RT&S May 2014

May 2014 | www.rtands.com

NRC Annual

Membership Directory

Inside

The science behind digging a ditch

PLUS NRC Project of the Year State of the NRC and also AREMA News p.42

Contents May 2014

News

5

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Features

18

Industry Today 5 Supplier News 9 People

NRC Project of the Year Delta Railroad Construction deals with adverse working conditions, tight work windows and performs the job in a safe manner.

Columns

34

24

Fighting idle water Making sure water can move away from the track structure can preserve track health and extend component service life.

34

Another strong year for the NRC Whether it’s conference attendance, membership or dollars raised at its equipment auction, the numbers continue to go up for the NRC.

24 Departments 15 TTCI R&D 42 Arema News 47 Products 48 Calendar 49 Advertisers Index

Good drainage, well maintained ditches lead to healthy track.

Photo courtesy of Loram . Story on page 24.

3

On Track A closer look at contracting

11

NRC Chairman’s Column In full stride now

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49 Sales Representatives 50 Classified Advertising 51 Professional Directory

18

Railway Track & Structures

May 2014 1

On Track

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Vol. 110, No. 5 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 Jennifer Nunez/Assistant Editor, jnunez@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES 55 Broad St 26th Fl. New York, N.Y. 10004 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr./ President and Chairman Jonathan Chalon/Publisher Mary Conyers/Production Director Wendy Williams/Creative Director Maureen Cooney/Circulation Director Michelle Zolkos/Conference Director RT&S Railway Track & Structures (Print ISSN 0033-9016, Digital ISSN 2160-2514), (USPS 860-560), (Canada Post Cust. #7204654), (Bluechip Int’l, Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Agreement # 41094515) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 55 Broad St 26th Fl., New York, N.Y. 10004. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices. Pricing, Qualified individual in the railroad employees may request a free subscription. Non-qualified subscriptions printed or digital version: 1 year Railroad Employees (US/ Canada/Mexico) $16.00; all others $46.00; foreign $80.00; foreign, air mail $180.00. 2 years Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $30.00; all others $85.00; foreign $140.00; foreign, air mail $340.00.

BOTH Print & Digital Versions: 1 year Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $24.00; all others $69.00; foreign $120.00; foreign, air mail $220.00. 2 years Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $45.00; all others $128.00; foreign $209.00; foreign, air mail $409.00. Single Copies are $10.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only. COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2014.

All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact: PARS International Corp., 102 W 38th St., 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10018 Phone (212) 221-9595 Fax (212) 221-9195. For Subscriptions & address changes, Please call (800) 895-4389, (402) 346-4740, Fax (402) 346-3670, e-mail rtands@halldata.com or write to: Railway Track & Structures, Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Railway Track & Structures, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172.

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A closer look at contracting

F

or many years, the May issue of Railway Track & Structures has taken on the unofficial theme of “railroad contracting.” We are happy to, once again, place the spotlight on this highly-valued sector of the industry.

The most noticeable element in the magazine that supports this is the National Railroad Constr uction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Annual Membership Director y and Railroad & Transit Buyer’s Guide, which is bound within this issue.

The directory lists the contractors, suppliers, engineering and associated firms that make up the membership of the NRC. Whatever a railroad is in need of, there is an NRC member company with the r ight skill set to aid in the task; making the NRC Director y a year-long reference guide to keep on your desk.

The association behind the director y, the NRC, is featured in the annual “State of the NRC” article on page 34. As Bill Dorris, NRC chairman says in the story, “Our primary goals are to expand and broaden our membership companies’ business opportunities and protect them from harmful laws and regulations, while promoting safe practices on the job.”

Safety is paramount to how contractors work within the rail industry. Every contracting firm knows the role safety plays in this industry and they are well aware that if they can’t deliver when it comes to safety, they won’t be working in this industry for very long. In an industry that puts safety first, contractors work with railroads and make sure everyone makes it home at the end of the work day.

While safety is the goal in how work is accomplished, expertise in the work they perform is another advantage contractors offer to the railroads. You could say contractors are not afraid to do the dirty work.

Our literal example of this is found

on page 24 within the feature on ditching and drainage. Bad drainage can result in bad track health.

Contractors are there to step in and help tame the detr imental effect mud, muck and other gelatinous combinations of water and dirt can have on track.

Contractors have the ability to adapt and stay flexible under pressure. Delta Railroad Construction showed both of these qualities while working on the trackwork portion of the first phase of the Dulles Corridor Metro Rail Project; the story begins on page 18. The project contract was the largest Delta had ever undertaken and when the time frame the company was originally given to perform the work was cut in half, Delta was able to employ innovative construction techniques to accomplish its work to the high standard it knew its customer was expecting. The company’s ability to deliver on the project and keep an impressive safety record won Delta the NRC 2013 Railroad Construction Project of the Year award.

While offering expertise or equipment to perform a given task and having the ability to work within changing parameters offer value, contractors’ true worth is in their willingness to serve as partners to railroads and transit agencies. Contractors are not just focused on the goals of the their individual companies, but on advancing the goals of their customers, as well.

So, the next time you are in need of some outside help, pick up the NRC Directory and thank your lucky stars you never have to answer the question: What would we do without contractors?

Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor Railway Track & Structures

May 2014 3

INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority Board of Directors unanimously voted to award a $2.5-million contract to AECOM for the next phase of work for the Azusa to Montclair project.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc.’s Atlas Railroad Construction subsidiary is reorganizing under a region-based commercial and operating structure to facilitate expansion into the U.S. Midwest, Southeast and Southwest and as part of the reorganization, is relocating its headquarters from Bridgeville, Pa., to Jacksonville, Fla. Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded two contracts for the East Side Access project, one valued at $294.2 million, was awarded to FrontierKemper Constructors to build permanent structural concrete lining; the other contract, worth

AAR: Only 20 percent of PTC network will be ready by 2015 The Association of American Railroads (AAR) issued a new report to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) updating the industry’s progress on installing Positive Train Control (PTC) and said the industry will not meet the December 2015 deadline.

According to a statement from the AAR, the nation’s freight railroads said that a year-long moratorium on installing 20,000 communication antennas imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), followed by a lengthy federal approval process mandated by the agency, has seriously delayed the implementation of nationwide interoperable PTC. Whereas freight railroads once projected that by 2015 they would have PTC installed on 40 percent of the network mandated by FRA, they now believe, thanks to the FCC issues, only 20 percent of the PTC network will be up and running by the congressionally-imposed deadline.

“Everyone in the industry is greatly frustrated at the inability to move forward and do what we need to do to advance PTC installation,” said Association of American Railroads President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger. “It’s been two steps forward, three steps back for months and we simply don’t have the certainty we need to move ahead and get PTC tested, fully functioning, certified and ready to go.”

Causing the timing for installation to be delayed significantly, Hamberger said, was an FCC directive to suspend installation of approximately 20,000 communications antennas necessary to for PTC to work until the antennas are assessed through the FCC’s environmental and historical evaluation process. The problem, Hamberger noted, is that how the thousands of antennas are to be reviewed has yet to be determined. The majority of the antennas at issue are between 10- to 60-feet tall and roughly 97 percent are located on railroad property, he added.

In January 2014, the FCC proposed an alternative process for antenna review, which included batching antenna submittals by county. According to the FCC, the alternative process is “intended to create an efficient, practical and timely review process that ensures full consideration of the effects of PTC wayside poles on historic properties...in a manner that allows the railroads to complete construction by the congressional deadline.”

The freight rail industry is expected to install PTC on approximately 60,000 miles of mainline track and has spent approximately $4 billion to date implementing the automatic braking system congress called for as part of the 2008 Rail Safety Improvement Act. Hamberger noted that despite the challenges, railroads so far have been able to make progress in some areas of PTC implementation, including: Installing or partially installing PTC equipment on 50 percent of the locomotives on which it will be required; deploying one third of the wayside units that will be required; replacing half of the signals needed for implementation and mapping most of the track that will be equipped with PTC.

NRC hits new record for equipment sold at annual auction The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, Inc.’s (NRC) Annual Railroad Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction was held on May 1 at the Quality Track Equipment facility in Austinburg, Ohio, and set a record of $1 million of equipment auctioned to on-site and online bidders.

Quality Track Equipment, a division of Delta Railroad Construction, hosted the event at its newly-opened rehab facility. The NRC said Thomas Blackmon, Jr., of Blackmon Auctions and his team did an outstanding job of running the auction proceedings.

Consignors sold around 250 pieces of rail construction equipment to dozens of bidders from all over the United

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States, Canada and Mexico. Auctioned items ranged from pallets of spare parts to backhoes, ballast regulators, grapples, hi-rail trucks, rail heaters, rail threaders, rail saws, speed swings, spike drivers and pullers, tampers and trailers. High-profile pieces auctioned included a 7700 Tamper and a TRIPP tie remover/inserter.

Along with consignments, equipment donations to the auction were a backhoe from Balfour Beatty Rail and a hi-rail trailer and light plant tower from Delta Railroad Construction. Funds from these donations will go to the NRC Safety & Education Training program, which will allow the NRC to continually strengthen its efforts to ensure the safety of everyone in the rail industry.

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INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News $333.59 million (with options leading to a total of $550.4 million), has been awarded to Tutor Perini Corporation to complete communications systems in the future Long Island Rail Road concourse and infrastructure support systems.

IntegriCo Composites is making a $20 million capital investment to establish a manufacturing facility near Springhill, La., that will produce transportation infrastructure components including crossties, rail crossings and industrial mats from landfill-bound plastic waste.

6 Railway Track & Structures

Operations begin at Florida’s Winter Haven intermodal terminal The Evansville Western Railway, an affiliate of CSX, commenced operations at a stateof-the-art intermodal terminal located just off State Road 60 in Winter Haven, Fla., at the beginning of April. Known as the Central Florida Intermodal Logistics Center (ILC), this facility serves as a centralized hub for transportation, logistics and distribution serving Orlando, Tampa and South Florida.

The 318-acre intermodal terminal is surrounded by 930 acres that is planned for development. The terminal features five 3,000-foot loading tracks and two 10,000-foot arrival and departure tracks. It’s estimated the terminal will process up to 300,000 containers a year.

While Evansville Western Railway owns the facility, the terminal is operated by CSX Intermodal Terminals, Inc., with rail service provided by CSX Transportation (CSXT).

Containerized freight previously handled at CSXT’s intermodal terminal in Orlando is immediately being shifted to Winter Haven.

CSXT will serve the region’s intermodal market from the new Central Florida ILC

May 2014

and close its Orlando intermodal terminal.

CSXT’s Taft yard in Orlando will continue to serve other rail freight needs.

A focus on efficient, innovative and environmentally-friendly technology put into the terminal. Its green technology initiatives include three high-powered electric cranes that minimize noise and emissions; solar panels on each building which provide alternative and renewable energy sources; high mast exterior lighting using LED (light emitting diodes) to reduce energy consumption and light pollution and silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for its administration buildings.

Tony Reck, chairman and chief executive officer of Evansville Western Railway, said, “The ripple effect of this terminal’s operations will be felt statewide and beyond – ultimately setting the stage for future growth in the region. Without the tremendous support and visionary leadership of Winter Haven and state officials, none of this would have been possible.”

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INDUSTRY TODAY Amtrak, Maryland DOT, FRA partner on Susquehanna River Bridge study Amtrak, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) are working together on a preliminary engineering study for the rehabilitation or possible replacement of the 108-year-old Susquehanna River Rail Bridge.

The two-track bridge is coming to the end of its useful life. It serves as a critical link along the Northeast Corridor and in addition to Amtrak, which owns the bridge, Maryland’s MARC Commuter Rail and Norfolk Southern freight trains use the bridge.

The project team will develop and evaluate various alternatives based on the need to improve capacity and enhance trip time, reliability and safety for commuter, freight and intercity passenger rail service on the NEC. Alternatives will include new and/or rehabilitated structures with up to a fourtrack total capacity crossing the river and the reconstruction of the approaches to the bridge, spanning approximately three

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Supplier News

miles on either side. The study, which is expected to be complete in mid 2017, also will consider possible improvements to the navigation channel for marine users. Preliminary engineering and environmental work is being funded by a $22-million federal grant from the FRA. The project is not yet funded for design or construction.

“The Susquehanna River Bridge is a crucial crossing on the NEC,” explained Stephen Gardner, Amtrak vice president of Northeast Corridor infrastructure & investment development. “Along with our partners, we continue to work toward a vision for the next generation of this bridge to accommodate the forecasted growth in rail traffic and meet the needs of the local community.”

“This study is the first step in breaking a major bottleneck along the busy Northeast Corridor, which will ultimately improve trip time and reliability for our MARC passengers and freight shipments to the Port of Baltimore,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary James T. Smith, Jr.

Koppers Inc. has signed an agreement to acquire the Wood Preservation and Railroad Services businesses of Osmose Holdings, Inc. Michael Baker Jr., Inc., an engineering unit of Michael Baker International, was awarded a threeyear, $4.2 million dollar contract to provide construction management and inspection services for five major projects as part of the New York State Department of Transportation and Amtrak Hudson Line Improvements Program.

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INDUSTRY TODAY Silver Line reaches “substantial completion,” MWAA receives approval of nearly $1.9 billion TIFIA loan The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) was approved by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) for a nearly $1.9 billion Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. MWAA applied for the loan in conjunction with its local partners on the Metrorail Project, Fairfax County and Loudoun County.

“The approval of a federal low-interest TIFIA loan for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project is a victory for users of the Dulles Toll Road, whose toll payments help fund construction of the Silver Line extension of the Washington region’s Metrorail public transit system. The Airports Authority’s objective has always been to keep tolls on the Dulles Toll Road as low as possible and the TIFIA loan is a major factor in meeting that objective,” MWAA said in a statement following the loan approval.

Additionally, at its monthly meeting in April, the MWAA Board of Directors authorized issuance of $450 million Dulles Toll Road Revenue Refunding Bonds.

With the approval of the TIFIA loan and this round of bonds, which are guaranteed by a pledge of future revenue generated by tolls on the Dulles Toll Road, the entire portion of the Dulles Toll Road share of the Silver

Line Project will be financed.

The Silver Line marked another milestone when the first phase achieved “substantial completion” at the end of April after MWAA and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) found the contractor, Dulles Transit Partners led by Bechtel, still needed to perform considerable work before the project could be dubbed “substantially complete” back in February.

WMATA will conduct the final testing and decide when to begin passenger service on the new line. Dulles Transit Par tners will continue to perform work not related to testing, such as upgrades to Routes 7 and 123, completing sidewalks, landscaping and general touchups in the stations.

“Substantial completion is an important milestone that signals major work is finished and that soon riders will travel on a 21st Century transit system,” said Larry Melton, Bechtel’s executive director for the project.

“This achievement is remarkable given the complexity of building a rail line in a densely populated area where 700,000 cars travel each day...Everyone involved has remained focused on the same goal: delivering a worldclass rail line. We are almost there.”

Research looking at turning ties into biofuel Through a grant from the Indiana Rail Road (INRD), the Coalition for Sustainable Rail (CSR) is initiating research on conversion of used railroad ties into an advanced biofuel, which is a first look into the viability of upcycling used railroad ties.

“CSR is thrilled to have the support of the INRD on this important, potentially historic opportunity,” said CSR President Davidson Ward. “INRD is dedicated to innovation and technology and its investment in our primary research is an inspiration to the entire team.”

Working with the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) of the University of Minnesota - Duluth, CSR aims to determine the viability of converting some of the 15 million ties replaced on U.S. railroads each year into a clean-burning coal alternative.

Using a biomass processing technique known as torrefaction, the researchers at NRRI and CSR seek to convert the structure of used railroad ties, primarily made from hardwood species, into a clean, renewable, homogenous and densifiable biofuel. The final result is anticipated to be a pelletized biofuel that can be used in power plants, but not before powering CSR’s test bed steam locomotive, the Santa Fe Railway’s 1937built No. 3463.

This initial investigation aims to identify any hurdles involved with the upcycling of railroad ties to fuel, including the handling of wood preservatives found in crossties.

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PEOPLE

Canadian Pacific agreed to a contract extension with Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison, adding a year to his term, which will now run until 2017. harsco corporat i on B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s unanimously selected F. Nicholas Grasbergeras as the company’s president and chief operating officer.

Kansas City Southern promoted Suzanne Grafton to vice president accounting and T. Scot Stottlemyre to vice president international tax.

Koppers Inc. named Leroy Ball chief operating officer.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority appointed Patrick Nowakowski to president of Long Island Rail Road, Glen Hayden to vice president of engineering, Michael Yaeger to chief mechanical officer and Kevin O’Connor to chief transportation officer.

North County Transit District hired Donald Filippi as chief of safety.

Oregon International Port of Coos Bay hired Charles Steffensmeier as chief engineer.

Parsons Brinckerhoff named Yazeed Khayyat a design manager in its Lawrenceville, N.J. office, Kenneth Jackson a systems integration manager in its New York City office, Tad Widby deputy regional business manager for the U.S. West Region, Walter Zyznieuski a senior planning manager in its Chicago office and Ronald Birkelbach a vice president.

RailWorks Corporation named John Young executive vice president with responsibility for the company’s U.S. track operations.

Vossloh Fastening Systems America hired Gary Hines as director sales heavy haul systems.

Watco Transportation Services named Kenneth Barnhouse general manager at its Wallula (Wash.)

Switching Site, promoted Mike Stickel to vice president sales and marketing, East Region; Watco Terminal and Port Services h i r e d M y l e s Va n G o r d e r as terminal manager at its Pecos, Texas, facility and Watco Western Australia Rail promoted Grant Thompson to senior vice president operations and Ken Potts has taken on overall responsibility of finance and administration, in addition to his current role of vice president new projects. www.rtands.com

INDUSTRY TODAY CTA unveils next steps to rehab and extend the Red Line, the system’s “backbone” The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), following the success of its Red Line South Project, said plans are underway to rebuild the northern section of the Red Line and parallel Purple Line.

The Red Line is the CTA’s busiest line and the “backbone” of the system.

According to the CTA, most tracks and bridges along the Red and Purple lines are nearly 100 years old. Despite rising demand, the CTA is unable to increase capacity because of the current infrastructure’s age and structural limitations. CTA says continuing to operate a busy rail line on outdated infrastructure results in high maintenance costs, the need for frequent repairs that disrupt service and slow travel, as well as outdated stations that can’t accommodate elevators or other necessary and modern amenities.

The Red and Purple Modernization program will proceed in phases to fully re-

place old, deteriorating infrastructure and stations along the entire north branch of the Red Line and the parallel Purple Line, and will pave the way for CTA to significantly increase train capacity for the next 80 years. The first phase of the $1.7-billion program is expected to begin this fall.

Additionally, CTA is moving forward with the environmental review process to extend the Red Line south from 95th Street to 130th Street.

The 5.3-mile Red Line Extension project plans to include construction of four new stations near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue/116th Street and 130th Street, all with bus and parking facilities.

The Red Line’s current terminus, the 95th Street Bus and Rail Terminal, is also set to undergo a major rehab project beginning in mid 2014. The terminal, originally built in 1969, will be expanded and modernized. CTA re-

cently secured a $79-million TIFIA loan from USDOT for the project, which has an estimated cost of $240-million.

The project was also the recipient of a $20-million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant in 2012.

“These projects are the next steps in our overall vision to rebuild, modernize and expand the entire Red Line,” said CTA President Forrest Claypool. “We’re already kicking off Red and Purple Modernization by beginning reconstruction of the Wilson station this fall and continuing progress on the South Side by starting the new 95th Street Terminal this summer, following the successful completion of the Red Line South reconstruction last year...Together, these improvements will offer CTA customers faster, more reliable service and increasing access to quality rail transportation for thousands of future riders.”

45G extension progress update The Senate Finance Committee passed legislation, Expiring Provisions Improvement Reform and Efficiency (EXPIRE) Act, on April 3 in an effort to renew a set of provisions known as “tax extenders.”

If passed by the full Senate, the legislation would restore expired or soon to expire tax provisions, including the Section 45G shortline railroad tax credit.

Current wording of the legislation would extend the tax credit for two years. Its last extension expired Dec. 31, 2013.

An effort in the House of Representatives in support of the shortline tax credit, H.R. 721, currently has 241 cosponsors and has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) said, “Including this tax credit for shortline railways in the tax extenders bill means we’ve crossed the first major hurdle in restoring and extending the provision. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to swiftly pass this bill to reinstate the credit and get our shortline railways chugging along on new infrastructure improvements.”

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NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN

In full stride now

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

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The weather has finally turned, track construction and maintenance work is in full swing now. The snow is gone and the frost is (finally) out of the ground in most places. NRC member companies continue bidding work, scheduling jobs, getting projects started and finished and moving on to the next one. This is what it’s all about for the rail contractors, the suppliers and the related service provider companies. It’s full-steam ahead and if you’re in this business, it’s a good time to smile and enjoy the work.

I would like to remind everyone about the “Bid Notification” page on the NRC website under the ‘“Legislation and Industry News” drop-down box. The page features available projects open for proposals. It is suggested that you remind your estimators to check on the project list often to avoid missing a posting or seeing one too late to meet a due date. There are opportunities in these listings to offer services in many capacities, as a general contractor, subcontractor, material/equipment supplier or service provider.

This website is a good resource for our members, as well as any railroad, transit agency or engineering/design company. This site is available to these companies at no charge for posting their RFPs, RFQs and other bid notices. By posting their bid notices on the NRC website, they can be assured they are reaching the top professionals in the rail industry, those who implement the best practices, have the most experience, employ the best personnel and offer the most competitive pricing to build their project.

With the turning of the weather, we are hoping to see some legislative issues gaining ground in Washington, D.C. The shortline railroad rehabilitation 45G tax credit recently cleared an important hurdle. On April 3, the Senate Finance Committee approved a “tax extenders” package, which included a two year (2014 and 2015) extension of the 45G tax credit. However, action in the House does not appear to be imminent. While we wait for the gears to slowly turn over there, the NRC continues to work with the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) and shortline railroads to try to sign up additional congressmen as cosponsors of the stand-alone bills to extend this credit and to urge our current co-sponsor supporters to push their congressional leadership to move a tax bill sooner rather than later.

On the regulatory side, NRC members and staff are actively involved in the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) process with other industry stakeholders and the Federal Railroad Administration to shape the regulations that govern our industry, such as minimum training standards and plans, roadway maintenance machine

training, roadway worker training, drug and alcohol testing regulations, positive train control implementation, medical standards for safetycritical employees and rail failure technical issues.

I would like to recognize and thank those NRC members for their time, efforts and dedication to RSAC committee process, the NRC association and, really, the whole rail industry. As chair of the NRC Safety Committee, Tammy Mathews of RailWorks has taken the lead on many of these Working Groups. Ernesto Scarpitti with Delta Railroad Construction, Mike Choat with Railroad Controls Limited, Pete Kane and Troy Elbert with Herzog Railroad Services, Inc., Darwin Isdahl with Loram, John Zuspan with Track Guy Consultants and Stanley Beaver and Mark Snailham with Balfour Beatty Rail have also represented the NRC’s voice in some of these discussions and decision making processes. All of these rail professionals deserve our thanks for their time and the travel involved in making these meetings and being the voice of the NRC in doing so. On behalf of all us, I thank you all very much for your dedication to the NRC and the rail industry as a whole, it is greatly appreciated.

Helping lay the groundwork for our successes in D.C. is Ashley Bosch, the NRC’s newlyappointed vice president of grassroots advocacy and events. Ashley is working hard to plan and schedule congressional visits to NRC member project sites, shops and yards. Such visits will help our elected officials and the general public get a better understanding of the importance of the rail construction and maintenance industry. For their efforts in hosting these events, our member companies gain positive publicity, foster good relationships with their elected officials and build strong contacts for the NRC to utilize when advocating for rail industry issues on Capitol Hill. We would like to emphasize the importance of our membership getting involved in these types of meetings with our elected officials. Please give Ashley a call if you have an idea or an opportunity to plan such an event. She promises to do almost all of the work.

By the time this column is published, many of you will have already attended the NRC Rail Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction in Austinburg, Ohio, hosted by Quality Track Equipment/Delta Railroad Construction and the ASLRRA Conference in San Diego, Calif. I look forward to bringing you my takeaways from these two important industry events in next month’s column.

For additional information regarding all NRC upcoming events, please visit www.nrcma.org.

Have a safe day.

by Bill Dorris, NRC Chairman Railway Track & Structures

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TTCI R&D Evaluation of falling weight deflectometer and automatic ballast sampling techniques for track substructure investigation

T

ranspor tation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI),

Researchers assess a falling weight deflectometer’s ability to identify various combinations of subtrack conditions.

investigated the utility and effectiveness of a falling weight deflectometer (FWD) to characterize ballast, subballast and subgrade in a heavy-axleload (HAL) environment (Figure 1).

The results of the FWD tests were verified using a subsurface sampling technology called Automatic Ballast Sampling (ABS).

The FWD has shown promise in characterizing track substructure (ballast, subballast and subgrade) layer-stiffness character istics by measuring shear wave speed and Figure 1: Falling weight deflectometer.

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Colin Basye, principal investigator and Dingqing Li, scientist, TTCI

d e f l e c t i o n s i g n at u r e s u n d e r a n impact loading. As a result, lower modulus soil areas can be identified and problem areas scheduled for maintenance or remediation before they become emergencies.

Field evaluation

The High Tonnage Loop (HTL) at the Transpor tation Technology Center’s Facility for Accelerated Service Testing was used in August 2013 to test the FWD’s ability to identify and characterize various combinations of subtrack conditions.

The HTL is a 2.7-mile-long loop used for investigating track component reliability, wear and fatigue research under HALs. The upper ballast section of the HTL has variable suppor t characteristics ranging from clean to dirty and new to old ballast, with wood, concrete and plastic ties, slab track and other subrail conditions.

The FWD measures subtrack stiffness by using an impact on the tie to generate a shear wave through the subgrade. The signal travel time from the point of impact to the geophones and the recorded deflections are used to estimate track substructure thickness and stiffness. The ABS sampler consists of a hydraulically impacted steel tube that takes a core of the ballast and subballast material to a depth of up to six feet (two meters).

The native subgrade on the HTL is dense, silty sand that has very good engineering support characteristics for the loads imposed. However, Section 29 of the HTL contains a 700- by 12Railway Track & Structures

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TTCI R&D

Figure 2, Left: ABS technology in action.

Figure 3: Falling weight deflectometer detail.

by five-foot section where the subgrade was removed in 1991 to place high plasticity clay in the constructed trench, for research purposes. Most of this test zone was later covered with a four- to eight-inch thick layer of hot mix asphalt (HMA) to test its effectiveness and longevity as a stiffened support layer over the clay.

ABS technology was used in the same areas where the FWD was performed. ABS uses a hydraulic hammer to drive and retrieve a three-inch diameter hollow sampling tube up to two meters vertically into the track subsurface, obtaining a core of material to visually inspect, test and photograph (Figure 2). The results were used to verify the FWD results and to adjust the interpretation of the subgrade properties if necessary.

Prior to initiation of FWD testing, the loop was characterized with respect to variables, which may affect the signal interpretation and results. Factors such as tie and ballast type, fouling, moisture, bridge effects, slab track areas and other inputs were carefully described and tied to GPS and section/tie numbers for orientation purposes.

A rule of thumb assumes that when a wheel is located directly above a tie, 40 percent of the wheel load is supported by the tie directly below the wheel with 30 percent being distributed to each adjacent tie. The load on a tie beneath a 36-ton-axle-load would be 14.4 tons.

Therefore, a target load of 14 tons was used in this test as an impact load to strike a tie that was loosened or unfastened from the rail (Figure 3). During the testing 16 Railway Track & Structures

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process, the target load was applied three times.

Deflections were measured inertially using geophones and peak loads and displacements were recorded for three successive drops.

The FWD took 189 measurements around the loop during the field evaluation, using random sampling techniques in some areas and focusing on anomalies and specific structures in other areas. Geophone sets of two or three were placed together in cribs at specific distances from the impact point (the loading beam), resting on the ballast. The signal travel time is used to estimate track substructure thickness and stiffness.

Figure 4 shows that the greatest deflection was recorded on the sleeper (wooden tie), which was impacted by a 14-ton load. The three red lines represent deflection of the geophones situated closest to the test tie and the difference between the average of the peaks of the blue (To) and red (To.3) lines is the time of travel to these geophones in milliseconds. Smaller deflections and closer peak spacings represent stiffer material. The black lines represent time of travel for sub-ballast and the green lines represent subgrade response.

The ABS equipment followed the FWD testing, taking a total of 84 cores of the ballast and sub-ballast to a depth of approximately three feet in most areas and up to five feet (one meter to 1.6 meters) in Section 29, which has a clay subgrade. The FWD tested sequences of ballast, subballast, HMA and native soil and was able penetrate the soils and materials effectively. The vertical height of the sample barrel was measured periodically during sampling to compensate for sampling errors and the sample lengths were later manually adjusted if necessary, after the tubes were split open and before photographs were taken. www.rtands.com

Figure 4, top left: FWD time history.

Figure 5, right: ABS Sample Cores and Digital Interpretation.

Figure 6: Correlation and combination of FWD and ABS .

Structures and features of the HTL, which were measured and compared, included bridge approaches and decks, various types of ballast, fouled and clean ballast, HMA covered clay subgrade, clay with a simulated bridge approach, new and old tie response and wood, concrete and plastic tie signatures. Samples collected with ABS were digitized after they were photographed to prepare for correlation with FWD results (Figure 5).

The clay in Section 29 was encountered at depths varying between 2.9 and 3.6 feet (0.9 and 1.1 meters) below top of ballast. The clay was overlain by an average of four to eight inches (100 to 200 millimeters) of sand and gravel. Formation deflections on the asphalt varied between .024 and .035 inches (0.6 and 0.9 millimeters), the maximum formation deflection measured on the clay was approximately .071 inches (1.8 millimeters). Tests undertaken directly above pin pile (simulated bridge approach) sections showed that the formation deflections had been reduced to between .019 and .024 inches (0.5 and 0.6 millimeters), showing a gradual increase from low to high tie number. The range of results found showed that the formation stiffness over a soft subgrade was highly dependent on the nature of the subballast layers. www.rtands.com

The FWD results were correlated with ABS photographs and measurements to form a continuous log of the 2.7-mile (4.3-kilometer) loop. Results of each technology showed good correlation and ABS proved to be a reliable and effective means of spot sampling for ballast vertical sections.

Time and displacement signatures were able to be used to discriminate various subgrade conditions (Figure 6).

Stiffer layers showed less deflection, as noted in lower values for discrete portions along the red and green lines, which represent the response of various layers.

Summary and future work

The FWD testing on the HTL has shown that the technique is suitable for in situ testing of track-bed stiffness. ABS has provided good quality samples that can be logged and photographed to assist in FWD interpretations. Both techniques are used to target sites that perform poorly in order to optimize the characterization effort. Future work for this technology includes continued testing and development under various track conditions in North America, particularly for sites that are planned for major route upgrades.

Since many phases of the FWD are currently performed manually, the forward research includes development of a more automated and faster method for performing the tests.

Acknowledgements

TTCI acknowledges the effor ts of the URS team, including Phil Sharpe, Paul Clark and Craig Govan for their work on this project. The Association of American Railroads and Federal Railroad Administration jointly funded this project.

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May 2014 17

capital squeeze still produces a

silver line-ing Delta Railroad Construction taps innovative thinking to handle project challenges while building the track for Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metro Rail Project.

by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

W

hether it was from allowable work windows, a project time frame or workable space, constriction seems to be a recurring theme in the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association’s (NRC) 2013 Railroad Construction Project of the Year, as well as the ability of the award recipient, Delta Railroad Construction, Inc., to be pliant and resilient to each project obstacle.

Delta took on the largest project in company history when it was awarded the $81-million trackwork contract for the first phase of the Dulles Corridor Metro Rail Project. The scope of work called for Delta to install more than 400,000 linear feet of track, as well as 11 crossovers and 17 turnouts over two-years. But, as is often the case in construction, that time frame was reduced…by half.

The project’s resulting challenges and Delta’s ability to deal with them in tandem with the project’s impeccable safety record, helped in it being named the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association’s 2013 Railroad Con18 Railway Track & Structures

May 2014

struction Project of the Year.

“The Dulles Corridor Project proves that large projects conducted in adverse conditions can be completed on time and on budget when a strong safety culture is embraced,” the NRC said. “The strong safety record they achieved is commendable, especially in a congested location with difficult access and a tight schedule. Delta’s collaboration and coordination with multiple partners and stakeholders, along with their commitment to safety, significantly contributed to the overall success of the project.”

The project was originally slated to open in April 2014.

However, the lead engineer on the project, Dulles Transit Partners (DTP), along with construction manager Bechtel, were required to review and fix several issues the line’s owner, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), and the line’s operator, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), said stood in the way of the project being declared complete. Delta said none of www.rtands.com

NRC Project of the year the work it performed was affected by this decision. DTP resubmitted the project to MWAA for completion in April 2014 and, this time, it was accepted. While no time frame has been solidified, service on the Silver Line is expected to begin sometime during the summer of 2014.

Scope of work

Phase 1 of the $2-billion Dulles Corridor Metro Rail Project consisted of 11.6 miles of mainline double track beginning at the West Falls Church Orange Line and coming to a termination just past the Wiehle Avenue Station on the Rt. 267 toll road where Phase 2 will begin.

Delta was responsible for trackwork and special trackwork including: • Ballasted mainline track 86,274 LF • Ballasted yard track 4,200 LF • Install DF track (aeria l) 35,268 LF • Install DF track (tunnel) 7,260 LF • Install EGR ballasted 4,430 LF • Install EGR DF 44,971 LF • Install ballast cable trough 85,000 LF • Install DF Cable Trough 33,804 LF • Install contact rail ballasted 81,230 LF • Install contact rail yard 4,270 LF • Install contact rail DF 38,400 LF • One ballast double crossover (installed in one 48hour outage) • Ballast single crossovers-seven each • DF double crossovers-three each • Turnouts-17 each (four installed in single track outages) According to Delta, “The original notice to proceed

was awarded in 2009…the four-year project created challenges for all 200 contractors on the work site and we all prevailed.”

Challenges

Delta said the Dulles Project presented a number of hurdles to overcome in construction and other areas. For example, this was the first project on WMATA’s system to use concrete ties for the trackwork.

“Although the approvals and submission of materials and procedures are not construction activities, the challenge on this project to perform the documentation was in itself a noteworthy effort that was undertaken,” said Delta.

The project work area was in the heart of one of the nation’s most populace areas, with constant traffic, making access to the project the largest obstacle.

“The track was located in the median of the Dulles toll road and on an aerial structure over Tyson Corner, Va. The traffic throughout the project footprint was so congested it took many hours of coordination to keep the project moving and keep the public safe from all the movement of equipment, manpower and materials. The continuous wall design, for the ballast area, required access points in the wall for material deliveries at various points along the grade. This meant all deliveries of materials had to be highly coordinated to insure all were staged properly before track was constructed. After one of the tracks were built, the traffic area became even more constricted, which caused even more increased coordination between the material suppliers, delivery drivers and other onsite contractors working in the same areas,” the

This page: Inbound tunnel under Tyson’s Corner.

Continuing the aerial structure was not feasible for a section of the Silver Line, resulting in two 3/4-mile tunnels being constructed.

Opposite page: Delta crews working on an aerial structure on the Silver Line.

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May 2014 19

NRc Project of the year company wrote in the NRC In order to ensure a Project of the Year submittal. perfect platform for the Larry Laurello, president of third rail pedestals, a Delta Railroad Construction, diamond bit grinder was says utilizing innovative conpermanently affixed to a struction techniques allowed cart system, which gave the company to perform the Delta crews control of the high quality of work MWAA finished elevations, and WMATA expected. as well as eliminated Delta manufactured a tie ergonomic issues. handler, which attached to an excavator, to unload and stage 35,000, 8.5-foot concrete ties in an effort to increase safety and production in the narrow work area. The company says it would have used a front-end loader with forks, but there was no room to maneuver a loader.

Delta also designed and constructed specially made side formwork and end-dams for the direct fixation track.

According to the company, the forms were constructed to allow a monolithic pour of concrete that included the plinths and third rail pedestals. “This greatly increased productivity of the placement of direct fixation track and helped keep the project on schedule. The framework was so versatile it allowed for varying plinth lengths and made accommodating the super elevation possible. Due to a later than expected start date and the aerial structures not being completed as scheduled, the concrete work was aggressively performed. The direct fixation

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trackwork was being done in two separate locations using 68 workers and producing 1,800 feet of finished track per week,� said Delta.

Not only was the work area narrow, but elevation tolerances were tight making third rail installation another challenge of the project.

The company said it was almost possible to float the concrete for the third rail pedestal, but with many areas climbing to a six-inch super elevation, the concrete always flowed before drying. Delta designed and utilized a diamond profile grinder that resurfaced the concrete under the insulators to

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NRc Project of the year produce very tight tolerance Delta mounted a tie in the third rail installation. handler to a continuous “This simple, but effective Rotobec rotator with its idea limited the overall man own remote lock and power needed to perform the release system to task, while ensuring an exact distribute more than level platform. Silica exposure 35,000 concrete ties was minimized through the needed for the project. use of vacuum and airflow systems,” said Delta.

The Silver Line ties into WMATA’s existing Orange Line, prompting all work on the Orange Line to be performed during weekend outages. Two single turnouts were installed in separate outages in order to connect the two lines and the largest outage was for the Number 10 double crossover on the Orange Line east of the Silver Line connection.

Delta was only given a single weekend to complete the work to limit ridership disturbance. The entire crossover was built in the work area adjacent to the location it was to be placed and left in sections. When the outage was to begin, the tangent track areas where removed and the area graded. A 100-ton crane was used to lift each section in place and then they were all connected.

The entire double crossover was installed in one eighthour day shift. The ballasting and final alignment, elevation and welding used the rest of the weekend timeframe and

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revenue traffic resumed without delays.

Safety

The project’s compressed time frame and condensed work area could have worked against Delta in the safety arena.

However, the contractor set up a project-specific safety program to make sure all of its workers went home in the

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same condition as when they arrived at work.

“Delta and its subcontractors were the single largest subcontractor to DTP on the entire Dulles Corridor site. We have always had a zero accident philosophy and our zero lost time rate with a total of 582,367 hours shows what a positive work environment can achieve,” said the company.

Crews began their morning with stretching before reviewing the day’s work and any hazard with the use of a Safety Task Analysis and Risk Reduction Talk (STARRT) Card.

The onsite foreman or safety officer would evaluate the STARRT Card based on what the work assignments were and also used a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) for the specific task or tasks and would then instruct the work crew.

“Once all employees understood the day’s tasks and hazards and had an opportunity to provide suggestions and ask questions all would sign in acknowledgement. If a new worker or another contractor entered the worksite, they would be provided the STARRT Card instruction and would sign off before working or entering the work area. If a near miss or accident occurred, the entire crew would discontinue work and evaluate the incident and again perform a STARRT review and add the additional issues that had occurred,” said Delta.

DTP would perform a weekly walkthrough and any concerns were then discussed at the weekly Tool Box Safety Meeting. DTP also provided a monthly Safety Lunch where all on-site contractors sent at least one representative. The lunches provided another venue for discussion and awards were given to the safest work crews and individuals.

Delta says the final element of its safety program was constant oversight, not just from management, but also from all employees. Each Tuesday, Delta held a Weekly Foreman’s Meeting to discuss the next three weeks work schedule and determine what may be needed for safety and personnel.

“A well-implemented safety program is not about shutting down work that is being performed dangerously; it is doing the assessment before the work begins to determine the safest course of action so that work is not disrupted,” said Delta. “In order to create a positive outcome, you must first educate any employee on their duties and expectations along with what is and is not correct safety performance. Lastly, one must hold them accountable for both good and bad behavior. Without accountability, there is no value to be either good or bad. As management, it is imperative that good behavior be rewarded continually and bad behavior must be dealt with at the time of its occurrence or it will ripple throughout your organization.”

For all the challenges Delta experienced on the project, Laurello says having a clear chain of command to establish good communication and staying flexible are two contributing elements to success.

He says that doubling, sometimes tripling, the number of people on the work site to accomplish the job in half the time was high stress, but worthwhile.

“Building [projects such as this] can be pretty much the same, but to be involved in something that’s significant to Washington, D.C., that’s historic, and being able to get the job done was rewarding,” said Laurello. www.rtands.com

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Suppliers offer up the best there is in ditching and drainage products and services to keep murky water at bay.

A Balfour Beatty Rail ballast undercutting team heads to a job on BNSF mainline near Glacier National Park, Mont.

Ditching and

drainage

by Jennifer Nunez, assistant editor

K

eeping tracks dry and free of standing water is an important goal for railroads. In 2014, suppliers are offering the most effecient, time-effective products and services to date, in order to keep tracks free of seepage.

Balfour Beatty Rail

Through a combination of ground penetrating radar, a new stereoscopic camera and the ZRL 200 laser profiler, Balfour Beatty Rail says it is able to gather important information on the railroad right-of-way.

“By combining these technolog ies on a single measurement vehicle, we can accurately map and define the condition of the trackbed within and the surrounding terrain, in relation to drainage and wet spots,” explained Lynn Houser, business development manager. “We’re able to identify problem locations and categorize, which allows our clients to prioritize their drainage and trackbed needs.”

The company notes that the combination of information 24 Railway Track & Structures

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from these separate inspection technologies provides railroads with a much clearer picture and understanding of drainage and ditching issues. That includes the creation of digital terrain models and the identification of ponding water within the trackbed and to the side of the track. Those conditions can result ultimately in a loss of track strength stability and degradation of the asset, says Houser.

Balfour Beatty Rail offers ballast undercutting, ballast cleaning and ditching, along with ground penetrating radar to help customers program and prioritize their needs relative to drainage and ditching.

“Good drainage is vital in ensuring the full life expectancy of the client’s railroad infrastructure is realized,” explained Steve Atherton, technical services manager. “That’s why Balfour Beatty Rail continuously invests in the latest technologies in drainage and ditching management. It helps ensure clients have access to the best available services in North America.” www.rtands.com

BTE

“Ballast Tools Equipment’s (BTE) primary focus is to make sure our customers have well-designed equipment that maximizes production on site,” said BTE President Ned Williams. “That’s why we build over-engineered solutions to solve maintenance-of-way problems. Our hi-rail systems have tough, strong undercutting capabilities, bi-directional chains and deliver more power to the cut. We also have ditching and cribbing attachments, tampers, plus tie-handling and other job-specific drainage repair solutions.”

BTE excavators go a step further with more horsepower and more capabilities, the company says. The BTE Beast, a large undercutter excavator with an additional 235 hp power pack, combines the maximum power and performance into a single package for quick work in tough spots.

“That lets an operator undercut a diamond or a turnout in one pass to save time and help protect track cross levels,” said Williams.

In a confined space that needs undercutting and other work, a high-flow Rototilt quick coupler attachment on a BTE-302551 undercutter lets the operator make faster tool changes to get in and out more quickly, BTE says.

“Pair this with a BTE hi-rail system and the operator can easily match the angle of the track while operating the

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May 2014 25

DITCHING & DRAINAGE

machine on or off the rail, so the job gets done with less effort and in less time,” explained Wiliams.

B T E e n g i n e e r M a t t We y a n d remarked, “Every railroad company

faces pressure to complete under track work in smaller time windows. That’s why BTE tries to look at the job as a whole, then create solutions that help work proceed more effectively and

more efficiently. Add a spoils-clearing wheel to the BTE-301282 Super Mud Mole undercutter and one machine can simultaneously undercut and remove ballast spoils.”

As part of a commitment to quality and production, BTE also relies on Ballast Tools Inc. carbide-protected wear parts in all of its attachments for durability and performance, reduced downtime and fewer replacement costs.

“In the MOW world, you live by four words, speed, efficiency, durability and safety,” said Williams. “That’s exactly what BTE’s equipment brings to the table.”

GREX

Equipped with zero-tur n radius excavator s, rototilt attachments, experienced operators and substantial carrying capacity, Georgetown Rail Equipment Company’s (GREX) Self Powered Slot (SPS) and Slot machines are ideal tools for every railroads drainage issues, notes the company.

GREX credits standing and running water to being the leading cause of track instability and degradation.

“GREX’s ability to perform both ditching and spoils removal at a highproduction rate means the SPS and Slot Trains are utilized year-round,” explained Wiggie Shell, president and chief executive officer. “These machines, most admired by railroads as capable of multiple tasks, provide custom solutions to move standing water and divert or redirect running water. By completing all the work necessary with one machine, railroads benefit from improved efficiency and less material re-handling. Material rehandling reduces operating efficiency, especially when considering the cost of lost track time for train operations.

The SPS and Slot Machine, with onboard excavators and a variety of attachments, perform a near seamless action when ditching, scooping, turning and unloading material. With the railroads necessity to insure proper drainage for thousands of miles of track every year, GREX understands the importance of operating efficiency and its upstream value.”

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DITCHING & DRAINAGE

With up to 500 tons of haul away capacity, GREX SPS and Slot machines have been upgraded with CAT 321D excavators that feature extended reach and “zero turn radius” functionality designed with shrinking track maintenance windows in mind.

Herzog

BTE 450 Backhoe off-track clearing a troublesome mud-spot

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Drainage concerns are one of those nuisances that just never go away, says Herzog Railroad Services, Inc. (HRSI).

Its Multi-Purpose Machine (MPM) was designed to help do just that.

“One machine, one highly trained operator, nearly 500 cubic yards of capacity and a production rate of roughly 80 cubic yards of material per hour in ideal conditions,” said Tim Francis, vice president of marketing.

“When the MPM is done ditching, you are left with a finished product. The

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DITCHING & DRAINAGE

material is picked up and can be hauled away then unloaded at a more desirable location.”

Ditching is just one task the MPM can do to help with drainage problems. It is also capable of placing rip rap to help prevent washouts or scouring in the event that the ditches are not able to handle the amount of water flowing through them. If there are washouts, HRSI says the MPM is just as efficient when it’s asked to go to work and repair the damage.

“We often hear the MPM’s biggest asset is its ability to safely traverse the tops of its consist,” noted Francis.

“This allows us to ditch, while still having access to rip rap, concrete ties or any other material that you may be using to prepare for the spring thaw.”

Each machine comes standard with an Indexator Rototilt® head and quick-connect hoses, allowing HRSI to change attachments quickly to better utilize the minimal track and time constraints given.

The MPM can also distribute and pick up on track material, ties, rail and brush cut.

Loram

“Customers continue to reinforce that drainage is of utmost importance for providing sound track structure,” noted Scott Diercks, product development manager at Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. “The success of any ballasted track design is directly related to the ability of the trackbed to drain and the proper maintenance of the overall drainage system.

An effective drainage system handles the rapid runoff of storm water from the ballast, across the sub-ballast surface and into a properly designed parallel drainage system.”

Loram offers a full range of services that cover all drainage maintenance needs. Loram’s drainage products include 28 Railway Track & Structures

May 2014

Left, Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.’s, MPM digging a ditch for proper drainage along the railroad.

GREX SPS out performing ditching services.

shoulder ballast cleaning, ditching, specialty excavation, undercutting and track lifting.

Inspection technologies, such as GPR and LIDAR, continue to evolve and become standard tools for assessing and planning work needs. Diercks says Loram’s customers are embracing new technologies to provide data so they can utilize their budgets in the most effective and efficient manner.

Loram notes it has experienced increasing demand for ditching and drainage services from transit and freight railroads domestically and internationally. The increasing demand is attributed to customers realizing the importance of maintaining a properly draining track structure. These benefits include less geometry degradation and increased component life. By coupling a ditching program with a ballast cleaning program, railroads are able create a free flowing track structure which provides a dependable infrastructure that provides better service for customers, the company says.

“Loram understands that drainage issues affect our customers’ bottom line, so we continue to discuss these issues with our customers to develop the right type of equipment and services. The Track Lifter Undercutter (TLU) Series is a reflection of these discussions, providing a more productive, cost-effective track rehabilitation program. www.rtands.com

DITCHING & DRAINAGE

culverts and hard to reach drains. The Railvac is designed to work on tough Class 1 railroad conditions, but flexible enough to accommodate transit and commuter railroads, the company says.

The Railvac applies 5,000 pounds of force, coupled with a rotating nozzle to break up tough material. The machine also features remote joystick controls and unrivaled nozzle flexibility to reach hard to reach areas.

NMC

Top, the Loram Badger Ditcher 5.

Plasser & Theurer’s ZRM 350 ballast cleaning machine.

The TLU provides a more productive and cost-effective alter native to traditional undercutting services. The machine can lift track up 12 inches in one pass, up to four miles per hour.

The track lifting process creates a new sub-ballast layer, establishing more permeable ballast and an overall stronger structure.”

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Loram’s fleet of Railvacs and Badger Ditchers continues to grow to meet demand from Class 1 railroads, shortlines and transit lines. Loram’s customers utilize the equipment to address maintenance needs, such as ditching, cribbing/undercutting mainline mud spots, installation of drain tiles and culver ts and undercutting switches and diamonds.

The Badger Ditcher is designed to provide economical, high-production solutions to drainage problems, such as overgrown and ballast-filled ditches and slope erosion. The Badger Ditcher moves more than 800 tons of material every hour at depths up to six feet and dumps waste up to 35 feet from the center of the track.

Loram’s Railvac is designed for specialty ballast excavation in areas of tight clearances, such as ballast deck bridges, switch winterization, tunnels,

NMC Railway Systems currently offers the Grip n’ Ditch bucket with 360-degree rotation in its attachment product line. Complete with the purpose built gearbox drive systems and a clam-style design for grabbing object, the bucket works to stabilize the area for flood control and other clean-up projects. Best utilized on the company’s off-track or hi-rail excavator line, the Grip n’ Ditch bucket is able to handle a variety of ditching tasks.

“One of the latest trends in ditching and drainage is the addition of the tilt function on the Grip n’ Ditch bucket, available on buckets larger than 54-inches,” explained Mark Anderson, sales manager. “Featured exclusively on the 324 Hi-Rail Excavator, the bucket includes a side tilt option up to 20 degrees, making it easy for the operator to clear steep grades while removing debris.”

This past year, NMC Railway Systems has built out the hi-rail equipment line with adding products, such as the 316 and 320 excavators with hi-rail undercarriages. Being able move up and down track lines on hi-rail allows operators to work on more remote areas, in turn saving time and manpower the company says.

NMC Railway Systems has supplied several pieces of equipment to areas in the Pacific Northwest this past year.

Its hi-rail equipment line has aided in maintaining washout issues and ensured drainage areas were repaired and clean. The company provides maintenance-of-way equipment to several of the Class 1 and shortline railroads throughout North America. www.rtands.com

Plasser

Plasser American Corp. says the ZRM 350 ballast cleaning machine, made

by Plasser & Theurer, is designed to work with and without track and can perform on-track ballast undercutting/ cleaning and it is also capable of working where there is no track. The machine is propelled by crawler tracks when the railroad track is removed. The company says a smooth transition is also possible for trackless cleaning dur ing track renewal or complete rehabilitation when tracks are removed. The machine is designed to ensure a continuous forward motion whereby the crawler tracks do not run directly on top of the subgrade.

“The ZRM 350 produces an accurate cut of the ballast layer along the entire length of the worksite thanks to continuous forward motion and automatic laser-assisted guidance of the excavating chain (alternatively with wire reference guidance),” explained Plasser.

“This is one of the greatest advantages of this system compared to conventional methods using front end wheeled loaders.

Plasser says the well thought out system of returning cleaned ballast and new ballast to the track is responsible for the careful handling of subgrade and geotextile. The first ballast layer leveling is performed right behind the excavating chain, which means that the front crawler track of the machine is already running on cleaned ballast.

An additional ballasting device enables placement of additional ballast for a second layer behind the second crawler track and spiral conveyors distribute and level the ballast.

Plasser’s MFS 40/4ZW mater ial conveyor and hopper cars with crawler tracks, is said to complement the ZRM 350 to produce an efficient ballast cleaning system in areas without track.

This allows the loading of the waste material and supply of new ballast.

“The ZRM 350 has been operating on worksites without track during the past months,” noted Plasser. “It was able to produce an accurate cut of the ballast layer over the entire length of the worksite.

Due to a minimum working width of only 10.5 feet, the ZRM can even clean narrow boxed-in ballast beds.”

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ditching & drainage

Top, The RCE 225D High-Rail Excavator ditching and cleaning up rock slides on Union Pacific. NMC Railway Systems’ 324 Hi-Rail Excavator clearing debris for better drainage in the Pacific Northwest.

RCE

“With the erratic weather so far this spring, ditching and maintaining proper drainage is a huge issue this year for railroad,” explained Dennis Hanke, sales manager at Rail Construction Equipment Company (RCE). “Were seeing a higher demand for equipment to address these issues.” www.rtands.com

He notes that ditching from on track using hi-rail excavators and dump carts has been in high demand this year.

Many of RCE’s customers are using its 225D High-Rail excavator along with its Hydraulic Side Dump Cart to address ditching and drainage requirements along the railroads.

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state of the nrc:

the association continues to gain strength The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association has experienced robust growth by following up on what it promises: To protect its members’ interests.

R

ailway Track & Structures asked NRC Chairman Bill Dorris of RailWorks Track Services, NRC President Chuck Baker, NRC Vice President of Grassroots Advocacy and Events Ashley Bosch and NRC Director of Operations Alice Post about the past year and what they believe is in the future for the NRC.

RT&S: Bill, you are in your first year as NRC Chairman. What goals have you established for the NRC to be accomplished during your tenure and are you making progress towards those goals?

Bill Dorris: My goals for the NRC are to continue promoting the importance of the organization to the membership by: • Making myself available to our membership, listening to their concerns and working with the board to determine how we can best serve their needs; • Continuing to support current legislative and safety initiatives and • Making every effort to increase our membership in order to strengthen our ability to represent the rail industry effectively in Washington, D.C. The NRC will continue to be a strong advocate for the rail industry in the legislative arena. Along with the help and support of the industry professionals that make up our board of directors, I will continue to push for the growth of the organization, as my predecessors before me have. I will continue to build on the legacy of the past Chairmen: Terry Benton of Colo Railroad Builders, Jim Perkins of Loram, Jon McGrath of McGrath LLC, Manny Ramirez of Mass Electric, Rick Ebersold of Herzog Services, Larry Laurello of Delta Railroad Construction and Scott Brace of RailWorks.

The membership of the NRC has grown more than 100 percent in the past seven years, from 184 Member Companies in 2006 to 390 Members companies in 2013. We have gained 76 new member companies in the past 12 months alone! This can be greatly attributed to the efforts of our Membership Committee, chaired by Stephanie Freeman of Coleman Industrial Construction. Stephanie and her committee are doing a terrific job. Stephanie is joined on this Committee by David Armstrong of Commercial Insurance Associates, Steve Bolte of Progressive Railroading, Danny Brown and Jim Hansen of RailWorks, Mike 34 Railway Track & Structures

May 2014

Choat of Railroad Controls Limited, Bob Hirte of Hamilton Construction, Phil McDonald of Koppers, Jody Sims of Stacy & Witbeck and Dave Stein of Holland Company.

RT&S: You mention expanding the membership. What benefits does the NRC offer to its current members and potential new ones?

Dorris: The NRC Membership Committee, along with our Washington, D.C., staff, including Chuck Baker, Matt Ginsberg, Ashley Bosch and Alice Post have done an excellent job of identifying and recruiting companies that will benefit by joining the NRC. The NRC exists to support rail contractors and suppliers within the rail industry. Our primary goals are to expand and broaden our membership companies’ business opportunities and protect them from harmful laws and regulations while promoting safe practices on the job. The NRC is the only organization entirely focused and dedicated to this purpose. We stay on top of all issues that could adversely affect our membership and will defend our position as necessary.

Alice Post: We have a long list of specific benefits we provide to our members, which are detailed on our website at www.nrcma.org. Membership includes discounted registration at the annual NRC Conference and Exhibition and a full company listing in both the printed and online versions of the NRC Membership Directory, which is distributed to Class 1, shortline and regional railroads, as well as executives at rail transit and commuter rail agencies throughout the country. Membership also includes access to safety materials, the Contractor Safety Award contest, the Annual Rail Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction and inclusion in the NRC grassroots program and on the NRC’s bulletin distribution list, which is full of useful information for rail contractors and suppliers.

At the moment, just under 400 rail construction, supply and professional service companies are members of the NRC, which as Bill said, has more than doubled during the past seven years. We attribute most of that growth to word of mouth, the NRC Membership Committe and our board members who have been the NRC’s best evangelists. We have an impressive group on the board and they have the credibility with their colleagues to convince them to join the NRC and support our industry. www.rtands.com

State of the NRC Chuck Baker: I’d like to specifically thank each of our board members. Other than Bill, they are Chris Daloisio of Railroad Constructors (NRC vice chairman), Mike Choat of Railroad Controls Limited (NRC secretary/treasurer), Terry Benton of Colo Railroad Builders (past chairman), Larry Laurello of Delta Railroad Construction (past chairman), Danny Brown of RailWorks, Joe Daloisio of Railroad Construction Co., Stephanie Freeman of Coleman Industrial Construction, Clayton Gilliland of Stacy & Witbeck, Scott Goehri of HDR Engineering, Jim Hansen of RailWorks, Nathan Henderson of R.J. Corman Railroad Group, Norm Jester of Herzog Transit Services, Greg Lippard of L.B. Foster, Dave Minor of A&K Railroad Materials, Scott Norman of Herzog Contracting Corp, Marc Hackett of Loram, Jody Sims of Stacy & Witbeck, Mark Snailham of Balfour Beatty Rail and Daniel Stout of STX Railroad Construction Services. These ladies and gentlemen do an extraordinary amount of work to support the NRC and the rail construction industry.

Dorris: The NRC uses a variety of methods to stay in touch with our members and get our message out to the industry.

Our website, www.nrcma.org, is constantly being updated and we continue communicating via e-mail bulletins, as well. The NRC continues association and industry conversations online through tweeting. I definitely recommend following @theNRC on Twitter to keep up with the association and the day-to-day rail industry happenings.

RT&S:What is the NRC doing to promote safety?

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Dorris: We have a very active Safety Committee which includes some highly-experienced safety professionals within our industry. Tammy Mathews of my company, RailWorks, is our current Safety Committee chairwoman and follows Ernesto Scarpitti of Delta Railroad Construction. Tammy is an excellent representative of the NRC. The Safety Committee oversees the Safety Training DVD program, the NRC’s participation in the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) process, the Contractor Safety Award contest, the NRC’s Roadway Worker Protection training materials, the Pocket Safety Manual, our Tool Box Talks and all of the NRC’s other safety programs.

The continuing series of safety training DVDs is led by Safety Committee member and former board director John Zuspan of Track Guy Consultants. The two most recent DVDs in this series, #15 Building a Turnout and Special Trackwork and #16 Handling CWR were unveiled at the conference in January 2014 and are now available to all NRC member companies.

The entire series has received excellent reviews and is available at no cost to our members. The previous 14 DVDs, which are all still available, are: Safety with Railroad Hand Tools, Safety with Railroad Power Tools, Safety on Freight and Industrial Track, Safety Around Railway Maintenance Equipment (Parts 1 and 2), Safety Around Transit Track, Safety while Unloading and Handling Material, Safety with Hot Work, Safety Around Thermal Adjusting of CWR, Safety Around Field Welds, Safety on a Rail Gang, Safety on a Tie Gang, Safety Around Flash Butt Welding and Fall Protec-

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State of the NRC tion in the Rail Industry. All of these videos are great tools for keeping your workforce properly trained and up to date on best practices as they relate to safe operations.

Safety Committee members, along with NRC staff, represent the NRC’s interests on RSAC. RSAC membership and participation enables the NRC to provide input to the FRA as they create regulations dealing with such key issues as minimum training standards for railroads and contractors performing maintenanceof-way work, drug and alcohol testing policies, medical standards for safety-critical workers, bridge safety, roadway worker protection regulation updates, roadway maintenance machine operating rules, rail integrity testing, rail safety technology in dark territory, positive train control implementation, hours of service and track safety standards.

Post: Safety Committee member and past board director David Armstrong of Commercial Insurance Associates takes the lead for the NRC on organizing the very competitive “NRC Safe Contractor of the Year” award contest. RT&S also sponsors this contest and helps to publicize the winners, which is much appreciated. Safety must, and does, come first for rail construction and maintenance contractors and this award is a valued acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of the leadership and safety managers of our member companies.

There were a record number of entries in the 2013 contest and the winners were announced at the conference in January and are again published in this magazine (see NRC8).

The NRC also offers its members a Roadway Worker Pro-

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tection (RWP) training program, which has been developed by railroad safety professionals with feedback from FRA staff.

The RWP training program, which is complimentary to NRC members and is available on the NRC website, includes a training presentation, complete with descriptions of the 49 CFR Part 214 RWP regulations, a training examination, an answer key and training completion cards.

Additional safety resources offered by the NRC to our members include the newly updated Tool Box SafetyTalk series, a Pocket Safety Manual for workers to reference in the field and a model company safety program.

RT&S:Your annual conference took place in early January in Palm Desert, Calif., and set another NRC Conference attendance record. To what do you attribute the success of your conference?

Dorris: As I have mentioned earlier, our membership growth over the past seven years is the key reason for the increased attendance. This growth in membership brings more member company representatives to our conferences. The boom in the crude oil and sand businesses has created a new focus on the rail industry, as well; this is also bringing new people to our conferences. These reasons, along with our guest speakers being a select group of industry leaders who come prepared to give a detailed breakdown of their capital spending programs for the coming construction season are the main reasons we are seeing an increase in the overall attendance numbers.

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State of the NRC We had some high-profile guests and speakers at our conference this year, which also helped draw the record crowd.

Long-time friend of the railroad industry, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) gave a keynote address on “Infrastructure Policy and 2014 Election Views from the Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.” In addition, Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) was in attendance as chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Railroad, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.

Bosch: Also, several other industry associations and companies hold meetings in conjunction with our conference, such as the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s Legislative Policy Committee, REMSA’s Board of Directors, AREMA Committee 10 (Structures, Maintenance & Construction), the Railway Tie Association’s Executive Committee, Plasser American Corp., RailWorks and the Railroad Maintenance and Industrial Health and Welfare Fund.

And multiple seminars were offered at the conference, including a legal seminar by Burns White on “Surviving an OSHA Inspection,” an estimating seminar by Track Guy Consultants on “Estimating Track Projects & Putting Together Bid Packages” and an RWP Train-the-Trainer Seminar by Roadway Worker Training, Inc. Baker: These meetings and seminars bring a new group of executives to the NRC Conference, adding to the appeal for NRC members. It also allows many attendees to attend the conference and deal with other important business issues in a single trip, making the most effective use of people’s limited time. This has worked well and we invite other rail associations, committees, railroads, transit agencies and state departments of transportation reading this interview to consider coordinating their meetings and seminars with the NRC Conference.

Post: The NRC Special Awards have become a highlight at the conference, as well. These awards give NRC members an opportunity to recognize their colleagues for exemplary work in the industry. The 2013 Railroad Construction Project of the Year was presented to the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. Delta Railroad Construction’s custom-built equipment and safety-focused construction practices kept the project on time and on budget even under adverse conditions. The 2013 Field Employee of the Year was presented to Construction Project Engineer Craig Almont of Hamilton Construction.

Not only did Almont exceed the company’s goals and expectations on a project for Union Pacific in Idaho, but he went above and beyond and became a volunteer coach of the local high school football team.

Bosch: Lastly, our conference would not be possible without the support of our valued sponsors. The NRC offers its members the opportunity to sponsor specific conference functions, such as sessions and receptions, as well as general gold and silver level sponsorships. An NRC Conference sponsorship is a unique marketing opportunity to showcase a company’s products and services in front of an audience of Class 1 and shortline railroads, rail contractors, rail suppliers and professional service firms. More information on 2015 conference sponsorships opportunities will be announced this summer in the NRC Bulletin.

RT&S:Your conferences are generally held in warm locales, which provides a nice break for those of us coming in from the frozen north.

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Dorris: The location and the time of year make attending the conference a much easier decision for the majority without a doubt. We hold our conferences in either south Florida or southern California in alternating years, just after the new year. This time of year is typically the slowest time for most resort properties, which allows us to get good hotel rates for our members and we feel this is a good time of year for rail contractors and suppliers to get away, as it is also the slowest time of the year for construction and maintenance activities in the northern parts of the country.

Baker: The weather worked out particularly well this year, as it was close to 70 degrees in Palm Springs while the rest of the country was getting its first taste of the now infamous polar vortex. I encouraged conference attendees to be grateful for their good fortune and to NOT send pictures home!

RT&S: Where will the next NRC Conference be, in January 2015?

Baker: We’re all set for January 7-10, 2015, at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Fla., just outside of Fort Lauderdale.

“The key to the NRC’s legislative success in D.C. is the active participation of our membership. Hearing frequently and forcefully from those constituents directly is by far the most effective way to get our messages across.”

We’ll notify members this summer via e-mail when conference and exhibit booth registrations are available and also when the hotel room block opens and, of course, we’ll advertise the event right here in RT&S. For more information, visit: www. nrcma.org/go/conference.

RT&S: Aside from the Annual Conference, are there other NRC-sponsored activities during the year?

Dorris: Yes, we have two major events each year, the equipment auction and Railroad Day on Capitol Hill. The NRC Rail Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction occurs each spring. This year’s auction was hosted by Quality Track Equipment, a division of Delta Railroad Construction, in Austinburg, Ohio, on May 1. Blackmon Auctions was the auctioneer. We anticipate another great auction this year.

Bosch: A portion of the proceeds from the consigned equipment at the auction goes to the NRC Safety, Training, and Education Fund. The fund benefits our membership and the industry as a whole and is the main source of funding for the Safety Training DVD program. In addition, some of the equipment is actually donated to the NRC, with 100 percent of those proceeds going to the safety program. We are www.rtands.com

State of the NRC extremely grateful to our Class 1, shortline, contractor and supplier partners who have donated pieces to the NRC Auction over the years.

Baker: The auction committee has been doing great work on this event and at the previous auctions. The key committee members are Danny Brown of RailWorks Corporation, Mark Gaffney of Stacy & Witbeck, Jay Gowan of Harsco Rail, Paul Laurello of Delta Railroad Construction, Dean Mackey of Progress Rail Services, Dan Samford of Herzog Contracting Corp. and Greg Spilker of Progress Rail Leasing.

Blackmon Auctions is our auctioneer every year and they do a great job. The equipment at the auction typically includes air compressors, brush cutters, spikers, pickup trucks, hi-rail trucks, cranes, rail threaders, spike pullers, tie inserters and removers, tampers, crib consolidators, log loaders, adzers, pre-gaugers, speedswings, anchor and clip applicators, rollers, cribbers, swing loaders, etc.

Dorris: The NRC is also a major sponsor and organizer of the annual Railroad Day on Capitol Hill event in Washington, D.C., along with the AAR, ASLRRA, REMSA, RSI, RSSI and RTA. Each year, many of our member companies are represented at meetings with members of Congress and their staff in order to present our concerns on major issues affecting the railroad industry. There are many issues in Washington, D.C., that can directly affect our businesses, ranging from 45G tax credits to incentivize railroad infrastructure investment, major grant programs, such as Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) and High Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail, the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan program, regulatory changes under consideration at the Surface Transportation Board and truck size and weight issues. It’s important to have the representation provided by Chuck Baker and the NRC’s government affairs staff, but it’s equally important for each of our contractor and supply member companies to keep up on the issues and directly contact your representatives and senators. Let them know that their constituents care and are deeply concerned about these issues. In attending this event, it provides our membership an excellent opportunity to spend time with their railroad customers while supporting their needs, as well as our own. I encourage everyone to visit our website or to contact the NRC’s office to learn how to participate at the next Railroad Day on the Hill.

Baker: This year’s Railroad Day on the Hill in March was a big success and the next event is tentatively set for March 2015 (exact date TBD) in Washington, D.C. Please plan to join us in D.C. RT&S: Speaking of Congress, tell us more about the NRC’s Grassroots Program and why a railroad contractor or supplier would want to host their member of Congress?

Bosch: Because it’s more effective to “show and tell” than simply “tell,” the NRC’s Grassroots Program was created to invite United States members of Congress to visit NRC member facilities and construction project sites. These visits give the members of Congress firsthand knowledge of the rail industry and demonstrate how rail contractors and suppliers are positively affecting the rail industry and the local and national economy. NRC member companies gain positive publicity, 40 Railway Track & Structures

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foster good relationships with their congressional members and build strong contacts for the NRC to utilize when advocating for rail industry issues on Capitol Hill. It’s a win-win-win!

These congressional visits are coordinated and executed by the NRC staff with little work required by the host company.

If your company is interested in hosting your member of Congress for a visit, please contact me at abosch@nrcma.org or 202-715-1247.

RT&S: What are the NRC’s legislative priorities right now?

Baker: We have been working hard to try to get an extension of the 45G shortline railroad rehabilitation tax credit, which expired at the end of 2013. Two bills have been introduced in Congress, HR721 and S411, which would extend the credit through 2016 to provide the long-term planning certainty necessary to maximize private-sector transportation infrastructure investment. This is a crucial piece of legislation to help maximize rehabilitation spending in the shortline industry. The credit provides a 50-percent tax credit to shortline railroads for investing in their infrastructure, capped at $3,500 per mile owned. This results in more than $300 million per year of additional capital investment by shortline railroads, much of which is contracted out to NRC members or spent on materials and equipment from NRC suppliers.

The NRC’s contractor and supplier members have been crucial in helping the shortline railroads build up record cosponsorship numbers among representatives and senators. In the 112th Congress, more than half of both the House (256 representatives) and the Senate (51 senators) co-sponsored the legislation, which is extraordinary. So far this year, we’re at 241 representatives and 49 senators as co-sponsors and counting.

The NRC also continues to make the case to Congress against an increase in the size and weight of trucks that are allowed on the highways. We were pleased that the MAP-21 surface transportation reauthorization bill passed in 2012 directed the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to study the issue before making any changes to these limits. Heavy trucks are already subsidized and increasing their weight and length would increase that subsidy and allow them to compete unfairly against the privately-funded freight railroads. Bigger and heavier trucks are unsafe and unwise – they’re bad for the roads and bad for the rail industry. The American public is solidly against them and Congress was wise to not support bigger and heavier trucks.

We are also actively supporting efforts by the freight railroads to maintain the existing reasonable and balanced economic regulation of their business and we will argue forcefully against legislation or regulation that would needlessly complicate rail service or cap rates. Reregulating the railroads is a sure-fire way to reduce much needed capital investment in the national railroad network.

RT&S: How does the NRC attempt to accomplish its legislative goals on Capitol Hill?

Baker: As Bill mentioned earlier, the key to the NRC’s legislative success in D.C. is the active participation of our membership. Congressmen only care what I have to say because I am representing their constituents. Hearing frequently and forcefully from those constituents directly is by far the most effective way to get our messages across. www.rtands.com

State of the NRC Also, in addition to our own direct legislative efforts, the NRC is a member of the OneRail Coalition, with APTA, AAR, ASLRRA, Amtrak, NARP, RSI, the States for Passenger Rail Coalition and other key rail industry groups. When all of those groups can agree and go to Congress with a coordinated message, we’re a powerful force, representing hundreds of thousands of workers and tens of billions of dollars of economic activity.

RT&S: Beyond the immediate priorities of tax credits, guarding against increased truck size and weights and increased regulation of the freight railroads, what are the NRC’s other legislative and policy priorities?

Baker: We are supportive of the TIGER grant program. Of the $3.5 billion in funding that has been distributed in TIGERs 1-5, almost $1.8 billion has gone to rail-related projects, including Class 1 projects, shortline system upgrades, port rail infrastructure projects, commuter rail extensions, light-rail lines, streetcar projects, transit stations and intermodal hubs. In the 2013 TIGER 5 program, 21 rail-related projects received more than $200 million out of the $474 million of available funding, which was great news for the rail construction and supply industry. The TIGER 6 program was funded at $600 million in the recently-passed FY14 appropriations bill. The notice of funding availability came out from the USDOT in early March and applications were due April 28. The NRC will continue to aggressively back funding for these types of multi-modal, meritbased discretionary grant programs, whether in the form of TIGER 7 or potentially a program of Projects of National and Regional Significance or an Infrastructure Bank in the next surface transportation reauthorization bill.

The NRC is also advocating for improvements to the RRIF loan program by subsidizing the interest rate and allowing payment deferrals similar to the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program. Other improvements can be made by making the collateral rules more reasonable, enforcing the intent of the 90-day clock rules and allowing railroads to use the program for refinancing purposes as provided by law. RRIF is a $35-billion infrastructure loan program that is underutilized by the railroads, but we are seeing a recent pick-up in activity, at least on the application side. RRIF provides low interest (around 3.6 percent currently), 35-year loan money for railroad rehabilitation and construction. Since 2002, the FRA has approved 33 RRIF loans for a combined total of

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approximately $1.7 billion.

The NRC will work with our railroad customers to protect and expand the Section 130 Grade Crossing Program, which has a long record of success in improving public safety, but only funds a small fraction of the documented needs.

The NRC will work with APTA and other rail transit advocacy support groups to make sure that Congress continues the meaningful rail transit investments of the past decade. More and more U.S. cities are realizing the economic and environmental benefits provided by constructing and expanding light rail and metro systems and we are seeing a shift in travel patterns across the country. However, this momentum is at risk as the funding for the mass transit account of the highway trust fund is no longer sufficient to expand and maintain the system. Simply put, more funding needs to be dedicated to rail transit investments and the NRC will work hard in D.C. every day to get that message across to Congress.

The NRC will continue work with passenger rail advocacy groups to aggressively support and fund a meaningful investment into the national intercity passenger rail network.

RT&S: Do you have any closing thoughts?

Dorris: I would like to thank all the NRC member companies and my fellow board members for supporting me in my position as chairman of the board. I am honored and privileged to represent this great organization in the rail industry.

I believe the NRC has its priorities in place for our membership, while maintaining a high level of interaction with the other key industry organizations.

We are growing our membership, setting new conference attendance records and getting greater participation in our “Safe Contractor of the Year” contest and Railroad Day on The Hill. These are all signs of a healthy and growing organization. Our committee members and directors of the board are active and engaged and are all getting a high level of support from their respective employers. I would like to thank the NRC member companies that support those who serve on the board and on the committees for allowing us to dedicate some of our time to this great organization.

The state of the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association is stronger than ever. God bless the United States of America, God bless the men and women that serve in our military and God bless the NRC. Have a safe day.

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AREMA NEWS Professional Development Upcoming seminars

Online seminars May 29 Introduction to Positive Train Control (PTC)

Message from the President

Land of opportunity

By Joe Smak

June 2 New Paradigm for Transportation Infrastructure Funding Please visit www.arema.org to register and to find out more information about these online seminars or contact Mandie Ennis at mennis@arema.org.

Joe Smak AREMA President 2013-2014

Introduction to practical railway engineering July, TBA Montreal, Canada Bridge inspection & streambed scour seminar August 4-8, 2014 Sacramento, CA Registration is open

railroad bridge load rating - steel structures September 15, 2014 New Orleans, LA Please visit www.arema.org to register and to find out more information about these seminars or contact Desirée Knight at dknight@arema.org.

Please see page 46 to find a listing of all seminars being held in conjunction with the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition.

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I was saving this article for later in the year, but I need to write this now. I came very close to losing my father recently and I need to tell you his story and, by doing so, telling mine, as well. My father, also Joseph, is 93 years old and is part of the “Great Generation.” It is called great because the men and women of that generation fought in World War II, to give us all the freedom that we enjoy today. He gave us a scare, as he had a heart attack in the hospital while he was being treated with difficulty breathing. He has a history of heart problems recently and I knew of four, maybe five incidents. His cardiologist told us that he has survived 10 heart attacks and has eight stents keeping him alive. He still has the fighting spirit, that hard work ethic, taking advantage of opportunities, keeping him alive.

My father was born overseas, in a small farming community in Czechoslovakia (now the Slovak Republic). As a young man, he was drafted by the Czechoslovak Army as an ambulance driver. Nazi Germany had invaded his homeland and the Communist Russians were pushing the front back west through Slovakia. He was caught in the middle and experienced many horrible war scenes as a result of the onslaught. He was nearly killed in an allied bombing raid on a fuel refinery, where he dealt with the horrible results of the fiery attack. He decided, at the risk of the rest of his family, to leave the country. So, one dark night, he crossed the border into Austria, with the clothes on his back and the change in his pocket. He set his sights on America, the Land of Opportunity. From Vienna, he was sent to a refugee camp in Hungary, where he applied for entry into the United States. He was told the waiting list was five years long. While in the refugee camp, representatives from England were recruiting textile workers for London. He began his trek westward and after the grinding ordeal at the textile mill, he worked in a hospital in London.

An opportunity presented itself in Toronto, ON, Canada, where he went to work in construction. After five years, he finally received permission to enter the United States. He went to New York City, where he studied to be a draftsman. He worked on projects including the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. He met my mother in New York, who was also from Slovakia and got married. Six years later, my family moved from New York City to central Pennsylvania, where he was a draftsman on the highway projects of the 1960s. As work got slow, he even went to Israel to help design the Negev Air Force Base.

My maternal grandfather was a railroader in Czechoslovakia and that’s how railroading got into my blood. My father’s hard work ethic must have rubbed off on me, as well, and his engineering background got into my blood, too. I took advantage of an opportunity to study railroad engineering, working my way through college at a consulting engineering firm and as a surveyor’s assistant. I started as a management associate at Conrail some 34 years ago and after three different railroads, I am still doing what I know and love.

Continued on page 43 www.rtands.com

2014 Upcoming Committee Meetings May 13-14 May 13-15 May 15-16 May 20-21 June 5-6

Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways Loveland, CO Committee 5 - Track New Orleans, LA Committee 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations Orange, CA Committee 15 - Steel Structures Eugene, OR Committee 30 - Ties Urbana-Champaign, IL

June 10-11 Aug. 4-5 Aug. 13-14 Sept. 4-5 Sept. 16-17

Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction Pueblo, CO Committee 1 - Roadway & Ballast New York, NY Committee 7 - Timber Structures Portland, OR Committee 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations Denver, CO Committee 15 - Steel Structures New Orleans, LA

Committee meetings being held in conjunction with AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition can be found on page 46.

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

Continued from page 42 So, what’s the moral of the story? Here in the United States and Canada, many opportunities exist. With hard work, desire, persistence and an attitude to never give up, anything is possible. My roots are from a middle class family, whose parents came to the Land of Opportunity. This story has been repeated hundreds of thousands of times over, with many people from the “Great Generation.”

And there are many opportunities in the railroading industry today, as well. For the young men and women studying railroad engineering, the opportunities are out there. Within the next five years, a considerable number of railroaders will be retiring and we will need new engineers to fill those positions. We have seen the surge in the number of AREMA student members and AREMA Student Chapters. You are the future of our industry. With a little hard work, taking advantage of opportunities, you will go far in your careers.

I want to thank my father for everything he has done for me and my family.

I thank him for instilling strong values in me and for taking the chance to come to the Land of Opportunity. Until next month, be safe in all that you do.

Editor's note: Joe's father, Joseph Smak, passed away on April 28, after this column was written.

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

FYI…

Call for entries for the 2014 Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence. The selection process for the sixteenth W. W. Hay Award has begun. Entries must be submitted by May 30, 2014. Please visit www.arema.org or see page 44 for more information.

Register now for the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition September 28 October 1, 2014, in Chicago, IL. To register online, please visit www.arema.org.

90% of the booths are sold for the AREMA 2 0 1 4 A n n u a l C o n f e r e n c e & Exposition being held September 28 – October 1, 2014. Please contact Christy Thomas at cthomas@arema. org to book your space today. For more information, including the live expo hall floor plan, please visit www.arema.org/ meetings/2014/2014_expo.

Interested in gaining company recognition and building awareness?

Think about sponsorship for the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition.

P l e a s e c o n t a c t L i n d s a y H a m ilt on a t lhamilton@arema.org or +1.301.459.3200, ext. 705, for more information.

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

Put your career on the right track w i t h AREMA ’ s R a i l w a y C a r e e r s Network. Services are FREE and include confidential resume posting, job search and e-mail notification when jobs match your criteria. Please see ad on Cover 3 for details on May and June specials for discounts on career postings.

Not an AREMA Member?

Join today at www.arema.org www.rtands.com

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May 2014 43

AREMA NEWS

Getting to know Steven Chrismer, PE Each month, AREMA features one of our committee chairs. We are pleased to announce that the May featured chair is Steven Chrismer, chair of Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems.

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

CHRISMER: Despite my grandfathers and great grandfathers all being employed by Pennsylvania Railroad and my fascination with railroads and HO modeling from my youth, I hadn’t considered this as a career choice until seeing job recruiters from freight railroads on campus in the 1970s.

When it became clear that railway opportunities existed, I quickly dropped all plans to apply my civil engineering education and training to highways.

AREMA: How did you get started?

CHRISMER: A professor of mine, Al Reinschmidt, established railway engineering courses at Penn State and when he left teaching to pursue a career at the Associations of American Railroads Research and Test Department in Chicago, Ill., I applied for a position in his Track Research Department upon graduation.

Getting that first job was the open door that led to all the subsequent good career fortune. Thanks, Al. AREMA: How did you get involved in AREMA and your committee?

CHRISMER: I became a member of AREMA and of Committee 1 in 1982. As my career path changed from freight to passenger railway engineering, first at LTK Engineering and now Amtrak, I also became a member of Committee 17.

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

CHRISMER: I continue to enjoy motorcycles and boating since discovering them in my youth in Sunbury, Pa. AREMA: Tell us about your family.

CHRISMER: My wife, Kathy and I have been married for 30 years and are transitioning to become empty nesters as our sons Paul and Colin will soon graduate from college. I’m looking forward to claiming the basement for restart of my HO train layout after a 40-year hiatus, although Kathy may have other ideas for my time and the basement space.

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

CHRISMER: I am privileged to serve as secretary of 44 Railway Track & Structures

May 2014

Dr. Steven M. Chrismer, PE Chair, Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems Principal Engineer-Track Geometry Amtrak

transportation on the Green Shadow Cabinet.

AREMA: What is your biggest achievement?

CHRISMER: That would be the forth coming book on railway geotechnics that a few colleagues and I are writing. It dispels the mystique surrounding track substructure behavior and shows that substructure components have defined engineering properties that, when understood, can be used to design track with a long life and minimal maintenance. We, the authors, see our book in part as homage to our mentor, Professor Ernest Selig, who literally wrote the book on track geotechnology and as a worthy further exploration of the subject.

AREMA: W h at a d v i c e wo u l d yo u g i ve t o someone who is trying to pursue a career in the railway industry?

CHRISMER: I would encourage them to help drive the innovation and growth to come in both high-speed passenger and express freight service.

I would mention the exciting challenges of taking the already low-friction steel wheel on steel rail system and making it even more energy efficient to draw passengers and goods away from far less fuel efficient transportation modes. Finally, I would point out how the industry blends the history and romance of its past with the fascinating technical challenges and promise of its future. www.rtands.com

2014 Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence call for entries

AREMA Publications Reflections on a Half Century of Railway Engineering and Some Related Subjects©

Railway Memoirs by William G. Byers, PE

2014 Manual for Railway Engineering© NOW AVAILABLE There have been numerous updates to more than 5,000 pages of the Manual for Railway Engineering. The chapters are grouped into four general categories, each in a separate volume: • Track • Structures • Infrastructure & Passenger • Systems Management. The Manual is an annual publication, released every April. It is available in four-volume loose-leaf format, CD-ROM, revision set (loose-leaf only) and individual chapters (hard copy and downloadable formats).

Downloadable Chapters Available Online.

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

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

www.rtands.com

2014 Communications & Signals Manual of Recommended Practices© The Communications & Signals Manual is a manual of recommended practices written by AREMA technical committees in the interest of establishing uniformity, promoting safety or efficiency and economy. The Communications & Signals Manual of Recommended Practices is an annual publication.

Downloadable Sections Available Online.

Practical Guide to Railway Engineering© This guide provides a comprehensive overview and understanding of the railway system. Whether you are new to the rail industry or a long-time contributor wanting to learn more, this bound book and CD-ROM offer in-depth coverage of railway fundamentals and serve as an excellent reference. (Also available in a CD-ROM version only.)

2012 Portfolio of Trackwork Plans© 2014 Edition Coming Soon: The Portfolio of Trackwork Plans consists of plans and specifications that relate to the design, details, materials and workmanship for switches, frogs, turnouts and crossovers, crossings, rails and other special trackwork. This is a companion volume to the Manual for Railway Engineering.

The selection process for the 16th Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence has begun and this year’s chair, Michael W. Franke, a former student of Dr. Hay, has issued a call for entries. The 2013 Hay Award went to Utah Transit Authority for their FrontRunner South Commuter Rail Line project.

The purpose of the award is to honor innovative railway engineering procedures, projects and products and the individual(s) who have created and successfully applied them to the railroad industry. Criteria for winning the award are: •

Innovation

•

Safety

•

Service performance and reliability

Consideration is also given to the project’s objective, stated goals, costs and benefit achievement and the general advancement of the base of railway engineering knowledge.

Deadline for Entries: May 30, 2014 Please contact Stacy Spaulding at sspaulding@arema.org or +1.301.459.3200, ext. 706, or visit www.arema.org for more information.

Railway Track & Structures

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PRODUCTS

Collision avoidance system

Protran Technology now offers its full-featured Collision Avoidance System, which is designed to prevent collisions between maintenance-of-way equipment and hi-rail vehicles. The company says the system will save the rail industry millions in equipment damage and injuries to operators. Features, the company notes, include accuracy within inches, event data recorder, audible/visual alarms, along with an LCD display, which shows vehicles ahead and behind with high precision.

The non-GPS system works in tunnels, curves and rough environments. Phone: 973-250-4176.

All position electrode

Hardface Technologies, a business unit of Postle Industries, introduced Postalloy速 FrogTuff, which is an allposition electrode for joining or overlaying frogs and crossings for high impact. It operates on either AC or DC reverse polarity and the company notes the arc is smooth and stable with low spatter loss, with slag removal being easy. The company notes that under severe impact, such as hammering or pounding, the weld deposit becomes tougher and harder and will not spall or mushroom. Postalloy F r o g Tu f f m a y be used alone, as a combination build-up and hardfacing alloy or used as a build-up and cushion prior to overlaying. It has a tensile strength of 125,000 psi, a yield strength of 80,000 psi and a 34 percent elongation. The hardness as deposited is 15-22 Rc and work hardens up to 55 Rc. Phone: 216-265-9000. www.rtands.com

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May 2014 47

CALENDAR MAY 20-22. RSSI 54th Annual C&S Exhibition. Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Nashville, Tenn. Phone: 502-327-7774. Fax: 502-327-0541. E-mail: Sharon@rssi.org. Website: www.rssi.org.

28-30. Timber & Steel RailRoad Bridges. University of Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn. Contact: Dianna Webb.

Phone: 865-974-5255. Fax: 865-974-3889. Website: www. ctr.utk.edu/ttap.

JUNE 1-5. RTA 2014 Field Trip. Hyatt House Hotel.

Schaumburg, Ill., and other Chicagoland locations.

Phone: 770-460-5573. E-mail: ties@rta.org.

6. Rail Summit 2014. Union League Club Chicago.

Chicago, Ill. Phone: 312-750-9150. E-mail: info@ mepitzassociates.com. Website: https://www.mepassociates.com/the-rail-summit-2014.html.

3-5. 2014 International Crosstie and Fastening System Symposium. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

Urbana, Ill. E-mail: crosstie-conf@illinois.edu. Website: http://ict.uiuc.edu/railroad/Crosstie/2014/crossties.php.

15-18. APTA Rail Conference. Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth and Palais des congrès de Montréal. Montreal, QB, Canada. Phone: 800-999-2782. Website: www.apta.org.

12-13. Crude by Rail Railway Age Conference & Expo.

Key Bridge Marriott. Arlington, Va. Contact: Michelle Zolkos. Phone: 212-620-7208. Fax: 212-633-1863. E-mail: mzolkos@sbpub.com. Website: http://www.railwayage. com/index.php/conferences/crude_by_rail.html.

30-July 2. AAR Damage Prevention & Freight Claim Conference. Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel. Orlando, Fla. Website: www.regonline.com/DPFC2014.

JULY 29-31. 2014 RTA Crosstie Grading Seminar. Stonewall Resort at Jackson Lake State Park. Sutton, W. Va. Website: http://www.rta.org/grading-seminar.

AUGUST 3-8. Global Level Crossing and Trespass Symposium.

Illini Union, University of Illinois. Urbana, Ill. Website: http://ict.uiuc.edu/railroad/GLXS/overview.php.

SEPTEMBER 23-26. InnoTrans 2014. Messe Berlin Convention Center. Berlin, Germany. Phone: +49(0)30 3038-2376.

E-mail: innotrans@messe-berlin.de. Website: http:// www.innotrans.de/.

28-Oct. 1. AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition. Hilton Chicago. Chicago, Ill. Contact: Lindsay Hamilton. Phone: 301-459-3200, ext. E-mail: lhamilton@ arema.org. Website: www.arema.org.

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Ad Index Company

Phone #

Ames Construction, Inc. Amtrac Railroad Contractors of Maryland, Inc. AREMA Marketing Department Aspen Equipment Co. Atlantic Track & Turnout Co. Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc. Brandt Road Rail Corporation Commercial Insurance Associates LLC Danella Rental Systems, Inc. Delta Railroad Construction Inc. ESCO Equipment Service Co. Georgetown Rail Equipment Co. Hamilton Construction Company Harsco Rail Herzog Railroad Services, Inc. Hougen Manufacturing, Inc. Industry-Railway Suppliers, Inc. ISCO Snap-Tite Koppers, Inc. Lanier Steel Products, Inc. L.B. Foster Co. Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. Messe Berlin GMBH Neel Company, The NMC Railway Systems OMNI Products, Inc. Plasser American Corporation Ragnar Benson Construction, LLC Railway Age Crude By Rail RAILCET Railroad Constructors, Inc. Rails Company Railway Educational Bureau, The Railway Equipment Services, Inc. Railway Tie Association RailWorks Corporation Rail Construction Equipment Company Schenck Process Stella-Jones Corporation voestalpine Nortrak, Inc. Willamette Valley Company

Fax#

e-mail address

952-435-7106 KenBrandt@amesco.com 330-683-7206 wendy@amtracohio.com 301-459-3200 301-459-8077 marketing@arema.org 952-656-7132 952-656-7157 bmarini@aspeneq.com 973-748-5885 973-784-4520 stacyw@atlantictrack.com 888-250-5746 904-378-7298 info@bbri.com 306-525-1077 306-79 1-7533 nmarcotte@brandt.com 615-515-6048 darmstrong@com-ins.com 610-828-6200 610-828-2260 pbarents@danella.com 440-994-2997 440-992-1311 info@deltarr.com 847-758-9860 gehr@escoequipment.com 512-869-1542 ext.228 512-863-0405 karen@georgetownrail.com 541-746-2426 bhirte@hamil.com 803-822-7551 803-822-7521 mteeter@harsco.com 816-233-9002 816-233-7757 tfrancis@hrsi.com 866-245-3745 800-309-3299 info@trak-star.com 630-766-5708 cslater@industryrailway.com 800-CULVERT 502-238-8102 www.culvert-rehab.com 412-227-2841 412-227-2739 ambrosegf@koppers.com 706-335-7200 rlgillespie@windstream.net

412-928-3506 412-928-3512 glippard@lbfoster.com 763-478-6014 763-478-2221 sales@loram.com +49 30 30381852 +49 30 3038 2278 just@messe-berlin.de 703-913-7859 703-913-7858 btemple@neelco.com 866-662-7799 402-891-7745 info@nmcrail.com 815-344-3100 815-344-5086 bcigrang@omnirail.com 757-543-3526 757-494-7186 plasseramerican@plausa.com 847-698-5605 Kelley.hostman@rbic.com 212-620-7208 212-633-1165 conference@sbpub.com

866-724-5238 217-522-6588 grif1020@yahoo.com 856-423-9385 dluvara@railnj.com 973-763-4320 973-763-2585 rails@railsco.com

402-346-4300 402-346-1783 bbrundige@sb-reb.com 318-995-7006 barbarastokes@railwayequipmentservices.net 770-460-5553 770-460-5573 ties@rta.org 866-905-7245 952-469-1926 jrhansen@railworks.com 866-472-4510 630-355-7173 dennishanke@rcequip.com 262-473-2441 262-473-4384 mktg@schenckprocess.com 412-894-2865 412-325-0208 asutch@stella-jones.com 307-778-8700 307-778-8777 gord.weatherly@voestalpine.com 541-484-9621 541-284-2096 03alishab@wilvaco.com

Page #

NRC 15 NRC 14 Cover 3 NRC 12 NRC Cover 2 25 10 NRC 17 20 21 NRC 16 26 NRC 15 39 33, NRC 13 22 NRC 14 32 NRC 66 NRC 14 4, NRC Cover 4 29 9 7 41 35 31 NRC 17 12-14 27 NRC 16 8 47, 48 NRC 13 2 36 23 6 37 Cover 2 Cover 4

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; Emily Guill, eguill@sbpub.com; Mark Connolly, mconnolly@sbpub.com; Heather Disabato, hdisabato@sbpub.com; Steven Barnes, sales@railjournal. co.uk; Louise Cooper, lc@railjournal.co.uk; Dr. Fabio Potesta, info@mediapointsrl.it; Katsuhiro Ishii, amkatsu@dream.com; Jeanine Acquart, jaquart@sbpub.com (classified) www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

May 2014 49

Professional Directory

WEED & BRUSH SPRAYING Specialized fleet of computer operated sprayers

Tree Trimming/Brush Cutting

Line Clearance-Hazardous Trees-Whole tree chipping

POLE LINE REMOVAL

#9 115RE & 136RE AREMA Turnouts available for immediate delivery.

2 Santa Fe Drive – Denver Colorado 80223 – 720-355-0664 www.Specialtrackwork.com

A variety of on/off track removal equipment

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

Mercier’s

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT Hi-Rail trucks engineered for your applications with nationwide deliveries and warranties...

Products and services

REESE

Grapple Trucks Magnets & Self Propelled

WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU? • Track construction and maintenance • On-track ditching and rotary dump service

Section Trucks Telescoping & Articulating Cranes

• On-track tree trimming and brushcutting • Storm and flood cleanup and debris removal

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

and many more truck configurations...

• Tie distribution and removal

K. W. Reese, Inc.

Box 298 • Mercersburg, PA 17236

Track Maintenance Trucks

(717) 328-5211 • fax (717) 328-9541 • www.kwreese.com

2013 NRC SAFETY AWARD GOLD MEDAL WINNER

877-888-9370

RT&S Classified Section

ASPENEQUIPMENT.COM/RAIL

Jeanine Acquart RT&S2013revAd.indd 1

2/12/13 2:57 PM

212-620-7211 jacquart@sbpub.com s r

50 Railway Track & Structures

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TM

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NEW & USED EQUIPMENT Some things never change.

Quality, Service, and Dependability. Since 1910.

Grapple Truck

Rotary Dump

Hirail Crew Cab

LEASE or BUY Hirail Gradall w/opt. Brush Cutter

Hirail Service/Maintainers Truck

Custom Build New or Used Chassies.

Also: Hirail Boom Dump Trucks Hirail Mechanics Trucks Hirail Section Trucks 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

RAILWAY EQUIPMENT SERVICES, INC.

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

E-Mail: RelamCFE@aol.com Tel: 440-439-7088 Fax: 440-439-9399

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, 900 Tampers w/Jacks TIE INSERTERS/EXTRACTORS Nordco TRIPPs TR-10s & TKOs 925 S/Ss, Standards, KTR-400s KNOX KERSHAW REGULATORS, KRIBBER/ADZERS, TIE CRANES, PLATE BROOMS, BRUSH CUTTERS, & SNOW FIGHTERS KBR-850-925-940 Ballast Regulators & Snow Fighters KTC-1200 Tie Cranes KKA-1000 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 (Removers), Anchor Applicators, DAACs (Dual Anchor Adjuster Cribber), Dual Clip Applicators, Ride-on Regauge Adzers, TPIs, Tie Straighteners, OTM Reclaimers, SAFELOK IIIs (SAR IIIs) HI-RAIL CRANES, SPEEDSWINGS & RAIL HEATERS Pettibone Model 445E Speedswings w/Multiple Attachments Geismar 360 Hi-Rail Excavators w/Cold Air Blowers & Brush Cutters Badger 30 Ton Cranes w/Hi-Rails Rail Heaters - Single Sided, Dual Sided, Self-propelled w/Vibrators HI-RAIL TRUCKS, EXCAVATORS, & CARTS Hi-Rail Gradalls, XL3300 Series III w/Digging Buckets & Brush Cutters CAT 320B Excavator on Hytracker Platform w/Gondola Hi-Rail Rotary Dumps, Various Hi-Rail Pickups Hi-Rail Grapple Trucks (Magnet, Rail Racks & Wireless Remote Optional) 25-ton Hudson Ballast Cars, 25-ton Rail and OTM Carts 5-ton Tie Carts & Hytracker Gondolas

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

EMPLOYMENT

bsheehy@railnj.com

Track Construction Superintendent Track Equipment Operator Project Engineer Project Manager Estimator EEO/AA Company

www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

May 2014 51

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT

Get the inside scoop on and off the track

   

Rail Brief: The Weekly RT&S E-mail Newsletter Subscribe at: www.rtands.com/RailBrief

Are you a railroad or supplier searching for job candidates? visit http://bit.ly/railjobs The Railway age Job boaRd connects candidates and opportunities in the rail industry.

To place a job posting, contact: Jeanine acquart • 212 620-7211 • jacquart@sbpub.com 52 Railway Track & Structures

May 2014

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