaluation techniques available to the bridge engineering community.

References 1. American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association, Manual for Railway Engineering, Chapter 15 – “Steel Structures”, Lanham, Maryland, 2016.

2. Fisher, John W., Kulak, Geoffrey L. and Smith, Ian F.C. A Fatigue Primer for Structural Engineers, National Steel Bridge Alliance, USA, 1998.

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sights on

safety practices

union pacific

The railroad is an unforgiving environment, but industry efforts are making sure that doesn’t equate to an unsafe environment.

by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

M

aking sure each railway worker returns home in the same condition he or she went to work in is the first priority of every rail operator in North America.

Overall, U.S. freight railroads made admirable gains in safety statistics in 2016, according to figures tracked by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Last year, U.S. railroads had the lowest train accident rate on record; derailment rates declined 10 percent in 2016 from 2015 and the employee on duty injury rate dropped by 1.8 percent relative to 2015.

These improvements are the result of in-house safety initiatives, independent safety stakeholder group programs and the integration of systems developed by the railway supply community.

Class 1: Union Pacific

Union Pacific marked its second consecutive year as the top-performing railroad in employee safety, a milestone that follows the Class 1 achieving its best annual employee safety performance in its 154-year history in 2016.

Union Pacific’s safety improved 11 percent with a 0.78 reportable injury 26 Railway Track & Structures

rate in 2016, compared to 0.88 in 2015.

Reportable injury rates represent the number of reportable injuries submitted to the FRA per 200,000 employee hours worked.

“This accomplishment reflects our employees’ unwavering commitment to make safety a part of everything they do and a step toward our goal of zero accidents and injuries,” said Rod Doerr, Union Pacific vice president - safety and chief safety officer. “We are proud of our team and continue working to eliminate risks and create safer work environments every day.”

The railroad named safety as its number one priority and said it was a critical component of its customer commitment in its “2016 Building American Report.”

“We invest significant resources in training employees, developing innovative technologies and increasing rail safety awareness. Our ultimate goal is to operate an incident free environment, which we advance toward every day,” Union Pacific wrote.

Shortline safety

The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) was incorporated in late 2015 and is dedi-

September 2017

cated to helping ensure best practices regarding safety programs and safety culture across regional and shortline railroads.

SLSI’s initiatives range from every day reminders, such as its Safety Tip Tuesday program, which is a series of weekly safety reminders that are meant to be posted in breakrooms and discussed during daily safety briefings, to traveling safety and training presentations and safety assessments to develop long-term programs.

SLSI recently completed a systemic study of Safety Culture Assessments, in cooperation with the Volpe Center, that it will use to further develop training and education efforts.

“With a full year of safety culture assessments to draw upon, we’ve confirmed that the concept and benefits of a strong safety culture is understood and highly valued among shortline and regional railroads,” said Doc Claussen, chairman of the Board of Directors of SLSI. “The results also show that there are areas where the Safety Institute can be particularly helpful, including providing systems for reporting the resolution of safety concerns, programs for coaching and mentoring, procedures for reviewing the rules and tools to enwww.rtands.com

safety practices Opposite page: Union Pacific uses different inspection methods including a safety inspection fleet that uses technology to identify imperfections.

This page: Miller Ingenuity’s ZoneGuard is available as a fixed (shown) or portable system. It uses train detection sensors connected to a wireless mesh data radio network.

sure the consistent communication of formal discipline practices.”

RWP overlay systems

Protran Technology, a Harsco Rail Company, offers a suite of secondary safety systems for the transit and freight markets.

Peter Bartek, vice president of Protran Technolgy, explains that the company’s mission has been to integrate safety in three key areas: human, mobile and fixed assets on the right-of-way.

“We focused our technologies and integration on worker advance warn-

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ing or enhanced employee protection warning, vehicle collision avoidance, intrusion warning and work block advance warning. We studied the [National Transportation Safety Board] accident investigations and developed technologies that would mitigate those accidents using technology in those

three key areas knowing that as added value, agencies would purchase our system for one safety function, but then add key integrated features for other safety requirements,” said Bartek.

The company aims to provide customized safety technology solutions that allow its clients to implement a secondary

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safety practices warning system while following current or future Standard Operating Procedures.

“Unfortunately, human errors will always exist and that is why layers of protection are so critical; especially secondary warning systems for track workers,” said Bartek. “Protran provides Enhanced Employee Protection Systems to existing procedures giving workers a

28 Railway Track & Structures

safety redundancy.”

The first Protran Technology systems have been in revenue operations for more than nine years. Bartek says the company began with an installation at one transit agency and the company’s systems can now be found at more than 26 transit agencies and Class 1s.

Earlier this year, the company began

September 2017

installation of its safety systems on Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) railway fleet, which included 400 train units and related track maintenance work crews. Protran will be implementing its Collision Avoidance System on RTD’s on-track equipment, which enforces safe operating distances between railway work equipment, track workers and restricted areas using real-time distance measures combined with audio-visual alerts.

Bartek notes that the customer feedback received during the past nine years has been excellent, but Protran will continue to push the technology envelope.

“The key precursor which will determine if an accident will soon occur are the number of close calls. As close calls go up, so do major accidents. In every property that has installed the Protran system, they have reported zero accidents and fatalities and close calls have gone to almost zero,” said Bartek.

Miller Ingenuity developed ZoneGuard, its roadway worker overlay protection system, as a way to enhance work crew safety.

The company notes that redundancy is not only the primary consideration when developing life safety equipment; it’s an absolute necessity in any life safety application and requires sensor diversity and a robust network architecture.

“We provide an overlay protection product working in conjunction with railroad safety rules,” said Steve Blue, president and CEO. “ZoneGuard’s design takes care of the technical details, while thoroughly addressing human factor issues that we have identified through customer discussions.”

Blue says human factors cause too many near misses and accidents, which is why developing a dependable system was critical.

“There are nearly unlimited considerations when applying technology solutions to complex problems. How do the workers know the protection is active? How do they know their wearable alert device is operating? Is it possible to accidentally turn-off or break without knowing? Can I believe a train is really coming or do I have a few more seconds to complete my task and head home? These are the types of questions we heard over and over in conversation with potential users. By taking all the feedback and technical details and engineering ZoneGuard on these failsafe principles, we have launched a workwww.rtands.com

safety practices er protection product people can believe in,” said Blue.

ZoneGuard’s system can be utilized in a portable or fixed (permanently mounted) solution. Each setup works with Train Detection Modules and Train Alert Modules placed along the active work zone. The company explains the system is wellequipped to handle long protection zones because the modules can be placed in the appropriate locations to allow the crew to be alerted of approaching trains within safe clearing times. Onboard equipment is available should a train operator require a device. The system also offers wearable devices for the Roadway Worker in Charge, Watchman Lookout and workers that will vibrate and sound an alert when there is a detection made.

In addition to honing the system based on individual customer conversations, Miller Ingenuity, tested ZoneGuard in all-weather conditions (including two Minnesota winters), through long curves, tunnels, under high power lines, within high-noise urban environments and across multiple tracks.

“We demonstrated our prototype solution to transit operators, freight operators and some construction firms. We continued to add features and functionality discovered during these ‘live’ test demonstrations. We have received a lot of feedback on how our system virtually eliminates false alerts and that ZoneGuard is extremely flexible to their specific operating environment,” said Blue.

He continued by saying the system can easily adapt to challenging scenarios and provide overlay protection to those working in the field, whether they are part of a work crew or they are a lone worker.

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September 2017

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Metro-North utilizes a tested new joint design to extend the life of a critical bascule bridge on its busiest line.

by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor • Photos courtesy of Metro-North

a joint effort:

cos cob miter rail replacement T he Cos Cob Bridge over the Mianus River in Greenwich, Conn., functions as a linchpin in two passenger rail systems: MetroNorth Railroad’s New Haven Line and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC).

Cos Cob is the busiest of the five movable bridges on the New Haven Line that the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) owns and Metro-North maintains. The other four are the Walk Bridge over the Norwalk River in Norwalk, the Saga Bridge over the Saugatuck River in Westport, the Devon Bridge over the Housatonic River between Milford and Stratford and the Peck Bridge over the Pequonnock River in Bridgeport. CTDOT estimated in 2015 that a failure of one of these bridges, all more than 100 years old, would result in an added 125,000 daily commuters on the regions already congested highways.

Cos Cob’s 11-span, 1,089-foot structure was originally built in 1904 and rehabilitated in 1989, but has reached the end of its functional life. The Scher32 Railway Track & Structures

zer rolling bascule span consists of two leafs, each carrying two tracks, while the remaining spans consist of four parallel bridges each carrying one track.

CTDOT defined a course of action to address the future serviceability needs of the Cos Cob Bridge and to maintain the long-term safety and reliability of rail service in the corridor. The project Metro-North is undertaking includes replacing the miter rails and deck timber, as well initial work on the design for the full replacement of the structure.

The first phase of the project included an in-depth inspection and load rating of the structure to assess the overall condition of the bridge and to identify structural and functional deficiencies.

The second phase developed a design to address those deficiencies identified in the first phase.

HNTB provided consulting engineering services to prepare procurement and installation plans for new miter rails for the movable span and expansion rails on all four tracks of the Cos Cob Bridge.

The plans were used by Metro-North

September 2017

forces to procure and install new expansion rails (two per track), miter rails (two per track) and related hardware for each of the four tracks on the bridge.

Following a review of the existing conditions of the bridge, HNTB made recommendations for the replacement of the existing miter rails. These recommendations included the use of thickweb all-rail miter joints; expansion rails to protect the new miter joints; steel ties and elastomeric direct fixation fasteners to support the miter rails with the expansion rails installed on dapped bridge timbers; the use of 2/0 (two aught) wire cable with plug coupler connections for continuity of the signal system and the replacement of all bridge timbers. The existing looped cables at the heel of the moveable span will be re-used, as will the proximity sensors at the toe and heel of the moveable span.

above: New miter rails installed on the Cos Cob Bridge. The bridge handles traffic for Metro-North’s New Have Line, as well as Amtrak trains. www.rtands.com

Cos Cob bridge work Out with the old: This image shows the old miter rails, which Metro-North is replacing on the Cos Cob Bridge.

Metro-North began work in the spring of 2016 to replace the existing miter rails, the bridge timbers on all tracks and install the expansion rails.

Existing miter joints

The existing miter joint rail currently installed on the Cos Cob Bridge, consists of two rails (one fixed, one movable) separated by an approximate two-

inch gap. The rail ends are cut square and the head of one or both rails are depressed by about one quarter of an inch in two inches. To cross the gap, the wheel tread is transferred from the running rail to an elevated rider (or easer) rail that is mounted on the field side of the joint. The bed plates are typically four feet long and 20 inches wide and are furnished with a one to 40 cant. The

standard design lifts a standard AAR1b wheel approximately one quarter of an inch above the running rail over a distance of about 13 inches. The running surface of the rider/easer block is 3/16 of an inch above the running rail, but due to the tapered tread of standard rail wheels, the amount that the wheel is lifted is less. Other passenger rail operators that use the bridge use a wheel with a non-standard taper. A modified design has been developed to be more compatible with these wheels, to reduce the impact loads generated by the transition from the running rail to and from the rider/easer block.

Disadvantages

Metro-North’s engineering team notes that the primary disadvantage of this style of bridge joint is the amount of impact resulting from the transfer of the rail wheel to and from the running rails to the easer/rider rail. As the joint accumulates

Cos Cob Bridge work traffic, this impact causes wear and batter, which further amplifies the impact loading. Metro-North points to testing performed at Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), that has shown that when new, miter/easer rails cause less of an impact than a standard bolted joint (±3 percent) at 30 mph, but that the impact is slightly higher, two percent, at speeds of 40 mph.

Metro-North says the thick-web miter joint, when new, was shown to have ±20 percent less impact than a standard rail joint at 40 mph or about 22-percent less impact than a new rider/easer block joint.

The commuter railroad also notes that an additional concern with transferring the wheel from the rail to the rider/easer block is the sudden change in the location where the track contacts the wheel.

“Due to the taper of the tread, the radius of the wheel at the rail contact location is slightly larger at the rider/easer block contact location. When the train moving at a constant linear velocity crosses the joint, the rotational velocity of the wheel wants to change to adapt to the new contact radius. This will cause a

small amount of slip between the wheel and the rail potentially leading to metal flow, rail defects and other undesirable wheel-rail interactions. Also, these joints have not proved a clear path for false flanges from worn wheels to bypass the rider/easer blocks. The loading from a wheel with a false flange would be transmitted further from the gauge line,” said Dave Melillo, PE, director of Track and Structures at Metro-North.

Thick-web miter joints

Metro-North is replacing the existing miter joint rail with a new thick-web miter joint design, originally developed jointly between Amtrak and Cleveland Track Materials, Inc., now part of Vossloh, for use on the NEC. Although developed for high-speed intercity passenger routes, the joints have been tested by TTCI at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) in Pueblo, Colo. Researchers installed a pair of joints on an open-deck steel bridge on the High Tonnage Loop that accumulated 201 million gross tons of 315,000-pound traffic.

A summary of the test, published

by TTCI concludes that, “These joints lasted three to four times longer than the miter joints previously tested at the FAST. Very little maintenance was required until the joints were near the end of their service life.”

Testing at TTCI showed that, when new, the thick-web miter joint generates ±20-percent less impact loading than a standard rail joint at 40 mph, which is about 21-percent less than what is created by a rider/easer style miter joint.

The impact loading increased with the accumulation of traffic, from about 1.1 times the static wheel load to 1.44 times the static wheel load or about a 30-percent increase.

Melillo explains that this type of bridge joint is fabricated from rail bent and machined to an angled “miter” joint and is similar to earlier mitered bridge joints with the exception that it is constructed from the heavier thick-web rail and has heavier bed plates, bracing and guarding.

He notes that the joint is fabricated from a 136-thick-web rail section, includes flash-butt welded 136 RE ex-

Cos Cob bridge work tension rails, thick base plate assemblies and is fully guarded through the miter section. The bed plates for lift or bascule bridges are typically five feet long and 19.5 inches wide for direct fixation/steel tie installation or 30 inches wide for timber fixation. The standard joint is canted at one to 40.

The point of both rails are depressed 3/16 of an inch in five inches and no riser is included in the design.

Melillo says the original bridge joints installed on Cos Cob were “mitered” joints, but the angle of the miter was approximately 35 degrees compared to approximately six degrees for the thick-web miter joint.

He notes that this joint’s primary advantage is the smooth transition from the approach rails to the lift rails, which occurs directly over a long angled miter cut. The joints are fully guarded and provided clear passage for false flanges from worn wheels.

The two-and-a-half-year project is on schedule with Track 4 completed in the fall of 2016. Work on Track 2 began in March 2017 and will be completed in August. Crews plan to begin work on Track 1 in September 2017 and Track 3 in spring 2018 with the entire project scheduled for completion in the fall of 2018.

References 1. Doe, B., Otter, D., Davis, D. and Duran Sasaoka, C. “Evaluation of a Thick-Web Miter Rail Joint and Signal System Interface Under HAL Traffic.” Technology Digest TD-06-001, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.

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www.rtands.com

DAVID BECKER REVIEWS His year as AREMA PRESIDENT Departing AREMA President David Becker shares his thoughts on where the association is going and what he and the staff accomplished this past year.

by Maggie Lancaster, assistant editor All photos courtesy of David Becker.

D

av i d B e c k e r , p r e s i d e n t o f American Railway Engineering a n d M a i n t e n a n c e - o f - Wa y Association (AREMA) for the 20162017 term, sought to build upon the strong foundation he says was started for him by Past President Brian Lindamood.

Becker wanted to attend as many AREMA events and meetings as possible and establish contacts with AREMA student chapters in order to strengthen relationships within the AREMA community. Naturally modest, he found it difficult to list his accomplishments, but he is excited to see where the future will take AREMA, including a new website that will launch later this year.

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

BECKER: As with any leadership role, 40 Railway Track & Structures

being AREMA president is about time management, open communication, building relationships with those you must depend upon and always being open to consider alternative viewpoints. Fortunately, in my “day job” role as chief engineer design and construction at Norfolk Southern, I spend the vast part of my days doing just this; working through a variety of issues, gathering facts as options are considered, building consensus with the stakeholders, prioritizing limited resources and then moving the project forward in a fact-based manner.

RT&S: What are your thoughts on the past year as president of AREMA? BECKER: It has truly been a great experience. Although I have known many of the AREMA Directors and Committee Chairs through the years

September 2017

as I progressed in the organization, it has been really great to get to know those with whom I was less well acquainted. Likewise, getting the opportunity to work more closely with the AREMA headquarters staff has been great. I always come away from the association’s meetings impressed by the quality and integrity of the industry’s leadership.

I have also greatly appreciated the opportunity to represent the organization at a variety of industry events, such as the Regional Transportation Authority and the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association conferences and the Association of American Railroads research report-out and trackwalk at Transportation Technology Center, Inc. These events provided me with some great technical exposures and the ability to make new acquaintances with individuals in areas of the industry www.rtands.com

AREMA President that I was not as closely connected to, due to the nature of the work that I am routinely involved with.

Coming from a Class 1 freight background, leading an organization like AREMA, which touches so many diverse areas, has certainly expanded my view of the industry as a whole.

I have been struck by the depth of interdependency that exists between the North American railroads (freight, passenger and transit) and the suppliers that support a diversity of needs covering the entirety of our industry.

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

BECKER: A key goal was to continue the good work started by my predecessor Brian Lindamood, and continue building a strong foundation for the organization that creates “relevance” for our stakeholders and efficiency in how we carry out the mission. We are actively developing a new Strategic Plan for the organization, which will help guide and focus the efforts of the headquarters staff and help ensure alignment with the direction set by the Board of Governors.

While I have certainly tried to attend as many AREMA events and meetings as possible, it is always a challenge to be as good an ambassador as you really would like to be, while balancing the pull of day job responsibilities. I really would have liked to have attended the passenger-Railway Engineering Education Symposium (p-REES) event. The event was sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) in cooperation with AREMA and was aimed at educating engineering faculty about the public transportation industry. I would have liked to have made more direct contacts with more student chapters, as well. I think as an organization, further strengthening our relationships with the educational community and providing meaningful experiences for students are important tasks that AREMA needs to work harder on.

there anything you are you most proud of having accomplished?

BECKER: With the wonderful support and hard work that is provided by the AREMA headquarters staff and the leadership of all of our Functional Groups, it is hard for me to say “I accomplished this.” A couple items that I feel I did help nudge in the right direction would be the elevation of our four Maintenance Teams to full Committee status and the development of our new website that will go live later this year.

The Maintenance Committees (Track, Bridge, Signals and Safety) provide a great home for frontline maintenance supervisors who want to interact with their peers and share best practice knowledge. I’ll admit we still have some work to do in fully defining the assignments for these new committees, but we do have a good framework in place and meaningful content that will be beneficial to the industry is being developed.

David Becker and his wife, Kimberly.

I think the most exciting thing to occur during the past year has been the major project to modernize our website and rebrand the organization to refresh our public image. I am very excited about the improvements that have been made to our external customer interfaces and internal committee activity portals. More

RT&S: What did you accomplish during your term in office? Is www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2017 41

Becker (center) with his family; son, Justin and wife, Kimberly.

information and details will be coming soon on this important initiative. Stay tuned!

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

BECKER: Making specific predictions is always fraught with danger, but I will give my thoughts in broad strokes in a couple of areas.

In the near-term, I think the organization will need to continue to work very closely with the leadership of the Class 1s to ensure that AREMA is effectively delivering on the value proposition for their employees. These are AREMA’s customers and at this time they represent the bulk of our membership. As an association, I am encouraged by the actions that AREMA’s Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer and headquarters staff make to meet this challenge. In the past two years, AREMA has progressively become more nimble, more customer-focused, more reliant on technological advances and more efficient in the day-to-day conduct of its business.

Given the technological advances that have occurred in the past decade, I think that 10 years from now, the industry as a whole and, as a result AREMA, will look quite different.

I believe that how our publications and educational products and services are delivered will largely be virtual. I also believe that 10 years from now, AREMA’s publications and educational offerings will have a greater focus on the needs of the shortline and the passenger/transit communities. I think these areas will see significant expansion and will provide a great opportunity for AREMA to work with these currently somewhat underrepresented stakeholders.

One prediction I will make with a good degree of certainly is that the Annual Conference, biennial AREMA Expositions and biennial Railway Interchange events will continue to take place and will continue to be as popular as they are today – for the simple reason that there is no substitute for high-quality, face-to-face professional contact.

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

BECKER: Well my predictions covered the future, but there are a couple of specific things that I think will be important to AREMA’s future.

First, I think we need to reinforce the meaning and value of AREMA membership and, in particular, reinforce the value committee involvement provides. AREMA isn’t meant to be a 42 Railway Track & Structures

September 2017

www.rtands.com

Becker with his wife, Kimberly, at a University of Georgia football game.

social club, but the professional socialization of our membership with one another is a critical element and a valuable commodity for personal growth. Committee meetings have long played a key role in making these social connections happen and as they happen, they foster long-term professional relationships and opportunities for peer mentoring. These interactions help develop employees into better and more well-rounded engineers and managers. Obviously, the challenge is how to provide this socialization in a time-conscious and cost-conscious manner.

Second, and this is my personal opinion, I think as an organization AREMA will need to take a fresh look at how we measure qualification to lead the organization going forward. The fundamental changes that have occurred in the structure of the industry’s professional workforce over the past 20 years are a major driver of my feelings on this issue.While I am a railroader (directly employed by a railroad), I hold no illusion that I am intellectually superior or more of a professional railroader, than many of my peers in the consulting engineering and engineering services community. In this day and age, many of these individuals are serving as direct extensions of staff to the railroad engineering departments. Obviously, an appropriate litmus test will be needed to prove a candidate has a demonstrated longterm track record of railroad specific service and a demonstrated engineering leadership skill set. I am confident that this type of railroad professional would be as much of a champion for the industry as a direct employee of a railroad.

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AREMA NEWS Message from the President

Professional Development

Greetings fellow rail industry professionals!

Dwight Clark AREMA President 2017–2018

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Greetings, fellow AREMA colleagues. My name is Dwight Clark and I am humbled and honored to be selected to serve as president of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) for 2017-2018. I will take office during this year’s Annual Conference on Wednesday, September 20, in Indianapolis, Ind. By happy coincidence, I have two connections to Indiana: I graduated from high school in Monroeville, Ind., and started my railroad career working on a section gang in Decatur, Ind. I spent summers in college working for Penn Central and Conrail performing track maintenance.

Upon graduation, I started my professional career as a civil engineer with Missouri Pacific Railroad as an operations management trainee.

Through my 37-year career with Missouri Pacific Railroad and Union Pacific Railroad, I have held both field and system positions across the network and lived in six states and eight cities across the country. I am currently the general director engineering technology headquartered in Omaha, Neb. My education includes a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma State University and a Master of in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

As a result of Union Pacific’s support, I have been involved with the American Railway Engineering Association, Roadmasters & Maintenance-of-Way Association and AREMA for 36 years. The predecessor association and AREMA board positions that I have held include: Roadmasters & Maintenance-of-Way Association Board of Directors (1993 – 1997), AREMA Board of Directors – Director (1999 – 2001), Functional Group Vice President – Maintenance (2001 – 2004), Functional Group Vice President - Track (2006 – 2008 and 2015 – 2016). I have also chaired technical sessions, authored and co-authored technical papers and presented at technical conferences for AREMA. Last year, I had the honor of serving as AREMA senior vice president and am ready to meet the challenges as president of this important organization.

I am following in the very big footsteps of the 20 previous past presidents of AREMA, such as Dave Becker, my most recent predecessor. I want to thank Dave for his leadership and the overall effort he has put in this past year. Dave was always available if I had a question. I plan to continue the important work Dave and his predecessors have put into making AREMA the premier railroad engineering association in the world. The past presidents have been great resources on the responsibilities and their experiences while in this role. Special thanks must also go out to Beth Caruso, Stacy Spaulding and the strong AREMA staff for their support this year in my role as senior vice president.

Each year, the president focuses the organization’s efforts on initiatives for the coming session. Initiatives for this year include: complete any outstanding plans from the previous administration, continue ongoing efforts to determine the direction of the association, ensure the association provides value to railroads and other members,

If you need additional continuing education credits, plan to attend any of the four 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 FRA 213: Track Safety Standards September 20-22 Track Alignment Design September 20-22 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!

Railway Track & Structures

September 2017 47

Upcoming Committee Meetings The following committee meetings are being held in conjunction with the AREMA 2017 Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Ind. A complete list of meetings and times during the conference available on pages 50-51.

Sept. 16

Committee 5 - Track

Committee 40 - Engineering Safety

Committee 24 - Education & Training

Committee 41 - Track Maintenance

Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment

Committee 42 - Bridge Maintenance

Sept. 17

Committee 5 - Track

Committee 43 - Signals Maintenance

Committee 6 - Building & Support Facilities

Sept. 18

Committee 1 - Roadway & Ballast

Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction

Committee 13 - Environmental

Committee 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems

Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways

Committee 12 - Rail Transit

Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization

Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals

Sept. 20

Committee 38 - Information, Defect Detection & Energy System

Committee 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations

Commttee 39 - Positive Train Control

Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems

Sept. 21

Committee 38 - Information, Defect Detection & Energy System

Committee 24 - Education & Training

Commttee 39 - Positive Train Control

Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization

FYI…

See you in Indianapolis, Ind., AREMA 2017 Annual Conference being held in conjunction with Railway Interchange 2 017, Se p t e m b e r 17- 2 0 , 2 017 i n Indianapolis, IN. AREMA badges will be honored for full access into the exhibition halls during operating hour s. For more information on Railway Interchange, please visit www. railwayinterchange.org.

Wa t f o r d F e l l o w s h i p w i n n e r announced: Thomas C. Cornillie, Capitol Projects Administration at Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority has been chosen to present at the annual Watford International Design Conference in fall 2017. Cornillie will be presenting on the evolution of vehicle borne devices to electrically assist the shunting of DC track circuits. For more information on the Watford Conference and Fellow, please visit www.aremafoundation.org/watford.

Ca ll fo r M e nt o rs … A R E M A h a s developed a Mentoring Program to benefit the AREMA Student Members. We would like to extend to you an invitation to influence the next generation as part of this Mentoring Program. As part of the Mentoring Program, you will be paired with a Mentee that is an AREMA Student Member. The pairing will try to match Student Members with someone with experience in the areas of the railroad industry they are interested in. Please visit the AREMA website listed under Education & Training to become a mentor today.

48 Railway Track & Structures

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

increase participation of first line track, structure and signals managers and maintain and strengthen relationships with sister associations.

The AREMA 2017 Annual Conference will take place concurrently with Railway Interchange 2017 in Indianapolis, Ind., September 17 - September 20. The last Railway Interchange took place in 2015 in Minneapolis, Minn., and was a significant success. This will be the second time Indianapolis has accommodated Railway Interchange and from past experience, it will be a great host city. This year’s program will again provide an excellent opportunity for members of the railway industry to increase their railroad knowledge, technical expertise, network and forum for exchanging ideas. I want to send a special thanks to the Program Committee (the six Functional Group vice presidents, 12 directors and Stacy Spaulding) for their efforts in selecting abstracts, reviewing technical papers and presentations and assembling an impressive slate of 80 technical presentations. A number of seminars and technical committee meetings will be held in advance or directly following the conference.

I’d like to thank the past and present Union Pacific leadership for their support in allowing participation in AREMA and its predecessor associations.

Vice Presidents Engineering Stan McLaughlin, Bill Wimmer, David Connell and Greg Workman have made a commitment to improving railroad maintenance and engineering practice by encouraging participation. Union Pacific has had one previous AREMA President: Bill Van Trump. The AREMA Board of Governors has had four Union Pacific members: Bill Wimmer, David Connell, Greg Workman and myself. From the predecessor associations Union Pacific had three AREA Presidents: Bob Brown, Stan McLaughlin and Jim Beran; and three Roadmaster and Maintenance-of-Way Presidents: Don Gale, Ray Snyder and Ken Welch.

And, finally, I would not have been able to participate over the years in this important association and railroad industry without the support of my wife, ‘Lissa, and my family.

Looking forward to a busy and productive year. I will work hard in my new role to make AREMA a premier association. See you in Indianapolis!

September 2017

Bridge Inspection Handbook, Second Edition Order now at www.arema.org or contact mbruins@arema.org for more details.

Not an AREMA Member? Join today at: www.arema.org www.rtands.com

AREMA NEWS

Getting personal with Dwight Clark

dwight clark

general director engineering technology

incoming arema president

Dwight Clark is the incoming president of AREMA. AREMA: Why did you decide to choose a career in railway engineering?

CLARK: I am a second-generation railroader. My father had a forty-year career in railroad maintenance with the Pennsylvania Railroad, Penn Central Railroad and Conrail. During this time, he worked his way up through the ranks from trackman to Production Engineer-Track. He was a member of the American Railway Engineering Association (AREA) and the Roadmaster’s and Maintenance of Way Association.

Growing up in a railroad family gave me the opportunity to live in many parts of the country; I attended nine different schools by the time I finished high school. My father’s hard work and dedication provided a good role model for me. After I graduated from high school, I worked summers doing track maintenance for Penn Central Railroad and Conrail, which gave me a great experience and an understanding of what the railroad industry was about. I attained a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma State University; my goal was a profession www.rtands.com

union pacific railroad

in railroad engineering. I started my career with Missouri Pacific Railroad as an Operations Management Trainee.

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

CLARK: My wife, ‘Lissa, and I especially enjoy spending precious time with family and grandkids. My daughter, Kim , and her husband, Joe, live in Overland Park, Kan., with their two children.

Kim is an anesthesiologist and Joe is a structural engineer. My son, Bryan, and his wife, Kaelin, live in Vancouver, Wash., with their three children. Bryan works for Union Pacific Railroad in the Transportation Department, which makes him a third-generation railroader.

Kaelin is a RN. We try and get together whenever possible.

My primary form of recreation is cycling. It provides both exercise and, believe it or not, relaxation. I use a race bike and a time trial bike. As anyone who cycles knows, bikes always demand time to maintain. I have a small workshop for this purpose.

I am a big fan of collegiate athletics. As an Oklahoma State University grad, I always support our teams. Since my daughter ran track for Kansas University I understandably became a fan of

their athletic program. Having lived in Nebraska now for 24 years, I also enjoy University of Nebraska athletic events and get the chance fairly frequently to attend.

Being a member at a local gun club provides a great opportunity to pass along the railroad safety culture to others. We enjoy target shooting with pistols and rifles. My wife and I like to travel; particularly if it involves scenery, hiking and mountains.

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

CLARK: I was a student athlete at Oklahoma State University. My best sport was track where I ran the 110 meter high hurdles, 400 meter intermediate hurdles and 4 x 400 meter relay. I was also involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. When I met my wife, I was walking through the lobby of the dormitory carrying a javelin.

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

CLARK: In order to have a career in railroad engineering, you need support from your spouse and family. The 24/7 operating environment puts a large demand on your time and thus your family. Taking proactive steps to make the most of your family and personal time is a must.

The rail industr y is vibrant and growing; it offers ambitious graduate engineers a very rewarding environment. Exciting technological advances are being made in the industry and railroads are capitalizing on them. This is a prime time to make an impact on the industry and circumstances have never been better.

There are many opportunities to find innovative solutions to the challenges that face railroads.

Railroads are one of those industries that when you start it becomes a lifelong career. Taking advantage of the expertise and knowledge available through a professional organization such as AREMA will enhance your ability to both utilize and enhance the knowledge base of the industry.

Railway Track & Structures

September 2017 49

AREMA 2017 Annual Conference & Railway Interchange Exhibition Schedule Friday, September 15 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Seminar Registration Only (Hoosier Lobby) 12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering Seminar Day 1 (Room 232) SATURDAY, September 16 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Registration (Hoosier Lobby) 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering Seminar Day 2 (Room 232) Committee Meetings 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Committee 27 (Room 233-236) 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Committee 24 (Room 231) 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Committee 5 (Room 237-239) SUNDAY, september 17 Conference Operating Committee 7:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast (Room 137) Invitation Only 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering Seminar Day 3 (Room 232) 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Conference/Exposition Registration (Hoosier Lobby) 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Student Program (Room 107-110) 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Spouse/Guest Welcome Reception & Hospitality Suite* (Room 212)

1:00 p.m.

Exhibition Hall Ribbon Cutting Ceremony (Hall D) 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Exhibition Open Committee Meetings 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Committee 5 (Room 237-239) Committee 24 (Room 231) 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Committee 33 (Room 117) 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Committee 40 (Room 205) 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Committee 10 (Room 208-209) 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Committee 43 (Room 203) 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Committee 41 (Room 205) Committee 11 (Room 234-235) 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Committee 42 (Room 204) Committee 12 (Room 236) 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Committee 16 (Room 233) 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Committee 6 (Room 137) 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Committee 14 (Room 111-112) 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Committee 17 (Room 234-235) MONDAY, september 18 Registration (Hoosier Lobby) 6:45 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

6:45 a.m. – 7:15 a.m.

Continental Breakfast* (500 Ballroom) 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Spouse/Guest Hospitality Suite* (Room 212) Opening General Session & 7:50 a.m. – 8:50 a.m.

Keynote Speaker (Sagamore Ballroom) 50 Railway Track & Structures

September 2017

Ken Schmidt, former Harley-Davidson Motor Company Executive Railway Interchange Coffee Break 8:50 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.

(500 Ballroom) 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Exhibit Halls D-K Open 9:20 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.

AREMA General Session* (Sagamore Ballroom) 9:20 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

AREMA President's Address 9:30 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.

Honorary Member Recognition 9:40 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence 10:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.

AREMA Educational Foundation Scholarship Winners Member Get–A–Member 10:10 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Campaign Winners 10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Engineering Services Presentation

Automating On-dock Intermodal –

Port of Los Angeles’ New TraPac ICTF

Nathan deSousa, Port Design Partners,

Daniel Samaro, Port of Los Angeles 10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Communications & Signals Presentation Crossing Activation Through PTC Jeffrey Fries, Alstom Transport, Kent Shue, BNSF Railway 11:15 a.m. –11:45 a.m.

Track Presentation

An Assessment of the Applicability of

Heavy Point Frogs to Joint High Speed

Passenger and Freight Operations David D. Davis and Anna M. Rakoczy, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Structures Presentation

The Portageville High Bridge Replacement Project Howard C. Swanson, Norfolk Southern

Corporation, Carmen M. Garozzo

and Eugene Wardzinski, Bergmann Associates 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Spouse/Guest Lunch* (Room 238-239) 12:15 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Passenger & Transit Presentation

Accelerated Design-Build Replacement

of SEPTA’s Crum Creek Viaduct Jeffrey D. Knueppel and Robert L. Lund, Jr., SEPTA 12:45 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.

Maintenance Presentation

Effective and Practical Maintenance

Solutions for Chronic Subgrade Locations

Stephen J. Ashmore, Union Pacific Railroad 1:15 p.m.

End of General Session Engage with AREMA 1:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

(500 Ballroom) 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Meet the Next Generation Panel Discussion (Room 107-108) 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Meet the Next Generation Networking Reception (Room 109-110) 6:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.

LRIW Reception (Room 237) www.rtands.com

AREMA 2017 Annual Conference & Railway Interchange Exhibition Schedule Committee Meetings 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Committee 18 (Room 111) Committee 1 (Room 112) Committee 13 (Room 236)

tuesday, SEPTEMBER 19 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Conference/Exposition Registration (Hoosier Lobby) 7:00 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.

Continental Breakfast* (500 Ballroom) 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Spouse/Guest Hospitality Suite* (Room 212) 7:55 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

AREMA Functional Group Technical Sessions 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Exhibit Halls D-K Open 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Functional Group Technical Sessions (Room 237) 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Coffee Break* (500 Ballroom) Spouse/Guest Historical Walking 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Tour of Indianapolis (Room 212) 12:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Spouse/Guest Lunch at Tastings

Wine Bar & Bistro 12:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. AREMA Annual Committee Chairs Luncheon (Sagamore Ballroom 3-5) Ticketed Event Keynote Speaker: Michael J.Wheeler,

executive vice president & COO, Norfolk Southern Corporation 3:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Evening Exhibit Hall Reception 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Committee Reception (500 Ballroom)

Condition Based Monitoring of Railway Assets Roberto Bueno Nigro, Ericsson 9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Engineering Services Presentation FRA Autonomous Track Geometry Measurement Technology

Development – A Success Story Cameron Stuart, Federal Railroad

Administration, Office of Research, Development and Technology 10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Coffee Break* (Sagamore Ballroom 7) 10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Track Presentation

Survey of Parameters to Characterize Fouled Ballast Timothy D. Stark, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Communications & Signals Presentation

Evaluating Driver Compliance at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings Pasi Lautala and David Nelson, Michigan Technological University 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Structures Presentation

Brine Flies and Boxcars: Building a

New Bridge on the Great Salt Lake Causeway Carol A. Ravano and Lynn Salvati,

McMillen Jacobs Associates and

Stephen L. Cheney, Union Pacific Railroad 12:15 p.m.

Adjourn 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Track Alignment Design Seminar Day 1 (Room 239) 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

FRA 213: Track Safety Standards

Seminar Day 1 (Room 238) Committee Meetings 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Committee 38 (Room 137) 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Committee 39 (Room 233-235)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 Conference Registration 6:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

(Hoosier Lobby) 6:45 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast* (Sagamore Ballroom 7) 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Spouse/Guest Hospitality Suite* Thursday, september 21 (Room 212) AREMA Closing General Session* 7:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Track Alignment Design Seminar (Sagamore Ballroom 3-5) Day 2 (Room 239) Installation of 2017 – 2018 7:45 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

FRA 213: Track Safety Standards AREMA Officers

Seminar Day 2 (Room 238) 8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.

Railway Industry Update 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Railroad Bridge Load Rating Steel Anthony B. Hatch, Transportation

Structures Seminar (Room 236) Industry Analyst, ABH Consulting Committee Meetings 8:45 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Passenger & Transit Presentation Committee 38 (Room 137)

Building California High-speed Rail - 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Committee 39 (Room 233-235) A Look at the First Construction

Package CP1 friday, september 22 Jon Marshall, JMA Civil, Inc., Greg Track Alignment Design Seminar Natoli,Tutor Perini/Zachry/Parsons 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Day 3 (Room 239)

JV (TPZP), Jesus Avitia, PGHWong/ 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

FRA 213: Track Safety Standards California High-Speed Rail Authority Seminar Day 3 (Room 238)

Maintenance Presentation 9:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. * Signifies events open to AREMA Conference attendees only

Utilizing Wireless Sensors to Provide www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2017 51

AREMA NEWS

Getting to know Joseph C. Bamert III Each month, AREMA features one of our committee chairs or members.

We are pleased to announce that the September featured member is Joseph C. Bamert III, PE, chair of the Conference Operating Committee.

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

Bamert: I have always had a personal interest in railroading. My mother claims it began after a kindergarten field trip to a local South Carolina farm. She asked what the best part of my trip was; my answer, “I saw a train.” I personally think it was the model train that went around the family Christmas tree that ignited this passion. Regardless, if it hadn’t been for my late father’s desire for all his children to go to college, I would have pursued a locomotive engineer career right out of high school. Civil engineering turned out to be my gateway instead.

AREMA: How did you get started?

Bamert: Clemson University had a great co-op program and I credit my advisor with assisting me to get in the door at Norfolk Southern (NS).

The irony was that the Mechanical Department had the only position available at the time. Because I was a civil engineering student, there was some push back from HR to place me in that department. Long story short, I had four successful semesters in the Mechanical Department. During that time, my field managers allowed me to shadow Maintenance of Way & Str uctures and Transportation departments at various times.

AREMA: How did you get involved in both AREMA and your committee?

Bamert: As an NS management trainee in Maintenance of Way, we were strongly encouraged to join AREMA, but I will admit, I didn’t know much about it at the time. After being promoted to Design & Construction, I asked David Becker to consider me to attend the 2003 Annual Conference in Chicago that year. After attending the conference, I was hooked. Years later, I learned about the Conference Operating Committee

52 Railway Track & Structures

Joseph C. Bamert, III, PE CHAIR, Conference operating committee

Senior Manager – Engineering Systems NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORPORATION

(COC) from Larry Etherton. When Steve Morrell (COC Vice Chair) retired from NS, I requested to be his replacement on the COC. I credit David, Larry and Tim Drake for their initial endorsement.

AREMA: What are your hobbies outside of your work?

Bamert: These days I thoroughly enjoy riding my bicycle after work on the Silver Comet Trail (rails-to-trail alignment on the former Seaboard Airline Railroad mainline between Atlanta and Birmingham).

AREMA: Tell us about your family.

Bamert: My wife, Kerrie, has the most difficult job, living and dealing with an engineer - you should see me load a dishwasher. Kerrie has diagnosed m e w i t h O b s e s s i ve - C o m p u l s i ve Disorder, but I insist it is EngineeringCompulsive Disorder. We met in Atlanta at a church singles group and have been married 13 years this November. Kerrie and I have two magnificent children, Joseph and Kate.

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

Bamert: My internship with the Walt Disney World College Program. This program had nothing to do with my civil engineering major, just an opportunity of

September 2017

a lifetime. I earned my Ducktorate Degree in “Management – Disney Style” from the Disney University, and it is signed of course by Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. After the semester program, I continued to work seasonally for about seven years. What was my job that was so glamorous and worth going back to?

Working in the parking lot at EPCOT. AREMA: Tell us about some of your biggest achievements.

Bamert: My biggest achievement was completing the academic steps to become an engineer. This may appear trivial for many, but at the time in my life these accomplishments were a big deal for me: graduating from high school; being accepted and graduating from college and passing my E.I.T. and P.E. exams on the first shot.

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

Bamert: I think work experience and networking are the best ways. On-thejob training and hands-on experience are qualities that significantly separate you from others. Railroads want wellrounded individuals who can manage people, assets, time, projects and problems. The classroom alone cannot prepare you for these sought-after traits.

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CALENDAR SEPTEMBER 13-15. Railroad Track Design 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=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 Convention Center. Long Beach, Calif. E-mail: shanelle.casey@ intermodal.org. Website: www.IntermodalEXPO.com.

18-20. Risk Management: Identification, Prioritization and Mitigation. Uni ver sity 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. Tr a ck Sa f e t y S t a n d a r d s Pa rt 2 1 3 C l a s s e s .

Holiday Inn & Suites at Ameristar. Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Phone: 80 0-228-9670. E-mail: studentservices@sb-reb. c o m . Website: www.railwayeducationalbureau . c om / TrkInspWrkShp.html.

19-20. International Conference on Next-Gen Train

56 Railway Track & Structures

September 2017

Control Presented by Railway Age and Parsons. Courtyard P h i l a d e l p h i a D o w n t o w n . P h i l a d e l p h i a , Pa . E - m a i l : conferences@sbpub.com. Website: www.railwayage.com/ index.php/conferences/nextgen_2017.html?channel=00.

23-27. Management Essentials for the Railroad Industry.

University of Delaware, Newark Campus. Newark, Del. P h o n e : 3 0 2 - 8 3 1- 8 3 0 2 . E - m a i l : e n g g o u t r e a ch @ u d e l . edu. Website: www.outreach.engr.udel.edu/railroadengineering-management-2/.

24-25. Smart Transit Technology Conference. Radisson Hotel Baltimore Downtown. Baltimore, Md. Phone: +44 (0)207 045 0900. E-mail: marketing@globaltransportforum. com. Website: www.smarttransitusa.com.

3 1 - N o v. 2 . 9 9 t h A n n u a l R a i l w a y T i e A s s o c i a t i o n Symposium and Technical Conference 2017. Manchester Grand Hyatt. San Diego, Calif. Phone: 770-460-5553.

E - m a i l : t i e s @ rt a . o r g . We b s i t e : w w w . r t a . o r g / 2 01 7conference.

DECEMBER 14-15. B i g D a t a i n Ra i l r o a d M a i n t e n a n c e P l a n n i n g 2017. University of Delaware Newark Campus. Newark, Del. Dr. Allan M. Zarembski. E-mail: dramz@udel.edu.

Website: www.outreach.engr.udel.edu/conferences/bigdata-2017/.

www.rtands.com

Ad Index Company

Phone #

AREMA Marketing Department

301-459-3200

Fax #

301-459-8077

973-784-4520

e-mail address

Page #

marketing@arema.org

Cover 3

Atlantic Track & Turnout Co.

973-748-5885

Auto Truck Group

816-412-2131

Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co.

205-424-7245

205-424-7436

bhamrail@aol.com

30

Danella Rental Systems, Inc.

610-828-6200

610-828-2260

pbarents@danella.com

9

816-412-2191

stacyw@atlantictrack.com

eschoenfeld@autotruck.com

2

15

Delta Railroad Construction, Inc.

440-994-2997

440-992-1311

info@deltarr.com

6

Diversified Metal Fabricators Inc.

404-875-1512

404-875-4835

sales@dmfatlanta.com

8

Dixie PreCast

770-944-1930

770-944-9136

fbrown142@aol.com

9

Frauscher Sensor Technology USA Inc.

609-285-5492

office@us.frauscher.com

23

Gage Bilt

586-226-1500

586-226-1505

kyle.lang@gagebilt.com

44

Georgetown Rail Equipment Co.

512-869-1542 ext.5292

512-863-0405

bachman@georgetownrail.com

Cover 4

mteeter@harsco.com

24

Harsco Rail

803-822-7551

Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.

816-233-9002

Herzog Services, Inc.

816-233-9002

803-822-7521

816-385-8233

816-233-7757

jhansen@hrsi.com

27

telbert@herzogservices.com

4

HIPPO MultiPower

800-844-0624

816-474-7447

ncooper@hippomultipower

45

Hougen Manufacturing, Inc.

866-245-3745

800-309-3299

info@trak-star.com

7, 41

Husqvarna Construction Products Americas

800-288-5040

800-825-0058

hcpcustomer.service@husqvarna.com

28

J. Lanfranco Fastener Systems Inc.

855-694-3250

613-632-4122

jbaines@jlanfranco.com

36

Koppers Inc.

412-227-2739

412-227-2841

ambrosegf@koppers.com

43

Koppers Railroad Structures

800-356-5952

608-221-0618

rrdiv@koppers.com

22

Lewis Bolt & Nut Co.

800-328-3480

952-449-9607

dbarry@lewisbolt.com

42

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.

763-478-6014

763-478-2221

sales@loram.com

Cover 2

Moley Magnetics

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

716-434-5893

sales@moleymagneticsinc.com

44

NMC Railway Systems

866-662-7799

402-891-7745

info@nmcrail.com

36

Neel Company, The

703-913-7858

703-913-7859

jlewis@neelco.com

5

North American Rail Products, Inc.

604-946-7272

888-692-1150

cerhart@narailproducts.com

53

NRC

202-715-2920

202-318-0867 info@nrcma.org

19

Omega Industries, Inc.

360-694-3221

360-694-3882

omegaxings@aol.com

10

OMNI Products, Inc.

815-344-3100

815-344-5086

bcigrang@omnirail.com

12

Orgo-Thermit, Inc.

732-657-5781

732-657-5899

georgeanne.tutunjian@orgothermit.com

13

Pandrol USA, LP

1-800-221-CLIP

856-467-2994

Plasser American Corp.

757-543-3526

757-494-7186

plasseramerican@plausa.com

37

Racine Railroad Products, Inc.

262-637-9681

262-637-9069

custserv@racinerailroad.com

30

RailCet

866-724-5238

217-522-6588 grif1020@yahoo.com

21

RailWorks Corporation

866-905-7245

952-469-1926

ksimpson@railworks.com

34-35

Railway Education Bureau, The

402-346-4300

402-346-1783

bbrundige@sb-reb.com

55-56

RCE Equipment Solutions Inc.

866-472-4510

630-355-7173 dennishanke@rcequip.com

14

R. J. Corman Railroad Group

800-611-7245

859-885-7804

www.rjcorman.com

29

Sperry Rail Service

203-791-4507

robert.dimatteo@sperryrail.com

31

Taimi Hydraulics

418-686-6868

gbdompierre@taimi.ca

54

Vossloh North America

00-49-239-252-273

00-49-239-252-274

claudia.brandt@vc.vossloh.com

33

Western-Cullen-Hayes, Inc.

773-254-9600

773-254-1110

cp@wch.com

7

Willamette Valley Company

541-484-9621

541-484-1987

alisha.barrowcliff@wilvaco.com

25

11

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

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

Advertising Sales Jonathan Chalon, Publisher, jchalon@sbpub.com; Jerome Marullo, jmarullo@sbpub.com; Heather Disabato, hdisabato@sbpub.com; Louise Cooper, lc@railjournal.co.uk; Michael Boyle, mboyle@railjournal.com; Dr. Fabio Potesta, info@mediapointsrl.it; Katsuhiro Ishii, amkatsu@dream.com; Jeanine Acquart, jaquart@sbpub.com (classified) www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2017 57

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT

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

PARTS • SALES • SERVICE

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

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

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

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

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

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

58 Railway Track & Structures

September 2017

Extending the Life of Your Machine Harsco Rail provides superior components and assemblies to extend the life of your machine. Rebuilds are remanufactured to OEM specifications with OEM parts. All parts are inspected for repair and/or replacement, and the OEM standard warranty is provided.

L U D I N G T O N C O N TA C T ( 6 7 0 0 ) : T ( 8 0 0 ) 8 0 0 - 6 4 1 0 C O L U M B I A C O N TA C T ( M K I V ) : T ( 8 0 3 ) 8 2 2 - 7 4 2 0 E R A I L PA R T S @ H A R S C O . C O M O R D E R PA R T S AT: H T T P S : / / PA R T S . H A R S C O R A I L . C O M /

www.rtands.com

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

Sales

Rentals

Service

aspenequipment.com/railroad

Parts

PARTS • SALES • SERVICE • RENTALS

New and Used Hi-Rail Trucks Available OLATHE, KS • HOUSTON, TX • BRIGHTON, CO • BRANCHBURG, NJ • SAN MARCOS, CA • CALGARY

www.colliscw.com

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

Nationwide DELIVERY

- Pickup Trucks - Service Bodies

- Flatbeds - Bucket Trucks

- Welding Trucks - Section Trucks - Grapple Trucks

Grapple Trucks

- Track Inspector Trucks - Boom Trucks

CAll Bruce Harrod: 877-888-9730 BHarrod@aspeneq.com Rotary Dumps

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

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

Section Trucks

LEASE or BUY

Tunnel Trucks

Custom Build New or Used Chassies.

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

RAILROAD SERVICES

Est. 1910

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

Grapple Trucks Mag & Creep Drive

Professional Directory Hi-Rail Rail & Tie Carts

Rotary Dump Trucks

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

www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

September 2017 59

Products and services

Professional Directory

REESE WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU?

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

K. W. Reese, Inc.

Box 298 • Mercersburg, PA 17236

(717) 328-5211 •

Get the inside scoop on and off the track

fax

(717) 328-9541 • www.kwreese.com

2016 NRC PlatiNum Safety awaRd wiNNeR

RAILROAD COMPONENT REBUILDS, INC. 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

Rail BRief: The Weekly RT&S Email Newsletter

Units Available For Same Day Shipping

MARKETPLACE SALES

1/23/17 4:41 PM

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

ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

SubScribe at: www.rtands.com/RailBrief 60 Railway Track & Structures

September 2017

RTandS.com www.rtands.com