RT&S August 2019

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SOUND State of Washington’s transit project is largest in the U.S.

Bigger, more complicated

August 2019 | www.rtands.com

New equipment comes with new challenges

The right chemistry

Rail welding needs to keep up with rail steels

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Ballast maintenance more important than ever

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 1

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contents

August 2019

FEATURES

12

A beautiful sound The state of Washington’s Sound Transit has the money in place and is working on the largest project in the country.

16

Bigger, more complicated New equipment that is supposed to make life easier at the jobsite are more complex to operate.

12 NEWS

4

Streamlining TTCI’s test track

Working with concrete ties on the Sound Transit project in the state of Washington.

Story on page 12.

DEPARTMENTS

6 34

Cover photo credit: Sound Transit

44 Follow Us On Social Media Railway Track & Structures @RTSMag

40 43 43

TTCI Finding ways to define, develop Big Data AREMA News Message from the President, Board of Directors nominees, Getting to Know, and more Last Stop Part 2 of FTA-assigned PMOCs Classifieds Advertising

20

The right chemistry Rail welds have to match new rail steels.

28

Bedrock of railroading Ballast maintenance more important than ever following severe flooding.

Columns

3

On Track Be sure not to be late

Advertisers Index Sales Representatives

Railway Track & Structures

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August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 1

FOUR TEAMS. ONE GOAL: T U R N I N G DATA I N TO A C T I O N A B L E I N T E L L I G E N C E W E ’ R E A S S E M B L I N G S O M E O F T H E B R I G H T E S T M I N D S I N T H E I N D U S T RY TO D E V L E O P N E X T - G E N E R AT I O N R A I L S O LU T I O N S TO K E E P YO U O N T R AC K .

D I S C OV E R O U R I N N OVAT I O N S AT I N T E R C H A N G E B O OT H # 1619

On Track

Be sure not to be late Vol. 115, No. 8 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 Bill WILSON Wilson Editor-in-Chief wwilson@sbpub.com David KyraC. Senese Lester Managing Editor ksenese@sbpub.com dlester@sbpub.com Bob Tuzik Consulting Editor btuzik@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES 55 Broad St 26th Fl. New York, N.Y. 10004 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. President and Chairman Jonathan Chalon Publisher Mary Conyers Production Director Nicole D’Antona Art Director Hillary Coleman Aleza Leinwand Graphic Designer Maureen Cooney Circulation Director Michelle Zolkos Conference Director Customer Service: 800-895-4389 Reprints: PARS International Corp.

253 West 35th Street 7th Floor New York, NY 10001 212-221-9595; fax 212-221-9195 curt.ciesinski@parsintl.com

I

f I were to sit alone in the car, nobody would join me.

This is why I would never try this tactic, not with any of my three kids.

None of us are on the same clock.

When it is time to be somewhere, I am the one who is on time while the others are a few minutes behind. Then comes the shouting.

“AIDAN, LET’S GO!” Seconds pass.

“AIDAN!” More seconds pass. “AIDAN?!?”

“What? I’m coming, geez,” is the typical response from my 13-year-old.

No, when it comes to the big hand on the clock, we are never in sync, and if I were to just walk out the door at the time we were supposed to leave I would not have anyone right behind me.

On Aug. 6, Union Pacific will roll out its intermodal terminal reservation system (ITR) with its West Coast terminals.

Truckers who are late or do not cancel will be fined. Customers will be charged $25 for canceling a reservation less than 24 hours before gate cutoffs at terminals and $50 for missing an appointment. UP’s two-tiered approach to enforcing terminal demurrage will be history. For smaller Tier 2 intermodal ramps, which do not operate seven days a week, truckers will have 48 hours to cancel or miss the delivery entirely. Under the new reservation system, demurrage will be levied after 24 hours and the fine will be $100 a day up to six days. After six days the fine is doubled to $200.

Every story I post online I also transfer over to our social media pages, and I love

it when readers respond. When I posted the UP story one reader asked if the railroad company was going to be penalized if it was late with a delivery. According to Union Pacific, if the tables are turned the trucking company will get a $100 credit towards a future fine.

Precision scheduling is the cause behind UP’s new and strict approach, and I have to agree with the Class I freight carrier. New efficiencies have yielded very positive results, and the momentum must be maintained. If precision scheduling is going to work, everyone needs to be doing their part to stay on time.

Rail freight carriers can no longer afford containers to pile up at terminals, and truckers can no longer deal with frustrating wait times. Everyone’s time is money.

If the railroad company is the late one it should be facing the same punishment.

A credit towards a future fine does not work in this scenario. The rules and fines should be universal.

Since the expansion of the Panama Canal, goods have been pouring into U.S. ports at a record pace, and the line is only going to hit terminals faster with heavier volumes. Rail freight carriers and truckers need to be on the same page, not different chapters.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to take someone to practice. “AIDAN?!”

Bill Wilson Editor-in-Chief

Railway Track & Structures (Print ISSN 0033-9016, Digital ISSN 2160-2514), (USPS 860-560), (Canada Post Cust. #7204564; Agreement #40612608; IMEX P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Canada) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 55 Broad St. 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices.

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August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 3

Streamlining

TECH TRAINS

The Railroad Test Track at the Transportation Technology Center, Inc., in Pueblo, Colo., is a 13.5-mile loop. The loop is equipped with a rail break detection and switch indication system.

4 Railway Track & Structures // August 2019

rtands.com

Streamlining

For the latest industry news, go to www.rtands.com.

If you would like to contribute a photo to the Streamlining section please send a high-res version to Bill Wilson at wwilson@sbpub.com.

Photos must be no more than a month old.

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August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 5

TTCI r&D

TTCI finds ways to define, develop Big Data Aim is to create data-driven reports Silvia Galván-Núñez, Ph.D., Senior Engineering Data Analyst Tony Sultana, Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Principal Investigator Gary Fry, Ph.D., P.E., AVP Research and Development Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI)

T

ransportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) is researching ways to define, develop and implement Big Data Analytics (BDA) tools for application to railway infrastructure. The current aim of these efforts is use of BDA to create data-driven reports needed by decision-makers who commit resources in support of track inspection and maintenance.

One of the benefits of BDA is the ability to develop data query tools that generate model-based, predictive reports of future system performance based on current system condition. This often is called predictive analytics.

To successfully implement predictive analytics in the context of railway infrastructure, it is important to clearly identify and understand the technology resources available and how ready they are to be implemented. This article is an introduction and overview to a predictive analytics vision in the context of railway track infrastructure.

Predictive Analytics Vision BDA refers to a comprehensive, computerbased system for working with large and dissimilar collections of digitized data. For more than 20 years, TTCI’s Big Data team has provided data solutions in answer to diverse railway infrastructure and vehiclerelated projects. Under the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Strategic Research Initiative (SRI), TTCI is combining efforts to achieve a predictive analytics vision. The goal of this vision is enhanced, systemwide network reliability and it is formulated in a set of components that ultimately will help answer specific questions 6 Railway Track & Structures // August 2019

associated with current track condition and future performance (Figure 2).

The first component is identification and characterization of data streams and continuous generation of data from different sources. Data collected by track geometry cars, rail ultrasonic or phased array systems, among others, produce massive amounts of data. Other data streams, such as weld inspections, maintenance data collection and locomotive camera information, may provide insights into patterns not observable in the other data streams.

The second component is referred to the data lake and it can be defined as a repository that stores data in its native format (or as is). 1,2 It also has the capability to add structure to the data that can be used for processing algorithms.2 For example, track geometry data could be stored as foot-by-foot measurements, with or without being aligned over time.

The third component corresponds to processing algorithms. These methods can vary from exploratory data analysis (EDA) methods, statistical analysis, machine learning, deep learning, and operations research, among others.

The selection of these algorithms depends on the type of question that needs to be answered. The fourth component consists of reporting the findings from the processing algorithms. Visualization tools, including graphics or tables that summarize the findings without losing information and while reducing bias in the results is important to support the decision-making process.

Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is a classification system that provides indications of the state of development and transitioning of technology from an initial concept phase to commercialization and use.3 Five essential tools are required to implement a predictive analytics system in support of resource allocation decision-making for railway asset management. These tools reside in different regions of the TRL classification system. A widely adopted form of the TRL system is presented in Figure 3 where these five tools are plotted on the diagram in their estimated regions.

Definitions of each tool and technology readiness level also are included. As shown

in Figure 3, the first four tools, located on TRLs 7 to 9, generally are supported by mature and widely available and deployed technology. The fifth resides at a much lower level—the boundary between research and development.

Cloud computing: This technology manages and streams data across multiple server and storage systems. This tool allows central data management. Cloud computing resources are supported by mature and broadly adopted technology.

Digital data collection, transmission, and recording using automated and manual systems: This technology generates and transmits data to storage systems.

In general, digital data collection, transmission, and recording is supported by mature and broadly adopted technology.

Application-specific development often is required, however, especially for systems that generate data.

Data quality control, storage, processing, and management: This technology is the fundamental framework that allows data storing, processing and management.

There exists mature hardware, firmware, and software technology as well as a mature profession and formal academic programs of study in data science.

Data analysis software: This technology often is described as scripts that execute queries against asset, measurement, and event data. Among other tasks, these scripts are intended to marshal data alignment and perform supervised and unsupervised learning. There exist mature professional and formal academic programs of study in data science.

Railway asset condition and trending databases and predictive models: Development and full-featured deployment of this technology is contingent on three requirements: 1) Data quality and relevance—a data lake is populated with accurate, relevant data sets that demonstrably correlate with the various conditional states of assets; 2) data freshness—the data can used by automated software systems to reliably inform human decision-makers about current asset condition; and 3) data diagnostic content—the data can be used by rtands.com

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TTCI r&D

Figure 2. Railway infrastructure maintenance allocation.

automated software in of support predictive analysis to reliably inform decision-makers about asset performance trending and future asset condition. This is an emerging area residing at the interface between research and development. Barriers to be addressed include a lack of sufficiency with data-generating systems, a lack of sufficiency with asset condition models, and a lack of sufficiency with asset trending models.

Work by subject matter experts (SME) is required to address data generation and asset condition modeling barriers. Collaborative work between subject matter experts (SME) and data scientists is required to address asset trending modeling barriers.

Conclusion The predictive analytics vision outlined is aimed at improving data availability in the context of railway infrastructure assessment and maintenance.

References 1. Miloslavskaya, Natalia, and Alexander Tolstoy. “Big Data, Fast Data and Data Lake Concepts.” Procedia Computer Science 88, p.

300-305. January 2016.

2. Pasupuleti P, Purra BS. “Data Lake Development with Big Data.” Packt Publishing Ltd, p. 7-10. November 2015.

3. U.S. Department of Defense. “Technology Readiness Assessment (TRA) Guidance.”

April 2011.

Figure 3. Technology Readiness Levels in railway infrastructure.

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TTCI r&D Table 1. Technology readiness descriptions (TRLs 1-9 adapted from: U.S. Department of Defense [2011]3).

Definition

Description

0

Idea

Unproven concept, no testing or research has been conducted.

1

Basic principles observed and reported

Lowest level of technology readiness. Scientific research begins to be translated into applied research and development (R&D). Examples might include paper studies of a technology’s basic properties. Includes program flowcharts and feature lists.

2

Technology concept and/or application formulated

Invention begins. Applications are speculative, and there may be no proof or detailed analysis to support the assumptions. Examples are limited to analytic studies. Data analysis is using limited datasets that may not be representative. Alpha stage for software implementation to demonstrate translation of theory to practice (no functionality).

3

Analytical and experimental critical function and/or characteristic proof of concept

Active R&D is initiated. This includes analytical studies and laboratory studies to physically validate the analytical predictions of separate elements of the technology.

Examples include components that are not yet integrated or representative. Modeling of individual components, alpha stage programming completion individual features.

4

Component and/or breadboard validation in laboratory environment

Basic technological components are integrated to establish that they will work together. This is relatively low fidelity compared with the eventual system.

Examples include integration of ad hoc hardware in the laboratory. (early beta or late alpha state for programming).

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TTCI r&d

5

Component and/or breadboard validation in relevant environment

Fidelity of breadboard technology increases significantly. The basic technological components are integrated with reasonably realistic supporting elements, so they can be tested in a simulated environment. Examples include high-fidelity laboratory integration of components or early version beta program design.

6

System/subsystem model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment

Representative model or prototype system, which is well beyond that of TRL 5, is tested in a relevant environment. Represents a major step up in a technology’s demonstrated readiness. Examples include testing a prototype in a high-fidelity laboratory environment or in a simulated operational environment (e.g., beta program).

7

System prototype demonstration in an operational environment

Prototype near or at planned operational system. Represents a major step up from TRL 6 by requiring demonstration of an actual system prototype in an operational environment (e.g., beta program with demonstration of major features).

8

Actual system completed and qualified through test and demonstration

Technology has been proven to work in its final form and under expected conditions. In almost all cases, this TRL represents the end of true system development. Examples include developmental test and evaluation (DT&E) of the system in its intended hardware and software design specification.

9

Actual system proven through successful mission operations

Actual application of the technology in its final form and under duplicate production conditions, such as those encountered in operational test and evaluation (OT&E). Examples include using the system under operational conditions.

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August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 11

Transit Construction

A BEAUTIFUL

T

oday, the Sound Transit system in the state of Washington is next to nothing. With just 22 miles of track, the network is a shell of what is in place in other major metropolitan areas across the U.S. If there is a line to be in it is the one titled “Best”, and with a massive project currently in motion, Sound Transit is behind no one. It stands alone as the next best thing.

Backed by three major voter-approved measures over the last 23 years, crews are working on the largest transit project in the country, one that, when complete in 2041, 12 Railway Track & Structures // August 2019

will present 116 miles of track and an expansion of an existing commuter rail system that exists largely on BNSF tracks. Currently light rail operates between the University of Washington and north Seattle to the Sea-Tac airport down south. The extensions will go up to Everett, Wash., in the north all the way down to Tacoma, Wash., in the south. It will run as far as Redmond, Wash., in the east, and later another extension will go from south Kirkland, Wash., to Issaquah, Wash. In Seattle, light rail will be in place between west Seattle and downtown and between downtown and the Ballard area.

“So there is a lot of work underway right now to extend in particular light rail simultaneously to the north, south, east and west with projects in different states of development ranging from two major ones in active construction with two other major ones that are scheduled to enter construction in the next year to others that are further out,” Geoff Patrick, Deputy Executive Director of Communications for Sound Transit told RT&S. RT&S also asked to talk to some of the designers and contractors involved in the project, but was told to go through a public disclosure rtands.com

Photo Credit: Sound Transit

SOUND

Transit Construction

The state of Washington’s Sound Transit has the money in place and is working on the largest project in the country

By Bill Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

“In terms of congestion, we consistently rank in the top echelon of pain,” said Patrick. “In our region there has been a long-standing under investment in transit.

“So in comparison to many metropolitan regions of our size we are playing catch up in a major way and I think that is something people are quite conscious of and accounts for the fact that people have opened their wallets the way that they have.”

What’s up and what’s coming up Sound Transit broke ground with the Northgate Link Extension project in August 2012.

At press time it was 70 percent complete and is scheduled to open in 2021. It consists of 4.3 miles and three stations, with two underground, and will provide service every four to six minutes during peak hours. The tunnel was constructed years ago and the existing light rail system goes underground through downtown Seattle.

In 2016, Sound Transit opened a segment continuing north called University Link that established subway stations at Capitol Hill and the University of Washington. New underground stations will be constructed at U District and Roosevelt, both under the University of Washington campus, and the line will continue north before surfacing onto elevated track at Northgate, which is a major hub in north Seattle. On July 16 crews were pouring concrete foundations for the guideway’s switches and crossover tracks.

Crews broke the seal on the East Link Extension project in 2014 and it is currently 50 percent complete. The East Link Extension contains one of the more unique elements of the entire system upgrade.

In fact, there will be nothing like it in the world. The line will run through an existing floating bridge on I-90 to Mercer Island.

“It is the first time rail transit will ever go on a floating bridge, so there are some unique engineering challenges there,” remarked Patrick.

The the primary engineering solution is called a track bridge, which allows the tracks to pivot along the joints where the fixed bridge connects to the pontoons.

Sound Transit claims this tactic has never been done before. When complete there

“

will be eight track bridges. The train tracks also are not connected directly to the floating bridge deck. They are placed on special pads that float rails above the surface.

In total this portion will span 14 miles and will include 10 stations. The line will head east from downtown Seattle, with a new station at Judkins Park. From there it goes through an existing I-90 tunnel and over the floating bridge to Mercer Island, which will be home to another new station.

Light rail will cross another existing bridge into South Bellevue, Wash., then will head north on elevated tracks before going underground again through downtown Bellevue. The tunnel has already been mined and constructed. The final leg of the East Link Extension will run from Bellevue to Redmond, Wash.

The Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension also is underway and will run through Tacoma’s entertainment section. It will more than double the length of the Tacoma Link, starting with a relocated Theater District station and six new stations connecting to the Stadium District and Wright Park before reaching the new Hilltop neighborhood. The system is streetcar rather than light rail, with 400-ft station platforms located in the center of the roadway. On July 10 underground utility work began in the intersection of North Tacoma Avenue and North First Street.

The work includes building a temporary sewer bypass on North Tacoma between First Street and North Second Street. Utility work continued at the Martin Luther King Jr. Way and South 11th Street intersection, and crews started working on a sewer line at MLK Jr. Way and South 17th Street. Link power poles also were being installed. The project also includes expansion of the Operations and Maintenance Facility located on East 25th Street to accommodate five new light rail vehicles.

Operations and Maintenance Facility East and the Lynnwood Link Extension are the other two segments currently in the construction phase. The Operations and Maintenance Facility is being constructed in the city of Bellevue and will be integral to service when the network expands to

in terms of congestion, we consistently rank in the top echelon of pain. there has been a long-standing under investment in transit.

process managed by Sound Transit’s Legal Department. “We will have a rail system that is comparable with many other metropolitan areas.”

The Sound Transit rail system is not fresh out of the box, nor is the idea of approaching voters for cash. There were major measures in place back in 1968 and 1970 that were narrowly defeated. The latest measure that passed, receiving 64% of the votes in 2016, will release $54 billion in funding. It is the largest of the three measures that have received voter approval, with the other two happening in 1996 ($3.9 billon) and 2008 ($17.8 billion). rtands.com

August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 13

Transit Construction

Backed by three major voter-approved measures over the last 23 years, crews are working on the largest transit project in the country.

Northgate, Bellevue, Mercer Island and Redmond. A piece of art now screens part of what will be the Operations and

Maintenance Facility East. Forty-five sculptural nails, covering 480 ft, were recently installed. The sculptures are

metal poles shaped to resemble tall bent nails and painted with a unique collection of stripes selected from a palette of four colors. On July 15, Fifth Avenue East was closed from Northeast 180th Street to Northeast 185th Street as part of the Lynnwood Link Extension early work construction. A transmission line was being set for steel poles.

The project has been divided up into 27 segments. The Northgate Link Extension, East Link Extension, Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension, Operations and Maintenance Facility East and the Lynnwood Link Extension were the only ones in the construction phase in mid-July. Auburn Station Parking and Access Improvements, Federal Way Link Extension, Puyallup Station Parking and Access Improvements, and the Sumner Station Parking and Access Improvements all were in the design phase. The Downtown Redmond Link Extension (planning phase), Dupont Sounder Extension (voter approval phase), Edmonds and Mukilteo Stations Parking and Access Improvements (planning),

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Transit Construction

Everett Link Extension (voter approval), I-405 Bus Rapid Transit (planning), Kent Station Parking and Access Improvements (planning), North Sammamish Park-andRide (planning), NE 130th Street Infill Station (voter approval), Operations and Maintenance Facility South (planning), Sounder Maintenance Base (planning), Sounder South Capacity Expansion (planning), South Boeing Access Road Infill Station (voter approval), South Graham Street Infill Station (voter approval), South Kirkland-Issaquah Link (voter approval), S.R. 522/NE 145th Bus Rapid Transit (planning), TCC Tacoma Link Extension (voter approval), Tacoma Dome Link Extension (planning), and the West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions (planning) are all projects on the horizon.

“We are a fully built-out region,” said Patrick. “There are no green fields around to put more highways, so that means the demand for vehicle traffic travel including freight is going to be competing for that road space. That is the state’s unique challenge of trying to figure out how to manage

rtands.com

Currently, Sound Transit runs on 22 miles of track. By 2041 the line will consist of 116 miles of track and will serve Seattle and the surrounding areas.

that. We are going to give people the opportunity to get out of congestion.”

Sound Transit has purchased a total of

152 light-rail vehicles from Siemens to cover the expanded system. Siemens has already begun construction.

August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 15

Equipment Trends

Improvements in equipment have been dramatic, but learning curve is huge David C. Lester, Managing Editor

Bigger, more complicated and harder to repair

16 Railway Track & Structures // August 2019

Railway Track & Structures recently completed its annual survey of maintenance equipment trends in the industry.

We reached out to Class I roads, short lines, and specialists at the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI).

In addition to TTCI, we received input from Kansas City Southern and Watco Companies. Here is the set of questions used during our discussion with these organizations: 1. Equipment Features: Regarding m/w equipment, what are the key features you require? For example, is it safety, reliability, speed of operation, ease of getting on an off

track, ease of maintenance, cost, productivity, or something else?

2. Key Element: What is the most important single feature, after safety, for you and your railroad? Why? 3. New Features: What new features or improvements in m/w machinery have the most appeal to you?

4. Ideal Machine: If you could write the specs for an ideal m/w machine, what features would you include?

5. Beneficial Machines: Looking at recent rtands.com

Photo Courtesy of Norfolk Southern Corp.

A

critical difference between railroads and other modes of commercial transportation is that the rail industry must pay for nearly everything that is done to maintain the physical plant. Included, of course, is the purchase of maintenance-of-way equipment, which is part of a road’s capex budget. The Class I capex budgets for 2019 are generally on either side of a $1 billion, with BNSF being the exception with a $3.3 billion budget. While these dollars may go to new construction projects or non-maintenance equipment like locomotives, much of it goes to maintenance-of-way and the equipment used for it.

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Equipment Trends

purchases, what big-ticket piece of equipment has offered the most benefit to your railroad?

What about among lower-priced equipment?

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

7. Data Utilization: With the progress made in harnessing data analytics, is there a machine, software, or service that you would like to see that would allow you to better use all of the raw data gathered during inspections?

8. Supplier Interaction: When you meet with suppliers, what are you telling them about your m/w machinery needs? Do you find suppliers responsive to your requests?

9. 2019 Trends: Checking trends, would you say today’s equipment is getting safer, more reliable, more productive, or displaying other qualities?

On the negative side, what trends are out there, such as being too costly, too complicated, etc.?

Dramatic is underway Basic maintenance-of-way equipment features of concern to all railroads include safety, reliability, cost, productivity, and ease of maintenance. Also, parts availability, simplicity of operation, and ease of transport are important considerations.

The simplicity of operation is a concern because this determines how hard it would be to train multiple operators to use the machine safely and efficiently. The life cycle of the machine before replacement or required upgrade also is meaningful.

The specialists at TTCI point out that “dramatic improvements are underway in terms of the quantity of data collected about the state of maintenance of the railway infrastructure in North America.

We foresee this trend continuing as well as a large effort to convert this data into useful information and communicate it to the appropriate parties at the appropriate time to optimize the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the infrastructure.”

TTCI specialists add there are many technical needs to address, and some

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This book gives a comprehensive look at the railroad industry. It meets a continuing need by students and the railroad industry as an up-to-date text that presents the basic principles of railroad engineering and an application of these principles.

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Kansas City Southern says that a new feature it would like to see on mow equipment is troubleshooting and diagnostic feedback without the need for additional on-site equipment. Others add that having the ability to generate reports of production with a specific location (i.e., GPS-enabled) would be very beneficial for long-term asset management.

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examples include: • An in-track welder that produces welds at least as good as in-track electronic flash butt (EFB) welders, but doesn’t consume rail; • Hi-rail or locomotive-mounted equipment that can continuously evaluate longitudinal rail stress while in motion; • Hi-rail or rail grinder-mounted equipment that can continuously and accurately determine the depth of rail surface irregularities such as spalls; • Non-destructive evaluation of the entire rail base; and • Machinery that can quickly replace ballast on ballast deck bridges without removing the track.

The fifth edition of The Railroad: What It Is, What it Does is even more valuable than before. Inside you’ll find a comprehensive look at how today’s railroads function—from equipment to procedures and marketing to maintenance.

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Equipment Trends

Organizations have recently purchased equipment that is providing significant benefits. For example, Watco says that it is pleased with the Nordco Tripp tie inserter and adds that this, along with a production tamper, brings the most value. The company also says that a profile grinder and flangeway cleaner (particularly for northern climates) have been great additions.

TTCI says their purchase of a combo wood/concrete tie extractor has performed well when extracting concrete ties. Also, they purchased a hydraulic tie drill, which is user-friendly and effectively drills for screw spikes. Kansas City Southern adds that the most beneficial machines recently purchased include surfacing machines (tampers) and an anchor machine (squeeze, spread, and applicator).

Two of our respondents said that they spend considerable time trying to find parts and operating support for older machines. They both expressed a desire for greater parts longevity, and one said that they like to have printed and online machine-operating manuals.

Feelings about the effectiveness of vendor

support was a mixed bag. One respondent says “Suppliers have overall been very helpful and try to solve issues. However, I think that technology changes so fast it is hard to keep the vendor’s technicians trained

“

new machines are becoming more multi-functional, which make them bigger, more complicated, and harder to repair.

on all of the changes.” Another adds: “We talk to suppliers about parts availability and dependability, and would like to experience a greater sense of urgency from suppliers on responding to these requests.”

It’s complicated Looking at equipment trends in 2019, our respondents sound similar themes, which should be of interest to equipment vendors. One company says that “Operating systems are integrating with troubleshooting systems, which helps with repairs; however, new machines are becoming more multi-functional, which, unfortunately, make them bigger, more complicated, and harder to repair.”

Another says that “While there have been major improvements in equipment on all fronts, cost and complication are negative factors. The rail industry could use more training and troubleshooting problems from the equipment industry.”

Finally, another says the pace of technology is “Making it very hard for railroad MOW mechanics to know and understand all of the pieces of equipment and how best to repair them. Our mechanics almost need to become specialized in a certain piece of equipment. A big issue is finding the workforce that wants to repair MOW equipment.”

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August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 19

Rail Welding

chemistry

I

t’s what’s on the inside that counts.

New rail steels come with new chemistries, and rail welds have to follow suit, which calls for constant tweaking to make sure the fusion zone chemistry and heat-effective zones have the microstructures that are desirable for long-term performance in a heavy haul environment.

“So there is a tandem or concurrent work done in developing new rail steels but also then in developing compatible new features in the welding technology,” Gary Fry, associate vice president, Research & Development, with the Transportation Technology Center, Inc., told RT&S. TTCI is currently looking at both thermal and mechanical post weld treatment processes in order to improve the fatigue behavior of the welds.

20 Railway Track & Structures // August 2019

“The thermal treatment is probably harder to solve,” said Fry. “Theoretically there are things that we should be able to accomplish by strategically reheating the rail in the vicinity of the weld, and we see some of the microstructures that develop that we want but we also see some of the microstructures that we don’t want.”

Fry said the rail welding market is very healthy and shows no sign of slowing.

The future also is loaded with innovation. According to Fry, there continues to be studies on trying to develop new railwelding processes where you use a friction technique.

“People have begun to look at friction,” remarked Fry. “We have not seen the performance of those welds under rolling load type evaluations. That is still in the laboratory.

Rail welds have to match new rail steels

By Bill Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

“Work was done in the early 1990s [regarding friction welding] and in Sweden they are working at that again. That is a process that looks like it should result in favorable microstructure and good performance in the heavy-haul environment.”

The following is an overview of what is offered in the market.

Orgo-Thermit, Inc. Orgo-Thermit, Inc. began offering the locally developed and patent-pending Safestart Degradable Crucible System in 2017 to welding crews employing oxygen and propane as the preheating fuel gases. This crucible system employs a special ignition charge that is classified as nonhazardous for transportation, and which is molded into the crucible lid ready for use. This special rtands.com

Photo Credit: Pandrol

The right

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Rail Welding

Holland’s LaserWelder deploys similarly to the MobileWelder, and its service includes pre-weld material removal using plasma cutting.

ignition charge, which is part of the Safestart crucible lid, is ignited using

the preheating burner after the completion of preheating of the rail ends and

which then initiate the main thermite reaction and subsequent pour. This innovation eliminates the transportation of hazardous classified material that was previously required for the portion’s ignition method and by removing the separate igniter entirely from the welding process.

Customers experience reduced shipping charges as a result of the hazardous material elimination and all shipping carriers can now be considered for transportation of the materials.

Field personnel benefit from the reduced number of inventory items they must carry on their vehicles and from the streamlined ignition process, which can not only be performed faster, but is a safer method keeping the welder further away from the hot weld area.

Orgo-Thermit, Inc. continues having success with the Thermit 2.0 portion, a proprietary alloyed weld metal composition providing physical, wear and hardness properties to high-strength rail steel welds with BHN of 370 and greater.

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The THERMIT® weld metal is proprietary alloyed to provide superior mechanical, wear and hardness properties to high strength rail steel welds greater than 370 BHN. Photo Credit: Holland

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22 Railway Track & Structures // August 2019

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Rail Welding

optional safety trigger operating lever.

In conjunction with welding services and equipment, there also is Pandrol Connect—a mobile app designed to support welders through the weld process that captures live data about the weld and saves time and improves the traceability of welds for contractors and rail network operators. Pandrol Connect consists of three modules: a mobile version for welders to record on-site data and for welding controllers to review data, an online monitoring app to review weld information from the office, and an online administration tool to apply settings to local standards. All data is hosted in the cloud for easy sharing.

Pandrol Connect also can be connected to preheating equipment to increase documentation.

Holland Railroad special trackwork such as frogs and crossing diamonds have long been a challenge to maintain and repair in the field.

Orgo-Thermit, Inc.’s Safestart Degradable Crucible System.

Railroads report that traditional repairs to frogs often only last weeks to six months

Photo Credit: Orgo-Thermit

Pandrol Pandrol’s Head Wash Repair (HWR) process provides a cost-effective and efficient solution to repair railhead defects and significantly decreases the maintenance cost of modern rail networks. The latest improvement on HWR expands the possibilities by allowing the repair of flash butt welds, which often suffer from squats. The process is an effective solution to repair defects of up to 1 in. (depending on the rail profile) and is suitable for both the parent rail and on EFB welds. The HWR process is well established and has been used across the U.S. and Canada since 2008.

Once the weld has been completed, Profile Grinders can be used to carry out consistent finish grinding.

The 06000 Profile Grinder will grind the top and sides of the rail to the original profile and is easy to operate thanks to its lightweight build. This grinder operates using a 6-in. x 3-in. grinding stone, which allows efficient finish grinding, radius profiling and grinding in the point slope.

The tool also can be provided with an

rtands.com

August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 23

Rail Welding

before requiring additional maintenance.

The concept of using laser additive technology to repair manganese steel castings was brought to Holland by one of its Class I customers.

Based on the potential benefits of laser cladding with lower heat input, less dilution and near net shape deposits with a robotically controlled process, Holland began working on a better solution for frog repairs.

Holland’s LaserWelder deploys similarly to the MobileWelder, and its service includes pre-weld material removal using plasma cutting and robotically controlled hot wire laser cladding (welding) to build back the damaged area. This process provides improved welding through lower heat input on parent material, maintaining temperatures below 500°. The resulting repair is higher quality, longer lasting and can be completed two to three times faster than a traditional repair weld. This helps reduce costs and maintenance time.

Additionally, the LaserWelder is much safer for both operators and the railroads.

Operators encounter much lower fumes and have increased ergonomic benefits as they do not have to be sitting and leaning over for hours at a time.

“

There is a tandem or concurrent work done in developing new rail steels and compatible new features in the welding technology.

Progress Rail Progress Rail now offers a high tonnage (220-ton), fully integrated welding head.

This AC unit provides closure weld capabilities without the use of a separate puller.

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Bridge Safety Standards FRA Part 237 establishes Federal safety requirements for railroad bridges. This rule requires track owners to implement bridge management programs, which include annual inspections of railroad bridges, and to audit the programs. Part 237 also requires track owners to know the safe load capacity of bridges and to conduct special inspections if the weather or other conditions warrant such inspections. Updated April 3, 2017.

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Additionally, the company offers customers a rail-welding technique that enhances Progress Rail’s specialty trackwork offerings.

Progress Rail’s new, narrow head electric f lash butt welder only needs 8 in. of clearance—so it is able to fit into tight spaces to perform 100 percent of the welds on a turnout.

Customers continue to have interest in products for welding in confined spaces, as well as the need for faster welding processes. Progress Rail has addressed these needs with its newest product offerings and has expanded its mobile rail welding fleet. The company will continue to look for ways to improve upon meeting customer’s requests for quality infrastructure installation and maintenance. One example that will be available for customers this fall: The company has developed a new weld head that can modify block tram rail for transit applications.

With the increasing complexity of rail chemistry, the company continues to develop new programs and processes to ensure weld quality and consistency.

This reprint includes the FRA's Railroad Workplace Safety Standards addressing roadway workers and their work environments. These laws cover such things as: personal protective equipment, fall protection, and scaffolding for bridgeworkers; and training issues. Also includes safety standards for on-track roadway vehicles. Updated April 3, 2017.

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Track Calculator The Track Safety Standards Calculator is a must for anyone who works on track. This slide rule type calculator contains many of the details for Classes of track 1- 5. Deviation from uniform profile and from zero cross level. Difference in cross level. Updated as of July 11, 2013.

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800-228-9670

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GET THE INSIDE SCOOP ON & OFF THE TRACK

RAIL BRIEF The Weekly RT&S Email Newsletter

• Engineering and M/W News • Information on Advancing Projects • Coverage of Developing Technologies • Safety and Regulatory Updates

Subscribe at: www.rtands.com/RailBrief

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Ballast Maintenance

A

s the real bedrock of railroading, ballast delivery and maintenance continue to evolve in ways that provide better products and distribution to North American railroads. The severe f looding experienced in several parts of the country, particularly in the Midwest, has placed an enormous strain on railroads and suppliers alike.

28 Railway Track & Structures // August 2019

Ballast Tools Equipment Ballast Tools Equipment Sales Engineer Matt Weyand said his work with customers dealing with major flooding of their tracks this year has been an experience he’ll never forget. “Events like this are a double-edged sword,” Weyand told RT&S. “We’re pleased business is good, but feel terrible for people who have suffered devastating losses from the flooding. It’s heartbreaking.”

Missouri is one area hit severely by the flooding and is where Weyand has spent much of his time. He has worked with his team and two Class I carriers who required significant line repairs in the state. The BTE-325 Railroad Modified Hi-Rail Excavator has been put to extensive use this year, and at one point the company ran out of inventory because there was such strong demand. “The exclusive BTE four-wheel rtands.com

Photo Credit: Herzog

Bedrock of railroading

Ballast Maintenance

Ballast maintenance more important than ever following severe flooding

By David C. Lester, Managing Editor

hi-rail system provides the power needed for on-rail ballast maintenance,” he said.

This system allows BTE’s hi-rail machines to operate on or off rail with a quick change.

The BTE-325 can be rapidly deployed on rail and quickly jumps off-track for more versatility or to allow train traffic to pass, the company said.

The Rototilt attachment, with a 360° rotation capability and 40° tilt, allows rtands.com

operators to profile the ballast in various positions while remaining on the track.

Paired with a ditching bucket or one of BTE’s high-performance undercutters, the company describes its BTE-325 as “an indispensable track maintenance workhorse.” As for recent trends, Weyand said good drainage and ballast maintenance are the top priorities for all railroads. The BTE-325 is intended to effectively and efficiently remove fouled ballast to eliminate mud spots.

Weyand said that “BTE carries a wide array of attachments for ballast maintenance.” He added that all BTE machines feature a very durable, robust hi-rail system, which is designed to handle long distances traveling on the rail without overheating.

The BTE-325, with a top on-track speed of approximately 22 mph, is meant to reach the jobsite quickly.

Hydraulically operated, individually controlled shoulder plows are mounted just in front of the center plow, Olds said. They profile the track shoulders and transport surplus ballast from the shoulders to the ends of the ties for transfer into or across the track. Both shoulder plows are designed to be used together plowing the ballast from both toe lines to the center plow in one continuous pass operation.

A heavy-duty, single or optional double high capacity track and switch broom is hydraulically driven via a belt pulley system.

Each broom box assembly is equipped with wear-resistant round elements, rubber skirts to reduce unwanted throwing of ballast, and replaceable polyurethane linings to minimize wear and noise. Two separate ridge plow assemblies are mounted on the rear of the machine to level any surplus ballast left behind by the finishing broom.

Plasser American Ron Olds, Plasser American’s vice president of Sales and Marketing, said the Plasser Ballast Regulator PBR2005 is his company’s solution to ballast regulating behind highspeed tampers.

Plasser’s PBR-2005 ballast regulator continues to be popular due to its ability to plow, profile and broom in one pass. The unique design of the shoulder plows allows the machine to reach out and pull in ballast, which was previously beyond the reach of conventional ballast regulators. The machine also is available with an optional double broom. The PBR-2005 is ideally suited to work behind two-tie tampers or tamper and pup tamper combinations where it can easily keep up with the tamper.

Olds added that a heavy-duty, center X-type plow enables the rapid and efficient placement of ballast within the track structure. The X-type plow includes a rail tunnel over each rail. The tunnels shield the rail and prevent the flow of ballast directly up against or onto the rail, allowing the ballast to flow either into or out of the track center easily. The center of the plow has hydraulically raised and lowered cross blades, which allows ballast to be plowed in or out, transferred either left or right, and can be positioned where needed for the tamping machine in one operation. The four outside corners of the plow include hydraulically positioned wing (extension) assemblies, which provide 180° of adjustment and can retract for travel. All hydraulic adjustments of the cross blades and wings are made from the operator’s working location.

Montana Hydraulics Della Ehlke, owner and chief financial officer of Montana Hydraulics, said that this year Montana Hydraulics has finalized their design and prototype testing for the Bobcat Tarping system. Ballast rock frozen in cars, unable to dump, was an exceptionally costly issue this past winter. Their rail car tarping system for covering ballast hoppers helps mitigate the hassles of frozen ballast, is environmentally friendly, and safer than the other covering systems that their field crews have used. Covered cars also are substantially more fuel-efficient than open-topped cars.

Ehlke added that they have developed a ballast car gate system designed for more rugged conditions, which should lead to longer gate life as well as more clearance between car and rail.

Prototypes are in various stages of

“

We’re pleased business is good, but feel terrible for people who have suffered devastating losses from the flooding. It’s heartbreaking.

August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 29

Ballast Maintenance

Montana Hydraulics has developed a ballast car gate system for more rugged conditions, which should lead to longer gate life and more clearance between car and rail.

development with a focus on high-cycle use in everyday service and longer gate life.

They will hold up under extreme use conditions and achieve the ultimate goal of saving railroads money by having ballast cars that are operational when needed.

Finalizing and testing the rail car tarping system and moving towards prototype on the improved gate system has kept them busy this past year. Ehlke said they also added state-of-the-art equipment that allows more efficient shop production of their railroad products. They believe it was the best use

of their resources given the current push to keep ballast cars operational. Montana Hydraulics added a shop manufacturing facility, with lots of room for expansion.

Ehlke said they also have a very talented and experienced crew of technicians performing maintenance work on ballast cars.

Knox Kershaw, Inc. Knox Kershaw, Inc.’s George Pugh said their KBR925 ballast regulator is a robust machine designed for ballast work on all types of track. Superb visibility, especially

in the wing areas, makes it a strong competitor for final profiling. The 925’s plow and wing work together to transfer ballast from shoulder to shoulder in one pass while leaving one shoulder profiled. The insulated broom box has an excellent service life, and the standard reversing valve allows ballast to be swept away from switches and road crossings.

Pugh added that the cab tilt feature and clean roof design promote safety and ease of maintenance by providing easy access to major machine components without having to go under or climb on top of the cab. Standard features of the 925 include hydraulically driven AC with pressurizer, joystick controls on a comfortable operator’s seat with easy access to all controls, tinted windows, additional riders’ seating and a six-speed powershift transmission.

Pugh said new features for the 2019 KBR925 include a Danfoss Plus One control system, front-mounted Visionaire hydraulically driven AC with high capacity pressurization, and increased fuel and hydraulic fluid capacities.

The Plus One controller includes a 12-in. color touch screen monitor to display all machine functions and diagnostics. The controller will aid operators in processes such as joystick functions, transmission shifting, wing deploy/store, and brooming speed control, as well as self-diagnosis of performance issues. Engine diagnostics and on-screen troubleshooting guides will enable operators and mechanics to diagnose problems such as clogged filters, inoperable

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Made in Montana, USA | www.montanahydraulics.com | dehlke@mthyd.com 30 MontanaHydraulics_Final.indd Railway Track & Structures 1// August 2019

7/30/19 9:32 AM rtands.com

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Ballast Maintenance

coils or wiring, and fluid pressure warnings, then quickly resolve them, Pugh added.

The Knox Kershaw, Inc. team said that they recognize the budget constraints in the industry for 2019 and the company is responding by offering factory-refurbished machines to lower acquisition costs.

Plasser’s PBR-2005 ballast regulator continues to be popular due to its ability to plow, profile and broom in one pass. The unique design of the shoulder plows allows the machine to reach out and pull in ballast.

32 Railway Track & Structures // August 2019

Herzog For 25-plus years, Herzog’s fleet of ballast equipment has provided the rail industry with advanced equipment to safely and efficiently place the right amount of rock precisely where it’s needed, when it’s needed, the company told RT&S. Herzog told RT&S that the ProScan LiDAR truck scans the surface of the rightof-way area to create a 3-D view of the track, ballast, and ditch profile, identifying the location of ROW assets. After the truck’s pre-dump survey, tonnages can be seamlessly exported to Herzog’s high-speed GPS trains for automated ballast distribution in track centers and shoulders.

Herzog said the patented GPS technology installed on these high-speed ballast trains

rtands.com

enables unloading in any location, including tunnels and mountainous areas where GPS outages often occur.

Herzog’s Automated Conveyor Train (ACT) is another specialized machine that can unload ballast (and other materials) for railroads in curves and S-curves up to 13°.

“Recently, we have seen increased, ongoing use of our ACTs in emergency response effort,” said Herzog Vice President of Ballast Operations and Railcar Leasing Ryan Crawford. “Severe flooding in the Midwest this spring created areas of heavy washouts, taking a toll on railroad operations.”

GREX GREX material handling equipment has been hard at work on several spring flooding events in the Midwest, where multiple states were hit especially hard this year, GREX told RT&S. GREX and the railroads deployed a large number of DumpTrains, SlotMachines, and SPS Self-Powered Slots throughout this region. The ability of these units to deliver the variety of material sizes needed was key to resolving many of the issues in these severe flooding situations.

The DumpTrain for Curves entered into service almost two years ago. This machine has been tremendously popular, and additional units are being added to the fleet to meet the demand. The company also is evaluating additional enhancements to improve this service even further.

GREX also told RT&S it has begun offering its newest version of the GateSync/Solaris product. This product update features the same unloading capabilities using wired toggles, wireless remotes, or wholly automated unloading that utilizes a pre-dump survey to unload the train without ever putting a person on the ground. New upgrades on the original solution allow for faster train setup times and longer train consists.

The company also has released the updated HydraDump solution, and initial installs have already begun, GREX reported to RT&S. This new system offers the same benefits of the original by providing a safe and controlled side-dump solution with minimal maintenance costs.

Loram Loram believes it offers the industry’s most advanced and productive shoulder ballast cleaning services, equipment, and technologies, which result in increased efficiencies and reduced costs. By consistently excavating at levels up to 8 in. below the tie and restoring the ballast shoulder structure, obstructing fines can migrate and drain freely to the shoulder with dramatically improved seepage time. Their equipment is specifically designed to break open mud pockets, compacted fines and ballast voids in the cribs and under the ties and release damaging trapped water.

The company told RT&S its’ Badger Ditcher is “powerful and nimble,” as it cleans ditches with high productivity and accessibility to mitigate the most urgent drainage requirements so that damaging water is intercepted and diverted from essential track infrastructure.

Specialty excavating services from Loram’s Railvac equipment make it easy to maintain tunnels, bridges, switches, and passenger platforms. They provide surgical control for precision removal of ballast without damaging critical (and expensive) components.

Undercutting allows you to re-establish a more permeable ballast profile. The company told RT&S that their two undercutting models utilize patented, state-of-the-art undercutting digging wheels that provide self-supporting cut-in capabilities.

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August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 33

Professional Development

Message From The President

AREMA is focused on your education and helping yo u a d va n ce i n th e ra ilwa y i n d u s tr y. AR EM A’s i n-p e r s o n seminars provide Professional Development Hours (PDH) to serve your educational needs.

Th re e Sem in ars will be h e ld in conjunction with the AREMA 201 9 A n n u a l C o n f e re n c e i n conjunction with Railway I nte rc h a n g e i n M i n n e a p o l i s, M i n n .; se p a rate re g i s trati o n is required: Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering Seminar Date: Sept. 20-22 PDH: 15.5 Track Alignment Design Seminar Date: Sept. 25-27 PDH: 14.5 FRA: 213 – Track Safety Standards Seminar Date: Sept. 25-27 PDH: 15.75 For more information on our educational programs and to register, please visit www.arema.org.

Follow Arema on Social Media:

34 Railway Track & Structures // August 2019

James K. Kessler, P.E. AREMA President

A

2018-2019

s you may recall, last month we began a discussion of AREMA’s Communication & Signal (C&S) Functional Group led by Vice President Robin J. Aanenson and supported

by Directors Jerry W. Specht and Tommy A. Phillips. We highlighted the activities of Committees 34, 36 and 37. This month we will conclude our review of the C&S Functional Group with Committees 38 – Information, Defect Detection & Energy Systems, and 39 – Positive Train Control.

Committee 38 – Information, Defect Detection & Energy Systems, is chaired

by Gilbert D. Barnes. The purpose of this committee is to develop concepts, provide information and recommend practices for the installation, operation and maintenance of equipment and systems for defect detection, automated train operation, yard and terminal control, electromagnetic compatibility, wire and cable, energy systems and other special applications.

Subcommittee 1 – Equipment Applications, is responsible for classification and yard equipment, wire and cables, switch heaters, and wayside and vehicle failure detection systems. Subcommittee 2 – Electromagnetic Compatibility, is responsible for circuit protection methods and systems, surge protection, grounding and electrical interference. Subcommittee 3 – Energy Systems, is responsible for power supply systems and batteries.

Committee 39 – Positive Train Control, chaired by Kent Shue, is responsible for all things related to Positive Train Control (PTC) following Congress’ mandate in 2008. Subcommittee 1 – Design and

Emerging Technologies, is responsible for PTC monitoring of signal system elements and addressing new issues encountered in implementation and developing future technology applications. Subcommittee 3 – Testing & Maintenance, provides recommendations for the PTC wayside interface, data acquisition, messaging networks, braking, troubleshooting and testing. Subcommittee – 4 Communications and Information Technology, is responsible for radio frequency transmission systems, global positioning systems, cellular systems and interfaces to these systems.

“The Communication & Signals Group Committee Members are recognized as dedicated and knowledgeable leaders in their respective fields of expertise covering all aspects of railroad communication and signal systems. The knowledge gained through interaction during committee work is immeasurable to both the individual’s continued development and especially to the safety and efficiency of North American Railroads. Thanks to all members of the C&S Group for all of your dedicated work,” said Rob Aanenson, C&S Functional Group V.P. The leadership of each AREMA committee is always looking for new members to actively participate in committee work.

More details and instructions on how to join a committee can be found on the AREMA website at www.AREMA.org.

This is my last “Message From The President” column. Last year as I was beginning to think about how I wanted to use this forum, I set as my goal to provide AREMA’s members with a better knowledge and understanding of the association and to recognize the contributions of our staff and membership. I hope that these columns have been helpful in that regard.

Since joining AREMA in 1981 (AREA at the time), I have greatly valued the ability to meet and work with the very best railway engineering professionals through committee meetings and conferences.

However, this past year has been especially rewarding given the honor and distinct privilege of being able to serve you as president of the association. This has certainly been the highlight of my career in railway engineering.

I especially want to thank Beth Caruso and the headquarters staff for all of their dedicated work to ensure that rtands.com

the association operates efficiently and serves the member’s interests to the fullest extent possible.

Through my weekly calls with Beth this past year, I have gained a sincere appreciation of the many aspects involved with the association’s operation. Beth and her staff have provided great support and guidance to me during my term as president. AREMA’s staff is unsurpassed in the railway industry.

I also need to thank the Board of Governors for their support during this past year and the Functional Group Board of Directors for the guidance they provide to the operations of our 29 technical committees. Most importantly, I want to express my thanks to my wife, Debbie, who has served as AREMA’s First Lady this year.

Debbie has attended many AREMA Annual Conferences and enjoys meeting the spouses each year. Working with Desirée Knight she has arranged a wonderful Spouse/Guest Program for September’s AREMA 2019 Annual Conference in conjunction with Railway Interchange. Debbie has supported

me every step of the way. I also need to give a big shout out to our children, Sarah and Andrew, for their support.

I am excited that AREMA’s next President will be Ed Sparks, II, P.E., Assistant Chief of Structures at CSX Transportation. Ed served this past year as Senior Vice President of AREMA and Chair of the Functional Group Board of Directors. He also is the Program Committee Chair for the AREMA 2019 Annual Conference and has coordinated putting together a wonderful program for us. I have enjoyed working with Ed this year and am looking forward to his continuing leadership. Following Ed in the role of senior vice president will be Vic Babin, Chief Engineering Officer, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District.

AREMA will be in very good hands in the coming years.

Finally, thanks to all of you for your contributions to AREMA and making this the preeminent railway engineering association. I cannot truly totally express the appreciation I have for the honor of being able to lead the association.

FYI

Avoid the lines of on-site registration and register online now at www.conference. arema.org for the AREMA 2019 Annual Conference in conjunction with Railway Interchange, Sept. 22-25 in Minneapolis, Min n . B e sure to in c l ud e access to VirtualAREMA19 On-Demand Learning so you can experience more of the conference on your own schedule.

O rder the 2019 Manual for Railway Engineering now. Order online now at www.arema.org or contact mbruins@ arema.org for more details.

Demonstrate that you are a professional by joining AREMA membership today.

A R EM A m e m b e r s a re d e d i c a te d to improving their practical knowledge and are interested in exchanging information with your peers. Not an AREMA Member?

Join today at www.arema.org.

Upcoming Committee Meetings Sept. 10-11 Committee 15 - Steel Structures Columbus, Ohio *Committee Meetings happening at the AREMA 2019 Annual Conference in conjunction with Railway Interchange in Minneapolis, Minn.

Committee 17 High Speed Rail Systems* Committees 11 & 17 Joint Meeting* Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways* Committee 24 - Education & Training*

Sept. 21 Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment*

Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization*

Sept. 21-22 Committee 24 - Education & Training*

Committee 41 - Track Maintenance*

Sept. 22 Committee 5 - Track*

Committee 40 - Engineering Safety*

Sept. 23 Committee 13 - Environmental*

Committee 6 - Building & Support Facilities *

Sept. 25-26 Committee 8 - Concrete Structures and Foundations*

Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction*

Committee 38 - Information, Defect Detection & Energy Systems*

Committee 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems*

Committee 39 - Positive Train Control*

Committee 12 - Rail Transit* Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals* Committee 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations*

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Oct. 14-15 Committee 30 - Ties Tucson, Ariz.

Oct. 15-16 Committee 36 - Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Warning Systems Pittsburgh, Pa. Oct. 16-17 Committee 37 - Signal Systems Pittsburgh, Pa. 2020 Jan. 1 Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction Albuquerque, N.M. Jan. 23-24 Committee 8 - Concrete Structures and Foundations New Orleans, La. June TBD Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction New York, N.Y. Sept. 13 Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction Dallas, Texas

August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 35

Nominees for Election to the 2019–2020 AREMA Functional Group Board of Directors Nominated For: Senior Vice President Name: Victor R. Babin Title: Chief Engineering Officer Organization/Company: Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) Biography: Babin has over 28 years experience in railway engineering. He has worked at the NICTD since 1991 and was hired as a Chief Electrical Engineer. His current position since 2008 at the NICTD is Chief Engineering Officer. Babin is the administrator for all engineering disciplines including Maintenanceof-Way, Signal, Positive Train Control, Electrical & Communication Departments, and maintains technical focus on C&S, PTC and Electrification maintenance and construction.

He holds a BS ET degree from Purdue University.

Babin has been a member of AREMA and predecessor of C&S functional groups since 1991 and has progressively held all leadership positions from Subcommittee Chair through Committee Vice Chair, Chair, Functional Group Board of Director and Vice President, and Board of Governor.

He is a Fellow, Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) and is a member, Local Committee, IRSE North American Section. He is a member of Purdue University North Engineering Technology Industrial Advisory Committee.

Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREA in 1991 Nominated For: Vice President – Communications & Signals (ThreeYear Term) Name: Jerry W. Specht, EIT Title: Director of Signal Engineering Organization/Company: BNSF Railway Biography: Specht joined BNSF Railway in 1999 as a Corporate Management Trainee. He worked in various supervisory positions until 2008 when he became Assistant Division Engineer, then Manager of Signal and now his current position since 2012.

He has over 20 years of experience working in the rail industry and with his current position he leads the Signal 36 Railway Track & Structures // August 2019

Safety Engineers, Signal Research and Development, Mechanical and Signal Wayside Detection Systems and Signal Wiring/Reconditioning Shops.

He holds a BS Electrical Engineering degree from North Dakota State University and has an Engineer in Training License.

Specht is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and has been an AREMA committee member since 2007.

He is currently an active member of Committees 36, 37 & 39. He has served on the AREMA Functional Group Board of Directors as Director – Communications & Signals. He also was a past member of the AREMA Membership Committee and Nominating Committee, and is a current member of the Publications Committee.

Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREMA in 1999 Nominated For: Vice President – Passenger & Train (Three-Year Term) Name: Francis J. Miller, III, P.E. Title: Northeast Rail/Transit Market Leader Organization/Company: STV Incorporated Biography: Miller began his career in the railroad industry as Assistant Project Engineer at the New York City Transit Authority. He later worked for SEPTA as Project Engineer Track, Gannett Fleming as Senior Project Manager Track, Parsons Brinckerhoff as Assistant Vice President, Professional Associate, HNTB Corporation as Associate Vice President – Director of Rail NY Metro, TranSystems as Vice President Passenger and Transit, Jacobs Engineering as Chief Track Engineer, Maser Consulting as Director of Rail Engineering and he is currently Northeast Rail/Transit Market Leader with STV Incorporated.

He holds an A.S.T. in Construction Engineering and a B.S.T. in Civil Engineering from Spring Garden College.

He has a Professional Engineer designation.

Miller has been actively involved in AREMA Committees 11, 17 and 24, and was previously Secretary, Vice Chair and Chair

of Committee 17. He is the current Director – Passenger & Transit on the AREMA Functional Group Board of Directors, as well as current Chair and past member of the AREMA Membership Committee and member of the Publications Committee.

He is a member of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) High Speed Rail and Intercity Rail Committee, as well as the Transportation Research Board (TRB), AR050. He also is a member of the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee of the FRA Track Standards Working Group. He has presented at past AREMA Technical Conferences and has instructed several AREMA seminars/webinars.

Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREA in 1988 Nominated For: Vice President – Track (Three-Year Term) Name: Kevin D. Hicks, P.E. Title: Freight Business Leader Organization/Company: TranSystems Corporation Biography: Hicks was involved in most facets of engineering/maintenance-ofway at a Class I railroad for over 25 years, from track/roadbed construction to maintenance to Director of Standard & Technology to his last position as Assistant Vice President Engineering – Design and led the team responsible for the design of track, bridges, signals, and most other railroad infrastructure at Union Pacific Railroad. He joined TranSystems Corporation in his current position in January 2019.

He holds a BS degree in Civil Engineering from University of Missouri-Rolla. He has a Professional Engineer designation.

Hicks is an active member of AREMA Committee 1 (Subcommittee 2 Vice Chair) and Committee 30 and was a member of the Nominating Committee in 2015. He is the current Director – Track on the AREMA Functional Group Board of Directors. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and on the Board of Directors of the National Railway Contractors & Maintenance Association (NRC).

Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREA in 1995 rtands.com

Nominated For: Director – Engineering Services (Three-Year Term) Name: Sean Robitaille, P.E. Title: Transportation Engineer Organization/Company: Canadian National Railway Biography: Robitaille began his career with Canadian National Railway in 1996 and has held positions of Statistical Analyst, Signal Design Officer, Asset Planning Officer, Capacity Planning Engineer and Service Design Manager.

He also spent two years with Stantec Consulting as Senior Rail Operations Engineer, before returning to Canadian National Railway to his current position in 2012.

He holds a BS Applied Sciences degree (Civil Engineering) from University of Waterloo. He has a Professional Engineer designation.

Robitaille is a member of AREMA Committee 16, as well as a past Chair and Vice Chair of the committee. He is a member of the Lexington Group for Transportation History as well as the Canadian Air Brake Club – Western Canada Chapter. He has presented and published technical papers with AREMA and other conferences/journals. He is a published photographer and significant donor to Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Edmonton Opera.

Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREMA in 2010 Nominated For: Director – Maintenance-of-Way (Three-Year Term) Name: Anthony J. Bernhard Title: Director Engineering Safety Organization/Company: Union Pacific Railroad Biography: Bernhard began his career as a Management Trainee with Union Pacific Railroad in 2004. He has been Manager, Track Maintenance, Manager, Track Projects, Director, Track Maintenance, and started his current position in 2017.

He helped lead the Union Pacific Railroad Engineering Team to an Industry Best Safety Performance among Class Is in 2017 and 2018.

He holds a BS Construction Engineering degree from Iowa State University.

Berhnard is currently Chair of AREMA Committee 40.

Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREMA in 2013 rtands.com

Nominated For: Director – Structures (Three-Year Term) Name: Walter F. Bleser, II, P.E. Title: President Organization/Company: SENSR Monitoring Technologies, LLC Biography: Bleser has spent his entire 17-year career in the railway bridge industry in roles that include bridge inspection, rating, and design and construction management. His passion for the industry, combined with a tendency to look at “old problems” in an entirely new way, enabled him to help create and lead the implementation of RailAdvise, a railroad-based asset management software. After creating the software, he co-founded SENSR Monitoring Technologies, LLC, a leader in structural monitoring solutions for infrastructure and civil engineering projects. Prior to SENSR, Bleser worked with Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX) and HNTB Corporation.

He holds a BS Civil Engineering degree from Kansas State University and a Master’s Civil Engineering degree from the University of Kansas. He has a Professional Engineer designation.

Bleser is a member of AREMA Committees 7 and 10, previously serving as Secretary, Vice Chair and Chair of 7 and Subcommittee Chair of 10. He was recognized as a “Rising Star in the Railroad Industry” in 2013 by Progressive Railroading Magazine, and was recognized

by Railway Age Magazine as a honorable mention for their “Fast Trackers” award in 2019. He also is a member of the National Eagle Scout Association.

Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREMA in 2005 Nominated For: Director – Passenger & Transit (Two-Year Term/Filling Unexpired Term of Miller) Name: Steven M. Chrismer, Ph.D., P.E. Title: Principal Engineer Organization/Company: Amtrak Biography: Chrismer has been in the rail industry since 1982 starting as a Senior Research Engineer with the Association of American Railroads (AAR), then in engineer positions with LTK Engineering, Amtrak and ENSCO, and now also in his current position with Amtrak.

He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from Penn State and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts. He has a

Professional Engineer designation.

Chrismer is a member of AREMA Committee 17 and served as Chair, as well as currently Subcommittee Chair.

He is a member of American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the Transportation Research Board (TRB).

He has published a book, as well as taught a course at the University of Delaware on Railroad Geotechnical Engineering.

Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREA in 1982 Nominated For: Director – Communications & Signals (One-Year Term/Filling Unexpired Term of Specht) Name: Jeremiah “Jay” McAndrew Title: General Director Signal Design & Construction Organization/Company: Union Pacific Railroad Biography: McAndrew started his career in September 1999 with Union Pacific Railroad and has held various engineering and transportation positions.

He has most recently been responsible for all signal specifications, processes, and compliance for the design, programming, and construction of all Union Pacific signal projects.

He holds BA/BS and MBA degrees from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

McAndrew is a member of AREMA Committees 36 and 39.

Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREMA in 2015 Nominated For: Director – Track (One-Year Term/Filling Unexpired Term of Hicks) Name: Erik K. Frohberg Title: Director Track Standards & Procedures Organization/Company: BNSF Railway Biography: Frohberg has a 30-year engineering career with BNSF Railway. He has held various positions of increasing responsibility in both the track and structures departments starting his career with the former Burlington Northern as a Management Trainee.

He holds a BS degree in Civil Engineering from North Dakota State University.

Frohberg is a member of AREMA Committees 5 and 30. He also is a member of the Railway Tie Association (RTA).

Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined B&B in 1994 August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 37

Getting to Know: Anthony Bernhard of UP

Anthony J. Bernhard Director Engineering Safety Union Pacific Railroad

A

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

Bernhard: While I was finishing my first internship, I knew fairly quickly that I did not want to sit in an office and design various civil projects. I enjoyed being outside, working with my hands and being a part of tangible results, turning nothing into something. As I was finishing my engineering degree I had a professor at Iowa State that was involved in the rail industry and it sparked my interest.

AREMA: How did you get started?

Bernhard: At a career fair at Iowa

38 Railway Track & Structures // August 2019

State, Union Pacific had a booth and no one was talking to them, so I liked my chances.

I asked if they we hiring field engineers and they said they absolutely were. After a couple of interviews and about three weeks I had accepted an offer to join their operations management training program.

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

Bernhard: I felt like in my current role as the safety director I could have a bit more time to help the industry. On top of having a young family and my previous roles (Roadmaster, Assistant Division Engineer, and Division Engineer) it was very difficult to commit much time outside of those priorities.

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

Bernhard: My family and I enjoy traveling and being outside. We try to schedule one trip a year where we explore a new national park and hike as much as we can.

AREMA: Tell us about your family!

Bernhard: My wife Kristy and I have been married for 16 years. We have two children, Frances, 13, and Joe, 11. My wife has been an awesome partner when it comes to raising two wonderful, kind, and intelligent kids. She has done this while moving across the country on seven different occasions and putting up with a spouse that has to be on call 24/7.

She has put her career as geneticist on hold but now is starting to get back into her passion by looking into teaching at a local college.

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

Bernhard: Out of my 15-year career at Union Pacific I have spent 13 of those years in the field working various engineering field management positions, doing everything from rebuilding mountains in the Pacific Northwest to battling expansive clays in central Texas.

AREMA: What is your biggest achievement?

Bernhard: Being part of and helping lead a team in becoming the safest engineering group amongst Class Is during 2018.

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

Bernhard: Understand that this industry is a very rewarding industry. It takes a lot of hard work and in most cases it changes your lifestyle. Most problems that we have to respond to do not occur on Tuesday mornings when the weather is sunny and 70°. But as we apply new technology and identify and take out the variables those problems become fewer and fewer. There is nothing like working smart and dealing with hard-to-tackle complex problems with very real tangible results.

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PAGE #

COMPANY

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AREMA Marketing Department

301-459-3200

301-459-8077

marketing@arema.org

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Danella Rental Systems, Inc.

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19

Diversified Metal Fabricators, Inc.

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8

Dixie Precast

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11

Harsco Rail

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railinfo@harsco.com

Cover 4

Herzog Railroad Services Inc.

816-385-8233

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31

Holland Lp

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15

Hougen Manufacturing

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14

Knox Kershaw Inc

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knox@knoxkershaw.com

32

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.

763-478-6014

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sales@loram.com

2

Montana Hydraulics

406-449-3464

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30

Next Gen Train Control

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conferences @sbpub.com

26-27

Nordco

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10

Omaha Track

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38

Orgo-Thermit Inc

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22

Pandrol USA, L.P

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Plasser American Corp

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Progress Rail, A Caterpillar Company

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21

RCE Equipment Solutions Inc.

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18,24

ROBEL North America Corp

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7

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Western-Cullen-Hayes, Inc.

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11

23

Advertising Sales MAIN OFFICE Jonathan Chalon Publisher 55 Broad St., 26th Floor New York, NY 10004 (212) 620-7224 Fax: (212) 633-1863 jchalon@sbpub.com AL, KY, TN Jonathan Chalon 55 Broad St., 26th Floor New York, NY 10004 (212) 620-7224 Fax: (212) 633-1863 jchalon@sbpub.com

CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA, WV, Canada – Quebec and East, Ontario Jerome Marullo 55 Broad St., 26th Floor New York, NY 10004 (212) 620-7260 Fax: (212) 633-1863 jmarullo@sbpub.com AR, AK, AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, In, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, NM, ND, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY, Canada – AB, BC, MB, SK Heather Disabato 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 Chicago, IL 60603 (312) 683-5026 Fax: (312) 683-0131 hdisabato@sbpub.com The Netherlands, Britain, France, Belgium, Portugal,

Switzerland, North Germany, Middle East, South America, Africa (not South), Far East (Excluding Korea / China/India), All Others, Tenders Louise Cooper International Area Sales Manager The Priory, Syresham Gardens Haywards Heath, RH16 3LB United Kingdom +44-1444-416368 Fax: +44-(0)-1444-458185 lc@railjournal.co.uk Scandinavia, Spain, Southern Germany, Austria, Korea, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Russia, Eastern Europe Baltic States, Recruitment Advertising Michael Boyle International Area Sales Manager Nils Michael Boyle Dorfstrasse 70, 6393 St. Ulrich, Austria. +011436767089872 mboyle@railjournal.com

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.

Italy, Italian-speaking Switzerland Dr. Fabio Potesta Media Point & Communications SRL Corte Lambruschini Corso Buenos Aires 8 V Piano, Genoa, Italy 16129 +39-10-570-4948 Fax: +39-10-553-0088 info@mediapointsrl.it Japan Katsuhiro Ishii Ace Media Service, Inc. 12-6 4-Chome, Nishiiko, Adachi-Ku Tokyo 121-0824 Japan +81-3-5691-3335 Fax: +81-3-5691-3336 amkatsu@dream.com CLASSIFIED, PROFESSIONAL & EMPLOYMENT Jeanine Acquart 55 Broad St., 26th Floor New York, NY 10004 (212) 620-7211 Fax: (212) 633-1325 jacquart@sbpub.com

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

rtands.com

August 2019 // Railway Track & Structures 43

Last Stop

Assembling a winning team Cheryle Tyson, Susan Schruth, HNTB Corporation

Last month, HNTB’s Cheryle Tyson and Susan Schruth discussed the value FTAassigned PMOCs bring to federally funded transit capital projects. This month, they share insights on building the right team to deliver them.

Cheryle Tyson

Susan Schruth

44 Railway Track & Structures // August 2019

I

t is easy for transit agencies to underestimate how challenging it is to assemble a team that can adeptly usher a capital project from its earliest stages through to completion. Even for relatively small projects, a range of specialized management and technical capabilities come into play, many of which might not be apparent at the outset.

Some agencies decide to manage Small Starts projects in-house, and there is a clear attraction to this approach. For one thing, “going it alone” means that the agency does not immediately incur additional costs: The project-linked workload is shared across the existing staff.

Also, agencies may have team members who possess advanced skills that normally get little exercise, such as engineering or project management.

These individuals might be eager to apply their special skills.

There are two major downsides to this approach. First, few agencies sponsoring a Small Start for the first time have ever undertaken a large construction project, and for many agencies that have been building and expanding their systems, it is usually cost prohibitive to keep the requisite construction professionals on staff when not actively working on a project. Second, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding for Capital Investment Grants—New Starts, Small Starts, and Core Capacity—is highly competitive. It adds complexity to projects that might test the resiliency and enthusiasm of any in-house team in quick order. If no one has taken the lead before in running a large-scale, federally funded

“

project, the agency must understand how the program works and develop a strategy to stay on track.

The program requires an appreciation of what FTA needs to make an investment decision and that the recipient provides FTA what it needs. Seeking these discretionary funds makes the project an FTA project, which can have financial and schedule impacts.

This cost-benefit tradeoff prompts some agencies to invest in expanding their team to gain the right skills and experience for the new project.

They might hire new, full-time staff members with the idea of gaining expertise in the short term and bolstering agency competencies in the long term. This approach requires that they scope out and define new staff positions and then go into the marketplace to seek the best talent available.

A number of agencies hire consultants— professional engineers, project managers and others—to meld with their core teams over the course of the project. They find that this approach provides them with the precise expertise they need on a non-permanent basis. Existing staff can remain (for the most part) focused on maintaining current operations, but also gain from working side by side with professionals who might have dozens of similar transit projects under their belts.

This decision will increase the project costs as the level of experience needed to implement the project can be expensive.

On the other hand, using consultants can be focused on a specific scope of work and there is no need to retain them once the scope is completed.

for many agencies, it is usually cost prohibitive to keep the requisite professionals on staff when not working on a project.

Tyson and Schruth are national transit/ rail consultants for HNTB Corporation. Both previously led careers at FTA overseeing grants, program management and administration. rtands.com

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