RT&S June 2014 by Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 | www.rtands.com

GR CRO ADES E&M SING G U INSID IDE E

GRADE CROSSING:

SAFETY AND MAINTENANCE PLUS GRINDING PRACTICES INFRASTRUCTURE AT PORTS AND ALSO AREMA NEWS P.49

Contents June 2014

News

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Features

Industry Today 5 Supplier News 10 People

Precision in rail grinding When it comes to rail profile management, railroads want a fast, accurate process that will extend the life of an expensive asset.

Columns

Grade-crossing surfaces It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter what material they are made from, the one element that is a must for grade crossings is safety.

Rail infrastructure at ports The Port of Long Beach put a plan together that will expand its on dock rail capabilities with the first project set to be complete in 2015.

16 Departments 12 TTCI R&D 49 Arema News 55 Products 56 Calendar 57 Advertisers Index

Photo courtesy of LT Resources . Story on page 20.

On Track Improving grade-crossing safety

57 Sales Representatives 58 Classified Advertising 59 Professional Directory

NRC Chairmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Column Gaining momentum and building relationships

Special section

Grade-Crossing Equipment & Materials Guide

Grade-Crossing Surface Data Sheets

www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 1

On Track

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Vol. 110, No. 6 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.

www.rtands.com

Improving gradecrossing safety

oe Szabo, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, took to Capitol Hill at the beginning of June to speak to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on rail policy and investment programs. Administrator Szabo touted the proposed GROW AMERICA Act, which sets several rail-friendly policies in place and would create a new rail account within the transportation trust fund that would be used to pay in part for rail safety enhancements. The act includes $500 million “to help mitigate the negative impacts of rail in local communities through rail line relocation, grade-crossing enhancements and investments in shortline railroad infrastructure.” The reason this bit of the proposal is important is because states, railroads and the general public need a consistent pool from which to plan safety enhancements, especially as it concerns grade crossings. Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) preserved section 130 funds, which allocate $220 million a year for states to use on crossing upgrades. However, these funds are a favorite of less rail-minded politicians to go after and ask that the money just be given to the state to use as they see fit, in other words, they want the money for roads. I realize it does not make sense to put four-quadrant gates at every crossing in North America, but developing consistent funding is one major element furthering crossing safety. Another is consistent public outreach. The Urban Transportation Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago released the findings of a study in September 2013 that found the risk of pedestrian and bicycle accidents at railroad grade crossings would decrease with sustained enforcement and education by local governments, along with consistency in design stan-

dards for warning devices. The study found that several other factors affect crossing safety including age, gender, how regularly a pedestrian or cyclist uses a particular crossing, distractions and if a group is crossing versus an individual, among others. The study results support why the efforts of Operation Lifesaver and events such as the recently held International Level Crossing Day (ILCAD) are vital to educating the general public about crossing safety. ILCAD was held on June 3 and found North America’s freight railroads, Amtrak and dozens of state Departments of Transportation holding events to better educate the public of the hazards that are present at crossings. While efforts have helped reduce grade crossing collisions and fatalities over the years, the numbers still have not reached zero, leaving room for improvement. Late this summer, the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana will host the “2014 Global Level Crossing Safety & Trespass Prevention Symposium.” The symposium takes place every two-years and has been held in Paris, London, Tokyo and Aug. 3-8 in Urbana, Ill. Organizers of the symposium say it aims to bring together engineering, safety, security, human factors, practitioners, academics and researchers from the global highway, rail, law enforcement, research and regulatory communities to provide an opportunity to exchange information, discuss the latest research and share best practices to improve the safety of the at-grade interface between highway and rail systems and prevent railway trespassing. I wish you all a safe summer.

Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 3

INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News

Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc., was chosen by the city of Charlotte to build the track and systems components of the new Charlotte Area Transit System LYNX Blue Line Extension, as well as the Blue Line Capacity Expansion Project. Corridor Capital LLC; Herzog Transit Services, Inc., and Passenger Transportation Specialists Inc.; Iowa Pacific Holdings Inc. and Railmark Holdings Inc. all submitted proposals to the Indiana Department of Transportation to improve

www.rtands.com

Union Pacific Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jack Koraleski joined New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez in a grand-opening ceremony celebrating the newest facility on the railroad’s 23-state network on May 28. The $400-million, 2,200-acre rail hub officially opened April 1. According to UP, it will create value for the railroad’s customers and produce greater logistics efficiencies along Union Pacific’s cr itical Sunset Route, the rail line running 760 miles from El Paso, Texas, to Los Angeles. Located just west of the Santa Teresa Airport, the Santa Teresa rail facility, which was completed a year ahead of schedule, includes a fueling station, crew change buildings and an intermodal ramp with an annual lift capacity of around 225,000 containers. According to the railroad, the southern region of New Mexico is now a strategic focal point where shippers can leverage the economic and environmental benefits of shipping freight by rail. The facility’s economic impact to New Mexico is expected to exceed $500 million. “Our new rail facility in New Mexico is a key part of our relentless effort to create value for our customers through safety, service and efficiency,” Koraleski said. Continued on page 6

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 5

Union Pacific

Ansaldo STS awarded Protran Technology LLC a contract to provide the Protracker Roadway Worker Protection System on more than 500 railcars.

UP opens New Mexico rail hub; ups 2014 capital spending by $150 million

INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News the Hoosier State passenger rail service between Indianapolis and Chicago. John Burns Construction of Orland Park, Ill., was awarded an $8.1-million construction contract for Metra’s new Lombard Station. Michael Baker Jr., Inc., has been awarded a Professional Services Agreement by CSX Intermodal Terminals, Inc., to provide construction management and inspection services for its Trans-Shipment Terminal Expansion Project in North Baltimore, Ohio; additionally, Baker will provide engineering

6 Railway Track & Structures

Continued from page 5 “Union Pacific’s $400-million investment in New Mexico will improve the fluidity and efficiency of the Union Pacific network and will have a positive long-term economic impact in the region.” In other UP news, the board of directors approved an additional $150 million in capital expenditures for 2014. The additional funds brings UP total expected capital spend in 2014 to approximately $4.1 billion. The additional capital will be used for equipment acquisitions, including 29 more locomotives, as well as additional capacity investment, targeting growth opportunities in the northern region of the railroad. One example of the railroad’s maintenance spending is a $39.5-million track renewal project in Nebraska. The work, which began May 6, is being performed between Clarks and Schuyler and is scheduled to be completed by mid-July. The railroad will replace 115,000 concrete railroad ties and renew the surfaces at 15 road crossings. Crews will also install 15 switches and nearly 44 miles of new rail.

June 2014

Union Pacific is using a modern track renewal train, the TRT 909, which can install rail and concrete ties in one pass. The TRT can install up to 6,000 ties in a 12-hour day. The track renewal train consists of approximately 30 rail cars, with each car capable of carrying 210 concrete ties. Three sets of gantry cranes move the concrete ties forward for the TRT to drop into place. If rail also is being renewed, the machine then threads the new rail onto the ties. The old wooden ties are picked up and discarded rail is threaded out as the machine works its way down the track. A conveyor positions the removed ties for the gantr y cranes to load them onto rail cars for movement to a facility for sorting. “We are investing in a future that has never been brighter for Union Pacific,” said Koraleski. “With the strength of our franchise and our ongoing commitment to safety, service and efficiency, we are confident in our ability to continue to create value for our customers and generate strong returns for our shareholders in the years ahead.”

www.rtands.com

INDUSTRY TODAY FCC, Class 1s reach agreement concerning PTC towers The seven Class 1 railroads and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have reach an agreement regarding the installation of positive train control (PTC) antennas, but the Association of American Railroads (AAR) says the delay in developing the process has severely impeded PTC implementation and a fully-operable system by the 2015 deadline is not possible. The agreement between the FCC and the Class 1s addresses the railroads’ construction of PTC poles prior to May 2013 that may not have undergone the statutorily required environmental and historic preservation review and allows the railroads to immediately start using those poles for PTC preparatory activities. The freight railroads have agreed to create a $10 million Cultural Resource Fund to provide funding directly to Tribal Nations and State Historic Preservation Offices to support cultural and historic preservation projects. Each freight rail-

www.rtands.com

Supplier News

road has also committed to training its employees on environmental and historic preservation compliance and to building working relationships with Tribal Nations. Additionally, on May 16, 2014, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) voted to approve a Program Comment that modifies the FCC’s usual procedures for historic preservation review. In response to the news of the FCC/ railroad agreement, the AAR issued the following statement: “The freight rail industry believes the resolution proposed by the [FCC] and revised by [ACHP] for how to process and review the tens of thousands of communications poles and towers needed for [PTC] to operate is a positive step forward. However, the fact of the matter is that development of this process has delayed PTC implementation for more than a year and put the railroads even further behind in implementing the nationwide interoperable PTC network.”

review services during the construction phases of projects. Arlington and Fairfax Counties in Virginia have selected Parsons Transportation Group to help manage Arlington’s streetcar program. Protran Technology was awarded a grant by the Transportation Research Board to develop and test the Intelligence Rail Integrity System to give advance warning of rail buckling and breaks, with the support of the Federal Transit Administration and recommendations

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 7

INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News from the National Transit Safety Board to incorporate safety technology as secondary warning. Stella-Jones Inc. completed the acquisition of the wood treating facilities of Boatright Railroad Products, Inc., located in Montevallo and Clanton, Ala. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors approved a $927.2-million contract to Regional Connector Constructors, a joint venture between Skanska USA Civil West California District, Inc., and Traylor Brothers Inc. to design and build the Regional Connector Transit Corridor Project.

8 Railway Track & Structures

Oklahoma shortline update: OmniTRAX; Stillwater Central Oklahoma awarded the opportunity to purchase a 97.5-mile line known as the Sooner Sub to the Stillwater Central Railroad, L.L.C. (SLWC), a subsidiary of Watco Transportation Services, L.L.C. BNSF also made an offer on the line, which runs between Del City, Okla., and Sapulpa, Okla. The winning proposal sets the sale price of the line at $75 million along with a commitment of the purchaser to bring the Sooner Sub to FRA Class 3 track conditions, which SLWC estimates will cost $2.35 million. SLWC has invested $16 million in the Sooner Sub since 1998 and the railroad plans for an aggressive capital and maintenance program and says it will spend between $2.4 and $2.6 million per year over the next 10 years on the Sooner Sub. SLWC estimates the total cost of capital and maintenance expenditures for infrastructure investment over the next 10 years will be approximately $25 million. Additionally, SLWC has par tnered with Iowa Pacific Holdings to continue to

June 2014

explore establishing passenger rail in the state by bringing a daily passenger service between Del City and Sapulpa, eventually working to gain access to Tulsa and downtown Oklahoma City. Moving to news occurring just west of Tusla, Sand Springs Railway Company is being acquired by Sand Springs Holdings, LLC, a managed affiliate of OmniTRAX, Inc. The Sand Springs Railway, which runs freight service between Sand Springs and Tulsa, Okla., on 32 miles of track, will commence operations no later than July 31, 2014. The railway has direct connections with Union Pacific, BNSF and South Kansas Oklahoma Railroad. As part of the deal, OmniTRAX Logistics Services, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transloading unit, is leasing 100,000 sq. ft. of covered warehouse space with heavy lift equipment to serve steel and building products shippers throughout the greater Tulsa area and wider Oklahoma markets.

www.rtands.com

Indiana kicks off rail upgrade project Indiana Gov. Mike Pence joined representatives from Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration and Norfolk Southern on May 29 to kick off the $71.4-million Indiana Gateway project to improve rail lines between Porter, Ind., and the Illinois state line. The Indiana Gateway project will improve seven locations on Norfolk Southern’s Chicago line and one on the Amtrak Michigan line. Norfolk Southern will install universal crossovers at five locations and construct a third mainline track at three locations. Amtrak will build a new passing siding near the Porter Interlocking, where NS, Amtrak and two CSX lines intersect. The project will improve Amtrak passenger rail service for several routes that terminate in Michigan, Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. With design nearing completion, construction hits full gear this spring and is expected to be completed in 2016. “Fourteen daily Amtrak trains every day share these tracks with dozens of NS freight trains, all with timesensitive customers,” said Michael Franke, chief, Amtrak state government contracts. “The Indiana Gateway Project will improve some of the busiest tracks in the country, adding capacity and increasing the fluidity of all trains.”

www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 9

INDUSTRY TODAY GWI subsidiary completes DM&E west end acquisition Genesee & Wyoming Inc.’s (GWI) newly-established subsidiary, Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad, Inc., has completed the acquisition of the west end of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern (DM&E) rail line from Canadian Pacific for approximately $210 million plus approximately $7.5 million for the purchase of certain inventory, equipment and vehicles. Operations on the 670-mile rail line was shut down May 30 and the RCP&E commenced freight service June 1. The new railroad has 177 employees, most of whom were hired from the DM&E operations and expects to hire additional employees. “We have the right people, locomotives, equipment and track infrastructure in place to provide the customerfocused service for which shortline railroads are known,” said Brad Ovitt, RCP&E president. “The RCP&E will be locally managed and operated,

which enables decisions to be made closest to the customer and empowers our people to resolve issues with the goal of operating safely and exceeding customer expectations.” “In the days and weeks ahead, we’ll be creating a fleet of approximately 50 locomotives and 3,000 railcars dedicated to RCP&E customers, supplemented by additional railcars from our connecting Class 1 railroads, to ensure we have the power and cars to meet customer needs,” explained Todd Bjornstad, RCP&E general manger. “Through the combination of these resources, our intent is to increase the level of service provided to customers, which will increase the flow of traffic over the railroad and, ultimately, improve customer satisfaction.” Headquartered in Rapid City, RCP&E operates northwest to Colony, Wyo.; southwest to Dakota Junction, Neb.; and east to Tracy, Minn.

PEOPLE Caltrain’s Board of Director s appointed Jerry Deal to serve as its representative on the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, the body responsible for overseeing a new intermodal terminal called the Transbay Transit Center, a rail extension for Caltrain and highspeed rail and adjacent transitoriented development in downtown San Francisco. CTC hired Dan Guerrero to work in the newly-created position of vice president of signal systems. HDR, Inc., has hired Tom Waldron as transit market sector director, based in HDR’s New York City office. NEBRASKA CENTRAL RAILROAD named Michael Koile director of marketing and sales. Norfolk Southern’s President James Squires will assume additional responsibilities in the marketing and operations divisions in line with the company’s normal succession planning process. Omnitrax Inc. elected Edmond Harris to its board of directors. Osmose Railroad Services, Inc., appointed David Fisher to a new position within the company as vice president business development/sales. Parsons Brinckerhoff named Raymond Kenny senior manager for special projects in the Transit & Rail Technical Excellence Center; Marc Beningson communications, security and control systems manager; S h e k h a r Ta r a f d e r s u p e r v i s i n g engineer and Osama Abdelfatah a supervising scheduler. Watco T r anspo r tat i on SErvices named Stefan Loeb senior vice president of marketing and strategic development.

10 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

www.rtands.com

NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN Gaining momentum and building relationships

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

www.rtands.com

Track construction and maintenance work continues to roll forward and gain ground. More and more project opportunities are being offered to our member companies and the weather continues to improve; all positives as we move further into the 2014 construction season. The annual American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) conference was held in San Diego, Calif., in early April and this event had another outstanding turnout. It was no surprise to see folks flocking to southern California for this event after the harsh winter most of us endured. NRC member companies do business with shortlines throughout the country, providing various services, specialty equipment and a wide variety of materials used on a daily basis performing new track construction and track maintenance activities. Their annual conference provides an excellent venue for NRC members to build and reinforce relationships with the shortlines. This year’s conference had a high level concentration on safety. Following safe practices and guidelines are paramount to all of us being successful, railroads and contractors alike. The safety culture in the rail industry continues to evolve and has become a major part of what we do on a daily basis to keep our employees safe and out of harm’s way. The following people and companies were this year’s safety award winners at the conference. President’s Awards: • Most hours of injury-free operation – Pacific Harbor Line • Maintaining the best safety rate for: • 500,000 or more man-hours worked – Union Railroad Company • 250,000 to 500,000 man-hours worked – Pacific Harbor Line • 150,000 to 250,000 man-hours worked – Missouri & Nor thern Arkansas Railroad Co. • Less than 50,000 man-hours worked– Minnesota, Dakota & Wester n Railway Co. • Safety Person of the Year – Mr. Oswald Espana with Pacific Harbor Line • Safety Professional of the Year – Mr. Thomas A. Leopold – Anacostia Rail Holdings • Most Improved Safety Record – Northern Plains Railroad, Inc. Congratulations to the individuals and companies listed above for the well-deserved safety recognition they received at the ASLRRA Conference in San Diego - great job folks. The recently held NRC Rail Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction blew old records out of the water. I would like to take this opportunity

to thank the following members of the NRC auction committee for their efforts on a job well done: Paul Laurello with Delta Railroad Construction, Danny Brown with RailWorks Corporation, Jay Gowan with Harsco Rail, Mark Gaffney with Stacy & Witbeck and Greg Spilker with Progress Rail Equipment Leasing. A thank you also goes out to Thomas Blackmon and his team at Blackmon Auctions, they never fail to bring out the best in a crowd of buyers. The attendances at this year’s auction, as well as the overall sales, were at an all-time high and the event was a tremendous success. The weather cooperated and the crowd enjoyed the day in the sun buying and selling equipment, parts and miscellaneous tools. In all, there were more than 250 pieces sold during the course of the day. Along with consignments from contractors, suppliers and railroads, there were three pieces donated to the auction this year. A big thank you to Balfour Beatty Rail and Delta Railroad Construction for the pieces of equipment they donated this year, of which all proceeds go to the NRC’s Safety, Training and Education funds, primarily the Safety DVD initiative. The NRC greatly appreciates the generosity of these two member companies. These videos are free of charge to NRC members, are up-to-date using current safe practices and play a large role in each member company’s safety training program. This year’s auction was successful primarily due to the efforts put forth by the good people at Quality Track Equipment and Delta Railroad Construction, sister companies owned by past NRC Chairman of the Board and current Board Member Larry Laurello, NRC Auction Committee member Paul Laurello and their family. They take great pride in what they do and hosting this year’s auction was no exception. They did a fabulous job as the host company and everyone enjoyed the day in Austinburg, Ohio. Quality Track’s new equipment rehab facility in Austinburg is spectacular. I would like to personally thank the entire Laurello family for being such great hosts. Just a reminder, the AREMA Conference this year runs from Sunday, September 28 through Friday, October 1. The conference is being held at the Hilton Chicago and registration is now open. It is suggested that you register early and book your stay as soon as possible. I look forward to seeing everyone at this event in Chicago. And finally, it feels odd to even mention 2015, but booth sales for the 2015 NRC Conference and NRC/REMSA Exhibition in Hollywood, Fla., at the Westin Diplomat will open shortly. 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

June 2014 11

TTCI R&D Performance of improved rail steels under heavy-axle-loads at FAST

by Daniel Szablewski, principal investigator I and Joseph LoPresti, principal investigator III, TTCI.

ail life extension is of high

Researchers investigate premium and intermediate rail steels under heavyaxle-loads.

importance to the railroads. As rail has improved over the years in both hardness and microcleanliness, track failures have decreased significantly.1 However, rolling contact fatigue (RCF) continues to be an issue for North American freight railroads. Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), is leading the effort to evaluate premium and intermediate strength rail steels at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) under a heavy-axle-load (HAL) environment. This article summarizes results from the latest round of testing at FAST. Presented data includes a discussion on the effects of lubrication, statistical analysis of rail wear differences, analysis of deep seated shelling (DSS) defects and analysis of cementite content in rail steels as it relates to RCF in track.

Background

Rail testing of premium rail steels has been a major part of the FAST program since its inception in 1976. The most recent premium rail test was concluded Figure 1: Comparison between profiles of brand new 136-RE rail (blue lines) for premium and intermediate strength rails steels and worn high rail profiles (red lines) for premium rail at 199 mgt and IS rail at 177mgt of accumulated tonnage.

at 559 million gross tons (mgt) of accumulated tonnage. TTCI is currently conducting tests in a nonlubricated 1,000-foot-long, five-degree curve, where rail is subjected to 39-ton-axleloads (315,000-pound cars). Most of the wheels in the FAST train are Class C wheels, with about 16 wheelsets of Class D wheels. Only the profiles of the test wheels are regularly measured. Manufacturers par ticipating in the tests are voestalpine Nortrak Inc., Panzhihua, EVRAZ Rocky Mountain Steel, JFE, Nippon Steel, ArcelorMittal USA and TATA Steel for premium rails and EVRAZ Rocky Mountain Steel, Lucchini, ArcelorMittal USA, Steel Dynamics, Inc., and Trinecke Zelazarny for intermediate strength rails.2 A test of intermediate strength and standard strength (IS/SS) rails began in 2010. IS/SS rail testing is being carried out in 800 feet of the five-degree curved track that is gauge-face (GF) lubricated and has top-of-rail friction control. The first IS/SS rail test that began at FAST in 2010 was concluded in 2012 because of excessive shell defects on the high rail. The second IS/SS rail testing is ongoing with a current accumulation of 177 mgt of traffic. Rail wear measurements are being carried out every 30-50 mgt of accumulated tonnage.

Rail profile differences

Rail wear on the premium and IS/SS curves was measured in 40-60 mgt intervals using MiniProf. Because the train operates at approximately seven mph over the balanced track speed through both premium and IS/SS cur ves (due to a 1.7-inch superelevation), the wheel loads are higher on the high rail. This load environment, in combination with wheel/rail interaction in the five-degree curves, contributes to increased wear 12 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

www.rtands.com

on the high rail as compared to the low rail. In the case of premium rail curve, where the GF is dry, the wear and RCF on the running surface are both substantially accelerated.3 Comparison of premium rail profiles taken at 199 mgt of accumulated tonnage to the current IS/SS curve rail profile at 177 mgt indicates the severity of wear due to lack of GF lubrication (Figure 1). Presence of lubrication (as in the case of IS/SS curve) substantially reduces GF wear.

Rail wear analysis

Two-sample t-test statistical analysis of high rail wear data for premium rails tested at FAST indicates that at 559 mgt three of the tested rail types (VAS-2, PG4 and ERMS) show statistically significantly more wear than the control HEX rail type (Figure 2). Whereas, four other rail types (JFE-A, JFE-B, Mittal and TATA) cannot be said with confidence to have worn more than the control HEX rail type. VAS-1 rail wear at 559 mgt could not be compared statistically to HEX rail because of the low number of rail wear measurements available, several VAS-1 rail wear measurements were lost during the test due to rail breaks. The rail wear test concluded at 559 so these results show the final measurement cycle for these rail types. A similar analysis was done on high-rail wear data accumulated on the IS/SS rail type at 177 mgt (Figure 3). Three rail types (ERMS-IH, Mittal and SDI) show statistically significantly less wear than the control ERMSSS rail type, whereas two of the rail types (Lucchini and TZ) cannot be said to have worn differently than the control ERMS-SS rail grade.

Deep seated shelling defects

DSS defects occurred in high rail at FAST in a previous IS/SS rail test zone. At 340 mgt, the high rail gauge corner developed seven DSS defects in a 40-foot segment span on one rail type. This was followed by 11 more defects that developed in six rail types from six different rail suppliers. All 11 defects occurred in the range of 20 mgt. These DSS occurrences prompted an early termination of the previous IS/SS rail test. In depth microstructural analysis of these rail defects indicates that rail microcleanliness and microstructure are not the causes of DSS initiation. The analysis showed that GF lubrication without scheduled grinding resulted in a relatively unchanged rail profile over an extended period www.rtands.com

Figure 2, Left: Two-sample t-test premium rail wear comparison between individual rail types and control (HEX) rail type at 559 mgt of accumulated tonnage. Figure 3: Two-sample t-test intermediate strength rail wear comparison between individual rail types and control (ERMS-SS) rail type at 177 mgt of accumulate tonnage.

of time, which resulted in a consistent wheel/rail contact patch location at the 30-60 degree GF corner zone and a consistent stress environment over time. This is the suspected cause of DSS initiation. Figure 4 shows a typical DSS defect found in the IS/SS curve at FAST, with the initiation point identified. A similar type of DSS defect has been previously observed in lubricated track on Canadian Pacific.4 The reduction of GF wear provided by rail lubrication, combined with high contact stresses between the wheel flange and unground rail at the steeper angles on the rail gauge corner have been identified as contributors to this type of fatigue. In grinding, the offered solution was to relieve the gauge corner of 0.016-inch of the shiny metal band at 45 degrees on the rail gauge corner. This practice was observed to substantially reduce the DSS defects at CP in 100 percent effective GF lubricated subdivisions.4 The current IS/SS rail test uses rails in the same curve position with the same GF lubrication as the previous IS/ SS rail test that developed DSS defects. However, this time preventive grinding has been implemented in the test zone to relieve the high stresses at the GF corner every 50 mgt of accumulated tonnage. This is done to prevent DSS initiation in the GF corner subsurface. The IS/SS curve is now at 200 mgt of accumulated tonnage. There have been no DSS defects to date. Monitoring on this test zone continues.

RCF as a function of cementite content

Metallography work was carried out to analyze premium railhead microstructure to determine the distribution of cementite content as a function of carbon content in the premium rail steels tested at FAST. Earlier research conducted at the University of Pittsburgh looked at cementite prevention methods in the developed railhead microstructure.5 To determine if cementite is present in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premium rail steels, six premium rail steels tested at FAST were compared in this investigation. The range of carbon content was from 0.8 to 1.0 perRailway Track & Structures

June 2014 13

TTCI R&D Figure 4, top: Typical high rail gauge corner deep seated shell defect indicating the condition of the running surface (top view) and opened up shell fracture surface showing defect origin (arrow on crosssection view). Figure 5, middle: Example of railhead microstructure showing the morphology of segregated proeutectoid cementite phase (Fe3C) at the grain boundaries (cementite phase contained at grain boundaries in steels with carbon content above 0.76 wt. percent eutectoid carbon composition) along with distribution of cementite content in various premium rail steels tested at FAST as a function of weight percent carbon content in each rail steel. Figure 6: Comparison of RCF development in premium rail steels containing varying amounts of Fe3C as a function of tonnage increase for 200, 300 and 400 mgt of accumulated tonnage. Graph is showing that rails with more cementite in the railhead tend to have more RCF and the occurring RCF severity level increases more rapidly.

References

cent carbon by weight (Figure 5). Rail mechanical performance is a function of both rail chemistry and thermomechanical processing (TMP),3 thus considering rail chemistry alone presents an incomplete picture of rail mechanical performance. However, because carbon content is the primary driver for cementite formation at the grain boundaries, one would expect that with increasing carbon content the cementite content at the grain boundary (GB) should increase, as well. Figure 5 shows that there appears to be a relationship between carbon content and cementite content, but it is not a direct relationship. TMP also affects cementite formation at the GB. Analysis of RCF amount and severity over time in various premium rail steels tested at FAST as a function of cementite distribution median value 14 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

shows that higher cementite content tends to lead to an earlier and more severe development of RCF in the railhead. But again, there is not a direct relationship (Figure 6). The elimination or reduction of cementite in the railhead is a means by which the development of RCF may be inhibited. And having either a carbon content close to eutectoid composition of 0.76 wt. percent carbon or implementation of appropriate TMP is an effective means of cementite elimination at GB.

Future work

Wear and RCF monitoring on both premium and IS/SS curves continues. T T C I a s s e s s e s we a r a n d R C F periodically and will report these results in future publications.

1. Kalay, S. March 5, 2013. “Development of Technology Driven Solutions to Improve Safety and Efficiency.” Presented at the 18th Annual AAR Research Review, Pueblo Convention Center, Pueblo, Colo. 2. LoPresti, J. and Kalay, S. April 2012. “Testing at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing Summary of 2011 Results,” Technology Digest TD-12-007. Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo. 3. Szablewski, D., LoPresti, J. and Sammon, D. July 2013. “Premium Rail Testing at FAST,” Technology Digest TD-13-016. Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo. 4. Sroba, P., et al., June 2006. “The Evolution of Rail Grinding on Canadian Pacific Railway to Address Deep Seated Shells in 100 percent Effective Lubrication Territories,” 7th World Congress on Railway Research, Montreal, ON, Canada. 5. Ordonez Olivares, R., et al. April 2009. “New Rail Steel for the 21st Century: Advanced Alloy Thermo-Mechanical Processing Development,” Technology Digest TD-09-011. Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo. www.rtands.com

The role grinding practices hold in rail profile management calls for special care with one of the railroads’ most expensive assets.

grinding out

the ideal rail profile by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

ail grinding, especially on a large scale, requires a delicate balance to acheive the desired rail profile while not removing too much metal and not taking too much track time, all in the name of asset life extension. But, to paraphrase one response to our questions, it doesn’t matter how fast the grinding speed, how much metal is removed or how high-quality the lubricant is, if the railroads do not have the manpower and finances to keep up with the rail degradation rate.

Harsco Rail

Harsco Rail recently launched its a d va n c e d A c c e l e r o m e t e r B a s e d Corrugation System and applied it to they company’s transit grinders where it utilizes high-response accelerometers mounted to the axle box of 16 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

the car, based at the wheel/rail interface. The company says it is also progressing into the next evolution of its SmartGrind technology, which ties into the Jupiter Control System of its grinding machine. “The SmartGrind technology is a real-time profile grinding analysis and quality control system utilized by grinders and track geometry cars. Ultimately, this will give an advanced control of the grinding process. The system provides railway personnel with grinding requirements and content grinding production; the SmartGrind system has been successfully updated on our production grinders,” said Harsco. The company is currently manufacturing a European 30-stone transit grinder that features both the Accelerometer Based Corrugation and SmartGrind Systems and is scheduled for

delivery this year. To ensure accuracy of its grind, Harsco measures the rail profile and rail corrugation before, during and after grinding. “These key performance indicators are monitored and grinding pattern suggestions are made to the operator to efficiently remove metal (i.e. minimize) until these parameters are within acceptable limits. Thus, the final profile will match the desired profile (to control the wheel/rail interface) and corrugation (and other surface deformation, such as Rolling Contact Fatigue) will be removed, leaving an acceptable rail surface finish behind,” said Harsco. The company believes the evolution of grinding technology will continue to strive to provide improved asset life extension, while requiring a minimal amount of on track time. www.rtands.com

rail profile management: grinding This page: A Harsco Rail unit. Opposite page: A Loram Maintenance of Way grinder on track.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The balance is to remove the proper amount of metal at the highest possible grinding speed and the minimum number of passes. The key is to remove only that amount of metal required to remove surface deformation and establish proper running profile, without over grinding,â&#x20AC;? said Harsco. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Effective control and feedback systems help achieve this. In addition, selecting the proper grinding cycle is equally as important to optimize the extension in rail life. Further development of rail surface inspection techniques (machine vision, eddy current, etc.) will provide more information in the feedback loop. Further developments in these systems are being extended to switch grinding to achieve the

www.rtands.com

same effectiveness we have seen over the years in plain line grinding. Also, the move towards performance-based

grinding is becoming more predominant, with the goal of enhancing asset life, not just generating sparks. Harsco

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 17

rail profile management: grinding continues to work with its customers to provide not only state-of-the-art equipment, but expertise in overall rail maintenance, to achieve this goal.”

Loram

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc., calls grinding one of its primary core competencies and says the strong demand it sees in the market is driven by the company’s product depth and ability to respond to customer needs. Darwin Isdahl, vice president, Asset Management Ser vices, says Loram’s 400 Series Grinder, is a highly productive, revolutionary machine developed with the latest technology and offers value beyond compare, which has been one of the company’s most successful products. Isdahl says Loram’s RGS Series is ideal for specialty grinding needs, allowing customers to optimize productivity, reduce cost and increase asset life of switches and crossing rail; while customers needing a solution for restrictive clearance and axle weight should look to the Loram RGI Series and C21/C31 Series and customers looking for a “truckable” option will find its in the L–Series Grinder. While equipment is one part of the grinding equation, Isdahl says a good pre-inspection is where accurate grinding begins. “Rail profiles are measured in a rail inspection vehicle, comparing them to a pre-determined optimal template. The profiling needs are combined with a depth of cut as a result of an assessment of surface condition to develop a grind plan, including speeds, grind motor locations and number of passes required. This information is then fed into the rail grinder. The grinding itself is computer-controlled and regularly calibrated to ensure accuracy. The horsepower of the grind motors adjusts as the machine speed varies due to restricted speed conditions to maintain a consistent metal removal rate. The large grinders all feature an onboard profile measurement system to check compliance to the optimal profile, along with a dual encoder/ GPS location system that automatically selects the proper template for the track location. The grind and profile data is stored and available for future reference,” said Isdahl. 18 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

He continued by pointing out that the process is refined by continuing to study the deterioration of rail and causes for variation and then incorporating those findings into the decisionmaking process. “Numerous test sites are evaluated along with vast amounts of data collected from every Class 1 railway in

sidering the technology, the chance to use it and understand the applications and quality of work it can accomplish,” said Martin. “This is an exciting time in that the rail milling is being considered by many roads and transits but without the opportunity to apply it to each of their problem areas, it has been difficult to show the technology will

“As traffic density continues to increase, it is critical to get the work done as efficiently as possible. We foresee continued movement toward precision in achieving the desired profile and removing the fatigued metal, all while removing as little metal as is required at the fastest speeds possible.” – Darwin Isdahl, Loram North America. Refinements in the grind plan development process continue to improve the ability to achieve the profiling and metal removal objectives at the maximum efficiency.” “As traffic density continues to increase, it is critical to get the work done as efficiently as possible. We foresee continued movement toward precision in achieving the desired profile and removing the fatigued metal, all while removing as little metal as is required at the fastest speeds possible. This process leaves more of the rail head and extends the life of the rail while grinding at faster speeds, fewer passes and spending less time,” said Isdahl.

Vossloh Rail Services

“We like to think of typical ‘rail grinding’ as the process of overall ‘Rail Profile Management.’ This term helps cover the various technologies being used in rail maintenance throughout the world,” said Ron Martin, vice president and general manager of Vossloh Rail Services. One of the company’s technologies that has experienced acceptance on the world stage is its rail milling system, which Vossloh Rail Services has committed to bring to the U.S. market. “The milling system is a truckmounted unit that will help those con-

perform as advertised.” The company is also finishing the validation on its High Speed Grinding (HSG) city unit, designed for use in the tighter confines of transit applications. Martin says the city unit offers 100 percent spark suppression, as well as a very clean rail and rail contact fatigue mitigation in the maintenance mode instead of waiting for extreme rail degradation when corrective grinding is required. Vossloh Rail Services says the city unit is capable of grinding the top layer of rail off at speeds up to 35 mph. To ensure accuracy, the HSG systems will match the existing profile so validation is done prior to the units work. According to Mar tin, there can be minor gauge corner corrections made on the fly so any preinspections will allow that information to be passed onto the crews. Vossloh utilizes eddy cur rent testing as the secondary method of validation for its rail milling, which allows the testing group to see if there is any rolling contact fatigue remaining after the milling has taken place. Martin says the eddy current testing will look at the first three millimeters of the rail from the head to identify those cracks that have started, but aren’t big enough to be www.rtands.com

rail profile management: grinding A rendering of Vossloh Rail Services’ High Speed Grinding city unit. The company says the unit is designed for use within the tight spaces found on transit systems.

identified with the ultra-sonic testing, thus, ensuring all the defects are removed, not just the largest defects. “Rail profile management will continue to evolve as varying methods contributing to the overall rail lifecycle extension are considered and used. The speeds might get higher, the metal removal rates may increase and the lubricant may get better, but even if all these contributing factors evolve, the railroad still has to have the manpower and finances to keep up with the degradation rate of the rail,” said Martin. “As we’ve seen in the past few years, many roads are getting further along the curve to that of mainte-

www.rtands.com

nance, but there is still so much corrective work to be done and with traffic increasing, it may take many more

years to get to a point where the rail salvage rate will be higher than the rail replacement rate.”

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 19

Railroads look to suppliers for smooth grade-crossing surfaces to ensure safety for everyone and everything that passes over and on the tracks.

Annual report:

Grade crossing surfaces

A Century Group grade crossing surface finished and in use.

by Jennifer Nunez, assistant editor

afety is of utmost importance to all railroads whether it’s Class 1, shortline, intercity, commuter or transit and certainly it is top priority when it comes to the point where railroads and people meet at grade crossings. Suppliers are offering the smoothest of surfaces and latest technology to ensure safe passage for all.

compressive strength than specified. “Our 10-year warranty exceeds other crossing materials,” Hutchinson explained. “Increased truck traffic created by the intermodal industry is causing other crossing material to fail before its lifespan. Concrete crossings are being installed as replacements because of the warranty.”

American Concrete Products

Century Group

American Concrete Products offers its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) fully-compliant, colored flangeway filler. Orders from transits and shortlines are increasing and many more locations are looking for ADA-compliant crossings. “Steel ties are being used more often, so it is important to offer a precast crossing that can be secured to that type of tie,” noted Buz Hutchinson, railroad sales and service. American Concrete’s surface is a light broom finished concrete sealed from contaminates. Hutchinson says that concrete used in the company’s manufacturing has much higher 20 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

Century Group, Inc., has produced precast concrete gradecrossing panels for more than 25 years and has more than three decades of experience in the ownership and operation of a railroad construction company. The company has more than 60 years in precast concrete manufacturing and provides personnel who travel to project sites and assist customers in the design, development and manufacturing of custom gradecrossing systems. Centur y Group says it offer s the convenience of prefabrication, combined with the exactness of a customwww.rtands.com

annual crossing report

A HiRAIL pedestrian crossing being installed for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. common rail sizes on timber or concrete ties using all types of rail fastening. Walt Barry, vice president, says he sees crossing surface maintenance and improvement projects holding steady and that he doesn’t expect much of a change in the near future. “In high-speed rail territory, the goal would be to have as few at-grade crossings as possible,” he explained. “Where it is not feasible to eliminate or grade-separate a crossing, the major modifications would be in the crossing warning devices more than the surface.”

Industry Railway Suppliers

made product to provide long-lasting grade-crossing panels to its customers. The company offers crossings in numerous rail sizes with features, such as custom surfaces to match color and texture paving at passenger station platforms and sidewalks. Century Group specializes in custom manufacturing panels for various rail configurations, such as turnouts, curves, crossovers, diamonds, wide/narrow gauge, extreme loads, pedestrian and ADA crossing applications, says Jerry McCombs, vice president, Railroad Products Division. Centur y Group’s manufacturing facilities are certified by the National Precast Concrete Association. McCombs says the cer tification demonstrates Century’s commitment to high standards in all areas of production, safety and information management. “We continue to batch/mix all our own concrete at our company-owned/ operated facilities, versus using readymix, combined with using grade 72 reinforcement versus grade 60,” said McCombs. “Using 12,000-psi stronger reinforcement, combined with handson QA/QC from batching/mixing our own concrete and having certified welders, enables us to provide a highwww.rtands.com

quality product to the marketplace. Improved capacity and inventories at our manufacturing facilities allows us to continue to respond quickly to our customers’ needs.”

HiRAIL Corporation

HiRAIL Corporation manufactures a complete line of rubber grade-crossing surfaces, including Hi-Rail, Pede-Strail and HiRAIL Rail Seal (RS). HiRAIL full-depth rubber crossings are a green product, manufactured from recycled vehicle tires; they can also be recycled at the end of their useful life. HiRAIL says its full-depth rubber grade-crossing systems provide a smooth, safe and attractive crossing surface for motor vehicles. They are manufactured to accommodate most common rail sizes, rail fastenings and wood, concrete or steel ties. Pede-Strail is a pedestrian crossing surface that meets ADA requirements. Pede-Strail has all the features of HiRAIL full-depth rubber and comes with a raised diamond surface for pedestrian stability. HiRAIL RS is a rubber rail seal product that works in conjunction with asphalt or poured-in-place concrete crossings and is manufactured to fit most

Industry Railway Suppliers, Inc., now offers its new product, Turtle Trax Temporary Railroad Crossing and says it is an innovative new way to traverse a railroad crossing using a lightweight, safe, portable and reusable system. The Turtle Trax is made from a mixture of high and low density polyethylene, 100 percent recycled plastic (HDPE.) The Trax have cylindrical holes in the surface for drainage and weight reduction and the puzzle-like interlock allows modification of both the length and width of the Trax according to customer needs. The company notes that a Class 1 railroad engineer aided in the design of the temporar y crossing , solving the issues encountered by the track/ engineering departments when permanent crossings are either taken out of service by tie and/or steel gangs during railroad crossing repairs. “It was also recognized that this product fills a need for the mechanical department-scooter crossing in yards,” explained Chuck Slater, vice president of sales. “Turtle-Trax offers the ability to put multiple sets in place so maintenance vehicles, ATV’s, etc., can easily maneuver congested yards. Market factors include reducing down time for crews (for injuries sustained moving heavy steel plates, waiting for help to move the plates, and waiting for a material, such as asphalt, to arrive) and the time consuming activity of adding and removing asphalt to create temporary crossings, as well as prolonged interface with pedestrians during repair Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 21

annual crossing report jobs. No cranes or added lookouts are required when installing the Turtle-Trax product.” Slater says rail programs and maintenance of rail are driving demand and that this product allows railroad customers to move maintenance vehicles across the track in remote areas much more efficiently than driving miles upon miles to the nearest crossing to move from one side of the track to the other. “Railroad spending across the board has increased,” he said. “Suppliers have benefited from the rail renaissance, crude by rail and the various railroad initiatives to transport goods more efficiently and safely while improving operating ratios, are all contributing factors to the increased spending.” Slater points out that high-speed rail is all about efficiency and speed and that Turtle Trax in action benefits railroad repair crews saving time, money and creates a safer work environment for all parties involved. The company’s hose bridge can be used in conjunction with the Turtle Trax if a customer needs to ramp up to the surface on the outside (field-side) of the rails.

KSA

KSA says 2013 was its best year ever and 2014 looks to be very similar. The company notes its backlog of orders is very strong and its busy time of year is just beginning. “Our territory seems to be expanding,” explained Scott Craig, general manager. “We are now providing crossing panels to states both in the north and the south that we haven’t in the past or it has been many years. We are working on new ways to improve the longevity of the panels and I hope to be able to share these in next year’s edition.” KSA is a PCI and AAR M-1003 certified facility located in Sciotoville, Ohio, which has been in operation since 1992. The KSA concrete grade-crossing design is a full-width, full-depth system that accommodates rail sizes from 112-lb. to 141-lb. rail. Its panels are designed for both timber and concrete crossties and are manufactured with a heavy steel angle frame, high-strength 7,000 psi concrete and come complete with attached rubber flangeway, bearing pads, deflectors and lag screws.

LT Resources

LT Resources’ newest product, the ENDURANCE ® -XL PLUS Composite Crossing, was designed with direct input from Class 1s, includes a built-in composite flangeway filler and accommodates all mainline rail profiles and all types of fastening systems. ENDURANCE-XL PLUS panels are manufactured using an engineered recycled plastics formulation, resulting in a durable, long-lasting grade-crossing product suitable for all types of traffic conditions, notes the company. In addition to the built-in composite flangeway filler, other special features include lifting devices for easy installation/easy removal for track maintenance, a molded skid resistant surface and beveled ends. Full-depth panels are manufactured for 112-lb. and 115-lb. rail profiles, as well as 132-, 136- and 141-lb. rail profiles and can be used with traditional eight feet six-inch, nine-foot or 10-foot treated wood ties or composite ties. “The fact ENDURANCE-XL PLUS Crossings and composite crossties utilize recycled plastics, which are in turn recyclable, is of great interest to Class 1s, shortlines, transits, municipalities and industrial customers with corporate 22 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

www.rtands.com

annual crossing report Industry Railway Suppliers’ Turtle Trax Temporary Railroad Crossing in use.

sustainability prog rams in place,” explained Linda Thomas, president. “State departments of transportation consider ENDURANCE-XL PLUS a premium surface product and Class 1s are in various phases of including the product

in their engineering standards.” Thomas notes that many times, railroads must spend their maintenance budgets to maintain their track (ties, rail/ OTM); crossings get whatever is left, thus the quest for high-performance crossing surface products to minimize on-going maintenance issues. As it pertains to high-speed rail, she says that although the ENDURANCEXL PLUS design is suitable for highspeed rail, LT Resources has several new designs in the works for both domestic and international applications.

Omega

Crossing demand is at an all-time high, according to Omega Industries, Inc. Freight and industry crossing orders are up compared to the same time last year, explains Mark Mottola, national sales manager. “According to other vendors I’ve spoken with, demand for all track materials is high,” he said. “Longer lead times have forced railroads to plan ahead, resulting in larger

24 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

www.rtands.com

annual crossing report LT Resources’ ENDURANCE®-XL PLUS Highway-Rail Grade Crossings with AREMA standard engineered composite ties on CSX mainline double track in the Chicago area.

and has continued to increase each year. As more people travel by train, there is a push toward producing safer crossings for pedestrians, wheelchairs and cyclists, he notes. “To meet these demands, our engineers have developed a new ADA rubber flangeway profile, along with a coarse, non-slip concrete surface. The beauty of a coarse concrete surface is that it remains skid resistant even when wet.”

Polycorp Ltd.

than normal early-season orders. In years past, we’ve slowed production over the winter months and picked back up again in the spring; this is no longer the case, as we

26 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

are running at full capacity year round.” Mottola says he sees positive growth in the transit market; both light rail and commuter rail, crossing demand is up

Polycorp Ltd. has developed a new Removable Railseal crossing system for use in concrete road surfaces and highwear areas. “The system allows the rubber railseal to be removed, repairs to be made and the rubber reinserted in a fraction of the time

www.rtands.com

annual crossing report

Top, an Omega crossing installed for the Utah Transit Authority. Polycorp’s Removable Railseal installed in the Toronto Transit Commission’s Long Branch Loop.

it takes for traditional repair work,” said Brad Bedford, technical sales coordinator. “This new design allows for overnight rail and fastener repairs to be made without costly detours and rush hour road closures.” Polycorp manufactures products in the U.S. and Canada for every type of road surface, rail size and track construction, from traditional railseal to precast concrete panels. If required, Polycorp can supply Buy America products for all grade-crossing styles. The rise in transit expansion has led Polycorp to develop a complete range of rail and special trackwork isolation products. The company’s patented TrackJacket Encapsulation System is comprised of a full line of products that work together to mitigate stray current and provide vibration isolation across the entire network. “The rise in fuel costs throughout the world is taking people off the roads and onto the rails,” he explained. “This has

28 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

www.rtands.com

annual crossing report

resulted in an all-time high in transit ridership. This increased ridership has seen the payback shortened for transit expansion in major city centers leading to immediate launches of shovelready projects. Many of these expansion projects are utilizing Polycorp’s patented TrackJacket system for electrical and vibration isolation to improve their systems performance and reduce future maintenance with prolonged road and track life.” Bedford notes that the continuing rise of freight tonnage has caused maintenance budgets to rise accordingly to keep the rail network running smoothly and avoid costly delays due to failures in the system. There has also been a significant increase in intermodal facility construction and maintenance to handle the increased year-over-year tonnage, he explains. This continuing growth has led Polycorp to develop a line of Epflex Railseal specifically tailored to ports and intermodal yards. The company says the intricate track construction of highspeed rail requires a number of elastomeric products be used in the track structure and that these products facilitate vibration dampening inside the train, as well as the surrounding areas. Polycorp has refined its line of dynamic elastomeric track products for supply.

Stella-Jones

Stella-Jones Corporation produces full-depth timber wood

www.rtands.com

crossings for Class 1 and commercial markets. “We offer crossings from several locations and we are pleased to announce that we have opened up a new bridge and crossing line at our Russellville, Ark., facility,” explained George Caric, vice president marketing. Stella-Jones is now able to supply Midwest and Southwest customers with its timber crossings and several of its plants now offer timber crossing treated with the one-step borate process that extends the useful life of the material.

TRANSPO INDUSTRIES

TRANSPO INDUSTRIES, Inc., says its Color-Safe® pavement marking has seen increased interest around the country as a safety feature on roadways. “The use of color as a dynamic envelope is an economic and effective warning for drivers,” noted Rudy Gradishar, Midwest regional sales manager. “We are very excited to see this method of increasing public awareness and safety around railroad crossings come in to more common use.” BODAN® is a precast reinforced polymer concrete crossing system and the company notes that unlike other crossings, BODAN does not rely on crossties for attachment or support. The modular design was built for easy removal to perform routine track inspection and maintenance.

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 29

Equipment & Materials Grade-crossing surfaces, communications and signaling equipment, fillers and housings

Grade-crossing surfaces

A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.—Fulldepth rubber grade crossings are comprised of interlocking tongue and groove panels providing a continuous surface. The 100% rubber panels fit tightly to the rail and are impervious to salt, ice and moisture. No lag bolts are required, eliminating potential failure points. Fits rail sections 100 lb. and up on 8-ft, 6-in. or 9-ft ties on 18-in. centers. Will accommodate up to 23 degrees of curve. Panels can be modified to fit concrete ties. Phone: 800-453-8812.

American Concrete Products— American Concrete Products has been in the railroad industry since 1952 and supplies crossings for all ties. Structural steel-framed, testproven, shunt-resistant, full-depth crossing panels for installation on wood, concrete and steel ties are offered. The uniquely designed panels, along with its patented preattached rubber flangeway filler, can be removed easily for routine maintenance. With sizeable inventories at manufacturing plants in Omaha and Dallas, the company competitively prices and ships products with very little notice and in some cases, the same day. Phone: 402-331-5775. 30 Railway Track & Structures

American Concrete Products— Manufactures the UP/BNSF concrete crossing panels in accordance with the AAR-M1003 quality standards. Its in-house developed concrete mix is designed to resist alkali-reactivity, protect from rapid freezing and thawing, while maintaining compressive strengths well above the minimum 6,000-psi. Services include field measuring and engineering to meet any curve, turnout or special crossing requirement. The company prides itself in providing innovative, cost-effective solutions. Phone: 402-331-5775.

Century Group Inc.—State-of-theart, full-depth concrete grade-crossing panels install directly on crossties, requiring no shims or headers. Crossings are manufactured to custom fit curves, turnouts, crossovers, concrete and steel ties and special flangeways. Crossings are manufactured to accommodate any size rail and are designed to be economical and durable. Phone: 800-527-5232.

Century Group Inc.—Custom-built, full-depth concrete grade crossings fit any curve up to 20+ degrees. Century’s experienced field representatives are available to field measure curved grade crossings and design custom-built panels to fit into the curve. Panels butt up to one another without the use of filler plates to June 2014

Guide

eliminate gaps between panels. Century Precast offers on-site assistance for tie layout and panel installation. Phone: 800-527-5232.

Century Group Inc.—Custom turnout crossings are manufactured to meet specific job-site objectives. With more than 60 years of railroad construction and precast concrete experience, Century provides on-site consultation, design and layout to meet the clients’ project needs. After delivery, Century offers on-site installation assistance. Phone: 800-527-5232.

Century Group Inc.—Custom crossing panels, from devil strip panels to diamond crossings, can be manufactured to meet project requirements. Century provides job-site consultation, cost analysis, design layout and installation assistance on all of its projects. Phone: 800-527-5232.

Century Group Inc.—Light rail transportation industry crossings: Century works closely with the client, identifying the grade-crossing challenges and providing cost-effective solutions. Century offers highway and pedestrian crossings to the light rail transit industry for

both standard and custom track gauges. Grade-crossing panels can be manufactured with custom surfaces, coloring, lengths, widths and shapes. Light rail transit grade crossings include a high-resistivity flangeway filler manufactured to meet ADA specifications. Phone: 800-527-5232.

Century Group Inc.—Hi-Rail Access crossing panels manufactured to install in standard and non-stand ard-gauge tracks. The Century Hi-Rail Access crossing panels are custom manufactured to fit over third-rail restraint brackets and steel surrounds insulated with non-conductive protective shields. Phone: 800-527-5232.

Century Group Inc.—Custom designed full-depth concrete ped estrian crossings that meet ADA specifications. Century manufactures pedestrian crossing with custom surfaces and colors to match existing pavements. Century pedestrian crossings are manufactured to be installed on steel, wood or concrete ties. Phone: 800-527-5232. Century Group Inc.—Lagless steelclad full-depth precast reinforced concrete grade-crossing panels. Can be used on wood, concrete or steel ties. Panels are available for tangent or curves, vehicular or pedestrian applications. They are manufactured to accommodate a variety of rail sizes www.rtands.com

Equipment & Materials Guide

and fasteners. Custom sizes and shapes are available for custom applications. Phone: 800-527-5232. ESCO Equipment Service Co.—Jumbo Tie Caddy, Model JTC-101, is designed to place and remove double-plank crossing timbers, help eliminate back injuries associated with manual handling of crossing timbers. With a 19-in. opening, this device can double as a bridge-timber-handling device. Weight 30 lbs. Phone: 847-758-9860. ESCO Equipment Service Co.— Insulated Joint Sling, Model IJS-501, designed to safely handle and position insulated joint plugs without damage to the insulated joint. Rated capacity of 4,000 lbs. Weight 34 lbs. Phone: 847758-9860. ESCO Equipment Service Co.—ESCO Equipment offers a complete line of hydraulic tools designed to remove and install grade-crossing material. Powered by a portable power unit, boom truck or back hoe with optional tool circuit. Phone: 847-758-9860. FITE Corp.—Full-depth steel and concrete grade-crossing panels can be installed on concrete or wood ties. Easy installation and removal for track maintenance. Phone: 888-FITE-CORP.

ing surface for motor vehicles. Hi-Rail crossings are easily removed and reinstalled when track maintenance is required and are resistant to a wide variety of chemicals including road salt. The tongue and groove design provides a water tight seal between each pad and the pads are molded to fit the rail, keeping water and debris out of the track while protecting the rail. HiRail Crossings come in both lagged and lagless styles. The lagless style lessens cross tie degradation as well as allowing for installation on concrete ties. The 100% rubber composition helps eliminate false shunting of track circuits and dampens the forces of vehicles over the crossing. Each crossing pad is composed of recycled tire rubber which is fully encased in virgin rubber making it an environmentally friendly product which can be recycled at the end of its useful life. Phone: 800-274-7245. Koppers Inc.—Koppers produces creosote treated full depth timber crossings for the Class I, Shortline Railroads and Industrial accounts. We also produce gage and field flangway panels specifically for use with asphalt or concrete. Panels are produced from oak and hardwoods and treated to 7 or 8 pound retention, determined by the specification. Phone: 888-567-8437.

HiRAIL Corp.—Pede-Strail is a fulldepth rubber walkway system for use at pedestrian railroad crossings. Pede-Strail’s raised diamond pattern provides a smooth, slipresistant crossing surface for ped estrians, bicyclists and handicapped individuals. Pede-Strail meets ADA requirements. Phone: 800-274-7245.

KSA—Full-depth/full-width reinforced steel-framed concrete crossings are available for both timber and concrete tie track structures. The panels come with attached rubber flangeway and all necessary hardware to secure the panels to the ties. The panels are manufactured to accommodate rail sizes ranging from 112 lbs. to 141 lbs. KSA is a PCI and AAR M-1003 certified facility. Phone: 740-776-3238.

HiRAIL Corp.—Hi-Rail Full Depth Rubber grade crossing systems provide a smooth, safe and attractive cross-

LT Resources, Inc.—ENDURANCE® -XL Plus Highway-Rail Grade Crossings are manufactured using an

www.rtands.com

engineered 100% recycled plastics formulation. Also recyclable. Accommodates mainline rail profiles and all types of fastening systems. Durable, long-lasting, superior grade crossing product with an improved skid resistant surface designed for all types of traffic conditions. Non-conductive, impervious to moisture, harsh elements and severe temperatures. Includes installation hardware and on-site technical support. Pre-bored and countersunk, or drill in the field. Includes lifting devices and built-in composite flangeway filler. Extend the life of Endurance®-XL Plus or standard Endurance® -XL Highway-Rail Grade Crossings with composite railroad ties to meet AREMA standards. Available as a complete package. Best value for your construction and maintenance dollar. Phone: 800-440-1517. Magnum Manufacturing Corp.—Insulated concrete grade crossings are constructed to prevent electrical current from passing from one rail to another rail. This insulation, when used in conjunction with a rubber flangeway filler, provides maximum protection to prevent shunting. Phone: 801-785-9700. Magnum Manufacturing Corp.— Pedestrian Walkovers fully engineered, in-plant, prefabricated modular steel construction. Phone: 801-785-9700.

Magnum Manufacturing Corp.— Smooth, low-impact concrete grade crossings are manufactured to fit any rail from 115-lb to 136-lb, and can be engineered for any length of tie or tie spacing and for curves, switches and frogs. Phone: 801-785-9700. Omega Industries, Inc.—Omega manufactures a high-quality Concrete Grade-Crossing System with an innovative attached rubber flangeway

design. Serving main line railroads, shortline railroads, transit, industry, and port authorities, Omega has established a reputation for quality, delivery, and service. Products include: The BNSF / UPRR Common Standard Lag-Down Panel, Non-Lag Concrete Crossing Panels, Custom Curved Panels, Custom Turnout Panels, DF Track Crossing Panels, ADA-approved Pedestrian Crossing Panels, Steel Switch Point Covers, Steel Switch Plates, Steel Track Boxes, and Spreader Bars. Omega manufacturing plants are conveniently located in Washington, California, Nebraska, and Texas. Phone: 360-694-3221.

OMNI Products, Inc.—OMNI’s Heavy Duty rubber grade-crossing system is the only full-depth rubber crossing made from 100% virgin rubber. The durable Heavy Duty system is designed to withstand repeated punishment of high-speed, high-average-daily-traffic volumes. This product’s durability, long life and low maintenance requirements make it ideal for most applications. Heavy Duty can accommodate rail sizes ranging from 90 lbs to 141 lbs. Custom panels can be made for curves up to 16 degrees. Phone: 815-344-3100.

OMNI Products, Inc.—The OMNI Steel Reinforced system is the only steel-reinforced rubber crossing product available. This system incorporates 100% virgin rubber panels reinforced with corrugated steel plate and installed on longitudinal, pressure-treated, hardwood shims. This durable product has been shown

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 31

Grade-crossing surfaces to withstand the impacts associated with high-ADT applications. It can also accommodate concentrated loads, such as lift trucks. While Steel Reinforced is the logical choice for industrial applications, it is also used on major highway crossings with high ADT and a high percentage of truck traffic. Steel Reinforced can accommodate rail sections from #20 up to #141. Custom panels can be made for curves up to 25 degrees. Phone: 815-344-3100.

VRA system combines the benefits of a full-depth concrete gauge panel uti lizing OMNI’s full-depth, standalone 100% virgin rubber RailGuard flangeway fillers, along with RailGuard rail seals used in conjunction with asphalt on the field sides. This design is ideal for use with 8-ft, 6-in. timber ties. Other combinations, such as IC/Heavy Duty are available. Phone: 815-344-3100.

OMNI Products, Inc.—The Improved Concrete (IC) system incorporates precast concrete panels with OMNI’s fulldepth, stand-alone 100% virgin rubber RailGuard™ flangeway fillers. Like all concrete panels in the OMNI line, these full-depth, steel-framed, steel-reinforc ed concrete panels are designed to handle typical (HS 20-44) highway traffic loads. The full-depth, stand-alone virgin rubber RailGuard™ panels cushion load, control surface water, and provide electrical insulation. The IC system can be installed on either timber or concrete ties. Custom panels can be made for curved track up to 16 degrees. Phone: 815-344-3100.

OMNI Products, Inc.—Improved Concrete/Embedded Concrete Rubber (IC/ ECR): This unique full-depth, full-width system combines the IC-design fulldepth concrete with stand-alone virgin rubber flangeway fillers in the gauge with ECR (concrete with attached rubber) panels on the field side. Available in 8- and 9-ft lengths, this design is available for timber or concrete tie applications and for curves up to 16 degrees. Phone: 815-344-3100.

OMNI Products, Inc.—Embedded Concrete Rubber/RailGuard™. ECR/ VRA is a unique combination concrete/rubber utilizing OMNI’s patented Embedded Concrete Rubber for gauge portion of the crossing and virgin rubber RailGuard panels for field portions. This system, which can be installed on timber or concrete ties, is ideal for use with 8-ft, 6-in. timber ties. Other combinations, such as ECR/ Heavy Duty, are available. Phone: 815-344-3100.

OMNI Products, Inc.—Improved Concrete/RailGuard™ (IC/VRA). The IC/ 32 Railway Track & Structures

OMNI Products, Inc.—Embedded Concrete Rubber is the latest generation of OMNI’s patented single-component concrete/rubber design. ECR is designed with a rubber flangeway filler molded directly into the face of the steel-framed, steel-reinforced, concrete panels. This shunt-resistant system eliminates handling separate concrete and rubber components during shipping and facilitates ease of installation. ECR comes in 8-ft, 8-ft, 1-1/2-in., 9-in. and 10-ft lengths, and can be installed on either concrete or timber ties. This system is used on all major railroads; commu ter, transit, shortline and regional railroad lines, as well as in ports, yards and terminals. Custom panels can be made for special trackwork and curves up to 25 degrees. Phone: 815344-3100. OMNI Products, Inc.—OMNI’s TraCast™ precast concrete module eliminates the use of ties and ballast. June 2014

This tie-less system incorporates elastic fasteners to secure the rail to the base of the rail troughs and maintain a consistent toe load. A continuous protective rubber rail boot insulates the rail from electrical interference. RailGuard™ virgin rubber panels are installed on the gauge side of the rail to effectively cover the rail fasteners, while maintaining a consistent, positive flangeway. The stand-alone RailGuard™ rubber panels can be easily removed with a lining bar, eliminating the need for heavy equipment, for rail inspection and repair. Widely used in industrial applications, TraCast™ is also used on high-ADT highway crossings, as well as on transit, branchline, port and terminal applications. TraCast™ is available in 6-ft lengths with 45-degree tapered ends. Custom panels are available for curved track up to 16 degrees. Phone: 815-344-3100. Premier Concrete Railroad Cross ings—Rail/Highway Bridge Modular System. Custom designed to incorporate Premier’s tie-less modular features, this system meets Coopers E-80 railroad loading specifications, as well as H-20 highway loadings for all forms of vehicular traffic. “The Bridge” replaces normal bridge decking materials and track support, with the concrete modular system offering complete rail isolation, resistance to invasive road salt (chloride) attack, while ensuring long-term, low-maintenance service. “The Bridge” can be modified to meet rail and highway applications. Phone: 503-285-8391. Premier Concrete Railroad Cross ings—Modular Tieless Crossing System for freight. This design is suited for use in extreme loading, high average daily traffic and curved-track situations. The modular system is designed to eliminate the installation and maintenance costs associated with ties, ballast and rail fasteners. Phone: 503285-8391. Premier Concrete Railroad Cross ings—Modular Tieless Crossing System for transit. This design is specifically designed for light rail transit use. With the use of a continuous rail boot, the

Premier LRT Modular System provides complete rail isolation for track electrification. The Premier Continuous Rail Boot provides a quiet, shunt-free crossing surface. Premier Modular is designed to eliminate the installation and maintenance costs associated with ties, ballast, and rail fasteners. This three-piece system consists of a base unit, and two center panels. The base unit sits on a highway-style road base and evenly distributes the load over a large footprint. Rail sits in the base unit and is locked in place with two removable center panels. The base units and center panels are cast to match the rail profile, and act as a continuous rail support. An optional rubber insert is easily installed to reduce the flangeway opening to meet ADA requirements. Modules are available for 100-lb to 140-lb rail, in lengths of 4 ft and 8 ft. Tapered modules are available in 4-ft lengths and can be used in curved track up to 30 degrees. Modules are manufactured with a non-conductive, salt (chloride)-resistant concrete mix. All Premier modules come standard with a non-skid diamond plate surface. Phone: 503-285-8391.

R ail-Way, Inc.—Supplies full-depthrubber grade-crossing systems in stan dard 36-in. modules for both tangent and curved track up to 22 degrees. The Rail-Way system is designed for fast, economical installation or removal for track maintenance. The patented hinge kerf in the gauge pad allows quick placement without special tools or equipment. A four-man crew with a backhoe can install as much as 30 track-feet per hour under normal conditions. The system is available in stock for rail sizes from 90 lbs to 140 lbs, and tie lengths of 8 ft, 6 ins. and 9 ft, wood or concrete. Phone: 563-852-7794.

Rail-Way, Inc.—Manufactures a concrete grade-crossing system with www.rtands.com

Equipment & Materials Guide pre-attached flangeway filler that facilitates ease of installation and removal for track maintenance. The shunt-resistant steel frame surrounding the concrete panel is powder coated to give maximum protection from the elements. The panels feature 7,000 psi and are available for rail sizes from 115 lbs. to 140 lbs. Engineered in accordance with AASHTO HS20-44 loading specifications. Each panel has a non-skid surface and protection from freeze/thaw cycles. Phone: 563-852-7794. StarTrack Railroad Crossings—The StarTrack II modular precast-concrete platform grade-crossing system uses no ties and is set on a prepared subgrade to form a self-supporting slab system free of vertical or lateral movement. Rail lays on UHMW polyethylene strips, which cushion impact loadings and protect the underlying concrete surface from abrasion. This new design incorporates one-piece construction with Pandrol fasteners for ease of installation and easy access to rail without disturbing the crossing. Each panel is cast of 6,000-psi concrete and is 14 ins. thick by 8 ft wide by 5 ft (or 7 ft, 6 ins. and 17 ft, 6 ins.) along the track. StarTrack panels are precast at regional Oldcastle plants to facilitate delivery, quality and professional supervision. Phone: 888-965-3227.

StarTrack Railroad Crossings—The StarTrack II-HD design is a one-piece module with Pandrol clips. Heavy-truck or industrial loads are accommodated by larger and thicker modules, with additional reinforcing. The size of these modules is 16 ins. thick by 11 ft wide by 5 ft along the track. Special design mixes are available for deicer-corrosion and freeze-thaw problem areas. Phone: 888-965-3227.

StarTrack Railroad Crossings—StarTrack II-TS is an all-new Transit Light www.rtands.com

Rail Support System designed for tran sit, trolley, light rail and slow-speed, low-tonnage freight. It features an open rail groove to accommodate the rail and its rubber support system. It is available in all existing StarTrack versions and offers improved economy, adaptability, electrical insulation, rail isolation and vibration and noise dampening. Phone: 888-965-3227.

Steel Crossings, Inc.—SCI manufactures heavy-duty, diamond-plate, custom-designed steel railroad crossings for heavy crossing areas. Steel crossings are easily installed, easy to maintain, and ideal for severe weather conditions, with no tearing, chipping, splintering or cracking. Phone: 412-820-7030.

Stella-Jones Corp.—Durable oak timbers are used to manufacture the solid Full Panel crossing. The field panels are 20 inches wide, consisting of two 10 inch timbers with a notch on the top side of the field panels to prevent false flange damage to the panels. The (2) gauge panels are 25 ½” wide and the panel consists of three 8 ½” wide timbers. Both field and gauge panels are doweled together and can be prebored with countersunk holes for drive spikes or lag screws. Gauge panels can be shipped with pre-attached timber flangeway filler blocks. The end panels can be beveled to help prevent damage. Panels can be made to accommodate almost any tie plate and hardware. Timber & Asphalt Type crossings are also available - The Single Gauge/ Single Field or Single Gauge/Double Field Type. Phone: 800-272-8437. TRANSPO ® INDUSTRIES, Inc.— Bodan ® grade crossing system, designed for heavy-traffic, supports HS 25 traffic loads. Modular panels remove and reinstall easily for routine track maintenance. The skid and wear resistant surface is impervious to die-

sel fuel, salt and moisture. Optional safety features include surface mounted LED warning lights and color pavements. Phone: 800-321-7870.

separate timers with different voltages and time ranges. It features a wide voltage and selectable time range. Input operating range is +8V d.c. to +35V d.c. Vital Time delays one second to 19 minutes, 59 seconds may be configured in one-second increments. Time-delay accuracy is +0.1% of the thumbwheel setting. Vitality is ensured through the use of Safety Assurance Logic Software. Phone: 800-717-4477.

TRANSPO® INDUSTRIES, Inc.—STEPSAFE® ADA tiles have been used for ramps, crosswalks, and train station platforms since 1993. We proudly introduce STEP-SAFE® surface applied mats. No bolts are required making installation fast and easy. STEP-SAFE® has a proven record of strong resistance to the effects of wear, weather and other environmental conditions. Phone: 800-321-7870.

ALSTOM—New and improved AURORA™ LED Signal offering. ALSTOM is continuously improving its offering to meet our customers’ changing needs and to take advantage of evolving technologies, as they become available. ALSTOM has recently introduced two 12-in. and one 8-in. AURORA retrofit kits for the highway crossing signals: the AURORA 300 and the AURORA 160. The new AURORA 300 signal (300 LEDs) provides superior light output. With 1,600 candela on axis, it is the brightest LED signal in the market today. The new AURORA 160 signal (160 LEDs) offers not only improved brightness but is also the most-costeffective signal. Both signals feature regulated light output and come in completely sealed enclosures. Phone: 800-717-4477.

TRANSPO ® INDUSTRIES, Inc.— Color-Safe™ can be used to demarcate and increase visibility of Grade Crossings. Color-Safe is the long lasting solution to color pavement marking increasing safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. Color-Safe’s durable high definition color is UV and wear resistant and glass beads can be added to further increase retro-reflectivity. Phone: 800-321-7870.

Communications and signaling equipment and warning devices ALSTOM—The Microchron Vital Timer eliminates the need to stock

ALSTOM—ALSTOM’s new AURORA Gate Arm Light also benefits from the new LEDs and is three times brighter than the previous generation. With its 36 ultra bright LEDs per unit, it is actually the brightest LED gate-arm light with the widest viewing angle (30-degree) available in the market today. It exceeds the AREMA-recommended 70-degree beam spread and is compati ble with all suppliers’ highway crossing products. Tested over 200,000 operations, it has not had one single LED failure. The new AURORA Gate Arm Light is also available as a kit, which contains everything for a quick and easy one-man, one-tool, 10-min ute installation. Plus, its unique design utilizing plug-in quick connectors and coil cord allows for an easy positioning of the lights on

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 33

Communications and signaling equipment and warning devices

vate grade-level crossing-warning systems where loss of shunt is a problem. The warning systems use test-proven logic control and lowpower buried magnetometer sensors that provide constant warning time and data activation logging as options. Phone: 203-755-2323.

the gate arm. Just plug and connect. Phone: 800-717-4477.

American Concrete Products— Since 1952, American Concrete Products has been manufacturing precast signal foundations. Its signal foundations are manufactured in accordance with AREMA design standards. With its sizeable inventory, the company offers 15 of the most common signal foundations, in addition to several unique ones with custom bolt patterns. Whether its signal, wayside, flashing or cantilever foundations, the experienced sales and engineering team can help determine the best products to meet its clients’ project needs. Phone: 402-331-5775. Ansaldo STS—Ansaldo STS offers a full line of aluminum cantilevers in lengths from 20 to 40 ft. These cantilevers, designed to meet or exceed all AAR and other industry specifications, are maintenance-friendly and offer ease of installation. Both mast designs will mount on a four-bolt foundation. Phone: 412-688-2400. Ansaldo STS—The HC-20 LED light is a 12-in. highway-crossing signal that features a light emitting diode module enclosed in a cast aluminum, water-tight case equipped with side-view ports. Designed to main tain sufficient light output even if discrete LED failure should occur, the LED module is brighter than con ventional incandescent lamps and consumes approximately 30% less power. The HC-120 LED signal light meets AAR and AASHTO standards and has an estimated operating life of 100,000 hours. The HC-120LED can replace existing light units that have 30-degree/15-degree, 20-degr ee/ 32-degree and 70-degree/0-de gree spread and deflection patterns. Phone: 412-688-2400. Ansaldo STS—The Model 95 Gate Mechanism, meets or exceeds all AAR and other industry specifications, features an integral cast-aluminum housing and cover and is driven by a permanent magnet gear motor. It has a stall torque of 2,000 ft-lbs. Other features of the Model 95 include heavy-duty coil springs for vertical and horizontal dampers. A new 34 Railway Track & Structures

solid-state motor controller includes diagnostic LEDs and test functions for confirming operation for adjacent sidewalks and features a new solidstate module that drives the gate arm during the first 45 degrees of descent. Capable of indefinite motor stall; and higher-strength gears and a maintenance switch that enables the mechanism gate arm support assembly to be rotatated to the down position via electrical power. The Model 95 can be fitted with gate mechanism a pedestrian gate arm. The model 95 mechanism is suitable for entrances gates and exit gates in a quad gate system. Phone: 412-688-2400. Ansaldo STS—The PN-150EVT timer is a microprocessor-based vital time element relay that is a direct plug-in replacement for the PT-55 mechan ical timer. The PN-150EVT is suit able wherever a vital delay pick-up relay is needed and it can be used for time locking, loss of shunt protection and delayed clearing of signals. A printed circuit board that includes the microprocessor and associated circuitry is mounted within a plugin-style relay enclosure. A four-character LED display on the face of the timer indicates operational status. The timing interval of the PN-150EVT timer can be set anywhere between 0 and 3,599 seconds (0 minutes to 59 minutes, 59 seconds). When used with the specially-designed adapter base, the PN-150EVT can be plugged directly into an existing PT-55 base with no wiring changes. Phone: 412688-2400. Astro-Tek Associates—Adjunct or primary controls for public and priJune 2014

Astro-Tek Associates—The Four Quadrant Exit Gate Control System consists of an array of special magnetic detection sensors strategically placed within an island crossing that are hard-wired to a central controller located adjacent to the track. Upon receipt of a signal from the standard track circuit that a train is approaching the crossing, the sensor array is interrogated to determine if a vehicle presence is detected within the island. In addition to the detection and control system, a data-gathering and data-retrieval system has been developed to provide real-time information on each train’s passage. Such data provide a valuable tool to evaluate performance and reliability analysis for the design of operating algorithms embedded within the system controller. Phone: 203-755-2323.

CTC, Inc.—U-1400 vital inductive loop processor detects equipment for yard switching and interlocking applications; detects vehicles for four quad-gate crossing systems; provides enhanced shunting for rusty rail|salted crossings. Digital technology combines standard vital monitoring techniques with self-checking for consistent, reliable detection. Technical: 12 V inputs isolated from detector; 9.5 – 18 VDC. Phone: 817886-8230.

CTC, Inc.— The Interconnected Grade Crossing Operations Recorder (IGOR™) is the only grade-crossing

recorder|analyzer that incorporates video recording of train and vehicle movements at interconnected crossings. Captures user-defined states of traffic signal and crossing warning systems. Features solid-state video, up to eight HD cameras, configurable parameters, notifications and alarms. AREMA- and FRA-compliant. Phone: 817-886-8207.

Energy Abosorption Systems A Trinity Industries, Inc. Company— StopGate™ vehicle arresting safety barrier gate helps prevent vehicles from entering a railroad crossing. The StopGate technology ultimately changes the function of typical railroad crossing arms from one of “warning” to positive crashworthy protection. Consists of a housing that contains components for raising and lowering gate arms, which are made up of three 19-mm-diameter energy absorbing steel cables set inside two 90-mm-diameter aluminum tubes. The tubes are connected by a series of rectangular aluminum connectors welded vertically between the upper and lower tubes. The gate arm is deployed using a vertical pivot action– similar to a crossing warning gate–and utilizes a positive locking device at each end of the arm to secure the gate across the roadway. The locking gate at the far end of the gate arm is located in the highway medium, which helps prevent traffic from going around the gate, while the gate arm itself prevents the vehicle from going through it. Maximum gate width is 55 feet (16.7 m), and it is accepted by FHWA as a NCHRP 350 TL-2 attenuator that can stop a 2,000 kg (4,400 lb.) pickup truck traveling at 70 km/h (44 mph). Phone: 312467-6750. ESCO Equipment Service Co.— Associated Signal Co.– The Ultra www.rtands.com

Equipment & Materials Guide of highway- rail grade-crossing appli cations, incorporating constant warn ing time and motion detection control, crossing island train detection, vital input monitoring, vital relay drive output control and ground fault detection. Vital serial communication ports enable the ElectroLogIXS XP4 to communicate with ElectroLogISX, EC5 or VHLC systems. It can be expanded to add radio signaling capabilities or to operate remotely through a vital serial data port. Phone: 800-825-7090.

Lite gate arm light assembly is engineered to be the most-durable gate light available. Molded from impactresistant polycarbonate material, the one-piece device is designed to prevent breakage between the lamp and junction box. Several mounting options are available. Phone: 847758-9860. ESCO Equipment Service Co.—ESCO Safety Strobe Kit features Lightman® Xenon Strobes, the brighest portable lights available today. Various lens colors are available. The Lightman can be attached to equipment, traffic cones, worn on reflective vest belts and clothing, anyplace where high visibility is critical. Weight 3.5 ounces. Phone: 847-758-9860.

Exide Technologies—The Absolyte IIP Single Cell Module battery is designed for ease of handling in railway signal applications. The Absolyte IIP represents the third generation of the Absolyte product line with field-proven experience since 1983. The proprietary MFX alloy offers superior cycling and long-file capabilities. The rugged Absolyte IIP battery is able to recover from deep discharges, and can accept a high rate recharge. It is freeze tolerant. Phone: 630-862-2200. Genesis Technologies Inc.—Remanufacturing grade-crossing equipment. We understand signal systems operation and how they function in the field. We understand the critical nature of railroad signal equipment and pay attention in every aspect of our work. We ensure our products and services meet or exceed the quality required by our customers. Phone: 918-307-0098. Genesis Technologies, Inc.—T-Boss 7400 ACDC Track Driver (pronounced tee-boss) provides 10 percent more output power than conventional ACDC track drivers and with the XP option, 25 percent more output. T-Boss7400 www.rtands.com

features: 12V DC input; four isolated AC outputs; LED status indicators for battery input and four AC track circuit outputs; efficient and cool operation; plug-in I/O connector. Three-year limited warranty. Phone: 918-307-0098

Genesis Technologies, Inc.—T-Rx 7100 Rail Shunt Augmenter System (pronounced tee-rex) helps provide reliable shunting for railroad signal systems. Features: 7.1 VDC output to track; 120 VAC or 12 VDC; system diagnostics; circuit breakers; isolated inputs and outputs; system check output; automatic switchover to DC; surge protection; plug-in style connectors; wall or rack mount; threeyear limited warranty. Phone: 918307-0098. GE Transportation Rail—The SCX-1 (Solid State Crossing Controller) is a fully-programmable, microprocessorbased, AC/DC track circuit system designed for railroad-crossing control. The system provides reliable shunting in rusty rail conditions. It requires minimal wiring to implement and a standard crossing application program (STDXING) is included. Phone: 800-825-7090. GE Transportation Rail—The HXP-3 (Highway Crossing Processor) series of constant warning time crossingcontrol units is designed to provide consistent detection times with varying train speeds. Fashioned to interface advanced microprocessor technology with long-term reliability, ease

of maintenance and design flexibility. It is available in two models: HXP-3 provides stand-alone operations for single- or double-track applications; HXP-3R2 provides built-in redundancy for single- or double-track applications. Phone: 800-825-7090.

GE Transportation Rail—HXP/PMD-3 (Highway Crossing Processor/ Phase Motion Detector) is an entry-level predictor with enhanced software allowing the user to switch to the predictor function simply by selecting the constant-warning option on the menu. The unit is available in three models. HXP/ PMD-3D offers standalone operation for double-track applications. HXP-PMD-3R2 provides built-in redundancy for single-track applications. HXP/PMD -3R2 provides built-in redundancy for single- or double-track applications. Phone: 800-825-7090.

GE Transportation Rail—The ElectroLogIXS XP4 supports a wide range

GE Transportation Rail—The GE four quadrant gate control system can operate exit gates in timed, dynamic or fallback modes of operation. GE has developed a standard configuration using a combination of ElectroLogIXS modules, along with a master program that enables users to select the operating characteristics particular to their application. Phone: 800-825-7090.

GE Transportation Rail—The GE one-track, redundant motion detector utilizes ElectroLogIXS modules to provide redundant train detection along with vital I/O. An internal gate and lamp control module can also be installed to handle most typical installations, reducing the need for external equipment. Phone: 800-825-7090. General Signals, Inc.—Signal lenses, roundels and reflectors. The product line also includes highway crossing bells, gate arms, gate lights, end-of-train lights, and patented gate-keeper apparatus designed to prevent destruction of gate arms when gate crashers violate a downed crossing gate. Phone: 812-474-4256.

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 35

Communications and signaling equipment and warning devices General Signals, Inc.—The aluminum/polyglas composite gate arm has an 18-ft aluminum base and a second section comprised of pultruded polyglas, a composite material utilizing fiberglass reinforced by thermoset polyester composites. Unidirectional fiberglass oriented longitudinally provides rigidity and an ultraviolet radiation stabilizer is added to polyester resin to improve weatherability. Polyglas shapes have resistance to chemical and other corrosive environments. They are nonmagnetic and non-conducting; their strength-to-weight ratio is superior to steel and aluminum and they are perfectly elastic and will not take a set if bent. Phone: 812-474-4256. General Signals, Inc.—Crossbucks are available in fiberglass and double-ribbed aluminum. These include one- and two-sided engineering and high-intensity grade models in both materials. Phone: 812-474-4256. General Signals, Inc.—Gate Keeper is a patented mechanical apparatus which can be attached to any stand ard gate mechanism, mast-mounted or pedestal-mounted. It allows for vehicles attempting to pass through a lowered gate arm to do so without damage to the gate itself. Any stand ard fiberglass/aluminum break-away gate arm used in conjunction with the Gate Keeper will, upon contact with a vehicle, swing in a concentric motion and allow the vehicle to pass, without any damage to the gate. The gate arm will then return to its original position and lock into place. A roller-bearing arm has recently been added to the design, which allows it to operate with a gate arm of up to 40 ft in length. There is a shear pin option for highwind areas. Phone: 812-474-4256. General Signals, Inc.—The Survivor gate arm has an 18-ft base section that is manufactured from an 8-ft aluminum sleeve in conjunction with a 14-ft extruded Rovel plastic section that has a triangle cross section. Rovel weatherable polymer is an engineering thermoplastic that combines weatherability, heat distortion and impact strength. If needed, a second section, up to 12 ft in length, made of pultruded fiberglass, is available. Phone: 812-474-4256. 36 Railway Track & Structures

General Signals, Inc.—Plug-In Gate Light Kit is constructed of Xenoy, with plug-in connections to the side of the Junction Box that eliminate time-consuming hand wiring. The lights can be mounted to the arm with standard mounting hardware or by utilizing the adhesive vinyl tape on the back of each Junction Box and Pig Tail cables allow for usage on gates anywhere between 12 and 42 ft. Phone: 812-474-4256. General Signals, Inc.—Gate Lights and Junction Box are available in metal and LEXAN™. Lights are available fully assembled with signal lamp installed. Polypropylene plastic junction box features hinge lid with snap closure. Phone: 812-474-4256. General Signals, Inc.—Complete line of both 8- and 12-in. highwaycrossing roundels. All standard lenses for pedestal, cantilever and back lights are available for immediate shipment. Parabolic reflectors in glass, plastic and metal are available in both 8- and 12-in. sizes. The company stocks replacement reflectors for all crossing lights and signals and has a complete line of signal lenses. Inner and outer doublets are made of LEXAN™, glass and plexiglass. All standard sizes are available, including dwarf, inverted color lights and semaphore lenses. Phone: 812-474-4256. General Signals, Inc.—Searchlight lenses in LEXAN™, glass and plexiglass. Both flat and convex outer lenses are available to fit most manufacturers’ light units. General Signals’ inventory also includes plano magnifying compound lenses, plus 1-in. conicals and flat colored roundels. Phone: 812-474-4256. General Signals, Inc.—Replacement lenses for most makes and models of switch lamps still in use throughout the country. Phone: 812-474-4256. General Signals, Inc.—LEXAN™ lens protectors. All standard sizes are available. Phone: 812-474-4256. General Signals, Inc.—Electronic Crossing Bell is a totally-electronic device. The tone of the bell has been permanently recorded onto a June 2014

micro-chip and is then played back through an outdoor speaker. Therefore, the warning sound duplicates that of a traditional bell. No special wiring is required; the unit is connected to the same wire leads that would be used for a mechanical bell. The electronic circuit draws less than 0.15 amps, which is approximately 10% of the current draw of a typical mechanical bell. The bell is said to meet all applicable AAR recommendations and pertinent specifications. Phone: 812-474-4256. KYOCERA SOLAR, Inc.— Solar electric power systems for railroad installations. Complete power system for wayside signaling, including intermediate signals, 2-volt track circuits and control points. Solar power systems can also be used for hot box detectors and communication sites. Systems are provided complete with all the necessary components and documentation. Phone: 262-279-5322. Leach International Corp. —Offers hermetically-sealed electrical switching components for harsh environments. Products include solid-state power controllers, keyboards and custom-engineered relay-rail control systems, positive train separation, communications-based control systems. Phone: (33) 3 87 97 98 97. National Railway Supply, Inc.— National Railway Supply’s introduction of the ELC Battery Charger line provides the latest in technology for battery charging with the mostwanted features at an economical price. These chargers are temperature compensated, have excellent SCR regulation and low output ripple. Models available: 12/20S, 12/20D, 12/40S, 12/40D and 12/60D. Phone: 912-920-4575. National Railway Supply, Inc.— National Railway Supply, along with EnerSys Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of lead-acid batteries, examined the requirements of the railroad signal and communications departments and developed a smart battery solution. Thus the introduction of the Ironcald Type ELM or Exide Low Maintenance Railroad Signal Battery (flooded/wet/vented, designed to tol-

erate the harsh railroad environment and provide longevity that can exceed conventional maintenance-free VRLA batteries when used in similar signal applications with a more-econom ical price tag). Amp hour sizes range from 80AH to 710AH. Phone: 912920-4575. National Railway Supply, Inc.— Distributor for EnerSys Inc., to the rail industry. EnerSys Inc., (formerly Yuasa-Exide) is one of the largest battery manufacturers in the world, especially after completing its recent acquisitions of Hawker, Varta, Chloride, & PowerSafe batteries. National Railway Supply, Inc., and EnerSys Inc., are now able to offer one of the largest and most-complete line of batteries for every application. Phone: 912-920-4575. Progress Rail Services Corp.— Progress Rail Services Signal Division is a leader in signal engineering and design, rail crossing design and installation, highway and wayside structure manufacturing, train inspection and information systems and crossing event recorders. The Signal Division also provides field management and construction services for large, on-going projects. We offer a turnkey approach, from survey to design and installation. Progress Rail manufactures structures for automatic grade crossing warning systems, wayside signaling systems and other unique systems. We also provide a variety of products and services for grade crossing and CTC applications. Our wire shops excel in wiring and testing signal houses to fit your design or ours. We also manufacture custom Local Control Panels (LCP) designed to site specific locations. Progress Rail’s Train Inspection and Information Systems includes bearing and wheel scanners, Dragging Equipment Detectors (DED) and High/Wide Load Detectors. We offer both rail mounted and In-Tie designs of scanners and DED. For highway crossings, our Crossguard stand-alone system monitors crossings to detect obstacles and help avoid derailments. Event Recorders monitor the performance of the crossing components to ensure proper operation and can alert a central office or maintainer when there is an issue at the crossing. For further information, www.rtands.com

Equipment & Materials Guide visit www.Progressrail.com > Signal Products and Services, or call 800741-7112. Quest Corporation—Patented Appollolite Locomotive Warning Light and Control Systems allow ditch lights to be used in manual or automatic, normal illumination or timed pulsing modes at railroad crossings and rights-of-way, providing the highest level of operating safety. The Appollolite is field-proven with 12,000+ units in service and meets OEM electrical equipment and FRA requirements. Quest’s warning-light control products are used in both locomotive and transit car service. Phone: 440-230-9400.

QWICK KURB®, INC.—Qualifies for Quiet Zone use as a median separator. Consists of 3.5-in. to 4-in.-high raised separator, reboundable vertical panels with over 225 sq. ins. of reflective sheeting and reflective arcs delineating raised profile at night. Discourages driver cross-arm violations. FHWA accepted. Backed by five-year limited Road Hazard Warranty. Phone: 813-645-5972. Railroad Controls Limited—RCL is a full-service supplier of material sourcing, warehousing and integration. RCL is also a full service provider of engineering and installation services for all facets of railroad wayside and highway-rail grade crossing warning signaling. Phone: 817-820-6300. Railroad Controls Limited—RCL is an authorized dealer of Motorola two-way radio products and provides repair services for both radios and end-of-train devices. In addition to wayside signal systems, RCL provides PC-based central office CTC, track warrant and communication dispatch systems. Phone: 817-820-6300. Railroad Controls Limited—RCL is the manufacturer and exclusive supplier of the AHS* Automated Horn www.rtands.com

System*. AHS* reduces the area affected by train horn noise by 97% along rail corridors while providing a safer crossing for motorists and pedestrians. Phone: 817-820-6300. * Patented

Railroad Signal International— Supplier of highway grade-crossing warning systems and train-control signals. Manufacturer of complete signal system material packages, including signal houses and walkout cantilevers. Distributor of signal components, equipment and hardware. Custom design, installation and maintenance services provided. Phone: 800-543-2842.

Railway Equipment Co.—EZ Gate® Crossing Gate Arm systems with LED Gate Lamps and optional integrated Light-Out Detection system feature patented quick-connect lamps and modular gate arms to fit any crossing and provide safer installation for the maintainers with no drilling. Sawing, or splicing required to install, adjust the arm length, attach the lamps. Aluminum, fiberglass and combination gate arms available. Phone 763-972-2200. Railway Equipment Co.— The Cragg Railcharger® ATC and ETC Battery Charger Lines feature built-in temperature compensation and the ETC line has an integrated voltage monitor with relay output and adds a volt meter. Both lines may be used as power supplies, as filtering is integral. Models from 5-60 amps and from 1-42.8 volts selectable by number of cells and battery chemistry (NiCad or Lead Acid) are available. Phone: 763-972-2200.

Railway Equipment Co.—The Cragg Railcharger® SM ETC150 Battery Charger features built-in tempera ture compensation, an integrated voltage monitor with relay output, volt meter and integral filtering. This model has an output of 5-10 amps, 110/124/ 132/135/141- volts DC selectable by number of cells (Lead Acid) and include adjustable float voltage. Built on the same legendary ETC platform, these switch machine chargers are built to last. Phone 763-972-2200. Railway Equipment Co.—The new Gate Monitor System completes the EZ Gate® Crossing Gate Arm system by providing gate position detection while in the upright or horizontal position. A tip sensor connects directly to our quick-connect gate lamp with no additional wiring to the gate lamp. The Gate Monitor mounts inside industry standard gate mechanisms and provides contact closures for Gate Up, Gate Down, Lamps Okay. Senses upright position at all times, even when gate lamps are inactive. Phone 763-972-2200.

Railway Equipment Co.—These wind brackets are designed to keep gate arms from being buffeted by high winds and from coming in contact with other structures while in the vertical position. Constructed of galvanized steel, the wind bracket arms are fully adjustable. The wind bracket can be ordered for either a 5-in. or 5.5in. outside-diameter (O.D.) mast. Phone: 763-972-2200.

Railway Equipment Co.—RECoNET® Remote Condition Monitoring System allows secure Internet Web access to remotely monitor Cragg Railchargers®, EZ Gate Arms and Lamps, Gate Monitoring Systems, Switch Machines, and Battery systems, as well as Remote Video Monitoring of grade-crossing sites with minimal data bandwidth requirements. Analog inputs allow the user to monitor incoming voltages, incoming currents, battery voltages, battery currents, battery temperatures, with notifications. Phone 763-972-2200.

S&C Distribution Co.—The Model 500 Jumper Keeper System. Maintainers won’t leave signal jumpers if they are using the in-vehicle Jumper Keeper System. The Rack Unit stores the jumpers and the Dash Unit provides the 80-dbA audible and red-light alarms when a jumper is missing (left at the crossing). System accommodates up to 30 jumpers. Phone: 708-444-4908. Safe-Crossings—Safe-Crossings telescoping rail crossing gate provides full roadway closure up to 50 ft. The vertical height of the gate is only 20 ft long, making it ideal with overhead obstacles and high-wind situations. The gate mounts directly to the existing break-away mechanism and can be fully installed in less than two hours. Other applications include four-quad closures and whistle-ban areas. Phone: 610-432-4612. Siemens Rail Automation—Safetran provides a complete, pre-wired crossing warning and control system, packed in a portable workshop and storage shelter. Everything needed is loaded into a shipping container and delivered directly to the crossing

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 37

Communications and signaling equipment and warning devices site. Items are packed in the order that they will be needed, eliminating unpacking and repacking. The container is weatherproof and can be locked to reduce theft and vandalism. Phone: 502-618-8800. Siemens Rail Automation—Walkout cantilevers are available in singleand dual-mast styles to support arms ranging from 12 to 40 ft. These all-aluminum assemblies are easy to install and are available with a complete line of flashing light units, crossing signs and bells. An optional arm allows a gate mechanism to be mounted on the cantilever. Phone: 502-618-8800.

Siemens Rail Automation—The S-60 Entrance and Exit Gates from Safetran are designed for full integration into crossing-control systems, including remote monitoring, testing and reporting at the field and central office levels. Gate MTTR (mean time to restore) is minimized through LED diagnostics, plug-in PCBs and use of an electric brake. The “Maintenance Switch” function will raise the heaviest counterweight stack, allowing the longest gate arms to be repaired or replaced. Entrance and Exit gates share 90% of components to simplify maintenance and reduce spare-part inventories. Safetran Model S-20 and S-40 gates can be upgraded to full S-60 capabilities. Phone: 502-618-8800. Siemens Rail Automation—Complete Flashing Light Signal assemblies are available with either incandescent or LED light heads. Assemblies can include extruded aluminum crossbucks, track signs, mast, base, pinnacle, bell, either type flashing light unit, crossarms, backgrounds and visors. Specify front, back, left, right-hand indication. Sidelights in LED heads are illuminated direct 38 Railway Track & Structures

from the main light source. Phone: 502-618-8800. Siemens Rail Automation—Three mic rop rocessor-controlled, solidstate crossing controllers are offered. All are available in 20-amp and 40-amp versions and have programmable flash rate, gate delay and Loss-Of-Shunt Timers. Lamp output is regulated which eliminates seasonal voltage adjustments. The SSCCIII PLUS model adds selectable input logic programs that eliminate relays in most applications, such as second-train-coming, directional sticks and traffic signal preemption. The SSCCIV model adds vital communications for applications such as four-quadrant crossing gates. Phone: 502-618-8800. Siemens Rail Automation—The Safetran Event Analyzer Recorder II, SEARII, is a flexible, cost-effective system for monitoring and reporting equipment operation at grade crossing, interlocking and wayside signal installations. The base unit, with 100,000 event storage, can monitor most signal installations. Both I/O and event storage capacity can be expanded to monitor the mostcomplex installations. All event stor age has battery back up. SEAR II has built-in, automated testing functions and indicators and remote comm unications and reporting links. The sophisticated programming is capable of describing alarm conditions, test modes, communications options and control functions independent of the actual unit wiring. The sup porting Wayside Alarms Management Systems (WAMS) office applications provide the user interface for alarm acknowledgement, initiating control functions and a Web interface to field locations. Phone: 502-618-8800. Siemens Rail Automation.— Safetran’s S3/Link and new HighSpeed-Link Spread Spectrum Radios are designed to provide communications over distances up to 10 miles for signaling and general-purpose data transmission. They provide a method of sending crossing record er data from crossings to central locations. When used in combination with HD/Link, vital circuit information such as DAX circuits can be sent June 2014

between crossings. No FCC license is required for either system and units can be arranged to form point-topoint or point-to-multi-point networks. Phone: 502-618-8800. Siemens Rail Automation—GCP 4000, the first fully-integrated crossing control system, integrates five separate crossing control functions into one comp act unit that delivers the most efficient and cost-effective train detection/ crossing control system available. The system controls all warning, monitoring and reporting functions at a crossing and allows remote set-up, trouble-shooting, testing and reporting of crossing operation via multiple communications options. Ownership costs are significantly reduced through elimination of all mechanical relays in a crossing, reduction of crossing installation and set-up costs— labor and material—and reduced space requirements. The automated inspection, monitoring, testing and remote reporting capabilities significantly improve crossing maintenance efficiency. Overall, the system has the potential to reduce crossing downtime, rail and highway traffic delays and total crossing ownership costs. Phone: 502618-8800. Siemens Rail Automation— Safetran’s standard, solid state, electronic bell is available in loud or soft tone versions for use at conventional crossings. The new E-Bell ™ electronic bell contains a circuit that monitors bell performance, allowing the E-Bell to be used in crossings equipped with the most advanced monitoring/testing/reporting systems. Phone: 502-618-8800. Si emens R ai l Aut omat i on— Safetran supplies “Railroad Crossing,” “Railway Crossing,” “Stop on Red Signal,” and “Number of Tracks” signs for all types of signal applications. They are low-cost, long-lasting, lightweight, easy-toerect and maintain and corrosionresistant. The reflecting material, attached permanently to the sign face, has wide-angle reflecting qualities to make the signs visible day or night. Phone: 502-618-8800.

Siemens Rail Automation—The FLX4000 LED-type flashing light head is a one-piece replacement for incandescent flashing light assemblies. The sidelight is directly illuminated by the main light source. The LEDs provide uniform light output down to four volts. Chromaticity (color) is nearly identical to incandescent flashing light and beam intensity is superior. Beam alignment is not required. Incandescent flashing lights are available in 8-3/8-in. and 12-in. diameters with a variety of lens options. Phone: 502-618-8800. Siemens Rail Automation— Safetran’s Gate Arm Helper Model 076575-X is an application device that allows one person to apply break-away types of gate arms in the field. It consists of an adjustable tripod stand to support the arm while the base end is lifted into place and clamped to a conversion bracket at right angles to the roadway. The user then returns to the stand, lifts and rotates it to operational position. The shear pins are reapplied, the clamp removed and the job is complete. Phone: 502618-8800. Siemens Rail Automation—Model 2000 Motion Sensor is available in a non-redundant system and redundant configurations. The non-redundant system is designed for two-track installations and provides independent programming of transmit frequencies for Track 1 and Track 2. The redundant system is designed for use in single-track installations. The transmit frequencies for both systems are field-programmable. Both Model 2000 Motion Sensors are equipped with Safetran’s poorshunting detection software. Phone: 502-618-8800.

United Rentals Highway Technologies – Signs and barricades for grade-crossing reconstructions. From sign fabrication to railroad crossing closures, United Rentals offers a comprehensive line of traffic control www.rtands.com

Equipment & Materials Guide which operates on low-voltage a.c. or d.c. and Model 0666, operating on 120 volt a.c. Phone: 773-254-9600.

products and services for railroad customers. All signs and barricades are NCHRP-350 accepted and meet state specifications. Traffic control consulting services are also available. Phone: 630-932-4600. velcorp/gems®—GEMS introduces the “GOLD” series lamps, warranted for five years of continuous operation. Every lamp is tested for filament position and quality control. These lamps are in addition to the 12,000+-hour RS (rough service) series lamps for signaling and safety applications. In conjunction, GEMS has introduced GEMS sockets featuring a 10-year warranty. Phone: 904-230-2840. velcorp/gems®— Long-life, high-reliability railroad lamps for grade-crossing and gate-arm lights. A voltage rating of 8.8 volts satisfies FRA 85% lighting requirements. Lamp life is up to 7,000 hours. A 12-watt lamp that is as bright as an 18-watt lamp is available. Every lamp is inspected for filament position and tested to ensure quality control. Phone: 904-230-2840. velcorp/gems®—LED power-off indicator for use with the company’s Power Off Indicator housings is powered by the battery bus in the railroad bungalow and monitors the VAC input to the bungalow. Phone: 904-230-2840.

985-201 highw ay-crossing signals have a deep-dish design, external peep sight, new roundel, aluminum-coated-plastic reflector, and new lamp bracket. The 985201 light uses a combination of aluminum-coated-plastic reflector and a newly-designed 30-degree x 15-degree roundel to achieve unsurp ass e d light output with a standard 25-watt lamp. Even when the reflector becomes scra tc hed and dirty, it can out-perform most available crossing signal lights. The new lamp bracket, with set screw adjustment, permits easy foc using of the bulb. Complete ass emb lies can be ordered with all-alumin um mast, crossb uck, track sign, “stop-on-red sign al” sign, base, pinnacle, bell, flashing lights (now available with LEDs), backgrounds and light hoods. Both one- and two-way indication light assemblies are available, in 8-3⁄8in.- and 12-in.-diameter sizes. Other arrangem ents can be fur nished to meet particular requirements. Side lights are provided as well. Phone: 773-254-9600. Western-Cullen-Hayes, Inc.—A complete selection of grade-crossing signs includes an extruded aluminum crossbuck, a track number identification sign and a “stop-on-red signal” sign. All are aluminum for easy maintenance. Phone: 773-254-9600.

Vossloh/Global Rail Systems—The ATC series of crossing/warning train detection allows the application in difficult crossing scenarios. Its design allows for dependable detection in rusty rail applications, poor track conditions and does not require insulated joints. Directional and stick logic make this the choice for reliable crossing applications. Phone: 817-291-3478. Western-Cullen-Hayes, Inc.— The 12-in., flashing-light, Model www.rtands.com

Western-Cullen-Hayes, Inc.— Highway-crossing bell Model 0333 features an adjustable ringing rate, a condenser, improved intensity and a special locking feature that allows the bell cover to be secured with a standard AAR hex-nut wrench and a padlock. Both loud- and softtone hammers are available. All bell models are made with a castaluminum cover for easy access and all are adaptable to any signal, or can be mounted on the mast or wall. Also available is Model 0333-2,

Western-Cullen-Hayes, Inc.—Model 3597 Gate Mechanism is an innovation in crossing gate mechanism technology, which features a new motor and electronic gate monitor along with other improvements. The Model 3597 is protected from damage when a gate is knocked off, obstructed while powering up, pumping, or power to the mechanism is lost. Phone: 773-254-9600. Western-Cullen-Hayes, Inc.— Electronic highway crossing bell features volume and impulse rate adjustability. The Model 0777CFR incorporates a solid-state design with no moving parts. Allaluminum construction provides lightweight, maintenance-free operation. The bell operating circuit board features EP-ROM Memory, volume and impulse-per-minute rate adjusta ble on circuit board, readily-accessible, separate compartment for operating circuit board, two-post terminal strip in base and can mount to 5- or 4-in. mast. Phone: 773-254-9600. Western-Cullen-Hayes, Inc.—The “Gate Gard” adapter permits the gate arm to pivot with the impact of a motor vehicle and safely return to its normal horizontal position, even with 40-ft arms. The latch design of the “Gate Gard” reduces the violent rebound that some ordinary springloaded adapters can generate. Phone: 773-254-9600.

Fillers and fasteners Crown Steel Rail Co.—The Flangemaster is designed to provide a pro per flangeway and ensure a smooth crossing. It is adaptable to paved and industrial areas where tracks are installed. A rigid steel guard bar provides a smooth surface between tracks, so that rubber-tired or steelwheeled vehicles can cross without jolting or unnecessary bumping. It is suitable for use with concrete, asp halt or plank crossings. The system is simple in design, easy to install and reduces job and mainte-

nance costs. Installation requires only blocks and steel guard bar. Phone: 248-593-7100.

FAB-RA-CAST®—FAB-RA-FILLER™ bonds completely to the rail steel and to the panel regardless of its composition and retains its elasticity permanently. Because it is mixed on-site and poured in place, the material can be molded to provide a totally-flat running surface between the app roach panel and rail head. FAB-RAFILLER is a non-conductor, making it safe for use in signal territory to help isolate the rails. Phone: 248354-7185, 404-453-2617.

GKI Cutting Tools—Distributor of carbide bits for rail drilling tools. Repair of bit holders at a savings of 50% or more over cost of new holders. Phone: 815-459-2330.

HiRAIL Corp.—Rubber rail seal is designed to protect the rail and to provide a pre-formed flangeway throughout the crossing surface. Fitting snugly against the rail on both gauge and field sides, it provides a buffer between the asphalt and the rail. Its rubber composition can flex with heavy rail traffic. The rubber flexes with changing temperatures and repels road chemicals. Phone: 800-274-7245. International Track Systems, Inc.—ITS, Inc., Rubber Rail Seals are designed for easy installation and longevity. Our 70 Duro EPDM Rubber Rail Seals reduce harmful

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 39

Fillers and fasteners positive flangeway, which controls surface water runoff and prevents breakup of the asphalt or concrete at the rail interface. RailGuard can be produced for 90-lb to 141-lb rail sizes. RailG uard can be ins talled on either timber or concrete ties. Phone: 815-344-3100.

impact and vibration at the grade crossing and imp rove the overall quality of the crossing. Our FastCam Clamps are easy to install and tighten in seconds. Rail Seals available in all sizes.Phone: 724-658-5970. International Track Systems, Inc.—The Flangeway Filler Strip by ITS, Inc., eliminates the flangeway gap so industrial trucks can cross smoothly. The Flangeway Filler Strip also eliminates the safety hazard that a flangeway creates by preventing shoes, bike tires and debris from getting into the gap.The Flangeway Filler Strip compresses under the wheels of the rail vehicle and rebounds when it passes. Many shapes and sizes available. Custom orders accepted. Phone: 724-658-5970. Lewis Bolt & Nut Co.—Sealtite Dome Head Drive Spikes have a thin domeshaped head that eliminates counterboring, thus preventing excessive timber decay and rust, and reduces maintenance. Low profile adds to worker safety. The large-diameter head seals moisture away from spike shank and prevents rust, and the extra-large bearing surface holds tight. Installed with a pneumatic air tool or with a maul, the spikes are used to fasten highway-crossing planks. Phone: 800-328-3480. Lewis Bolt & Nut Co.—Speciallycoated, 5/8-in.- and 3⁄4-in.-diameter, Recessed-Head Timber Screws for crossing planks allow quick installation with standard tools. Pre-boring is recommended, but is not necessary, and the screws are available in various lengths with either round or square heads. Forged one-piece washerhead eliminates the need for separate washer and seals out moisture to prevent rust and wood decay. Phone: 800-328-3480. 40 Railway Track & Structures

Lewis Bolt & Nut Co.—Washerhead timber drive spikes are single-forged, which eliminates both the need for a separate washer and the corrosion that occurs between washer and head. The spikes can be driven with a maul or pneumatic spike driver, and can be removed with hand or power tools. The threads have excellent holding power, and the spikes are easily and quickly installed and removed. They are used in highwaycrossing planks and other timber structures. Phone: 800-328-3480.

Magnum Manufacturing Corp.— Rubber flange filler is a durable rubber placed in the flange to prevent dirt and debris from filling the crossing. The filler completely surrounds the flange with a thick rubber section and prevents rocks and other obstacles from being pressed into the flange area under train traffic. Fillers can be used on wood or concrete ties and on all rail sizes from 90 lbs to 136 lbs. These reusable flange fillers are designed for easy installation. Phone: 801-785-9700.

OMNI Products, Inc.—OMNI Virgin Rubber RailGuard™ (VRA) is made from 100% virgin rubber. RailGuard is used with asphalt or pour-inplace concrete. VRA protects the track structure by absorbing traffic impact loads, and provides a June 2014

Performance Polym ers Inc.— PPI Railseal profiles have been designed to provide a smooth tran sition between road surface and the rail-track structure. The rubber inserts are engineered to dampen vehicle loading and absorb energy at the rail interface. The profiles are manufactured from speciallyformulated rubber comp ounds designed specifically to prov ide outstanding performance and durability in the railroad crossing environment. Products are available in all rail sizes and fastening configurations or can be custom designed for specific requirements. Phone: 888-222-5968.

Polycorp Ltd. —ISO 9001 Registered, Epflex® Railseal Interface and Eplock II have revolutionized the asphalt crossing. Our patented Eplock II clips mean fast, safe, long-lasting crossings with increased structural integrity. Our broad product line allows for custom solutions for embedded rail problems. Extruded from virgin materials, Epflex Railseal Interface is available in all sizes and unconditionally guaranteed. Phone: 800265-2710. Rails Company—Grade-crossing rail anchors protect rails at grade crossings, industrial sidings and other areas requiring moderate longitudinal rail restraint. They minimize spike pull, tie wear and

unstable subgrade, which can result from vertical motion caused by train and highway traffic. A Rails Compression Rail Anchor acts as a spring, absorbing the vertical movement of the rails; two torque timber screws provide secure hold-down. The fasteners fit all rail sizes and install quickly with no pre-drilling required. Phone: 973-763-4320.

Ready Road Repair—This product is a ready-to-use asphalt paving/ patching material that is a durable, permanent and all-season asphalt that will perform equally well under wet or dry conditions. Following application, the crossing can be opened to traffic immediately. Available in 3-1⁄2-gallon pails and 55-gallon drums. Phone: 954-321-9661.

RFR Industries, Inc.—Complete grade-crossing packages utilizing the RFR Flange Insert System or the RFR Rail Seal System. The RFR Flange Insert System, featuring the POP-DOWN™ gauge insert, is used with full-depth conc rete panels or timber planks and is designed for new installations and retrofitting existing open flangeways. The RFR Flange Insert System fits 90-lb to 136-lb RE rail sections, and flangeway openings www.rtands.com

Equipment & Materials Guide of 2-1/2 ins., 2-3/4 ins., and 3 ins. The Rail Seal System is used with poured-in-place asp halt or concrete, and fits 90/100-lb, 115-lb and 133/ 136-lb RE rail sections. RFR Flangeway/Rail Sealants are anchor-adaptable, accommodate concrete- or timber-tie rail fasteners, require no special tools or equipment for installation, and no specific tie spacing for support and are connected at each joint to ensure a cons iste nt and precise seal between the rail and crossing panels. The RFR Flange Insert System and Rail Seal System can be produced in custom lengths up to a maximum of 40 ft, will accommodate any degree of track curvature and are maintenance-free and reusable. RFR Industries also designs and supplies flangewayrail sealant for uniq ue rail profile configurations and grade-crossing system applications and now carries ballast regulator broom elements. Phone: 972-875-1406.

Housings, foundations

Fabricated Metals LLC—Instrument houses and cases in steel, stainless steel, aluminum, galvanized steel, Corten can be custom designed/ manufactured to meet customers’ needs for grade-crossing products. Standard/optional items include air conditioners, vent fans, foundations, lighting, electrical outlets, racks, insulation. Track signs, flashing lights, miscellaneous signal gradecrossing products available. Phone: 502-363-2625. Precision Quincy Corp.—Manufacturing lightweight concrete,

stainless steel, galvanealed steel or aluminum equipment shelters constructed for rail applications. Standard sizes: 4’ x 4’ through 12’ x 50’. Modular designs available: up to 24’ x 50’. Options include: turnkey electrical, bullet-resistance, integrated foundation piers, powder coat paint and various aesthetic exteriors. Phone: 815-338-2675. PTMW, Inc.—From parts to total product manufacturing. A leading manufacturer of steel and alumi-

num signal/communication houses, cases and foundations custom designed to customer specifications. Powder coating and wiring capabilities available. WBE Certified. Phone: 785-232-7792. Siemens Rail Automation—A full line of instrument cases and houses are available to meet your needs for grade-crossing controls or any other purpose. Standard and optional items include surge panels, power wiring, ground-fault outlets, vent fans, lighting and convenience outlets, relay racks, insulation, foundations. Phone: 502-618-8800.

Did we miss you? If you have products that should be included in next year’s Grade-crossing Equipment & Materials Guide, let us know. Provide a brief description of about 50 words, giving the important specifications, data and performance characteristics of each item you submit. Provide one selected image, either in digital or in hard copy, of one of the items. More than one may be submitted, but RT&S typically limits the number of photos appearing to one per manufacturer per category. RT&S 2014 Grade-crossing Equipment & Materials Guide 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910, Chicago, IL 60603 Voice: 312-683-0130 • E-mail: jnunez@sbpub.com

www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 41

Grade-crossing surface data The information on pages 42-46 provides dimensional and structural data on highway grade-crossing surface materials, along with flangeway-filler material, available nationally. The data given are intended to help railway and highway engineers in their selection of appropriate materials for specific projects. American Concrete Shuntless Lag/ Lagless

American Concrete Shuntless PFW - Lag/ Lagless

Century Group Inc. Concrete Lag Type

Century Group Inc. Concrete Lagless

HiRAIL Full-Depth Rubber

Koppers Standard Timber

KSA Full-Depth Reinforced Concrete

LT Resources Endurance® XL Composite Crossing

LT Resources Endurance® XL PLUS Composite Crossing

Omega Lag-Down

Omega Non-Lag

OMNI Improved Concrete (ConcreteRubber)

8’6” w 9’0” w/c 10’0” w/c

8’-6”/W 9’-0”/W 10’-0”/W

9’-0”/W 10’-0”/W 10’-0”/C

8’-6”/W/C 9’-0”/W/C 10’-0”/W/C

8’0”/W 8’6”/W 9’0”/W

8’-6”/W/C 10’-0”/W 10’-0”/C

8’-6”/W/CP 9’-0”/W/CP 10’-0”W/CP

9’-0”/W 10’-0”/W

9’-0”/W/C 10’-0”/W/C 8’-3”/C

9’-0”/W/C or 10’-0”/W/C

19-1/2” or custom

18” or 19-1/2” 20”

18” or 20” 24”

18”

19-1/2”

19-1/2” or 24”

19-1/2” or custom

Maximum length of tie plates

As required

18”

16”

18”

Any

As required

18”

Any

5/8” x12” H5

3/4”x12”

N/A

N/R

As specified

A/S

Size of fasteners

As specified

Type of fasteners

T/optional

N/A

N/R

D, L,T

Fasteners furnished

Yes

N/A

N/R

Optional

Additional washers necessary

N/R

N/A

N/R

Additional washers furnished

N/R

N/A

# fasteners per tie - maximum

# fasteners per tie - average

Crossing pads predrilled

Spike holes countersunk Spike hole plugs furnished

Length of ties/type W=wood, C=concrete CP=composite

Tie spacing

18” or 19-1/2” 18” or 19-1/2” or 20” 19-3/16” or 24” C/W or 20” W 24” C

18” or 24”

As required

16”

As specified

3/4”x12”

N/A

3/4”x12”

N/A

Yes

N/A

Yes

N/A

N/R

N/A

N/R

N/A

N/R

N/A

Yes

N/A

N/R

As specified

Yes

N/A

Yes

N/A

N/R

As specified

Yes

N/A

Yes

N/A

N/R

As required

N/A

8’ 1 1/2” w 10’ w/c custom

8’ 1 1/2” 9’ 10’

9’ 10’

36”

8’-0”

8’ 1 1/2”

4’-12’

6’/8’/8’11/2”/9’/10’/ 12’

8’ or 9’

Length of field panels

8’ 1 1/2” w 10’ w/c custom

8’ 1 1/2” 9’ 10’

9’ 10’

36”

8’-0”

8’-0” 8’-1 1/2” 10’-0”

8’ 1 1/2”

4’-12’

6’/8’/8’11/2”/9’/10’/ 12’

Gauge pads # of pieces

Length of gauge panels

42 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

8’-0” 8’-1 1/2” 12’-0” 10’-0”

8’ or 9’

Conc. 1 Rubber 2

www.rtands.com

N/R N/A

= Not Required = Not Applicable

D = Washer head drive spikes L = Lag screws

+ LW 1

= At additional cost T = Timber screws = Lag screws with attached washer TW = Timber screws with attached washers = The degree of curve allowable is proportionable to the length of the crossing.

If a supplier of a nationally-available crossing surface wishes to update or correct any of the data for future revisions or include a product that has been omitted, send the relevant information to: RT&S Grade Crossing Data Sheet, 20 S. Clark Street, Ste. 1910, Chicago, IL 60603. (The material included is modeled on the format originally developed by Cliff Shoemaker, formerly Union Pacific’s director of industry and public projects, for UP’s Grade Crossing Surface Data Sheet.) OMNI Steel Reinforced

OMNI Heavy-Duty Virgin Rubber

OMNI Embedded ConcreteRubber

OMNI Tracast

Polycorp Ltd. Full-Depth Rubber

Polycorp Ltd. Concrete

Premier LRT Modular System

Premier Freight Modular System

Rail-Way Inc. Full-Depth Rubber

Rail-Way Inc. Concrete

9’-0”/W/C 10’-0”/W/C

N/R

8’-6”/W/C 9’-0”/W/C

9’0”/W/C 10’ 0”/W/C

N/R

8’-6”/W/C 9’-0”/W/C

9’0”/W/C 10’ 0”/W/C

N/A

18”

18” or 19 1/2”

N/A

18”

Stella-Jones StarTrack II Precast Corp. Concrete-HD Full-Panel Timber

StarTrack II Precast Concrete

Steel Crossing Inc.

TRANSPO® INDUSTRIES BODAN Level Crossing System

8’-6” 9’-0” 10’0”

8’-6”/W 9’-0”/W 10’/W

N/R N/R

8’-6”/W 9’-0”/W

18” or 19 1/2”

19-1/2”

N/A

19-1/2”

16”

As specified

N/A

16”

3/4”

3/4”x12”

As specified

N/A

3/4”x12”

Bolts

D,L,T

Pandrol

Yes

Optional

Yes

N/R

As specified

N/R

N/A

N/R

Y-Lock

N/R

As specified

N/R

N/A

Yes

N/A

Yes

N/A

Yes

N/A

Yes

N/A

Yes

As specified

N/A

Yes

N/A

Yes

N/A

Yes

N/A

N/R

36”

8’ or 8’11/2” or 9’ or 10’

6’ Conc. 6’ Rubber

36”

8’-1 1/2” or 9’0”

4’ or 8’

36”

8’-1 1/2” or 9’0”

8’-1-1/2”

60”

60”/90”/210”

72-1/2”

36”

8’ or 8’11/2” or 9’ or 10’

N/A

36”

8’-1 1/2” or 9’0”

4’ or 8’

36”

8’-1 1/2” or 9’0”

8’-1-1/2”

60”

60”/90”/210”

72-1/2”

Conc. 1 Rubber 2

8’-6”/W 9’-0”/W

8’-6”/W or 9’-0”/W or 10’-0”/w

18”

16”

N/A

16”

As specified

N/A

5/8”x 10-1/2”

3/4”x 7-1/2”

3/4”x 12”

3/4”

3/4”x12”

3/4”

Bolts

Yes

N/A

18” or 19-3/16” or 19-1/2” or 20” or 24”C

www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

Any

N/R

N/A

24”

24” or 48”

June 2014 43

Grade-crossing surface data LT Resources LT Resources EndurEndurance® ance® XL XL PLUS Composite Composite Crossing Crossing

American Concrete Shuntless Lag/ Lagless

American Concrete Shuntless PFW Lag/ Lagless

Century Group Inc. Concrete Lag Type

Century Group Inc. Concrete Lagless

HiRAIL Full-Depth Rubber

Koppers Standard Timber

KSA Full-Depth Reinforced Concrete

Depth of material

Full

Steel reinforced

Yes

Yes Grade 72

Yes

Tongue & groove design

Yes

Omega Lag-Down

Omega Non-Lag

OMNI Improved Concrete (ConcreteRubber)

Full

N/A

Yes

8’ 1 1/2” 3300#

3300#

575#

570#

3300# 5000#

525635#

755802#

34005100#

Rubber 185# 12’ Conc. 4500# 4’Conc.3400#

8’ 1 1/2” 1730#

1300#

1750#

230#

462#

1750# 2500#

350425#

495798#

18002700#

Rubber 185# 12’Conc. 2400# 9’Conc. 1800#

Shims furnished

N/A

N/R

Shim material

N/R

N/A

Shim fasteners furnished

N/R

N/A

Bearing pads recommended

As specified

N/A

Yes

As Specified

As Specified Wood Tie, Yes Concrete Tie

Yes

Bearing pads furnished

Optional

Yes

As Specified

If specified

Yes +

Header board required

N/A

Type of header material

N/A

Header material furnished

N/A

N/R

N/A

Maximum curve allowable

Any

20 +

630

Yes

N/A

End plates available

Yes

N/R

Yes

End plates furnished

Optional

N/A

Optional End Plates/Beveled Eds

Optional

Yes +

Gauge flangeway type/ Flangeway opening

Rubber

Attached Rubber

Rubber/ 2-1/2” or 3”

Timber/ 2-1/2”

Composite/ 3”

As Specified/ 3”

Composite/ 3”

2 1/2”ADA 3” main line

Rubber/ 2-3/4”

Yes

Weight of gauge panels

Weight of field panels

Can materials be ordered, cut or modified for use in switches?

Insulation/Rail Isolation

44 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

www.rtands.com

StarTrack II Precast Concrete

Steel Crossings Inc.

TRANSPO® INDUSTRIES BODAN Level Crossing System

Full (16”)

Full (14”)

Full

4”

Yes

570#

3500#

700#

10,400#

5’-6370# 7’-6”-9555# 17’-6”-22000#

475#

500#

4’-3500# 8’-7000#

225#

1400#

500#

With gauge (one piece)

400#

500#

N/R

N/A

N/R

N/A

N/R

N/A

N/R

N/A

N/R

N/A

N/R

As specified

Yes

As specified

Yes

N/A

Yes +

N/A

Optional

Yes

Optional

Yes

N/A

N/R

N/A

221

Any

221

Any

Yes

N/R

Yes

Yes+

Yes

Yes+

N/A

Yes

Rubber/ 2-3/4”

Rubber/ 3”

Rubber/ 2-3/4”

Rubber/ 2-1/2”

Rubber/ 2-3/4”

Rubber/ 2-1/2”

Rubber/ 2-3/4”

As specified

Concrete

As specified

Rubber

Yes

As specified

Yes

OMNI Steel Reinforced

OMNI Heavy-Duty Virgin Rubber

OMNI Embedded Concrete Rubber

OMNI Tracast

Polycorp Ltd. Full-Depth Rubber

Polycorp Ltd. Concrete

Premier LRT Modular System

Premier Freight Modular System

Rail-Way Inc. Full-Depth Rubber

Rail-Way Inc. Concrete

3”

Full

Yes

320#

555#

9’ - 3550# 12’ - 4730# Modular

6’Conc. 7000# 6’Rubber 150#

570#

3500#

4’-1500# 8’-3000#

8’6” 130# 9’ 160#

244#

9’ - 1870# 12’ - 2490#

N/A

225#

1400#

4’-3500# 8’-7000#

Yes

N/R

Wood

N/A

N/R

Yes

N/A

Yes

N/A

www.rtands.com

Conc/ Rubber/ Conc/ Rubber/ 2-1/2” 2-1/2”

Yes

Stella-Jones StarTrack II Precast Corp. Concrete-HD Full-Depth Timber

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 45

Flangeway-filler material data Polycorp

HiRAIL RS

OMNI Rail-Guard VRA

Performance Polymers Inc. RAILSEAL

Epflex Railseal

Rail-Way Inc.

RFR

Flange-Insert System

Rail-Seal System

RFR X-Trac System

TRANSPO® INDUSTRIES

Virgin material

Molded, virgin rubber

Extruded, virgin rubber

Extruded, virgin material

Molded, virgin material

90” & 96”

to 16’

Optimal=8’ Range=5-16’

to 15’

to 40’

Cut to length

Concrete panels

Poured-inplace concrete or asphalt

Poured-inplace concrete, or asphalt

Asphalt, poured concrete, concrete panels, timber panels

Poured-inplace concrete or asphalt, concrete panels, timber panels

Poured-inplace concrete or asphalt, concrete panels timber, panels

Concrete panels or timber planks

Poured-inplace asphalt or concrete

Precast concrete panels

Precast polymer concrete panels

Sections connected

Yes

Yes (Clipped)

Yes

Tie spacing

All

18” or 24”

All

Special tools required

Retrofit to existing crossings

Yes

Fasteners required

No (optional)

No (are available)

No (optional)

Usable with rail anchors

Yes

Adaptability to various rail fasteners

All

Yes

Century Type of material Lengths Types of crossing surfaces to be used with

Reusable

Virgin material 8’/9’/10’ Std. up to 40’

46 Railway Track & Structures

to 20’

June 2014

BODAN Level Crossing System

www.rtands.com

ports call on

rail investment The Port of Long Beach, the nation’s second busiest port, is well into the first of several rail projects aimed at adding capacity. by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

t ports across North America, you’ll see the usual big ships, stacks of containers and cranes. Trains are also becoming a much more frequent sight as ports are investing in rail infrastructure as an economical, ecofriendly and efficient way to move freight. California’s Port of Long Beach is the second-busiest seaport in the United States moving more then $180 billion worth of goods annually. The port is also pursuing greater use of ondock rail, which eliminates truck trips because it allows cargo containers to be rail-hauled directly to and from marine terminals. The port is more than halfway through construction of the first of several rail-focused projects that will enhance rail efficiency, expand on-dock rail capacity and are part of its overall modernization program. “The port has 100 miles of track that is crucial to the movement of cargo. The port is intent upon increasing the percentage of its containerized cargo that is transported by on-dock rail and as such, has been working to make improvements in the rail infrastructure to eliminate chokepoints and derailment hazards. Green Port Gateway is one of several rail projects planned for the port to add the capacity needed to accommodate additional rail traffic,” said Lee Peterson, media relations specialist with the Port of Long Beach. www.rtands.com

“The Green Port Gateway adds a much-needed third track to the route that connects the port’s Piers G, J and F to the region’s freight rail system. Where just two tracks had reached south to those important piers, there is now a third and this relieves what had been a chokepoint in the port’s rail system,” he said. The Green Port Gateway not only adds crucial on-dock rail capacity to the port, but also includes the realignment of railroad tracks and a road near Ocean Boulevard and will add a Pier F Rail Support Yard to serve the future Middle Harbor terminal, which will be expanded from 10,000 linear feet to 75,000. As an example of the capacity and efficiency the port will gain once the Green Port Gateway project is complete, the addition of a third track under Ocean Boulevard will allow the Metro Ports bulk-loading facility on Pier G to perform switching operations without affecting mainline traffic. Peterson says workers demolished and removed existing tracks, are laying 29,000 linear feet of new tracks, building 6,000 linear feet of retaining walls and shifting a heavily-traveled roadway to accommodate the additional rail line. The project is due to be completed by early 2015. “The challenge was to rebuild and improve a rail line that must continue to operate to allow the flow of cargo. In addition, the project required the shifting of a roadway that must Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 47

port of long beach

Opening page and this page: Crews work to complete the Green Port Gateway Project, the first of several rail-related projects planned at the Port of Long Beach over the next few years aimed at maximizing the port’s on-dock rail capacity. Photos courtesy of the Port of Long Beach.

“Where just two tracks had reached south to those important piers, there is now a third and this relieves what had been a chokepoint in the port’s rail system.” be kept open for the same reason. Construction managers are working with terminal operators and railroad operators to time the project in order to reduce the impact on the flow of cargo,” said Peterson.

48 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

On that note, Peterson mentions communication between all stakeholders as a key element to the project’s successful completion. “Coordination and communication among the program manager, construction manager, contractor, terminals and railway operator are the factors that will contribute to the success of the project,” said Peterson. The project is being constructed in part with state and federal transportation funds. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) III program provided $17 million and California’s Prop. 1B transportation measure provided $31.75 million toward the $83.7-million project. The Green Port Gateway is the first of four rail construction projects underway or scheduled to begin over the next year to enhance on-dock rail. It’s also part of the San Pedro Bay Ports Rail Enhancement Program, which includes several projects by the Port of Long Beach, the Port of Los Angeles and the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority. Another project in the port’s rail enhancement plan is the Pier B Rail Yard. According to HDR, Inc., who is providing engineering services for the yard, the project entails realigning B Street to accommodate new yard tracks; constructing approximately 80,000 feet of track; designing classification yard facilities and/or a potential Near Dock ICTF Facility and conducting feasibility studies, alternative analysis and preliminary engineering for potential grade separations. In support of the port’s Green Port Policy, HDR is also performing design and technology studies. HDR says sustainable design will be an integral part of overall facility planning, design, operation and maintenance.

www.rtands.com

AREMA NEWS Professional Development Upcoming seminars

Message from the President

Recently By Joe Smak

Introduction to practical railway engineering July 7-9, 2014 Montreal, Canada Registration is open

Bridge inspection & streambed scour seminar August 4-7, 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 54 to find a listing of all seminars being held in conjunction with the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition. www.rtands.com

Joe Smak AREMA President 2013-2014

Recently, I had the oppor tunity to visit the new AREMA Headquarters at 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 130, Lanham, Md., 20706. I was truly impressed, as we now have an office facility suitable for the world class organization that we operate today. It is located near our former offices, but from the AREMA logo on the front of the building, to the offices, to the storage rooms, our new headquarters now fits our operation. Each staff member has an office with suitable space, storage for all the publications, a mail room/work room, a lunch room and an impressive conference room. We have access to a larger meeting room in the office complex, as well as a fitness center. The computer room is state-of-the-art and a back-up generator was installed to keep the office functional during power outages that happen all too often. The office is close to the New Carrollton train station, accessible via Amtrak, MARC and Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority trains. This new location for AREMA will keep our organization running well into the future. But the AREMA staff is truly what keeps the organization running well. Chuck Emely, our executive director and chief executive officer, leads AREMA in a most professional manner. Beth Caruso, director of administration, assists Chuck with the many, many administrative duties and helps keep me straight with my duties at the same time. Vickie Fisher, director of finance, handles all of the financial dealings for AREMA. Stacy Spaulding, director of committees and technical services, handles all the committee work and the technical publications. Janice Clements, director of membership and information systems, keeps records of our 6,500 members and other AREMA information. Desirée Knight is the director of conferences and seminars and she does a fantastic job of organizing and running the annual conference and other AREMA meetings. Lindsay Hamilton, the newest member of the staff, is the manager of marketing and communications. She quickly picked up the handling of all the business dealings with our customers and sponsors. Christy Thomas is the events manager and she does a fine job in dealing with all of the AREMA events and handling sales of booth space for our popular exposition. Allison Kolwicz is the executive assistant and she helps keep the entire office running smoothly. I can’t say enough about the AREMA staff and I can’t thank them enough. So far, they have made my presidency a fantastic experience. When you are at the annual conference, make sure you meet them and thank them for all their hard work. Recently, I also had the opportunity to speak to the Penn State Altoona Student Chapter. Professor Hai Huang asked me to address the students and I also had a meeting with the chancellor of the campus, Lori Bechtel-Wherry, and with the head of the division of Business and Engineering, Barbara Wiens-Tuers. I told the students about AREMA and how the organization could help them in their career path. I also spoke about how railroads decide on their work programs, what basic information they use to develop their programs, Continued on page 50 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 49

AREMA NEWS

2014 Upcoming Committee Meetings June 26 Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization June 26-27 Committee 24 - Education & Training Aug. 11-12 Committee 1 - Roadway & Ballast

Newark, NJ Omaha, NE New York, NY

Aug. 13-14 Committee 7 - Timber Structures Sept. 4-5 Committee 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations Sept. 16-17 Committee 15 - Steel Structures

Portland, OR Denver, CO New Orleans, LA

Committee meetings being held in conjunction with AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition can be found at www.arema.org. Negotiated airline discount information for AREMA Committee Meetings can be found online at http://www.arema.org/meetings/airlines.aspx.

FYI…

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. Please see the alert announcement on this page warning exhibitors about the telephone and e-mail scam. AREMA has reserved a block of rooms at both the Hilton Chicago and The Palmer House Hilton Hotel to accommodate the guests of the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition being held September 28 October 1 in Chicago, Ill. We are now SOLD OUT at the Hilton Chicago, but there are still rooms available at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel. To register for the conference and book a discounted hotel room, please visit www. arema.org, as rooms are quickly filling up. Interested in gaining company recognition and building awareness? Think about sponsorship for the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition. P lease conta ct L inds ay Ham i l t on at lhamilton@arema.org or +1.301.459.3200, ext. 705, for more information.

Continued from page 49 and explained some of the sophisticated maintenance-of-way equipment that is used to perform that work. They all came to the presentation wearing their Penn State Altoona AREMA polo shirts, proud to be student chapter members. This is a unique group of individuals, very bright, with a passion for the railroad industry. They will go far in their careers and I am honored to be associated with them. Recently, I also attended the Wheel Rail Interaction Conference in Henderson, Nev. I was asked by Gordon Bachinsky to be the keynote speaker and I spoke to the group about AREMA’s involvement in wheel/rail interface. I gave an update on our organization and I also spoke about AREMA’s role in wheel/rail issues. I also co-presented with Martin Schroeder from American Public Transportation Association on a new initiative between the two organizations to review and develop best practices for the transit and commuter agencies, involving both infrastructure and passenger equipment. The conference was a success and I congratulate the Wheel Rail Seminar on its 20th Anniversary. Recently, there was a fair amount of AREMA activity; there were committee meetings and seminars that were held. This activity carries over into June, with more committee meetings and seminars scheduled. Support the committee meetings, support the seminars and webinars, support the upcoming AREMA Annual Conference and Exposition and by doing so, you support AREMA. Unitil next time, be safe in all you do.

AREMA’s Official Facebook Page Become a fan of the official AREMA Facebook Page and stay up-to-date on the most recent AREMA information. The Official AREMA LinkedIn Group Join the official AREMA LinkedIn Group by visiting www.linkedin.com and searching groups for “American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association.” 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 June specials for discounts on career postings.

Not an AREMA Member? Join today at www.arema.org 50 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

www.rtands.com

Getting to know Al Goff Each month, AREMA features one of our committee chairs. We are pleased to announce that the June featured chair is Al Goff, chair of Committee 12 - Rail Transit. AREMA: Why did you decide to choose a career in railway engineering? GOFF: I became interested in railway engineering as a teenager when my older brother, Bill, took me to visit the Connecticut Trolley Museum. He worked for the Penn Central Railroad in the signal department, so I was immersed in railway track and signal design and construction at an early age. My brother retired from CSX in March after 44 years railroad service in the Signal Department. AREMA: How did you get started? GOFF: I worked for local railroad track contractors in Connecticut and Massachusetts during high school and college. Then, in 1975, I started with the Penn Central Railroad Signal Department, followed by Conrail. I was among those conveyed from Conrail to Amtrak in May 1976 where I worked for another 14 years in Amtrak’s excellent Engineering Department in Communications and Signals, with eight years as a C&S Supervisor in New Haven. As general chairman for the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on portions of Amtrak, Conrail and Metro-North Railroad, I worked with other union and industry leaders in Washington, D.C., to support the Staggers Act of 1980, which deregulated the railroad industry and replaced the regulatory conditions that existed since the 1880s. Everyone involved at the time knew this was a battle we had to fight to save the railroad industry. AREMA: How did you get involved in AREMA and your committee? GOFF: In 1990, I accepted a signal consulting position with Gibbs and Hill, the railroad engineering firm established in 1911 that designed the overhead catenary system between New York and Washington, D.C., and also the classic GG-1 electric locomotive, named after George Gibbs. I was active in Association of American Railroads' Committee D, Grade Crossings and AREMA Committee 12 and joined AREMA Committee 39 - Positive Train Control when it was formed. AREMA: Outside of your job and the hard work you put into AREMA, what are your hobbies? GOFF: In my case, my hobby led to an enjoyable and worthwhile career. AREMA President Joe Smak made a great comment about training others in the September 2013 RT&S that “it is time for me to pay back for all the opportunities that I have had in my career.” I agree with Joe and particularly enjoy working with individuals interested in learning railway engineering, as I did from many mentors. AREMA: If you could share one interesting fact about yourself with the readers of RT&S, what would it be? GOFF: Since 2008, I have enjoyed co-managing the LinkedIn Amtrak Alumni Group, which now includes more than 800 former and current Amtrak employees from all www.rtands.com

Al Goff Chair, Committee 12 - Rail Transit Director, Rail Systems Engineering, URS Corporation; Program Manager, MBTA High Speed Rail & Commuter Rail Projects

departments. I often get e-mail from Amtrak alumni who reconnect with people they formerly worked closely with,and also dispatchers and others we talked to by phone for years, but never had a chance to meet. Our group grows monthly and provides a great way to stay in touch. Many of us are also part of AREMA’s LinkedIn group. AREMA: What is your biggest achievement? GOFF: Having two great sons. Bryan and his wife, Megan, live busy lives in New York City, are UConn Alumni and Husky fans. Chris and his wife, Katie, live in Massachusetts and also lead very busy lives with sons Cristian and Finn. Family is everything. AREMA: What advice would you give to someone who is trying to pursue a career in the railway industry? GOFF: Consider volunteer ing at one of the many operating railway museums to lear n the basics of railroading in a hands-on environment. If you have an interest in railroad civil or structural engineering, find a college program that includes a railroad curriculum. Signal engineering is largely still a learn-on-the-job discipline, but there are some alternatives. In college, join or start an AREMA Student Chapter. Learning is a continuous experience regardless of age. This is an exciting time to be in the railway industry. It has and will continue to offer job stability, advancement options and an enjoyable lifetime career. Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 51

AREMA NEWS

AREMA student chapter highlight: Carolina Railway Enthusiasts When was this AREMA Student Chapter established? The AREMA student chapter, better known as the Carolina Railway Enthusiasts, was established in April 2012, by six juniors all in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. The very first AREMA meeting included 29 guests, not including chapter officers and an immediate membership commitment from 11 students. How many members does this student chapter currently have? After two academic years, the Carolina Railway Enthusiasts grew from 11 undergraduate student members to 61 active members comprised of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral candidate students from three different departments, including Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and the International School of Business Administration. Who is your chapter president? The current president of our chapter is Kristina Izett. Kristina is the second president of this student chapter and has not only increased membership by 56 percent, but raised the student chapter budget by successfully raising more than $400 in fundraising events. Has this student chapter had any recent exciting events that you would like to share? On April 11, members of the Carolina Railway Enthusiasts took a field trip to the local Harsco Rail facility. Harsco Rail develops

and builds equipment for maintenance-of-way operations, such as tampers and grinders. Do you have any upcoming events? Our chapter does not have any events planned for the summer due to the large number of members traveling away for internship positions and study abroad, but in the fall of

Michael Zucker of UP selected as the first Watford fellow The AREMA Educational Foundation, in cooperation with the U.S. Committee to the Watford Group of International Railway Designers, has selected Michael Zucker, PE, program manager of terminal design at Union Pacific, as its first Watford fellow to represent AREMA at the annual Watford International Design Conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands, this October. Zucker will be making a presentation on the UPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new intermodal facility in Santa Teresa, N.M. He also serves as the secretary of AREMA Committee 14 - Yards and Terminals. The four-day conference includes field trips and presentations by the attendees in all aspects of railway planning and design with an emphasis on buildings, bridge and tunnel structures and corporate identity. Dr. Charles Emely, 52 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

AREMA Foundation executive director, said, "We are very pleased to work with the Watford Group on this major effort to advance the early career development of AREMA members under the auspices of the foundation." The goals of the Watford Fellowship are twofold: To broaden professional horizons of early career railroaders while enabling them to carry the AREMA brand internationally and to add new members to the U.S. Watford Committee that can carry on the tradition of Watford Conference participation and the educational benefits that accrue. The Watford Group is one of the very few global organizations that integrate all aspects of rail transportation under the umbrella of "good design is good business." The Watford Group was created in

this year, we will kick off the year with the Annual AREMA Conference in Chicago, lll. Other events to follow will include a movie night, another field trip to Harsco Rail, a field trip to the Port of Charlestonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Intermodal facility and volunteer work with the South Carolina Railroad Museum.

1963 by British Railways to encourage the exchange of ideas and promote design excellence among its operating regions; other countries were invited to join and, subsequently, more than 20 nations are now eligible to send delegates to the annual Watford Conference. The U.S. Watford Committee welcomes participation by railway professionals committed to quality design in railway transportation to be a part of the U.S. Delegation. For more information, including how to receive an invitation to the 2014 conference, contact Cesar Vergara, U.S. chairman at 203-244-5309 or Watford@vergarastudio.com. The AREMA Educational Foundation is a tax-exempt charitable organization established by AREMA to provide scholarships, fellowships and other educational opportunities in the railway engineering field. www.rtands.com

Professional Development

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

Upcoming online seminars

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.

Introduction to pipe ramming method of culvert installation and replacemet August 13 Presented by: Robert E. Harr and Alan Goodman  HammerHead Trenchless Equipment  Railway electrification: an introduction and overview October 22 Presented by: Michael N. Lewis, Parsons Brinckerhoff (retired) and George S. Pristach, NE Region Manager, PB Transit & Rail Systems, Inc. New Paradigm for transportation infrastructure funding November 18 Presented by: Chuck Pineda, Trans Infra PPP, LLC

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 53

54 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

www.rtands.com

PRODUCTS

Continuous-action machine

Plasser & Theurer now offers its Unimat 09-4x4/4S, a universal tamping unit. Four-rail tamping and three-rail lifting for tracks and turnouts make up the new machine. Single crosstie tamping technology has been integrated in the new machine and lower axle loads enable a wider range of application. The universal tamping machine is said to achieve lasting geometrical stability due to complete tamping of the turnout. Plasser & Theurer developed various technologies including laterally displaceable and pivoting tamping units and individually tilting tamping tines and hand lifting and lining units, as well as lifting hooks. The Unimat 09-4x4/4S is equipped with measuring systems, such as the CAL curve laser used to extend the measuring base even in curves. The WIN-ALC automatic guiding computer is said to guarantee full control of the measuring systems during operation. A data recording processor can be used for evaluating the measuring and work graphs using clearance and acceptance lines instead of evaluation templates and/or introduction of exception lists and it is possible to transfer measuring and work graphs, as well as measured data electronically. A clearly laid out menu guide via touch screens and universal operating units allow central access to all machine functions. For important main functions, additional operating controls are integrated in the armrests for faster and safer operation. Phone: 757-543-3526.

High-capacity cable tray

Snake TrayÂŽ has introduced its hand bendable Mega Snake to bend around obstacles. Mega Snake is the preconfigured high-capacity overhead cable tray that comes in straights, turns and Ts and was designed to make installation quick and cost effective. Mega Snakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design can convey thousands of cables for large cable runs. Snake Rail, a builtin suspension system, requires no brackets and allows for random placement of the hanging rod system. Snake Rail can interface with other size Snake Trays, as well as patch panels, strain relief and fiber optic pass over devices. Onsite fabrication of turns, Ts and cross sections are not required with the premanufactured components. Phone: 800-308-6788. www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 55

CALENDAR JUNE 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. 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. 30-July 2. AAR Damage Prevention & Freight Claim Conference. Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel. Orlando, Fla. Website: www.regonline.com/DPFC2014. JULY 14-15. Midwest Association of Rail Shippers. Grand Geneva Resort. Lake Geneva, Ill. Website: www. mwrailshippers.com. 27-Aug. 2. 5th Annual Summer Youth Program in Rail and Intermodal Transportation. Michigan Technological University. Houghton, Mich. Contact: David Nelson. E-mail: dannelso@mtu.edu. Website: www.rail.mtu.edu/ summer_youth.html. 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. 26-27. 2nd Annual Michigan Rail Conference. John Lewis Center, Macomb Community College. Warren, Mich. Contact: David Nelson. Phone: 906-487-1734. E-mail: 906487-1734. Website: www.rail.mtu.edu/mi-rail-conf. SEPTEMBER 14-16. American Association of Railroad Superintendents 118th Annual Meeting. Union League Club of Chicago. Chicago, Ill. Contact: Carrie Foor. Phone: 331-643-3369. E-mail: aars@supt.org. Website: www.supt.org. 14-16. ASLRRA Eastern Region Meeting. Hershey Lodge. Hershey, Pa. Contact: Jenny Bourque. Phone: 202-628-4500. E-mail: jbourque@aslrra.org. Website: www.aslrra.org. 23-26. InnoTrans 2014. Messe Berlin Convention Center. Berlin, Germany. Phone: +49(0)30 3038-2376. E-mail: innotrans@messe-berlin.de. Website: 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. 56 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

www.rtands.com

Ad Index Company

Phone #

Fax#

American Concrete Products Co., Inc. 02-339-3670 Amsted RPS 913-345-4807 AREMA Marketing Department 301-459-3200 Century Group Inc. 800-527-5232 ext.118 Dixie PreCast 770-944-1930 GENSCO America, Inc. 416-465-7521 HiRAIL Corporation 800-274-7245 Hougen Manufacturing, Inc. 866-245-3745 Industry-Railway Suppliers, Inc. 630-766-5708 Koppers Inc. 412-227-2739 L.B. Foster Co. 412-928-3506 Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. 763-478-6014 LT Resources, Inc. 800-440-1517 Neel Company, The 703-913-7858 North American Rail Products Inc. 604-946-7272 Oldcastle/Startrack Sales 888-965-3227 Omega Industries, Inc. 360-694-3221 OMNI Products, Inc. 815-344-3100 PortaCo, Inc. 218-236-0223 Progress Rail Services Corp. 800-476-8769 Racine Railroad Products 262-637-9681 RAILCET 866-724-5238 Railway Educational Bureau, The 402-346-4300 Railway Tie Association 770-460-5553 RailWorks Corporation 866-905-7245 Schenck Process 262-473-2441 Stella-Jones Corporation 800-272-8437 Transpo速 Industries, Inc. 914-636-1000

402-339-3836 913-345-4818 301-459-8077 800-887-2153 770-944-9136 416-465-4489 319-455-2914 800-309-3299 412-227-2841 412-928-3512 763-478-2221 281-444-1517 703-913-7859 888-692-1150 303-794-4297 360-694-3882 815-344-5086 218-233-5281 256-593-1249 262-637-9069 217-522-6588 402-346-1783 770-460-5573 952-469-1926 262-473-4384 412-894-2846 914-636-1282

e-mail address

Page #

bhutchinson@enterprise-properties.com jstout@amstedrps.com marketing@arema.org railroad@centurygrp.com fbrown142@aol.com info@genscoequip.com info@hirail.com info@trak-star.com cslater@industryrailway.com ambrosegf@koppers.com glippard@lbfosterco.com sales@loram.com info@ltresources.com btemple@neelco.com cerhart@narailproducts.com jim.baker@oldcastle.com omegaxings@aol.com bcigrang@omnirail.com info@portaco.com info@progressrail.com custserv@racinerailroad.com grif1020@yahoo.com bbrundige@sb-reb.com ties@rta.org jrhansen@railworks.com mktg@schenckprocess.com kdulski@stella-jones.com info@transpo.com

46 48 Cover 3 46 29 10 22 6 23 24 4 Cover 2 27 7 9 25 26 28 17 19 5 8 55, 56 2 Cover 4 9 15 29

Reader Referral Service This section has been created solely for the convenience of our readers to facilitate immediate contact with the RAILWAY TRACK & STRUCTURES advertisers in this issue. The Advertisers Index is an editorial feature maintained for the convenience of readers. It is not part of the advertiser contract and RT&S assumes no responsibility for the correctness.

Advertising Sales general sales OFFICE Jonathan Chalon Publisher (212) 620-7224 55 Broad St., 26th Fl. Fax: (212) 620-7224 New York, NY 10014 jchalon@sbpub.com CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, NC, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA, WV, Canada Quebec and East, Ontario Mark Connolly (212) 620-7260 55 Broad St., 26th Fl. Fax: (212) 633-1863 New York, NY 10014 mconnolly@sbpub.com AL, AR, IN, KY, LA, MI, MS, OH, OK, TN, TX Emily Guill (312) 683-5021 20 South Clark St. Fax: (312) 683-0131 Ste. 1910 Chicago, IL 60603 eguill@sbpub.com

www.rtands.com

AK, AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MN, MO, MT, NE, NM, ND, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WI, WY, Canada -足AB, BC, MB, SK Heather Disabato (312) 683-5026 20 South Clark St. Fax: (312) 683-0131 Ste. 1910 Chicago, IL 60603 hdisabato@sbpub.com Australia, Austria, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Scandinavia, South Africa, Spain, Worldwide Recruitment Steven Barnes Suite K5 &K6 The Priory +44-1444-416375 Syresham Gardens Fax: +44-1444-458185 Haywards Heath, RH16 3LB United Kingdom sb@railjournal.co.uk

Africa, Britain, Eastern Europe, Far East, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, Middle East, South America, Rail Tenders, all others. Louise Cooper Suite K5 &K6 The Priory +44-1444-416917 Syresham Gardens Fax: +44-1444-458185 Haywards Heath, RH16 3LB United Kingdom lc@railjournal.co.uk Italy & Italian-speaking Switzerland

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

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

Railway Track & Structures

June 2014 57

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 Products and services

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

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

Grapple Trucks Magnets & Self Propelled

• Storm and flood cleanup and debris removal • Tie distribution and removal

K. W. Reese, Inc.

Box 298 • Mercersburg, PA 17236

Section Trucks Telescoping & Articulating Cranes

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

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

and many more truck configurations...

2013 NRC SAFETY AWARD GOLD MEDAL WINNER

Track Maintenance Trucks

Get the inside scoop on and off the track

877-888-9370

ASPENEQUIPMENT.COM/RAIL

RT&S2013revAd.indd 1

2/12/13 2:57 PM

Rail Brief: The Weekly RT&S E-mail Newsletter Subscribe at: www.rtands.com/RailBrief 58 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014

www.rtands.com

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

June 2014 59

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT

   

Wayne Daye

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 60 Railway Track & Structures

June 2014