RT&S June 2018

Grade-crossing surfaces: Enhancers of safety, vehicle and train movements and public relations.

modal crossroads JUNE 2018 | www.rtands.com

Elements of Crossing Safety

Engineering, education and enforcement.

Post Ave. Bridge

Replacing a 103-year-old structure along LIRR’s Main Line.

And also

Arema News P.34 rtands.com

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 1

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contents

June 2018

FEATURES

14

Grade-Crossing Safety

While public outreach efforts target the general public, there are steps railroads can take to mitigate liability.

18

Grade-Crossing Surfaces Two qualities users want in their crossing surfaces – regardless of material – are ease of installation and ease of maintenance.

14 NEWS

DEPARTMENTS

4

Industry Today News regarding Hudson Bay Railway, Huron Central Railway, Norfolk Southern and more.

10

TTCI R&D TTCI evaluates the impacts of various tie and fastener combinations on rail gauge wear and gauge strength.

6

Supplier News Acquisitions, contracts and other news

34

8

People New hires, promotions and appointments

AREMA News Message from the president; Past scholarship winner Daniel Briggs; AREMA Student Chapter update.

SPECIAL SECTION

24

Grade-Crossing Surface Data Sheets

A truck approaches a rubber grade-crossing located along the Indiana Harbor Belt in Bellwood, Ill. Story on page 18.

39 40 41 41 42 43

Products Calendar Advertisers Index Sales Representatives

30

LIRR Post Ave. Bridge To complete a bridge replacement on the nation’s busiest commuter railroad, required planning and innovation.

COLUMNS

3

On Track Crossing safety statistics

9

NRC Chairman’s Column Reflections on the past five months and a look ahead in 2018

Classifieds Advertising Professional Directory

Bruce Kelly

Credit: HiRAIL Corporation

Follow Us On Social Media @RTSMag

rtands.com

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 1

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On Track

Crossing safety statistics Vol. 114, No. 6 Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 Chicago, Ill. 60603 Telephone (312) 683-0130 Fax (312) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com Mischa Wanek-Libman Editor mischa@sbpub.com Kyra Senese Managing Editor ksenese@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES 55 Broad St 26th Fl. New York, N.Y. 10004 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. President and Chairman Jonathan Chalon Publisher Mary Conyers Production Director Nicole Cassano Art Director 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

S

afety is serious business in the rail industry. We’ve seen a significant drop in equipment and track-related incidents during the past two decades. This can be credited to consistent and robust capital programs, as well as dedicated safety initiatives within individual companies. The one area the industry hasn’t seen the same kind of dramatic drop is grade crossing and trespassing incidents.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released updated, but still unofficial, statistics on crossing and trespassing incidents for 2017 in March and the data was concerning. U.S. crossing collisions rose 3.1 percent between 2016 and 2017, crossing deaths increased 7.4 percent and crossing injuries decreased 4.3 percent from 2016 to 2017. Total casualties (deaths and injuries) from rail trespassing climbed 13.3 percent in 2017; trespass deaths grew 22.3 percent and trespass injuries increased 4.6 percent from their levels in 2016. Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), pointed out that for 2017, the rail trespass casualty rate (deaths and injuries per million train-miles) was 1.55, its highest level in the past decade.

“Increasing public awareness is absolutely paramount to helping people make better decisions around railroad grade crossings and tracks,” said FRA Administrator Ronald L. Batory.

OLI, FRA and their partners in communities and the rail industry have worked to promote several campaigns, such as “Stop.

Trains Can’t.”; “Look. Listen. Live.” and “See Tracks? Think Train.” All of these have been in an effort to better educate the public about safe practices around railroad property.

A recent addition to these outreach efforts has been virtual reality. Operation Lifesaver’s Canadian arm has made a series of videos designed for viewing with a smartphone-equipped headset.

The user is immersed in a variety of seemingly ordinary situations where the viewer isn’t immediately aware of an approaching train until the last minute. Watching the videos is a bit like seeing the shark from “Jaws” pop out of the water for the first time. Your body tenses, which is the intention behind each of these videos.

Operation Lifesaver Canada says VR technology is utilized to “scare viewers safe.”

By getting minds and bodies to react at a visceral level, hopefully, the message stays with the viewer longer.

While the complex problem of grade crossing and trespassing incident reduction may not require a complex solution, it will require a multi-faceted one. This extends beyond the stakeholders involved to include the techniques deployed.

Mischa Wanek-Libman Editor

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

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

COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2018. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact: PARS International Corp., 102 W 38th St., 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10018 Phone (212) 221-9595 Fax (212) 221-9195.

For subscriptions and address changes, Please call (800) 895-4389, (402) 346-4740, Fax (402) 346-3670, e-mail rtands@omeda.com or write to: Railway Track & Structures, Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, P.O. Box 3135, Northbrook, IL 60062-3135.

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

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 3

Industry today

Agreement reached for Hudson Bay Railway, Port of Churchill

A

n agreement in principle has been reached between Missinippi Rail Partners and Fairfax Financial Holdings and OmniTRAX Inc. to restore rail service to northern Manitoba and transfer ownership of the Port of Churchill.

The government of Canada released news of the agreement May 30 and said the “historic arrangement.... provides the people of northern Manitoba with the opportunity to control their future.” The government also noted that 30 First Nations and 11 non-First Nations communities in northern Manitoba, as well as seven Kivalliq communities in western Nunavut were active participants in the agreement.

The recently formed buying group consists of Fairfax Financial Holdings (Fairfax), AGT Food and Ingredients (AGT), Missinippi Rail Limited Partnership and OneNorth. The government of Canada explained that Missinippi and OneNorth (together operating as Missinippi Rail Partners) provide First Nation and community participation through their ownership stake and shortline rail experience, thus providing further opportunities for economic development with affected indigenous communities. The government also noted that Fairfax and AGT each offer significant private sector leadership and shortline rail experience to the partnership and are integral to the longer-term financial prospects of the Port of Churchill.

“The people of northern Manitoba have long understood the value of the rail line.

This agreement in principle allows those

$75M FTA grant for Hilltop Tacoma Link

most affected to have a direct stake in the future and long-term interests of their communities,” said Minister of Natural Resources Jim Carr.

A major flooding event in the spring of 2017 damaged the Hudson Bay Railway (HBR) between Amery and Churchill, Manitoba, forcing service suspension. OmniTRAX Canada, which owns HBR, said repairs were too costly to be justified along the line and the search for new ownership intensified.

In September 2017, the government of Canada appointed Wayne Wouters, as the government’s Chief Negotiator to represent Canada’s interests in finding a solution to restoring the rail line. The following October, the government gave OmniTRAX 30 days to fix the line or face legal action and a lawsuit was filed in November for breach of contract.

OmniTRAX Inc. had originally entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Missinippi Rail and One North on a potential sale of the Hudson Bay Rail line in December 2016, prior to the flood damage.

Fairfax Financial Holdings expressed its interest in partnering with Missinippi Rail and One North in November 2017.

A separate entity, iChurchill, made known its interest in purchasing the assets in May 2018, but withdrew that same month due to what it called the government of Canada’s “unwillingness to engage in meaningful dialogue.”

Should the deal with Missinippi Rail Partners and Fairfax be completed, the government says it is committed to re-establishing rail service before winter 2018.

THE

Sound Transit’s Hilltop Tacoma Link light-rail extension received $75 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) through its Small Starts grant program. It’s the final piece of financing needed for the project. Sound Transit credited the “tireless advocacy by members of Washington’s congressional delegation” for securing the funds.

Construction is scheduled to get underway this fall, with service beginning in 2022.

The 2.4-mile Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension will continue Link service north along Commerce Street and run along Stadium Way to the Hilltop District, with six new stations. The project will provide additional access to Tacoma’s downtown corridor, with several new housing, retail and commercial developments already planned along the new route.

“Expanding Tacoma Link to the Hilltop will provide our current residents and commuters from other areas with more ways to get to and from downtown and fuel our continuing economic growth. We owe our ability to break ground this year to the hard work of our entire federal delegation and our close partnership with the FTA,” said Sound Transit Boardmember and Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards.

Funding for the $217 million project also includes Sound Transit 2 funds, funding from the city of Tacoma and other federal and state grants. A future voterapproved extension of Tacoma Link will extend the line out to Tacoma Community College in 2039.

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Industry today

Huron Central to cease operations by end of the year operations will cease by the end of 2018 along the Huron Central Railway (HCRY), a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc., which cites a lack of provincial funding needed to maintain service.

HCRY operates a 175.8-mile Northern Ontario route between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury. The shortline was established under a 1997 lease agreement with Canadian Pacific. Genesee & Wyoming Canada notes that the railway serves major employers in the region, including Domtar, Algoma Steel and Eacom, which together ship approximately 13,000 annual carloads of freight.

“We are obviously disappointed with this turn of events...both the provincial and federal governments have turned a deaf ear on the situation,” said Louis Gravel, president of Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc. Genesee & Wyoming Canada explained that changes in commodity demand resulting in carload declines, coupled with increased maintenance and regulatory compliance costs have

made the railroad economically unviable without strategic investments from the government.

While the Ontario provincial government has provided interim funding through a regional development agency, the railroad says it will not support the line’s operations beyond the end of the year.

In 2010, HCRY received both federal and provincial funding to proceed with essential maintenance and rehabilitation costs intended to keep the rail line operational until 2015.

During that time, HCRY contributed three times more than anticipated, enabling the company to keep the railway safe and operational through 2018. Genesee & Wyoming also noted the lack of support from Transport Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund as another funding blow to maintenance needs.

“Despite intense efforts and numerous meetings with provincial officials to make them aware of the railway’s critical financial situation, HCRY has been unable to obtain long-term financial support to continue

operations. As of today, there is still no federal government infrastructure program that adequately addresses the funding needs of shortline freight railways such as HCRY, which as low-volume lines, typically inherited years of deferred maintenance from prior operators,” Genesee & Wyoming Canada said in a statement.

The railroad says it is calling on provincial and federal government decision-makers to reconsider supporting the shortline rail system in the immediate term to maintain the thousands of jobs HCRY supports in Northern Ontario.

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June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 5

Industry today

Supplier News Bombardier Transportation has tapped The Weitz Company as the design-build contractor for an extension to the PHX Sky Train® guideway and maintenance facility.

The boards of General Electric and Wabtec approved the merger of GE Transportation with Wabtec in a deal worth $11.1 billion.

The Massachusetts Bay Transpor tation Authorit y Fiscal and Management Control Board vote d to award a contrac t to Hardesty & Hanover, LLC, to design a replacement for the drawbridge above the Saugus River.

The American Short Line and R e g i o n a l Ra i l ro a d A s s o c i a ti o n entered into an agreement with H e r z o g Te c h n o l o g i e s , I n c ., to s u p p l y P o s i t i v e Tr a i n C o n t r o l support to its members.

Miner Enterprises has acquired DFW Grating, a manufacturer of metal grating products. voestalpine Nortrak launched a new North American marketing and distribution agreement with Getzner USA to serve freight railways.

Wavetronix has signed a letter of intent to acquire Island Radar Company LLC.

Ports have $20 million in rail access needs during next decade a recent survey by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) found members identified a need in excess of $20 billion during the next decade for multimodal port and rail access, but cited “funding/ financing options” as the biggest hurdle.

AAPA says its State of Freight III – Rail Access and Port Multimodal Funding Needs Report (SOF III) delves “into the issue of freight movement and port multimodal needs with an emphasis on rail access which requires greater focus.”

“Our national multimodal supply chain begins with ports. As a hub for rail, barge, trucks and perhaps someday drones, our nation’s ports are the best illustration on how a multimodal freight network can and must work if we expect to address our nation’s increasing freight volumes while delivering on the demands of a growing population,” the AAPA says in its report.

In the SOF III report, which all AAPA stateside U.S. Corporate members responded to, more than $20 billion in projected multimodal port and rail access needs in the next decade was identified.

Additionally, a third of ports identified pressing rail project needs that cost more than $50 million. The report says that within the next 10 years, 77 percent of ports are planning on-dock, near-dock or rail access projects.

The report also found several barriers identified by AAPA members: • 67 percent of ports report that funding and financing options are the biggest initial obstacles in getting port rail access projects started.

• 37 percent say that problematic at-grade crossings or height restricted overpasses and tunnels within or near ports currently constrain capacity.

• 36 percent report that land acquisition is also a big problem in developing and planning port rail access projects.

“Ports and their private sector partners are already investing $155 billion over the next five years in their terminals including expansions, infrastructure investments and rail. In many cases these projects are waiting on their government partners to invest in the connections outside the gate that are under their jurisdiction. Because of the importance of rail and multimodal connections to the nation, the federal government must take a closer look at addressing the barriers to improved access and funding,” reads the AAPA report.

Regarding how much additional throughput capacity could be added with improved rail access, 43 percent of AAPA member survey respondents said they would see an increase of more than 25 percent while 32 percent of respondents said a 15 to 20 percent increase would be realized.

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Genesee Arch Bridge dedicated in New York norfolk Southern (NS), joined by New York State officials, dedicated the new steel Genesee Arch Bridge on May 24. The name is the result of a bridge-naming social media vote campaign.

The $75 million bridge, which spans the 235-foot Genesee River Gorge, replaced a 19th-centurty-era single-track arch structure and was constructed through a public-private partnership. NS says the bridge expands freight rail capacity and economic opportunities for businesses and communities across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes.

“This modern engineering marvel demonstrates Norfolk Southern’s commitment to meet our customers’ transportation needs while being good stewards of the environment,” said Vice President Engineering Phil Merilli. “Only a few arch bridges of this type have been built by the rail industry in the past century, making this a truly unique experience.”

Norfolk Southern partnered on the project with the New York State Department of Transportation, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council and the Federal Highway Administration.

Located between Buffalo and Binghamton on the railroad’s Southern Tier Line, the 963-foot-long bridge connects New York businesses to markets in the Midwest and New England, trade with Canada and access to New York City. After two years of construction, Norfolk Southern began operating trains in December over the new span, constructed 75 feet south of the former bridge.

In addition to enhancing rail safety and operating efficiencies, the new span enables Norfolk Southern to transport rail cars loaded to the industry standard 286,000 pounds. The old iron truss bridge it replaced created supply-chain inefficiencies as it was unable to support modern freight rail needs with car weights needing to be reduced 13,000 pounds below the standard and train speed was restricted to 10 mph. Trains crossing the new bridge are operating at up to 30 mph with fully loaded cars.

New York-based businesses benefitting from the bridge include 10 shortline railroads that service and connect local industries to Norfolk Southern’s network. Norfolk Southern transports freight across the Southern Tier for about 1,100 customers in more than 20 states.

Through the partnership, Norfolk Southern improved trails and public access to Letchworth State Park and preserved portions of the old bridge for use in historical exhibits. The new bridge’s arch design minimizes the railroad’s environmental footprint in the Genesee River and frames a striking view of the river gorge. rtands.com

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 7

Industry today

People Ed wa rd R . H a m b e rg e r, p re s i d e nt and chief executive of ficer of th e A S S O C I AT I O N O F A M E R I C A N RAILROADS, will retire in early 2019.

The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Af fairs Committee voted to approve the nomination of Thelma Drake as administrator of the FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION. H N T B CO R P O R AT I O N p ro m ote d Kim b e rly S la ughte r to a se n ior vice president of the firm. The firm a l s o a d d e d V i n c e n t G a l l a g h e r, PE, as a senior vice president and s e n i o r p ro g ra m m a n a g e r f o r i t s national program management and construction management practice for transit and rail.

KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN appointed Michael A. Walczak as vice president of mechanical, Maquiling B. Parkerson as vice president of labor relations and

Adam J. Godderz as associate general counsel and corporate secretary.

T h e N AT I O N A L R A I L R OA D CO N S T R U C T I O N & M A I N T E N A N C E ASSOCIATION added to its Board of Directors Brett Urquhart of Vossloh/ Rocla, vice president Class 1 Vossloh Nor th America and vice president Rocla Concrete Tie, and Curtis Bilow, corporate director-Freight Rail/Regional Industrial Manager, Ames Construction.

The association also named Mike McGonagle as director of operations.

The NEW JERSEY TRANSIT Board of Directors tapped William Viqueira as the agency’s new chief financial officer and treasurer and Jacqueline Stamford as the agency’s deputy treasurer.

T h e P O R T AU T H O R I T Y O F N E W YO R K A N D N E W J E R S E Y n a m e d Edward Cetnar as superintendent of its police department.

The REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY added Brian Sager to its board, representing McHenry County, Ill. SOUND TRANSIT named Don Billen as its new executive director of planning, environment and project development department.

TR ANS LIN K announced Vivienne King, British Columbia Rapid Transit Co. president and general manager, would step down in mid-May to return to Australia.

UNION PACIFIC named Clark Ponthier senior vice president-Supply Chain and Continuous Improvement.

The executive committee of the UTA H TR A N S IT AUTH O R IT Y b o a rd recommended appointing Steve Meyer as interim executive director.

WSP USA tapped Maxine Hill as its New York City area manager for transportation and infrastructure.

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NRC Chairman’s Column

Reflections on the past five months and a look ahead in 2018

A

“

I can’t help but believe that the association is very much alive and thriving.

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

s I ref lect on the past five months as the chairman of the NRC Board and what has been accomplished, I can’t help but believe that the association is very much alive and thriving. We had an extremely successful conference in Los Angeles, Calif., in January. We were very successful in taking our message to Capitol Hill as part of Railroad Day on the Hill in March, and our auction in April was quite successful, with almost $75,000 being raised for the NRC Safety, Training, and Education Funds so our safety efforts are well funded and moving forward with new training videos.

We have nominated and voted in three new board members, successfully drafted and agreed upon a new management contract with Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell (CC&H) and signed a new agreement on our joint Exhibition and Conference with REMSA. I must thank the executive committee, Steve Bolte, Jim Hansen and Chris Daloisio again for their hard work and insights into the industry we all work in. I would also be remiss if I did not thank the Auction Committee chairman, Danny Brown, and his committee, as well as Chuck Baker, Matt Bell, Mike McGonagle and the staff at CC&H. Our association is continuing to grow and strengthen.

As we work our way into the summer season, we are already seeing triple-digit heat in Texas and our construction teams must stay hydrated and take frequent breaks to avoid overheating. The construction season is here in full force and new projects are being formulated every week. Opportunities abound for all our contractors and I know the quotes and proposal teams are extremely busy with opportunities. The Class 1s, shortline, commuter rail and rail transit agency capital programs are robust and production is in full swing.

Now is the time for contractors and the NRC to push for changes that will help strengthen and grow not only the contracting industry itself, but also the country’s infrastructure.

I listened to a presentation by the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) last week and the issue of truck size and weights

has really heated up. Proponents of bigger trucks are pushing to include changes to the law on any legislative vehicle they can find in Washington, D.C. We must all be diligent in opposition—let’s contact our representatives in D.C. and our local representatives to push hard against this effort.

It is a matter of safety, as well as maintaining a competitive landscape between the railroads and trucking industries.

NRC member companies must continue the push to ensure that more opportunities in the transit market are created by opening the door to private sector contractors in lieu of work performed “in-house.”

The association’s contractors are capable, work safe, cost effectively and productively and can be a great asset to our nation’s transit agencies. With the rail transit state-of-good-repair backlog continuing to grow and the country’s resources for public investment in infrastructure unable to keep pace, the pressure to utilize scarce resources as efficiently as possible should mount quickly.

The NRC’s 400-plus members throughout the country are ready and eager to provide the transit agencies with services they may need.

For more information on the issues and all NRC member benefits, please visit www. nrcma.org.

Just a reminder, the AREMA conference this year runs from Sept. 16–19. The conference is being held at the Hilton Chicago and registration is now open. It is suggested that you register early and book your stay as soon as possible. I look forward to seeing everyone at this event in Chicago.

It’s not too early to get your first 2019 event on the calendar! The NRC Conference will be held Jan. 6–9 at the JW Marriott resort in Marco Island, Fla. Registration and exhibitor information will soon be available at www.nrcma.org.

Finally, I wish everyone a safe and successful month.

Mike Choat NRC Chairman June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 9

TTCI r&D

Effects of crossties and fasteners on rail wear and gauge strength in HAL Service

A

In a four-year study, TTCI evaluates the impacts of various tie and fastener combinations on rail gauge wear and gauge strength.

by Ananyo Banerjee, Ph.D., principal investigator; David D. Davis, senior scientist; R.B. Wiley, principal investigator; and Mike McHenry, senior engineer, Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

Test Zone

four-year study by Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), using statistical methods has shown crosstie or fastener types show small differences among various tiefastener combinations under similar rail tonnage in million gross tons (mgt).

It was determined that rail supported by elastic fasteners, when grouped together as a category, exhibited more gauge wear than rail supported by cut spikes. Tie type appeared to have minimal effect on both rail gauge wear and gauge strength.

In 2008, TTCI began tests of ties and fasteners in a six-degree curve on the High Tonnage Loop (HTL) at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) in Pueblo, Colo. In 2012, new 136 RE high strength (premium) rail of one rail type was installed in the six-degree curve.

The addition of a uniform rail type allowed for the evaluation of the effects of crosstie and fastener configurations on rail performance under heavy-axle loads. The data collected on the HTL from 2012 to 2016 shows effects of tie and fastener types on track geometry parameters which influence rail gauge face wear.

The Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) DOTX218 (T-18) deployable gauge restraint measuring system (GRMS) was used to apply a gauge widening load to the track to measure the ability of the tie and fastener systems to resist gauge widening. An instrumented geometry car was also used to determine track geometry changes across different zones of ties and fasteners.

Rail profile measurements were taken on the high rail of the curve at different tonnages. The resulting data was analyzed

No. of Ties

Tie Type

Tie Plate

Rail Fastener

Hold-Down Fastener

0a

50

Mixed Hardwood

182 Rolled

Longitudinally applied spring clip

Cut Spike

0b

50

Mixed Hardwood

182 Rolled

Longitudinally applied spring clip

Drive Spike

3a

25

Concrete

-

Bolted spring clip

-

3b

28

Concrete

-

Bolted spring clip - large

-

4

50

Concrete

-

Transversely applied spring clip

-

6

100

Plastic

142 Rolled

Cut Spike

11b

50

Mixed Hardwood

182 Cast

Transversely applied spring clip

13

100

Mixed Hardwood

182 Rolled

Cut Spike

Cut Spike

Screw Spike

Cut Spike

Table 1: Tie and fastener combinations for rail wear

10 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

rtands.com

TTCI r&d

Figure 1: Head and gauge wear differences across different tie-fastener combinations at 563 mgt.

using general regression and general linear models (GLM) for statistical correlation among rail gauge face wear, delta gauge (gauge strength) and other track geometry parameters of different test zones to understand the effects of ties and fasteners.

Individual influence of tie-fastener combinations could not be determined due to uneven sample sizes, but ties and fasteners were grouped by categories for use in statistical modeling.

Gauge widening was observed in zones with different tie types—plastic and hardwood—but with the same type of fasteners (cut spikes). Zones with cut spike fasteners displayed less rail gauge face wear as a result of lower gauge strength. Tie types had minimal effects on both rail gauge wear and delta gauge.1

performance has been documented in a previously published RT&S article.2 Rail wear measurement data was collected at 122, 177, 210, 247, 350, 454 and 563 mgt using a MiniProf digital profilometer. Profiles measured by the MiniProf at different tonnages were used to calculate head (vertical), gauge corner, gauge face (lateral) wear and total area loss. The differences in the total area loss across different tie-fastener zones were found to be statistically insignificant.

The wear analysis was then focused on analyzing gauge wear and head wear. Figure 1 shows differences in gauge wear and head wear at 563 mgt across different zones with some scatter in the data. At 563 mgt, head wear had comparatively smaller variation than gauge wear across the various tiefastener zones.

Test features During the 563 mgt of testing, the premium rail had no internal fatigue defects and minimal rolling contact fatigue on the running surfaces. Section 25 in the HTL has zones containing 22 combinations of ties and fastener systems, the rail wear study focused on zones providing eight different combinations (shown in Table 1) that might exhibit the range of rail wear found in the entire curve. The effects on gauge strength due to tie and fastener

Analysis Track performance data sets were gathered using the T-18 GRMS vehicle, a track geometry car and the lateral track loading fixture (LTLF) device. Data from the T-18 and the track geometry car were more consistent than the LTLF data. Delta gauge measurements from the T-18 car were influenced by tie and fastener types more than the gauge measurements from the instrumented geometry car. Delta gauge is a calculated

rtands.com

parameter of track gauge strength — the difference between loaded and unloaded gauge caused by the applied vertical and lateral loads from the test vehicle.

The GLM design grouped similar tie types into three categories: concrete, wood and plastic. Different elastic fasteners were grouped together and cut spikes were treated as another group of fastener types. Gauge wear was chosen as it had more variation than head wear, as shown in Figure 1 and gauge wear is directly related to delta gauge because dynamic gauge widening affects wear on the gauge side more than the head or gauge corner.

Figure 2 shows the influence of different factors on gauge wear and delta gauge using Beta (β) coefficients with 95 percent confidence intervals (CI). Beta coefficients are standardized regression coefficients that compare the relative contribution of each independent variable in the prediction of the dependent variables. Positive beta coefficients mean that the parameter contributes to increases in gauge wear and delta gauge; whereas, negative beta coefficients imply the parameter contributes to reduced gauge wear and delta gauge. Gauge data from both T-18 and instrumented geometry cars were used in the GLM model to compare the beta coefficients.

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 11

TTCI r&D

Figure 2: Influence of various tie and fastener groups on (a) gauge wear beta coefficients, and (b) delta gauge beta coefficients (95 percent CI included).

Figure 2a shows comparison among tie types, fastener types and rail mgt when gauge wear was analyzed. Elastic fasteners seem to have a positive influence on gauge wear (more wear), while cut spikes seem to have a negative influence (less wear).

This is related to Figure 2b where cut spikes have a positive influence on delta gauge and elastic fasteners have a negative influence. A positive delta gauge means gauge widening. This means gauge widening happens on application of load in the zones with cut spikes (6 and 13), and this gauge widening causes less gauge wear. Higher gauge widening causes the rails to open up, which causes less contact between the flange of the wheel and the rail. Tie types seem to have the least influence on both gauge wear and delta gauge. Plastic ties showed positive influence on delta gauge and negative influence on gauge wear; whereas, concrete ties showed the opposite trend.

Your Leading Rail Industry Solutions Provider INCREASE OPERATING EFFICIENCIES IMPROVE SAFETY PERFORMANCE ENHANCE PASSENGER COMFORT

References 1. Banerjee, A., Davis, D., Aragona, I., McHenry, M. and Wiley, R. March 2017. “Effects of Crossties and Fasteners on Rail Wear and Gauge Strength in Heavy Axle Load Service.” Technology Digest TD-17006. Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.

2. McHenry. M. and LoPresti, J. April 2016. “Tie and fastener system gauge restraint performance at FAST.” Railway Track & Structures, pp. 11-13.

®

lbfoster.com US: 1.800.255.4500 Intl: +44(0)114256222 12 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018 Rail_QTR3.indd 1

Conclusions Tie type had minimal effect on both rail gauge wear and gauge strength. Rail supported by elastic fasteners when grouped together as a category, exhibited more gauge wear than cut spikes although effects of individual tie-fastener combinations could not be determined due to uneven sample sizes.

rtands.com 1/29/2018 2:35:58 PM

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crossing safety

SAVING LIVES WHERE ROAD MEETS RAIL F

orty-five years of Gem State safety effort is reaffirmed by crew members and state troopers climbing aboard a pair of Union Pacific (UP) locomotives at Coeur d’Alene Junction, Idaho, on the morning of Sept. 13, 2017.

The day’s “Officer on a Train” agenda will be a bit like fishing in a barrel, traveling back and forth on less than four miles of track, through more than a half-dozen crossings, with descriptions of vehicles that ignore warnings lights, gates or stop signs being radioed to state, local and 14 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

railroad police who are positioned nearby.

There will be no accidents or arrests today, but plenty of written warnings handed out to drivers who placed themselves, and any passengers, within seconds of potential death or injury.

It was back in 1972 when UP and the Idaho State Highway Patrol launched a public education safety program that was presented to civic groups, schools, truckers and bus drivers. After its first year, the message of “Look, Listen and Live” (also phrased as “Stop, Look and Listen”) reduced

Idaho grade-crossing fatalities by 43 percent.

Now known as Operation Lifesaver—with affiliations in all 50 states—that program, together with widespread improvements to crossing protection devices, has helped bring nationwide incidents down from in excess of 12,000 collisions in 1972 to fewer than 2,100 collisions in 2016.

There continues to be significant need for outreach to the general public regarding safety on or near railroad property, whether it’s motorists who encounter that property at grade crossings or pedestrians rtands.com

All photos by Bruce Kelly

Safe and practical crossing solutions require the efforts of states, advocacy programs, railroads and suppliers.

crossing safety

Another motorist ignores flashing lights and the sound of air horns, crossing in the path of a UP Officer on a Train special in full view of police on board and waiting nearby.

By Bruce Kelly, contributing editor, Railway Age

who walk near or across tracks. At the same time, there’s more that railroads themselves can do to make grade crossings safer and to reduce their liability in cases like those where courts have decided the fault did not lie solely on the offending motorist.

Education, engineering, enforcement Travis Campbell, a UP engineer who serves as state coordinator for Idaho Operation Lifesaver, says the formula for reducing grade-crossing accidents boils down to three basic elements: Education, rtands.com

Engineering and Enforcement (the Three Es). The Education part Campbell describes as “a program to provide rail safety emphasis and awareness through training, PSA [public service announcement] campaigns and special events. We speak to groups ranging from kindergarten to senior citizens with an emphasis on new drivers and commercial drivers.”

The engineering element is where railroads partner with state government and industries to create safety solutions for roadway/rail intersections.

Campbell says, “We support and encourage the kinds of continued engineering research and innovation responsible for having greatly improved the safety of America’s railroad crossings, because whenever two modes of transportation share the same section of roadway, as they do at highwayrail grade crossings, the possibility for a collision exists. Engineering technologies play a critical role in helping minimize and reduce those collision risks.”

Enforcement is part of what that September 2017 Officer on a Train operation was all about. It’s when railroads and local law agencies team up “to enforce traffic laws pertaining to highway/rail intersections, as well as trespassing.” Campbell adds that a program known as “Adopt-a-Crossing” gives law enforcement officers the opportunity to focus on one or more railroad crossings as part of their routine patrol.

While the presence of Operation Lifesaver is known to most in the rail industry, Campbell feels that some companies might not be taking full advantage of the benefits available through interaction with OL. He says, “Many Operation Lifesaver state programs have a large network of authorized volunteers and a network of strong community partners that can help you achieve your safety goals. Their partnership in a common goal can strengthen your public safety program.”

“Passive” warning devices made better Whether it’s a failure of today’s driver education classes and state licensing agencies to adequately inform motorists of the meaning of a stop sign or “crossbuck” at railroad crossings or the modern epidemic of drivers distracted by their own hand-held devices, anything short of gates and flashers seems to leave the door wide open for disaster. The X-shaped crossbuck, a familiar sight throughout rural and even industrial North America and used in varying sizes and shapes around much of the world, is

intended to enforce the same level of traffic control as a yield sign. But many people today, even those who live and work in rail-served communities or who commute to work daily by train, are somehow oblivious to the presence of tracks and trains the moment they sit behind a steering wheel.

So-called “passive” crossings, where no electronic warning devices are present, are statistically more dangerous than “active” crossings that have gates and/or flashers.

According to a May 2017 report issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), crossings protected only by stop signs or crossbucks have more than five times the accident rate as crossings with gates, while crossings with no protection devices have 27 times the accident rate those with gates. Those rates were determined by a “per car and per train” analysis of the more than 211,000 crossings in the FRA database.

The actual number of accidents at any given crossing, or in any given state, may appear higher than the statistical rate due to the increased odds presented by higher traffic volume and distances traveled. This is why the 2017 USDOT/FRA report says, “The state of Virginia had 42 accidents in 2014 while California had 128. However, the population of California drove more than

UP special agent Frank Cortez (on ground) and UP engineer/state coordinator for Idaho Operation Lifesaver Travis Campbell (aboard locomotive) prepare for an Officer On a Train operation at Coeur d’Alene Junction, Idaho, in September 2017.

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 15

crossing safety

A UP train crossing Prairie Ave. in Post Falls, Idaho, when only flashers were present. UP installed gates at a later date.

four times as many miles as Virginians did in 2014, so Californians’ rate of accidents per mile driven was actually lower than the Virginians.” A 135-page report on driver behavior at grade crossings, released by the USDOT and FRA in 2008, said, “Many drivers believe that active warning devices are used at all or most grade crossings, and thus, the absence of an active warning system could be interpreted as signaling the absence of a train.”

Enhancement of passive warning devices, making them more attentiongetting to approaching motorists, has been an ongoing process. One of the earliest examples, which is still in use, is something called the “Ida-Shield,” also referred to as a “Conrail Shield” in some road sign catalogs.

It’s an aluminum panel coated with highlyreflective chevron stripes (typically red and silver), attached to the main post supporting a stop sign or crossbuck. The left and right sides of the panel are bent backwards at a 45-degree angle so as to reflect the headlights of an approaching train toward the line of sight of approaching motorists.

A three-year study following the first installations of the Ida-Shield in Idaho in the mid-1990s found that the driver compliance rate at passive crossings increased from 44 percent to 69.6 percent, and driver reaction rate (slowing down, turning heads to look for an approaching train) increased from 55.6 percent to 88.2 percent. Data gathered in 2008 showed driver compliance was 83 percent at crossings with both stop signs and Ida-Shields, versus 52 percent at crossings with stop signs only.

16 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

The latest products helping to improve driver compliance at passive crossings are electronically-enhanced signs, such as the SignAlert product line from TraffiCalm Systems of Post Falls, Idaho, and E-Signs from CTC Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas. These include stop, yield and other roadway signs – CTC Inc. also offers crossbucks – fitted with flashing, high-intensity LEDs along their edges. Optional solar power makes them relatively easy and inexpensive to install at even the most remote locations and they can be configured to flash continuously or be triggered by motion sensor. Both TraffiCalm and CTC Inc. say their solar power systems provide up to two weeks of continuous service off a single charge and batteries will continue to charge under most cloudcover conditions.

Lowering liability, increasing safety Juries have been known to award tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars to families whose loved ones were killed in a grade-crossing collision, even in cases where drivers have been intoxicated or otherwise distracted and where the necessary crossing protection devices were present but ignored.

When a court rules against the railroad, it’s often due to some perceived condition (real or imagined) such as impaired visibility or insufficient warning.

Passive crossings are statistically more likely to fall into this scenario, but gated crossings have, too, particularly where the angle by which the roadway crosses a railroad is less than 90 degrees. The FRA’s May 2017 crossing accident analysis said, “A

crossing angle of 29 degrees or less is more dangerous than crossing angles that are greater than 29 degrees.” Citing an accidentprone crossing in New Jersey as an example, the FRA said, “The angle of the intersection is far from perpendicular, which increases the distance between the gates and the tracks. This increases the likelihood that vehicles will become trapped while a train comes through.”

While the FRA admits that the effect of angles on grade-crossing collisions “is difficult to quantify,” its opinion that sharplyangled crossings “make it nearly impossible for motorists to look down the tracks and visually identify an on-coming train” merits attention. A 10-mile stretch of UP’s Spokane Subdivision in Kootenai County, Idaho, (where that September 2017 Officer on a Train exercise was performed) is oriented from southwest to northeast, intersecting with more than a dozen roads running either north-south or east-west. Several of these crossings have angles as low as 35 degrees, which can hinder the view of trains approaching from a driver’s right side.

UP in recent years has been adding gates to these crossings, most of which had previously been passive and a few of which were previously equipped with flashers only. The area’s rapid population growth has boosted the statistical odds of a truck or automobile pulling in front of an oncoming train, especially when motorists today seem increasingly unaware that trains still operate in the 21st century or that a stop or yield sign at a railroad crossing means the same thing it does at a roadway intersection.

One more thing the general public doesn’t understand is that it’s not up to a railroad, but state and local government (often with federal funding) to decide how and where grade-crossing protection gets implemented. Maintenance and repair are typically performed by the railroad, which is reimbursed by the appropriate government agency.

UP says, “Each state is tasked to develop a system to determine a priority list for crossing safety improvements based on various factors. Once a state determines which crossings are to be upgraded, it contacts the railroad, which meets with state and local representatives to review the project.” Where states fail to uphold their responsibility to make roadways safe for their citizens, railroads may find it necessary to implement the Three Es, and lead the joint effort toward practical grade-crossing solutions. rtands.com

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grade crossing surfaces

SURFACE

features 18 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

rtands.com

GRADE CROSSING surfaces

2018 Annual grade-crossing report: Manufacturers and suppliers aim for a clear path with concrete, rubber, wood and composite crossings surfaces.

By Kyra Senese, managing editor

S

uppliers and manufacturers of grade-crossing surfaces continue to focus on longevity, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and durability in their offerings as safety remains key at crossings. Ease of maintenance and recyclability were also points of interest this year.

some specific interests among customers throughout the past year.

“We have seen more requests for specialized products to fit different track configurations, concrete ties and rail fastening systems,” he said.

Overfelt also said he’s seen demand this year affected by track maintenance and road maintenance.

HiRAIL Corporation “The more maintenance on tracks or HiRAIL Corporation manufactures a roads, the more chance there is a need complete line of rubber grade-crossing for a new crossing surface,” Overfelt said. surfaces, including Hi-Rail, Pedestrail and “New transit start ups and extensions of Hi-Rail Rail Seal. Hi-Rail Full Depth Rubber current systems also add to the demand crossings are a “Green” product, as they are we see.” manufactured using recycled vehicle tires.

Railroad budgets appear to be holding The crossings can also be recycled at the steady, he said, and he does not expect that end of their useful life, to change much in said Jim Overfelt, the 2018. company’s director of Despite the push marketing and sales. toward high-speed Hi-Rail’s Full Depth rail, Overfelt also Rubber grade-crossing does not predict systems aim to provide much change soon a smooth, safe crossin product modificaing surface for motor tions to account for vehicles. The systems increased speeds or are manufactured to volume in the crossaccommodate most ing surface business.

– Patrick Juelich, common rail sizes, rail Fortunately, he also fastenings and wood, said he has not felt StarTrack Railroad Crossings concrete, composite or that his company steel ties. or the industry as a whole have faced any The company’s Full Depth Rubber major challenges during this year in terms crossing systems are available in lagged of grade-crossing surfaces. and lagless designs. Overfelt says the lagless design lessens crosstie degradation Koppers and enables installation on concrete and Koppers produces full-depth timber steel ties. crossings that meet Class 1 specificaThe company also offers Pedestrail, a tions along with gauge and field timbers pedestrian crossing surface that meets ADA for use with asphalt inserted between the requirements. The surface provides the gauge timbers. features of the Hi-Rail Full Depth Rubber Kevin Reinhart, a sales representative for offering and comes with a raised diamond Koppers, said a key demand seen this year surface to allow for pedestrian stability. was for safer crossings. One challenge ReinAnother product HiRail offers is its hart notes so far in 2018 has been getting rubber rail seal, which works with asphalt access to an adequate amount of hardwoods or poured-in-place concrete crossings. The for use. rubber rail seal is manufactured to fit most Reinhart also says budgets have been rail sizes on timber or concrete ties using slightly higher than in 2017. all types of rail fastenings, Overfelt said.

“We expect [budgets] to level off in 2018,” He added that the company has noticed Reinhart said.

“

Omega Industries manufactures a Concrete Grade-Crossing System.

Crews work at a site at the Port of Richmond. rtands.com

Omega Industries, Inc.

Crossing safety and surface durability is only as good as its foundation”

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 19

ENDURANCE XL R

Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

StarTrack produces modular crossings for radius track with restraining rail and a precast concrete slab track for crossings through turnouts.

LEED Certified, Premium Crossing Surface Material Engineered 100% Recycled Plastics Formulation Non-Conductive Skid-Resistant Surface Performs Well in All Climates and Traffic Conditions Cost-Effective Alternative to Concrete, Rubber & Timber Easy Installation, Complete Package Composite Cross Tie & Composite Crossing “Bundle”

LT Resources, Inc. “Green” Railway Products for the Long Haul®

800-440-1517

281-444-3494

www.ltresources.com sales@ltresources.com

20 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

LT Resources, Inc. LT Resources’ offerings include the ENDURANCE®-XL Highway-Rail Composite Grade Crossings, which the company said utilize durable, recycled polymer materials and can be installed in a wide variety of applications. The panels are supplied pre-drilled and can also be drilled on site when needed. Optional rubber flangeway filler, lag screws and composite ties are also part of the package, and both panels and ties can be recycled at the end of their useful life.

The company supplies a complete composite system, including composite ties for use under ENDURANCE composite panels, which Linda Thomas, the company’s president, said are intended to extend the life of the crossing. Composite crossties are also meant to extend the life of concrete and rubber crossings, and Thomas said the trend of using composite ties under grade crossings of all kinds has continued to grow each year.

This year, Thomas says corporate sustainability goals and the desire to use durable “green” products with improved performance features have driven the demand for LT Resources’ products as she said it has in the past. Transit, port and industrial growth also drive the demand for composite products.

One challenge Thomas notes is an increase in freight costs that has affected overall operations and outbound transportation costs.

Railroads continue to seek cost-savings while addressing the need for products with longterm performance and reduced maintenance and replacement costs.

“Although crossing budgets are sometimes reduced as necessary to address railroads’ higher maintenance priorities, investments in safety and improved infrastructure are still very important to our customer base,” Thomas said.

Omega Industries, Inc. Omega Industries is in the testing stages with various crossing panel prototypes, said the company’s national sales manager, Mark Mottola.

The existing Main Line Common Standard concrete panel design used by Class 1 railroads has been around for more than a decade, and Mottola says it has held up well throughout time.

“It is our goal as a company to stay on top of any new technology that may improve the current design,”Mottola said.

Omega manufactures a Concrete GradeCrossing System with an attached rubber flangeway design.

The company’s main challenge this year rtands.com

StarTrack

www.endurancecrossings.com

GRADE CROSSING surfaces

has been flatbed trucking, he said.

“With recent federal rule changes and electronic reporting, the flatbed demand far exceeds the supply. As a result, trucking has been difficult to find and prices have increased dramatically.”

During the past year, he says Omega has seen a large increase in transit and lightrail work.

The company is also in the submittal or construction stages with projects in Seattle, Dallas and Miami, he explained. Mottola cites population density and traffic congestion in larger cities as a continued driver of demand for new light-rail, commuter and streetcar projects.

“The goal in any high-speed rail system is to eliminate, or at least reduce at grade crossings,” Mottola said. “The roadway crossings left in tact will likely receive stateof-the-art crossing surface and signals.”

LT Resources

Omni Rail Products, Inc. Omni Rail Products’ OMNI’s TraCast “TUB” style crossing is now available with Pandrol-type fasteners, said Bob Cigrang, vice president of sales. Per industry demand, he explained the company has added Pandrol-type E clips as an option for current “TUB” crossing design.

The company offers concrete and virgin rubber grade crossings, and has seen an uptick in requests for ADA-compliant flangeways and solid molded rubber rail seal.

Cigrang said all of the company’s concrete and rubber crossing surfaces are compatible with HSR applications.He added that a challenge the company deals with has been maintaining its high standards while dealing with rising raw material costs as customers demand lower prices.

“We have multiple products for almost any application and have our own rubber plant for custom molding,” Cigrang said.

offers four standard size modules. The 5’x11’ StarTrack HD modules are designed for heavy impact loads and are the standard at port, industry and high ADT surfaces.

Recently, the company observed railroads and roadway authorities installing StarTrack crossing surfaces because the product has shown it will stand up to heavy truck traffic and requires little to no long-term maintenance.

“Crossing safety and surface durability is only as good as its foundation, and many crossings have poor soil conditions,” Juelich said. “Heavy impact crossing areas can be solved through stabilizing the sub base, improving drainage and distributing loads over a larger area with our StarTrack modular crossing systems.”

Volume increases and heavier motor vehicle traffic are driving road authorities and engineers to seek improved surface solutions, Juelich said.

“We’ve seen greater coordination between the railroads public projects people and departments of transportation on crossing safety and reviewing surface

options,” he added.

Total cost of ownership and life cycle maintenance costs of surface material have become of greater interest to railroads and public entities, Juelich says, adding that StarTrack has noticed a steady flow of maintenance, intermodal and port projects.

Juelich also said higher train speeds are bringing attention by track engineering to the stiffing of the track modulus in the approaches.

LT Resources supplies a complete composite system, including composite ties for use under ENDURANCE composite panels.

StarTrack Railroad Crossings StarTrack Railroad Crossings works with railroad and contractor customers to produce StarTrack Modular Crossings for radius track with restraining rail and a precast concrete slab track for crossings through turnouts. The company’s products are all domestically manufactured at its regional Oldcastle Precast facilities, said Patrick Juelich, business manager - rail.

The company provides all StarTrack surfaces as one-piece casting, 6000 psi precast concrete modules, which it said offers a safe, durable surface placed on a prepared subgrade with no ties. StarTrack rtands.com

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 21

grade crossing surfaces

A Union Pacific railroad crossing in Cortland, Ill.

“This is important when using our StarTrack Modular crossing system because of the transition from flexible to rigid track structure,” Juelich said.

Stella-Jones Corporation Stella-Jones operates multiple plants capable of supplying timber crossings, including locations at: Goshen, Va.; DuBois, Pa.;

Russellville, Ark.; and Bangor, Wis., said George Caric, the company’s vice president of marketing.

“These locations can prefabricate to any size timber crossing required,” Caric said.

“Whether it be for a standard crossing or a custom application.”

The demand for Stella-Jones timber crossings has been steady, he said, and most of the demand for the company’s timber crossings comes from state DOT projects that are carried out with general highway improvements.

“Our yearly contracts with our Class 1 customers are good and demand from our commercial customers remains steady,” Caric said.

He added that the company is facing pricing and supply pressures from other hardwood markets due to demand for hardwood timber for use in mat timbers, exports and pallets.

“This pressure has pushed lead times out. We are working to make sure we have the timber we need to have to fulfill our commitments,” Caric said.

Washington, California, Nebraska, Texas, North Carolina Largest Concrete Crossing Manufacturer In The USA (360) 694-3221 ● www.omega-industries.com

HiRAIL Corporation

- THINK SAFETY FIRST -

22 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

rtands.com

Grade-crossing surface data The information on pages 24-28 provides dimensional and structural data on highway grade-crossing surface materials, along with flangeway-filler material, available nationally. The data given are intended to help railway and highway engineers in their selection of appropriate materials for specific projects.

American Concrete Shuntless Lag/ Lagless

American Concrete Shuntless PFW - Lag/ Lagless

Century Group Inc. Concrete Lag Type

Century Group Inc. Concrete Lagless

HiRAIL Full-Depth Rubber

Koppers Standard Timber

Rocla Full-Depth Reinforced Concrete

LT Resources Endurance® XL Composite Crossing

LT Resources Endurance® XL PLUS Composite Crossing

Omega Lag-Down

8’6” w 9’0” w/c 10’0” w/c

8’6” w 9’0” w/c 10’0” w/c

8’-6”/W 9’-0”/W 10’-0”/W

9’-0”/W 10’-0”/W 10’-0”/C

8’-6”/W/C 9’-0”/W/C 10’-0”/W/C

8’6”/W 9’ /W 10’/W

8’-6”/W/C 10’-0”/W 10’-0”/C

8’-6”/W/CP 10’-0”W/CP

8’-6”/W/CP 9’-0”/W/CP 10’-0”W/CP

8’-03 C 8’-6” /W/CP 9’ W/CP 10’ W/C/CP

9’-0”/W/C 10’-0”/W/C 8’-3”/C

19-1/2” or custom

19-1/2” or custom

18” or 19-1/2” 20”

18” or 20” 24”

18”

19-1/2”

19-1/2” or 24”

19-1/2” or custom

19-1/2” or custom

18”, 19-1/2” 24”/ Custom

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

Maximum length of tie plates

Any

As required

As required

18”

As required

18”

16”

18”

Any

As required

Size of fasteners

5/8” x12” H5

5/8” x12” H5

3/4”x12”

N/A

3/4”x101/2”

3/4” x 13”

A/S

As specified

As specified

3/4”x12”

Type of fasteners

T/optional

T/optional

TW

N/A

T

D, L,T

T

L

L

Fasteners furnished

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Yes

Optional

Yes

Yes

Additional washers necessary

N/R

N/R

No

N/A

N/R

N/A

No

Additional washers furnished

N/R

N/R

N/A

N/A

N/R

N/A

# fasteners per tie - maximum

6

6

4

N/A

4

# fasteners per tie - average

4

4

2

N/A

Crossing pads predrilled

No

No

Yes

Spike holes countersunk

Yes

Yes

Spike hole plugs furnished

No

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

Tie spacing

a Non-La g

OMNI Improved Concrete (ConcreteRubber) 9’-0”/W/C or 10’-0”/W/C

18” or 24”

As required

16”

N/A

3/4”x12”

L

N/A

T

Yes

Yes

N/A

Yes

No

No

N/R

N/A

No

No

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

No

8

4

16

16

6

N/A

4

2

8

2

6

6

4

N/A

2

N/A

Yes

As specified

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

N/A

Yes

Yes

N/A

Yes

As specified

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Yes

No

No

N/A

Yes

N/R

No

As required

As required

As required

N/A

No

8’ 1 1/2” w 10’ w/c custom

8’ 1 1/2” w 10’ w/c custom

8’ 1 1/2” 9’ 10’

9’ 10’

36”

8’-0”

8’ 1 1/2”

8’ 1 1/2”

4’-12’

6’/8’/8’11/2”/9’/10’/ 12’

8’ or 9’

Length of field panels

8’ 1 1/2” w 10’ w/c custom

8’ 1 1/2” w 10’ w/c custom

8’ 1 1/2” 9’ 10’

9’ 10’

36”

8’-0”

8’-0”, 8’-1 1/2”, 10’-0”, 6’-3”

8’ 1 1/2”

8’ 1 1/2”

8’ 8’ 1-1/2” 9’ 10’

6’/8’/8’11/2”/9’/10’/ 12’

Gauge pads # of pieces

1

1

1

1

1

2

1

2

2

8’ 8’ 1-1/2” 9’ 10’

1

Length of gauge panels

24 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

8’-0” 8’-1 1/2” 12’-0” 10’-0”

8’ or 9’

Conc. 1 Rubber 2

rtands.com

N/R N/A

= Not Required = Not Applicable

D = Washer head drive spikes L = Lag screws

+ LW 1

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

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

OMNI Steel Reinforced

OMNI Heavy-Duty Virgin Rubber

OMNI Embedded ConcreteRubber

OMNI Tracast

Polycorp Ltd. Full-Depth Rubber

Polycorp Ltd. Concrete

Premier LRT Modular System

Premier Freight Modular System

Rail-Way Inc. Full-Depth Rubber

Rail-Way Inc. Concrete

9’-0”/W/C 10’-0”/W/C

N/R

8’-6”/W/C 9’-0”/W/C

9’0”/W/C 10’ 0”/W/C

N/R

N/R

8’-6”/W/C 9’-0”/W/C

9’0”/W/C 10’ 0”/W/C

N/A

18”

18” or 19 1/2”

N/A

N/A

18”

Stella-Jones StarTrack Oldcastle Corp.

Precast Full-Panel Concrete-HD Timber

StarTrack Oldcastle Precast Concrete

Steel Crossing Inc.

TRANSPO® INDUSTRIES BODAN Level Crossing System

8’-6”/W 9’-0”/W 10’/W

N/R N/R

N/R N/R

8’-6”/W 9’-0”/W

8’-6” 9’-0” 10’0”

18” or 19 1/2”

19-1/2”

N/A

N/A

19-1/2”

24”

16”

As specified

As specified

N/A

N/A

16”

Any

3/4”

3/4”x12”

3/4”x12”

As specified

N/A

N/A

3/4”x12”

N/R

Bolts

Bolts

T

T

D,L,T

Pandrol

Pandrol

T

N/R

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Optional

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/R

N/R

No

No

No

N/R

No

As specified

N/R

N/R

No

N/R

N/A

N/R

No

Y-Lock

Y-Lock

N/R

No

As specified

N/R

N/R

No

N/R

6

N/A

8

6

N/A

N/A

8

6

8

N/A

N/A

8

N/R

6

3

N/A

6

3

N/A

N/A

6

3

8

N/A

N/A

8

N/R

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Optional

N/A

N/A

N/A

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Yes

Yes

N/A

N/A

Yes

Yes

N/A

N/A

N/A

Yes

N/A

Yes

Yes

No

N/A

Yes

No

N/A

N/A

Yes

No

No

N/A

N/A

N/R

N/A

36”

36”

8’ or 8’11/2” or 9’ or 10’

6’ Conc.

6’ Rubber

36”

8’-1 1/2” or 9’0”

4’ or 8’

4’ or 8’

36”

8’-1 1/2” or 9’0”

8’-1-1/2”

60”

60”/90”/210”

72-1/2”

24”

36”

36”

8’ or 8’11/2” or 9’ or 10’

N/A

36”

8’-1 1/2” or 9’0”

4’ or 8’

4’ or 8’

36”

8’-1 1/2” or 9’0”

8’-1-1/2”

60”

60”/90”/210”

72-1/2”

24” or 48”

1

1

1

Conc. 1 Rubber 2

1

1

2

2

1

1

2

1

1

4

1

8’-6”/W 9’-0”/W

8’-6”/W or 9’-0”/W or 10’-0”/w

18”

18”

16”

16”

16”

N/A

16”

As specified

N/A

N/A

5/8”x 10-1/2”

3/4”x 7-1/2”

3/4”x 12”

3/4”

3/4”x12”

3/4”x12”

3/4”

TW

T

T

Bolts

T

T

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

N/A

No

No

No

18

14

9

rtands.com

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

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 25

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

American Concrete Shuntless Lag/ Lagless

American Concrete Shuntless PFW Lag/ Lagless

Century Group Inc. Concrete Lag Type

Century Group Inc. Concrete Lagless

HiRAIL Full-Depth Rubber

Koppers Standard Timber

Rocla Full-Depth Reinforced Concrete

Depth of material

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Steel reinforced

Yes

Yes

Yes Grade 72

Yes Grade 72

No

No

Yes

Tongue & groove design

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

Weight of gauge panels

Full

Full

Full

Full

N/A

N/A

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

3300# 3400# 5100#

Rubber 185# 12’ Conc.

4500# 4’Conc.3400#

525635#

755802#

1750# 2500# 3500#

350425#

495798#

1750# 1800# 2700#

1750# 1800# 2700#

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

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/A

N/A

N/R

N/R

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Yes

No

No

As Specified

Yes

No

No

As Specified

No

No

No

N/A

N/A

N/A

No

N/A

N/A

0

15

16

16

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

N/R

Yes

Yes

Optional

Optional

Optional

N/A

Optional End Plates/Beveled Eds

Rubber

Attached Rubber

Attached Rubber

Rubber/ 2-1/2” or 3”

Timber/ 2-1/2”

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

3300#

3300#

575#

Varies

8’ 1 1/2” 1730#

8’ 1 1/2” 1730#

1300#

1750#

230#

Varies

Shims furnished

N/A

N/A

N/R

N/R

N/R

Shim material

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

Shim fasteners furnished

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/A

N/A

Bearing pads recommended

As specified

As specified

As specified

As specified

No

Bearing pads furnished

Optional

Optional

Yes

Yes

No

Header board required

No

No

No

No

No

Type of header material

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Header material furnished

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

No

Maximum curve allowable

Any

Any

20 +

20 +

20

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

End plates available

Yes

Yes

Yes

End plates furnished

Optional

Optional

Gauge flangeway type/ Flangeway opening

Rubber

Yes

Insulation/Rail Isolation

OMNI Improved Concrete (ConcreteRubber)

3300# 5000#

8’ 1 1/2” 3300#

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

Omega Non-Lag

3300# 3400# 5100#

8’ 1 1/2” 3300#

Weight of field panels

Omega Lag-Down

N/R

N/R

N/A

N/A

No

N/A As Specified Wood Tie, Yes Concrete Tie

Yes

If specified

Yes +

No

No

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

630

16

Yes

Not recommended

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Optional End Plates/Beveled Eds

Optional End Plates/Beveled Eds

Optional

Optional

Yes +

Attached Rubber/ 3”

As Specified/ 3”

Composite/ 3”

2-1/2”ADA 3”

2-1/2”ADA 3”

Rubber/ 2-3/4”

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

No

No

N/A

N/R

N/A

630

26 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

rtands.com

StarTrack Oldcstle Precast Concrete

Steel Crossings Inc.

TRANSPO® INDUSTRIES BODAN Level Crossing System

Full (16”)

Full (14”)

Full

4”

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

No

570#

3500#

700#

10,400#

5’-6370# 7’-6”-9555# 17’-6”-22000#

475#

500#

4’-3500# 8’-7000#

225#

1400#

500#

With gauge (one piece)

With gauge (one piece)

400#

500#

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/A

N/R

N/A

N/A

N/R

N/R

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/R

N/R

N/A

N/A

N/R

N/R

N/A

N/A

N/A

No

N/A

N/R

No

As specified

Yes

Yes

No

As specified

No

Yes

Yes

No

N/A

Yes +

N/A

No

Optional

Yes

Yes

No

Optional

No

Yes

Yes

No

N/A

No

No

No

No

No

N/R

N/R

No

No

N/A

No

No

No

No

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

No

No

No

N/A

N/A

25

16

25

16

221

Any

Any

Any

221

Any

Any

30

30

Any

Any

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/R

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes+

Yes+

Yes+

Yes

Yes+

Yes+

Yes+

Yes+

Yes+

Yes+

N/A

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Rubber/ 2-3/4”

Rubber/ 2-3/4”

Rubber/ 3”

Rubber/ 2-3/4”

Rubber/ 2-1/2”

Rubber/ 2-3/4”

Rubber/ 2-1/2”

Rubber/ 2-3/4”

As specified

Concrete

Concrete

As specified

Rubber

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

As specified

As specified

No

Yes

OMNI Steel Reinforced

OMNI Heavy-Duty Virgin Rubber

OMNI Embedded Concrete Rubber

OMNI Tracast

Polycorp Ltd. Full-Depth Rubber

Polycorp Ltd. Concrete

Premier LRT Modular System

Premier Freight Modular System

Rail-Way Inc. Full-Depth Rubber

Rail-Way Inc. Concrete

3”

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

320#

555#

9’ - 3550# 12’ - 4730# Modular

6’Conc. 7000# 6’Rubber 150#

570#

3500#

4’-1500# 8’-3000#

4’-1500# 8’-3000#

8’6” 130# 9’ 160#

244#

9’ - 1870# 12’ - 2490#

N/A

225#

1400#

4’-3500# 8’-7000#

Yes

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

N/R

Wood

N/A

N/R

N/R

N/R

Yes

N/A

N/A

N/A

No

No

Yes

N/A

N/A

No

rtands.com

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

Yes

Yes

Stella-Jones StarTrack Oldcastle Corp.

Precast Full-Depth Concrete-HD Timber

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 27

Flangeway-filler material data Century Type of material Lengths

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

HiRAIL RS Virgin material to 20’

OMNI Rail-Guard VRA

Performance Polymers Inc. RAILSEAL

Polycorp Epflex Railseal

Rail-Way Inc.

RFR

RFR

Flange-Insert System

Rail-Seal System

RFR X-Trac System

TRANSPO® INDUSTRIES Molded, virgin material

BODAN Level Crossing System

Molded, virgin rubber

Extruded, virgin rubber

Extruded, virgin rubber

Extruded, virgin rubber

Extruded, virgin material

Extruded, virgin material

Extruded, virgin material

90” & 96”

to 16’

Optimal=8’ Range=5-16’

to 15’

to 40’

to 40’

Cut to length

Cut to length

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

Concrete panels or timber planks

Poured-in-place asphalt or concrete

Precast concrete panels

Precast polymer concrete panels

Concrete panels

Poured-inplace concrete or asphalt

Poured-in-place con­crete, or asphalt

Asphalt, poured concrete, concrete panels, timber panels

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

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes (Clipped)

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

All

All

18” or 24”

All

All

All

All

All

All

24”

Special tools required

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Retrofit to existing crossings

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Fasteners required

No

No (optional)

No

No (optional)

No (are available)

No (optional)

No

No

No

No

Usable with rail anchors

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Adaptability to various rail fasteners

Al­­­l

All

All

All

All

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Types of crossing surfaces to be used with Sections connected Tie spacing

Reusable

• TraCast™ • Heavy Duty • Steel Reinforced • Embedded Concrete Rubber • Improved Concrete Rail Guard™ VRA

Call for information or visit our website www.omnirail.com

“The Only Grade Crossing Manufacturer with the Full Product Line”

28 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

800-275-9848 rtands.com

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IRJ PRO

LIRR Post Ave Bridge

LIRR’S

Post Avenue bridge replacement

LIRR worked with its design-build team to provide a new bridge on schedule and under budget that met requirements of the railroad, state and local communities.

by Matthew Scimonelli, P.E., engineer of Design – Structures, and Dominick Cervo, E.I.T., project coordinator, Long Island Rail Road

T

he Post Avenue Bridge was one of several aging railway overpasses along the nation’s busiest commuter railroad that was in desperate need of repair. This 103-yearold structure carries more than 215 trains and approximately 120,000 riders each day along the Long Island Rail Road’s (LIRR) Main Line. With the growing population and increased demand for the use of mass transit on Long Island, the modernization 30 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

of the LIRR’s Main Line has become a necessity. The original bridge was built in 1914 when traffic below consisted mainly of horse drawn carriages. Due to the advent of modern freight trucking, coupled with substandard roadway vertical clearances, numerous bridge strikes resulted, making a full bridge replacement a high priority.

These concerns lead the LIRR to replace the entire bridge superstructure, allowing for future rail expansion with the addition of a

third track along with an increased vertical clearance from the roadway below to allow the safe passage of today’s truck traffic.

The Post Avenue Bridge is located directly west of the LIRR’s Westbury Station in the Village of Westbury, N.Y. The bridge supports two electrified tracks on the LIRR’s Mainline with a maximum allowable speed of 80 mph.

The bridge currently experiences a daily level of service of approximately 215 trains traveling in both directions, consisting of rtands.com

LIRR Post Ave Bridge

The new bridge being placed. All photos courtesy of LIRR.

passenger trains (electric and diesel), as well as freight. Post Avenue is a minor arterial roadway that runs north/south through the heart of Westbury Village, connecting Route 25, Northern State Parkway and I-495 (Long Island Expressway) to Old Country Road.

In 2017, the existing bridge was replaced utilizing a double track mainline shutdown over a single weekend. The weekend outage included the demolition of the existing two track wide bridge and installation of a new, preassembled three track wide steel bridge, employing Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques.

LIRR awarded a design contract to a thirdparty consultant in March 2015 to provide a rtands.com

conceptual design report outlining options for a potential bridge replacement. Once the options were reviewed and evaluated, the desired option was selected. The third-party design consultant then produced a Preliminary Design of the selected option. These drawings and specifications were used to procure and award a design-build contract for the bridge replacement.

The design goals of this bridge replacement project were to provide a new single-span bridge capable of supporting three mainline tracks with a railroad loading criteria of Cooper E80. The new bridge design was required to achieve a minimum vertical roadway clearance below of 14’-0” in accordance with New York State Department of Transportation standards. The original bridge had a substandard roadway vertical clearance of approximately 11’-10”. In addition, the existing bridge abutments were to be rehabilitated and upgraded for lateral loading (traction, braking, live load surcharge, etc.) from the required Cooper E80 train loading. This criteria ensures a modern, reliable bridge structure capable of supporting current train loading and eliminates the threat of vehicular bridge strikes and service disruptions. The design also called for the use of ASTM A709 Gr. 50W weathering steel to prevent the need for bridge painting every 10-15 years and greatly reducing the amount of long-term maintenance required to keep the bridge in a state-of-good-repair.

Lastly, the width of the new bridge had to allow for the construction of a future third track on the LIRR’s Main Line.

The design consultant generated a base design and two alternate designs during the preliminary phase in order to determine the best way to meet the needs of the LIRR, the community, and the county.

During the conceptual design phase of the project, two bridge alternatives were evaluated. Alternative #1 considered a single ballasted deck Through Plate Girder (TPG) bridge superstructure with shared girders between each track. The bridge would be one continuous structure with three separate bays to support each individual track. Alternative #2 considered two adjacent ballasted deck Thru Plate Girder bridge superstructures. One bridge structure would carry a single track while the other would have a shared interior girder and support two tracks. Additional design considerations were evaluated, including the use of a concrete deck with direct

fixation track over the bridge in lieu of a traditional tie and ballast track system.

Construction methodologies and staging were also considered during the conceptual design phase of the project. One of the main challenges for construction was to replace the bridge with minimal impacts to railroad operations. This was accomplished by allowing a double track outage on the Main Line during one weekend in order to prevent impacts to the busy weekday peak service timeframes. Another challenge was the presence of multiple aerial utilities on the north and south sides of the bridge.

There are also multiple underground utilities running directly underneath Post Avenue, some as close to six inches below grade. The presence of overhead and underground utilities would severely limit the range and motion of cranes for removing and erecting the multiple bridge elements.

Utility relocations would require coordination with multiple utility owners and create added risk to the project due to limited windows for a track outage. These risks lead the design team to investigate employing equipment and technologies related to accelerated bridge construction.

ABC techniques were investigated, primarily the ability to preassemble the bridge in its entirety and move it into place, in lieu of stick building or lifting one bay of the bridge at a time during the outage.

Based on the two bridge alternatives, it was deemed appropriate to utilize a SelfPropelled Modular Transporter (SPMT) for bridge demolition and erection. With this method, the new bridge would be fully constructed on falsework in an adjacent laydown area prior to the weekend outage.

The SPMT, with jacks positioned on top, would be capable of raising and lowering the new and existing bridges and transporting them to/from the laydown area to the final position. The SPMT is a platform vehicle with a large array of wheels and axles that are capable of being independently programmed that allows it to

The 103-year-old bridge prior to demolition.

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 31

LIRR POST AVE BRIDGE

The old bridge was replaced utilizing a double track mainline shutdown over a single weekend in October 2017.

make tight turns and also spin about its own center. These features permit the new bridge to be moved between the existing abutments, lifted and rotated into place.

Based on site constraints and best value analysis conducted for the project, as well as recommendations to deploy a SPMT for bridge demolition and erection, bridge superstructure Alternative #1 was selected for the project for Preliminary Design.

After the completion of the preliminary design in February 2016, the procurement of the design-build contract began.

The LIRR chose to use the design-build project delivery process because of the many advantages over using a more standard design-bid-build process. These advantages included allowing the design to be dictated by the means and methods of how the contractor would proceed with fieldwork, a more compressed construction schedule and allowing for creativity and innovation to complete the project efficiently. On Dec. 15, 2016, the contract was awarded to the design-build team.

32 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

Notice to Proceed was issued on Feb. 3, 2017 and final design and construction activities commenced.

Upon execution of the Design Build (DB) contract, the project team including the DB and LIRR staff, broke the project down into the following design/construction activities: 1. Steel Superstructure & Bearings 2. Substructure & Geotechnical 3. Track Work 4. Work Zone Traffic Control 5. Roadway, Utilities, & Drainage 6. Station Platform Modifications 7. Access Stair Design Each design package progressed independently, driven by the sequence of construction activities, as well as lead times for fabrication of various bridge components. For example, there was a fivemonth lead time on the steel mill order followed by a month of fabrication and a month to assemble the steel superstructure and waterproof the deck on site. Knowing that the outage was eight months away, the bridge superstructure design was required

to progress to 100 percent well in advance of many other bridge elements.

The LIRR Design and Program Management teams worked closely with the DB team to employ innovative design techniques to avoid conflicts with the existing bridge. In order to upgrade the existing abutments for lateral loading of current AREMA Cooper E80 traction and braking forces, holes were cored through the existing abutments for high strength soil anchors. The soil anchors were drilled and grouted into the soil behind the abutments.

Specified amounts of pre-stress were applied and locked into the soil anchors to counteract the lateral applied forces.

This design technique enabled construction activities for the abutment upgrades to take place without impacting the active train service above. Another design innovation involved saw cutting the existing abutments. The existing substructure contained steel grillage beams embedded in the top of the bridge seat. The existing bridge was connected to and bearing rtands.com

LIRR Post Ave Bridge

on top of the embedded grillage. Close consideration and review of the original bridge design drawings from 1912 led the team to saw cut the existing abutments at an elevation below the embedded grillage.

This would help to expedite any required demolition during the bridge replacement outage. Also, a new precast bridge seat was designed to bear on top of the existing abutments above the saw cut. The new precast seat is taller than the original grillage beams, allowing for the new bridge to be installed at a higher elevation, thereby increasing the vertical clearance beneath the bridge without modifying the grade or alignment of Post Avenue below.

During initial planning for the project, the track profile raise to accommodate the higher bridge structure was intended to take place during the designated weekend outage for the bridge replacement. In order to gain more time during the outage for the bridge construction effort, the LIRR investigated whether the track profile could be brought to the final profile over the existing bridge prior to the outage date. The track raise for the final profile would add approximately eight inches of additional ballast to the existing bridge, bringing the total amount of ballast on the structure to approximately 21 inches.

The existing bridge had a controlling 1.04 normal rating factor under the current LIRR consist loading. After a track raise, the rating factors for both tracks would fall below 1.0 under normal rating conditions. Having the normal rating below 1.0 for frequent passenger consists was deemed unacceptable by the LIRR. Additionally, placing speed restrictions on both tracks to improve the normal rating was also deemed unacceptable due to severely impacting operational constraints. As a last effort to improve the normal rating in order to allow for a track raise prior to the weekend outage, the bridge was analyzed with the concrete walkways on each side of the bridge removed. The removal of the concrete walkway dead load counteracted the weight of the additional ballast, bringing the normal rating back up to 1.04, making this option acceptable to all parties. During overnight roadway closures, the concrete walkways were demolished, making way for the track raises.

On Oct. 21 and Oct. 22, 2017, the bridge was removed and replaced during a Main Line double track weekend outage. The LIRR planned for this major weekend outage after holding weekly meetings with rtands.com

all internal LIRR departments involved (i.e., Service Planning, Transportation, Public Affairs, Track, Power, Signals, Structures, etc.) more than a year prior to the work activities. The original outage time allotted by the LIRR was from approximately 1 a.m.

Saturday morning and would be returned to service at approximately 1 a.m. Monday morning for a total of 48 hours. However, through close coordination with LIRR Transportation, Service Planning, & Project Management, single track outages were granted three hours prior and three hours after the allotted Double Track Outage timeframe. This significantly helped the LIRR & Contractor forces to complete the work on schedule prior to the Monday morning rush hour. The total outage time included 12 hours at the beginning and end of the outage for extensive LIRR preparatory work performed by Power, Signal, & Track Departments to safely disconnect and remove the track panels and ballast within the bridge work zone. The 12 hours utilized at the end of the outage included work to reinstall and restore the track structure through the bridge area including all inspection work required to make sure operations were safe for the workers and for train service to be properly restored.

During the weekend outage, the LIRR utilized a bussing program between Hicksville Station and Mineola Station to replace train service. In addition, some trains were rerouted to the South Shore Branch to help minimize delays. In order to execute this weekend outage, extensive coordination

between several LIRR departments had taken place to sufficiently inform the public of the LIRR service changes. The public outreach plan included ads in newspapers, internet, radio, seat drop pamphlets, press conferences, videos shown in train stations, info boards posted on parkways and expressways and meetings with elected officials and local residents.

Through close coordination between the DB contractor and internal LIRR departments, the project team successfully replaced the bridge structure. Extensive planning, explicit project goals and innovative uses of new construction techniques allowed for a modern bridge structure to be installed in one double track weekend outage. Upon completion, the new structure provides an improved roadway vertical clearance, a safer environment for vehicles and pedestrians passing below the bridge as well as safe and reliable train service above. The new structure is also capable of supporting higher train loading in accordance with current American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) Standards, and also allows for an additional third mainline track to be installed.

The new Post Avenue Bridge is a dependable structure that will serve commuters and the community for many decades to come. It was recently announced that the project was recognized as the 2018 ASCE Long Island Branch Project of the Year, which is awarded annually to a major and complex civil engineering project.

LIRR credits the success of the project to close coordination between the design-build contractor and various internal departments.

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 33

Professional Development

Ethically speaking

AREMA of fers seminar and we b i n a r p ro g ra m s th a t wi l l extend our ability to serve the educational needs of our railway engineering community with PDH accredited courses. If you need additional continuing education credits, plan to sign up for an upcoming seminar or webinar: WEBINAR Positive Train Control: Training Requirements Date: July 17 PDH: 1 hour Time: 2-3 p.m. EDT seminarS Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering Date: July 18-20 PDH: 20 hours Location: Ottawa, ON, Canada Three seminars will be held in conjunction with the AREMA 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago, Ill.: Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering Date: Sept. 14-16 PDH: 15.5 hours Track Alignment Design Date: Sept. 19-21 PDH: 14.5 hours FRA: 213 – Track Safety Standards Date: Sept. 19-21 PDH: 15.75 hours

AREMA on Social Media Stay up-to-date on the most recent AREMA information through all official social media outlets. Become a fan of the AREMA Facebook Page, join the AREMA LinkedIn Company Page and tweet, retweet and hashtag @AREMArail on Twitter!

Follow Arema on Social Media:

34 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

“I

t takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren Buffett I recently had the opportunity to have breakfast with the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad Engineering Retirees. This group meets the first Monday of every month. I am constantly in awe of the overall knowledge in that room and the years of service this group includes.

There were three previous vice presidents of engineering at the table, along with a number of retirees who have made significant impacts both on UP and the industry. It is always interesting to hear their stories and it gives all who are present an opportunity to gain more knowledge.

UP always provided a great opportunity to learn different positions and live in various locations around the system. Some of these locations may have been difficult to find on a map. To obtain these years of service in the room, people are dedicated to the railroad engineering life. To work that many years for a company, people had to do it the right way: with engineering ethics.

Most of the people in the room had served AREMA in many ways: Board of Governors, Board of Directors, Committee Chairs and members. I’m certain each of you have similar experiences when surrounded by fellow railroad engineering professionals.

In AREMA news, the AREMA staff continues its diligent completion of tasks to pull off this year’s AREMA 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition. The staff is always very professional and represents AREMA very well in fulfilling their responsibilities.

I have always been impressed with the staff, but my level of respect for the team continues to increase. The conference is fast

approaching and will be held in Chicago, Ill., from Sept. 16 –19.

The upcoming program is very strong, including a variety of topics related to best practices in railway maintenance, which should be of interest to railroaders of all disciplines and positions. The strength of the program makes this a great reason to attend the meeting and the opportunity to network with other knowledgeable people in your field is another. In addition, the spouse/guest program will make a visit to Chicago more interesting and fun for your companion. Be sure to put this year’s conference on your calendar.

This month’s topic is railroad-engineering ethics. From my experience with AREMA, our members do an excellent job in this area.

However, I thought it might prove beneficial to spend time thinking about this subject. To get everyone on the same page, it should be beneficial to review definitions for ethics and engineering ethics. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition for ethics is as follows: • Discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation.

• A set of moral principles or moral values and principles of conduct governing an individual or a group, which covers professional ethics.

• A set of moral issues or aspects.

Here is a definition for engineering ethics, literally, from the man who wrote the book on this topic: “The rules and standards governing the conduct of engineers in their role as professionals.” – Charles Fleddermann, Engineering Ethics, 2012, p. 2.

We have AREMA members who also belong to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), so I thought this information from the ASCE Code of Ethics Fundamental Principles on the ASCE website is appropriate: • “Engineers uphold and advance the integrity, honor and dignity of the engineering profession by: - using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare and the environment - being honest and impartial and serving with fidelity the public, their employers and clients - striving to increase the competence and prestige of the engineering profession - supporting the professional and technical societies of their disciplines.” rtands.com

Most of us have been faced with making decisions for our employers weighing what is ethical against what is expedient or less expensive. Here are some examples of everyday personal or professional liferelated ethics that could occur.

In a work place environment, you may potentially see someone cheating on his or her expense accounts or utilizing company supplies for personal gain. There are a number of checks and balances and systems in place to reduce this risk for companies.

In the academic environment, you may see someone cheating on papers and reports, copying homework or tests or submitting work that is not theirs. In a personal environment, you may see someone *

cheating on taxes or piracy of movies.

Ethical issues are seldom black and white. Conflicting demands could possibly arise, such as loyalty to company and colleagues, concern for public welfare and personal gain, ambition and personal beliefs. Ethical standards are usually relative and personal; there is seldom an absolute standard.

Where you draw the line is your choice. Corporate ethics begins with each person. You can be held personally and legally responsible for your professional actions. It is important to understand your company’s attitude toward ethics— it should be a factor in your choice of employer. As engineers, you will be

presented with ethical issues that you must engage with.

As railroad engineers, we have the responsibility to provide the data and any analysis that is involved to ensure a good decision is made. Companies generally have processes that are followed when making ethical decisions. Most companies have compliance and ethics programs in place. It is imperative that you ensure ethical standards and engineering practices are achieved. As engineers, we strive to maintain the highest ethical standards.

One key way is to comply with laws and company policies.

Hoping to see all you ethical railroaders in Chicago.

Upcoming Committee Meetings

June 22-23 Committee 24 - Education & Training Salt Lake City, UT June 26-27 Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction St. Louis, MO Aug. 8-9 Committee 7 - Timber Structures Denver, CO Sept. 15 *Committee Meetings happening at the AREMA 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago, IL *Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment Sept. 15-16 *Committee 5 -Track *Committee 24 Education & Training

Sept. 16 *Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction *Committee 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems *Committees 11 and 17 Joint Meeting *Committee 12 - Rail Transit *Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals *Committee 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations *Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems *Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways *Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization *Committee 40 - Engineering Safety *Committee 41 - Track Maintenance Sept. 17 *Committee 13 - Environmental

Sept. 19-20 *Committee 38 - Information, Defect Detection & Energy Systems *Committee 39 - Positive Train Control Oct. 16-17 Committee 36 – Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Warning Systems Overland Park, KS Oct. 23-24 Committee 15 Steel Structures Orlando, FL Nov. 11 Committee 6 Building & Support Facilities California Feb. 5-6, 2019 Committee 15 - Steel Structures New Orleans, LA MAY 14-15, 2019 Committee 15 - Steel Structures Kansas City, MO SEPT. 10-11, 2019 Committee 15 - Steel Structures Columbus, OH

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

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

rtands.com

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 35

AREMA student chapter updates

Student chapter members competing in the Spike Driving Contest

UBCO Mini Traffic Bowl

T

he AREMA student chapters have done great things this academic year. Some key highlights are noted below. We are proud of the work the student chapters have invested in furthering their education and the railroad industry. If you have questions about AREMA student chapter activities, please contact scc@ arema.org.

Oregon State University The AREMA student chapter at Oregon State University was able to send four students to the last AREMA Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Ind. Two students who attended the conference had a unique service opportunity and were student volunteers for the Conference Operating Committee. In addition to participating in the normal student events at the conference, these students helped people register for the conference at the welcome booth. In this role, they also attended the Presidents Dinner, a formal event with many of the top railroad executives in the country.

This made the conference particularly valuable to the Oregon State students who

36 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

represented the student chapter.

Student Chapter President: Zach Barlow University of Manitoba (UMASC) This year, Manitoba hosted three guest speaker events and one technical tour.

The three guest speaker events included professionals from consulting firms who presented their current railway related projects. The topics included an automated warning system that helps coordinate vehicle traffic at road crossings, the construction of a bridge over a railyard and at-grade rail crossing safety. The technical tour took place at the Canadian Pacific Train yard in Winnipeg. Students visited the locomotive facility, chemical/metallurgical lab and the bend test lab.

Student Chapter President: Richard Doucet University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The AREMA student chapter at the University of Illinois participated in the university’s 2018 Engineering Open House (EOH), an event designed to encourage STEM participation among area children and grade

school students. The chapter’s participation at EOH allowed for visiting students to learn about both engineering and railroading by engaging them in a variety of exhibits. Chapter-hosted exhibits ranged from a locomotive simulator video game and a fullscale track panel display to the intermodal game—a specially designed race enabling participants to learn about the efficiencies of utilizing rail in intermodal transportation.

Outreach from the AREMA student chapter at EOH is crucial for students to discover both the importance of engineering in our society and the relevance of railroads in today’s world.

Student Chapter President: Jake Branson University of Akron The University of Akron AREMA chapter has found surprising success in its first year of existence. The founding members, Tyler Mikita, Ben Gleichert, Nick Hayes and Sam Conner, began the chapter to bring awareness of the railroad industry at Akron. The chapter, which started in August 2017 with 12 members, has added two members for the spring 2018 semester. rtands.com

Photo Credit: (Top Right) Eric Ma, (Bottom Right) Abdul Masoud

University of Kentucky “Railcats” at Bluegrass Railroad Museium, Versailles, KY.

The upcoming months will be a test of the group’s resiliency, as many founding members will be graduating. Currently, the Akron AREMA chapter is making a push to increase membership at the freshman and sophomore levels who may be able to take on leadership roles in the coming years. In addition to traditional member majors such as engineering, the Akron chapter is looking to welcome members of various backgrounds, such as marketing, accounting and business. The chapter hopes to continue the success found so far and create a sustainable, long-term program at the University of Akron.

Student Chapter President: Tyler Mikita Virginia Tech Virginia Tech is a prominent engineering institution at which engineering students of all disciplines are welcomed to join the AREMA chapter. Making the connection between employers and students which furthers the rail industry is the main priority of this organization at Virginia Tech. With this focus in mind, AREMA at Virginia Tech hosted its first annual Career Dinner Party in November of 2017, where select students had the opportunity to interact with rail companies in a personal, interview-like setting. Twentyfive students were chosen from among many submissions and were invited to attend a three-course dinner party where employers met with students who met the qualifications for their open positions.

The dinner served as an event much more personal than a career fair, and it was exclusive to the rail industry. From this event, several job offers were extended, and the employers are interested in continuing this event in the future. It was a success for the companies and student attendees, as well as the chapter as a whole. This was just one example of many successful events AREMA at Virginia Tech hosts, serving students and the rail industry alike.

Student Chapter President: Dejah Singh University of Kentucky “RailCats” The RailCats AREMA Chapter at the University of Kentucky recently visited the Bluegrass Railroad Museum located in nearby Versailles, Ky. The museum was founded in 1976 and moved to the current location in 1986. The museum maintains a static display of railroad artifacts and memorabilia in a depot and operates a tourist train during the weekends on 5.5 miles of track that were originally rtands.com

a portion of the Louisville Southern Railroad Company.

The chapter had the opportunity to participate initially in safety training and then assist in coupling and uncoupling cars to create a train, coupling the air hoses and conducting brake tests. The highlight of the trip was observing the workings of a locomotive and then operating that locomotive. The chapter members were able to accelerate, brake and then back up the locomotive under the direction of the conductor.

Student Chapter President: Travis Watts University of British Columbia On Feb. 2, 2018, the AREMA UBCO Student Chapter co-hosted a Mini Traffic Bowl with CITE UBCO Student Chapter.

The goal of this event was to get students in the know about the ITE Traffic Bowl and AREMA Quiz Bowl. The event attracted 17 students from different disciplines to participate in the competition and many more as audience members. Student chapter leaders Eric Ma and John Stevens prepared the questions based on the manuals used for real ITE Traffic Bowl and railway engineering terminologies.

On March 9, 2018, the AREMA UBCO Student Chapter co-hosted an E-Week Spike Driving Contest with CITE UBCO Student Chapter at the railway test track on UBCO campus. This event was hosted as one of the series of Engineering Week (E-Week) events coordinated by UBCO Engineering Society. Eight chapter members participated in the contest.

Student Chapter President: Eric Ma

University of South Carolina The 2017-2018 year for the Carolina Rail Club has been full of great activities for students including both civil and mechanical engineering majors and some business majors, as well. On April 13 USC hosted one of the largest student-organized cancer research fundraisers in the country, Relay for Life. The relay consists of teams that all raise money and awareness and then “relay” around a track throughout the night to symbolize that cancer never sleeps, so neither will we in our fight against it. This is an important opportunity to help with community outreach as almost everyone in our club has had someone close to them affected by this disease.

On Feb. 24, the College of Engineering and Computing hosted its annual E-week, which ended with an open house. AREMA officers helped set up the event, directed tours of the Structures Lab and hosted the main event: The Edible Railroad Display.

The edible railroad display got more than 200 children from ages 3-16 to come see how a railroad is made in a fun, interactive way and gave them and their parents an opportunity to speak with current engineering students and faculty about the importance of railway engineering and the direction of the program here at USC. Seeing the kids enjoying themselves with an edible treat that they designed themselves and teaching them about how each component (ingredient) contributes to the structure as a whole gave us all great joy and hope for the bright future of these young minds.

Student Chapter President: Carl Romero

University of Kentucky “Railcats”

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 37

Where are they now? that allowed me to continue working for NS in a career that I enjoy immensely.

AREMA: You were the recipient of the AREMA Educational Foundation Scholarship in 2012. How did that impact you?

Recipient: Daniel Briggs, B&B supervisor, Norfolk Southern Corporation Scholarship: AREMA Educational Foundation Scholarship 2012 AREMA: Daniel, you began your rail career as an AREMA student member at Clemson University. How did this participation guide your career goals?

Briggs: I started my rail career as a CYO clerk after graduating high school.

Soon after, I began looking for a more challenging position and became a train dispatcher. I worked as a train dispatcher for years. I always had an interest in engineering, so I began taking transfer courses at a community college.

Eventually, I was accepted to Clemson and obtained my degree while working full-time for Norfolk Southern (NS).

Joining AREMA helped me understand the careers that were available within the railroad engineering fields and it ultimately pointed me in the direction

Briggs: When I started at Clemson University I had also started a family having recently been married. Despite working full-time, it was still a challenge for me to afford college without getting into a large amount of debt. When I applied for the scholarship, I was hoping for any amount of money just to help out.

I ended up being awarded more than I expected, which allowed me to exit school in a financial position stable enough to afford moving to Atlanta, Ga.

AREMA: What has been your biggest accomplishment at NS? Briggs: Finishing my degree in civil engineering and getting a job in the Bridge Office with NS, which was something that nearly everyone told me was impossible. It was a huge accomplishment for me.

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

Briggs: I like to build things around the house and see new places.

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

Briggs: If you work hard and lay out the groundwork for your dreams, you may be surprised that your dreams can come true.

New product offering: On-Demand VirtualAREMA18 Too many great Annual Conference sessions to at ten d? Vir tualAR EMA1 8 On-Demand platform is the per fect complement to your AREMA 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition experience!

Through our NEW platform, you will have 24/7 access to presentation videos of the Annual Conference sessions, which includes PDFs of speakers’ slides and MP3 audio. Our new on-demand integrated classroom brings everything together in a single, unified view.

38 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

•Synchronized slides and audio of the meeting presentations •Features Include: Personalized dashboard; Variable-speed playback; Bookmarks and notes; Downloadable PDFs of slides and audio; May Earn Professsional Development Hours (based on your state’s approval); Experience the meeting on your schedule Be sure to purchase with your Annual M e e t i n g r e g i s t ra t i o n a n d s a v e a t conference.arema.org.

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O r d e r t h e 2 01 8 M a n u a l f o r Railway Engineering now. With more than 40 new or revised parts, it’s the perfect time to get the 2018 Manual. Order online n ow a t w w w. a re m a .o rg o r contact mbruins@ arema.org for more details.

Leverage the power of your trusted association’s Railway Careers Network to tap into a talent pool of job candidates with the training and education needed for long-term success.

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Demonstrate that you are a professional by joining AREMA to d a y. AR EMA m e m b e rs a re dedicated to improving their practical knowledge in order to advance the railroad engineering industry. Not an AREMA member?

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PRODUCTS

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Night Tech Gear recently announced the launch of its new Night Shift Shoe Lights. The shoe lights are the latest addition to the company’s Night Tech Gear product line and are designed to help workers identify potential hazards and avoid workplace injuries.

The Night Shift Shoe Lights are to be worn on shoes or boots during industrial use. They provide hands-free lighting in low-light work environments using 400 lumens of LED lights to provide 90 meters of forward-facing light and visibility from all angles, the company said.

The shoe lights are Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliant and are designed for construction, transit, industrial, delivery, mining and other work. The shoe lights do not require headbands, belts or straps, and they are designed not to get in the way of other equipment needed to perform work.

The shoe lights also feature rear-facing lights keep the wearer visible to other workers and vehicles from all sides. Website: www.

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A new product has been added to the SAFT Xcelion line. Saft specializes in advanced battery solutions for industry, and its Xcelion 6T-E is a high energy lithium-ion battery that provides double the capacity of lead-acid batteries in the same footprint.

The battery is designed for industrial applications that require higher levels of storage capacity, the company said.

The battery features a high-energy capacity and cranking capability to provide stationary and other power systems with a battery solution for longer run times at lower rates.

Smart battery also allows for communication with the end user in order to provide information about the battery’s state of charge and other functions.

The 80Ah, 2.1kWh Li-ion battery weighs 45 lbs. In addition to the integral Battery Management System (BMS) and battery-level safety features, the Xcelion 6T-E uses Saft’s Super-Phosphate® technology, which is intended to boost safety with lifetime reliability and stable internal resistance. Website: www.saftbatteries.com.

The Railway Educational Bureau Development and Operation of New York's IRT and BMT

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June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 39

Calendar

JUNE 11-12. Transport Security & Safety Expo.

Washington Hilton. Washington, D.C. Phone: 202-483-3000. Website: www. transportsecurityworld.com/events/tssx.

16. All Aboard Arizona Spring Passenger Rail S um m it. Win d e m e re H ote l a n d Conference Center. Mesa, Ariz. Contact: R o g e r C l a r k . Ph o n e: 3 0 8-3 7 9-8 1 8 5 .

Website: www.allaboardarizona.org.

18-19. Basic Railroad Track Maintenance.

Center for Transportation Research, The University of Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn.

Contact: Diana Webb. Phone: 865-9745255. Website: ctr.utk.edu/ttap.

20-22. Railroad Track Design. Center for Transportation Research, The University of Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn. Contact: Diana Webb. Phone: 865-974-5255. Website: ctr. utk.edu/ttap.

24-28. Railway Industrial Clearance Association Annual Conference. Snowbird

Ski & Summer Resort. Salt Lake City, Utah. Phone: 281-826-0009. Website: rica. site-ym.com.

JULY 9-11. AAR’s 126th Damage Prevention & Freight Claims Conference. Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center.

Nashville, Tenn. Phone: 719-584-7196.

E-mail: dpls@aar.com. Website: www. regonline.com/dpfc2018.

1 6 -17. M i d we s t A s s o c i a t i o n o f R a i l S h i p p e r s S u m m e r M e e t i n g . G ra n d Geneva. Lake Geneva, Wis. Website: www. mwrailshippers.com.

22-24. American Association of Railroad Superintendents’ 122nd Annual Meeting.

W Lakeshore Hotel. Chicago, Ill. Contact: Carrie Foor. Phone: 331-643-3369. Website: https://supt.org/event-2621692.

30-2. Railway Tie Association’s Annual Tie Grading Seminar. Galesburg, Ill. Phone: 770460-5553. E-mail: ties@rta.org. Website:

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AUGUST 7-9. Michigan Rail Conference 2018.

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Website: http://www.rail.mtu.edu/mrc2018.

SEPTEMBER 9-11. RSI/CMA 2018 Rail Expo & Technical Conference. Music City Center. Nashville, Tenn. Contact: Amanda Patrick. Phone: 202-347-4664. E-mail: patrick@rsiweb.org.

16-19. AREMA 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition. Hilton Chicago. Chicago, Ill. Phone: 301-459-3200. E-mail: info@arema. org. Website: conference.arema.org.

24-28. Railroad Track Inspection & Safety Standards. Center for Transportation Research, The University of Tennessee.

Galveston, Texas. Contact: Diana Webb.

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

Federal Regulations Workplace Safety

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The Railway Educational Bureau 1809 Capitol Ave., Omaha NE, 68102 www.RailwayEducationalBureau.com 40 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

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Ad Index

COMPANY

PHONE #

American Concrete Products Co.

402-339-3670

AREMA Marketing Department

301-459-3200

Custom Truck One Source

FAX #

E-MAIL ADDRESS

PAGE #

bhutchinson@enterprise-properties.com

21

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marketing@arema.org

Cover 3

816-241-4888

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bboehm@cte-equipment.com

6

Diversified Metal Fabricators, Inc.

404-875-1512

404-875-4835

sales@dmfatlanta.com

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Encore Rail Systems, Inc.

303-956-3796

gs@encorers.com

17

HiRAIL Corporation

800-274-7245

319-455-2914

info@hirail.com

7

Hougen Manufacturing, Inc.

866-245-3745

800-309-3299

info@trak-star.com

8

L.B. Foster Company

412-928-3506

412-928-3512

glippard@lbfosterco.com

12

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.

763-478-6014

763-478-2221

sales@loram.com

Cover 2

LT Resources Inc.

281-444-3494

281-444-3495

linda@ltresources.com

20

NGTC

212-620-7224

212-633-1162

jchalon@sbpub.com

2

Oldcastle Precast, Inc.

888-965-3227

303-794-4297

jim.baker@oldcastle.com

23

Omega Industries, Inc.

360-694-3221

360-694-3882

omegaxings@aol.com

22

OMNI Products, Inc.

815-344-3100

815-344-5086

bcigrang@omnirail.com

28

RailCet

866-724-5238

217-522-6588

grif1020@yahoo.com

5

Railway Education Bureau, The

402-346-4300

402-346-1783

bbrundige@sb-reb-com

39,40

R. J. Corman Railroad Group

800-611-7245

859-885-7804

www.rjcorman.com

Cover 4

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, 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, TN, 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,

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

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.

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

June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 41

New & Used Equipment

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

Email: RelamCFE@aol.com Tel: 440-439-7088 Fax: 440-439-9399 Visit our website at: www.relaminc.com EQUIPMENT FOR SHORT OR LONG TERM LEASE HARSCO AND NORDCO TAMPERS 6700S, 6700SJ, 6700SJ2 Switch and Production Tampers Mark IV Switch and Production Tampers 3300 and HST Chase Tampers 3000 Tampers w/Raise & Line or Chase Tampers 2400 Tampers w/Raise & Line HYDRAULIC STABILIZERS HARSCO TS-30HDs TIE INSERTERS/EXTRACTORS Nordco TRIPPs TR-10s and TKOs 925 S/Ss, Standards, KTR-400s KNOX KERSHAW PRODUCTS KBR-860s and 925s, KSF-940 Ballast Regulators & Snow Fighters KBR-940 Dual Head Brush Cutters KTC-1200 Tie Cranes KKA-1000/1050 Kribber-Adzers KPB-200 Plate Brooms NORDCO ANCHOR APPLICATORS, SPIKERS & GRABBERS Models CX and SS Spikers M-3 Screw Spike Machines Model F Anchor Machines and BAAMs Model SP2R Dual Spike Puller/Grabbers RACINE RAILROAD PRODUCTS Dual Anchor Spreaders, Squeezers, Knockers (Anchor Removers), Anchor Applicators, DAACs (Dual Anchor Adjuster Cribber), Dual e-Clip Applicators, Ride-on Regauge Adzers, TPIs, Tie Straighteners, OTM Reclaimers, SAFELOK IIIs (SAR IIIs) HI-RAIL CRANES, SPEEDSWINGS & RAILHEATERS Pettibone Model 445E/445F Speedswings w/Multiple Attachments (F’s with Tier 4 Engine) Geismar 360/360-Tronic Hi-Rail Excavators, (Cold Air Blower, Brush Cutter, Grapple, Heel Boom, Train Air & Knuckle available) Badger 30 Ton Cranes w/Hi-Rails Propane and Diesel Railheaters - Single & Dual Sided, Self-propelled w/Vibrators HI-RAIL TRUCKS, EXCAVATORS, & CARTS Hi-Rail Gradalls, XL3300 Series III w/Digging Buckets & Brush Cutters Hi-Rail Rotary Dumps, Various Hi-Rail Pickups Hi-Rail Grapple Trucks (available w/Magnet, Rail Racks & Creep Drive) 25-ton Hudson Ballast Cars 25-ton Rail and OTM Carts, 5-ton Tie Carts

Sales

aspenequipment.com/railroad

Rentals

Service Parts

New and Used Hi-Rail Trucks Available

Nationwide DELIVERY

- Pickup Trucks - Service Bodies

- Flatbeds - Bucket Trucks

- Welding Trucks - Section Trucks - Grapple Trucks

- Track Inspector Trucks - Boom Trucks

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

100 S PANIPLUS DRIVE OLATHE, KS 66061 MAIN: 913.764.1315

PARTS • SALES • SERVICE • RENTALS

Available for Lease 3000 cu ft Covered Hopper Cars 4650 cu ft Covered Hopper Cars 3600 cu ft Open Top Hopper Cars 4300 cu ft Aluminum Rotary Open Top Gons 65 ft, 100-ton log spine cars equipped with six (6) log bunks 60 ft, 100 ton Plate F box cars, cushioned underframe and 10 ft plug doors 50 ft, 100 ton Plate C box cars, cushioned underframe and 10 ft plug doors Contact: Tom Monroe: 415-616-3472 Email: tmonroe@atel.com

42 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

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

www.Crane-Works.com

rtands.com

New & Used Equipment

Professional Directory

SALES – SERVICE – RENTALS – PARTS – HI-RAIL & CRANE INSPECTIONS HI-RAIL TRUCKS IN INVENTORY AND IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR SALE OR RENTAL (NEW AND USED)

SECTION TRUCKS – GRAPPLE TRUCKS ROTARY DUMP TRUCKS ... PICKUP TRUCKS … AND MORE ALSO HEAVY DUTY HI-RAIL TIE & RAIL CARTS

Employment

Omaha Track Equipment 13010 F Plaza • Omaha NE 68137 (402) 339-4512 Contact PAUL WARD • (402) 651-6632

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT Chief Real Estate & Development Officer

paul@omahatrack.com

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

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

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

NICTD intends to hire a pro-active, team-focused, and enthusiastic Chief Real Estate & Development Officer who will lead and supervise all aspects of the South Shore Line’s real estate and development functions primarily, but not limited to, NICTD’s Double Track NWI and West Lake Corridor Projects. Working in tandem with project managers, project staff, consultants, and other project stakeholders, this person will ensure that all facets of real estate acquisition and management for the Double Track NWI and West Lake Corridor Projects occur on schedule and within budget. Qualifications, job details, and application instructions are at: http://www.mysouthshoreline.com/about/job-opportunities.

Salary and Benefits: Salary is projected between $80,000 to $110,000 based on education, skills, and work history. The benefit package includes full health benefits for the employee and family, vacation, compensatory time, supplemental pension, and other fringe benefits.

The position is eligible for relocation benefits.

Deadline to Apply: 5 p.m., June 29, 2018. Apply early; NICTD reserves the option to close this opportunity before the stated deadline.

Grapple Trucks

Gradall 3100

GLOBAL RAIL TENDERS Rotary Dumps

LEASE or BUY

Tunnel Trucks

Custom Build New or Used Chassies.

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

RAILROAD SERVICES

Est. 1910

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

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

TURNING OPPORTUNITIES INTO NEW BUSINESS RA_GlobalRailTendersAD_SP.indd 1

rtands.com

Powered by

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June 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 43

Products & Services An Authorized Harsco Remanufacturing Facility Let Precision remanufacture your non-functional, outdated 6700 into a fully functional 6700 with the latest technology. If you have an old, worn-out 6700 tamper, we have your solution.

CALL 620-485-4277 OR VISIT PRECISIONRWY.COM FOR MORE DETAILS

REMANUFACTURED 6700 SALES

ON-SITE TRAINING

EQUIPMENT LEASING

WANT TO SEE MORE OF OUR WORK? SCAN THE QR CODE FOR OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL .

825 S. 19th St., Independence, KS 67301

TRADE IN ACCEPTED

REESE WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU?

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

K. W. Reese, Inc.

Box 298 • Mercersburg, PA 17236

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

ERIC HEADRICK President

2016 NRC PlatiNum Safety awaRd wiNNeR

205 N. Chestnut/PO Box 404 Arcola, IL 61910

Ph217-268-5110 cell217-259-4823 Fax217-268-3059 email eric@rrcri.com Exchange Units/Related Tamper Parts and Assemblies To purchase parts, contact: New & Rebuilt sales@rrcri.com Electromatic/Hydraulic Units available for same Workheads day shipping

RTandS.com 44 Railway Track & Structures // June 2018

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

ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

rtands.com

www.arema.org

AREMA Educational Programs

To help your advancement, AREMA offers seminars that will help to serve the educational needs of our railway engineering community with PDH accredited courses. See below for two chances to take the popular seminar: Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering. Register early to receive a discount and ensure your seat before it sells out.

Introduction To Practical Railway Engineering Description: Participants benefiting the most from this course are those with limited exposure to the railway industry, or railroaders with highly specialized positions. Participants will gain a greater appreciation for the technical and not-so-technical aspects of railroad engineering and operations. Some of the topics covered are equiment, basic track and design, tractive effort, inspections and regulatiuons as well as maintenance.

Registration fee includes a workbook containing printed copies of the presentation and a digital copy of the Practical Guide to Railway Engineering.

Date: July 18-20 PDH: 20 Hours (Includes a field trip) Location: Ottawa, ON, Canada Date: September 14-16 PDH: 15.5 Hours Location: Chicago, IL (Held at the AREMA 2018 Annual Conference & Exposotion

WIRING / ASSEMBLY OF SIGNAL HOUSES & EQUIPMENT •

SIGNAL CONSTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION MATERIAL WAREHOUSING & LOGISTICS SIGNAL MAINTENANCE & INSPECTIONS CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT SIGNAL SUPPORT SERVICES SIGNAL DESIGN

WWW.RJCORMAN.COM