RT&S March 2014

March 2014 | www.rtands.com

CREATE-ing capacity plus Ballast maintenance NRC Conference report And also AREMA News p. 42

Contents March 2014

News

5

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Features

18

Industry Today 5 Supplier News 10 People

NRC Conference report Cold, snow and flight cancellations could not keep a record number of attendees away from NRC’s annual gathering in California.

Columns

22

22

A snap shot of ballast maintenance methods Ballast maintenance practices continue to improve efficiencies thanks to efforts by suppliers.

38

CREATE spells relief for Chicago terminal Entering its eleventh year, the CREATE program has already had a positive impact on Chicago train traffic.

18 Departments 14 TTCI R&D 42 Arema News 47 Calendar 48 Products 49 Advertisers Index

An aerial shot of CREATE grade separation project GS15a at 130th & Torrence. Photo courtesy of Walsh Construction.

Story on page 38.

3

On Track Speaking up for ourselves

12

NRC Chairman’s Column Ready, set, go!

49 Sales Representatives 50 Classified Advertising 51 Professional Directory

Nathan Weber - Vellum Media

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Railway Track & Structures

March 2014 1

On Track

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Vol. 110, No. 3 Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 Chicago, Ill. 60603 Telephone (312) 683-0130 Fax (312) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com Mischa Wanek-Libman/Editor, mischa@sbpub.com Jennifer Nunez/Assistant Editor, jnunez@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES 55 Broad St 26th Fl. New York, N.Y. 10004 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr./ President and Chairman Jonathan Chalon/Publisher Mary Conyers/Production Director Wendy Williams/Creative Director Maureen Cooney/Circulation Director Michelle Zolkos/Conference Director RT&S Railway Track & Structures (Print ISSN 0033-9016, Digital ISSN 2160-2514), (USPS 860-560), (Canada Post Cust. #7204654), (Bluechip Int’l, Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Agreement # 41094515) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 55 Broad St 26th Fl., New York, N.Y. 10004. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices. Pricing, Qualified individual in the railroad employees may request a free subscription. Non-qualified subscriptions printed or digital version: 1 year Railroad Employees (US/ Canada/Mexico) $16.00; all others $46.00; foreign $80.00; foreign, air mail $180.00. 2 years Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $30.00; all others $85.00; foreign $140.00; foreign, air mail $340.00.

BOTH Print & Digital Versions: 1 year Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $24.00; all others $69.00; foreign $120.00; foreign, air mail $220.00. 2 years Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $45.00; all others $128.00; foreign $209.00; foreign, air mail $409.00. Single Copies are $10.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only. COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2013.

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

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Speaking up for ourselves

A

t the risk of sounding cold or callous, I’m done reading about every derailment through the filter of non-trade media. By the time I read an article about a minor derailment in Canada that is accompanied by an image of two youths, who are described as protestors, holding up a sloppy, hand-painted plywood sign that reads “toxic oil spill,” I’ve had my fill.

The debate currently going on concerning the safe transport of oil by rail should result in a well-rounded set of guidelines, best practices and equipment advancements that make the industry safer for communities and workers. Usually, I’m of the mind-set that the more brains you have working on a difficult problem, the better your chances of finding an ideal solution.

But, then there is the old adage “too many cooks in the kitchen.” Of the many spoons stirring the crude by rail safety pot, one of the most vigorous seems to be the non-trade media.

While media can have a “keep ‘em honest” effect, it can also breed less virtuous attitudes among readers, such as anxiety and fearfulness that the more trains transporting crude, the better the chances become that a tragedy on par with Lec Megantic could happen again.

Take for example the New York Times’ January 25 story titled, “Accidents Surge as Oil Industry Takes the Train.” In general, this is pretty good article published on the heels of a recent oil train derailment in North Dakota and contains good reporting with the glaring exception of one thing: The title. More specifically, two words in the title, “accidents” and “surge.”

Now, take into account Federal Railroad Administrator Joe Szabo’s testimony on Feb. 26 to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. He said a lot during his testimony, but one sentence that stood

out was, “accident rates in North Dakota have fallen over the past three years, even with increased traffic.”

And there in lies the problem (well, one of the problems of a much larger debate). Administrator Szabo’s statement is backed by verifiable statistics; the New York Times headline is based on perception.

I think the industry has done a phenomenal job taking the lead on this issue and steering the conversation. The best example of this came in late February when news broke that the industry had voluntarily adopted safety initiatives for the safe transport of crude by rail. Community outreach was included among the various actions; allowing railroads to address community-specific concerns and offering a direct line of communication with the communities served.

The industry needs to continue to work in this manner. The movement of crude by rail certainly isn’t going away and there is no better voice to tell the industry’s story than our own.

I would also like to take a moment to plug a conference from our sister publication, Railway Age, on this topic. The magazine’s Cr ude By Rail Conference will take place June 12-13 in Arlington, Va. The Association of American Railroads’ Ed Hamberger and American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s Richard Timmons will serve as keynote speakers and topics covered range from the regulatory outlook to Wall Street views to first-responder training and tank car challenges. We hope to see you there.

Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor Railway Track & Structures

March 2014 3

INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News Axion International Holdings, Inc., received a second purchase order from an international freight line for its ECOTRAX recycled plastic crossties.

Balfour Beatty/ Blythe Development Joint Venture won the low-bid contract of nearly $108 million for civil work for construction of the LYNX Blue Line Extension Segment A; work includes drainage, erosion control, bridges, arterial roadways, retaining walls, traffic control, traffic signal, water main and sewer instillation and related works.

California High-Speed Rail Authority and the design-build contractor, Tutor-Perini/ Zachary/Parsons, awarded a contract to Blair Church & Flynn Consulting Engineers for utility relocation design work in the Central Valley.

BNSF, UP and CN plan capital programs worth a combined $10.8 billion Three of North America’s Class 1 railroads revealed 2014 capital plans in the past month that total $10.8 billion.

The largest of the programs is at BNSF with a planned capital commitment of approximately $5 billion, which represents a $1 billion-increase over its 2013 capital spend.

BNSF said the largest component of the capital plan is spending $2.3 billion on the railroad’s core network and related assets. BNSF also plans to spend approximately $1.6 billion on locomotive, freight car and other equipment acquisitions. The program also includes about $200 million for continued installation of positive train control (PTC) and approximately $900 million for terminal, line and intermodal expansion and efficiency projects. More than $900 million of the capital plan is for expansion and maintenance in the Northern Corridor.

In Omaha, Union Pacific’s Board of Directors approved its 2014 capital spending plan of approximately $3.9 billion, up about $300 million versus 2013, driven primarily by the acquisition of 200 locomotives compared to 100 locomotives purchased in 2013 and somewhat higher capacity investments.

Spending on PTC is also expected to increase to $450 million, versus $420 million in 2013.

Canadian National is planning a CA$2.1 billion (US$1.9 billion) capital plan in 2014. This represents an increase of approximately CA$100 million (US$90.4 million) above the company’s 2013 spend. The railroad had a planned 2013 capital program of CA$1.9 billion (US$1.7 billion) and then added an additional CA$100 million (US$90.4 million) in improvements to its Edmonton to Winnipeg Corridor.

The 2014 program includes more than CA$1.2 billion (US$1 billion) on track infrastructure and to improve the safety, productivity and fluidity of the network. This investment will include the replacement of rail, ties and other track materials, bridge improvements, as well as various branch-line upgrades. This will also include funds for strategic initiatives and additional improvements to track infrastructure in western and eastern Canada, as well as in the United States.

CN’s equipment capital expenditures in 2014 are targeted to reach approximately CA$300 million (US$272 million) and the railroad expects to spend approximately CA$600 million (US$543 million) on facilities, including transloading terminals, distribution centers and the completion of its Calgary Logistics Park project.

The company is also allocating funds to enhance its system-wide flaw detection capabilities and will complete the construction of two training facilities, one in Winnipeg, the other in suburban Chicago.

RTA, UIUC sponsoring two educational events The Railway Tie Association (RTA) and the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will host joint activities in June 2014 that will provide educational and networking opportunities relating to crossties and fastening systems.

The activties begin with the RTA Annual Field Trip, which will be taking place June 1-5.

“It is focusing on an amazing set of field visits in Chicago and Central Illinois,” according to RTA Executive Director Jim Gaunnt. “The Field Trip will end on the UIUC campus in Champaign, Ill., and will include technical sessions and laboratory tours at UIUC.”

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In conjunction with the RTA Field Trip, RailTEC is hosting the 2014 International Crosstie and Fastening System Symposium at UIUC. This event will take place June 3-5 and will include technical sessions on a variety of topics related to crossties and fastening systems, as well as a technical tour of UIUC’s new Rail Research and Innovation Laboratory and voestalpine Nortrak’s foundry and injection molding facility in nearby Decatur, Ill. Registration information for the RTA Field Trip is available at www.rta.org/field-trip and a schedule for the RailTEC symposium can be found at http://ict.uiuc. edu/railroad/Crosstie/2014/crossties.php.

Railway Track & Structures

March 2014 5

INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News California HighSpeed Rail Authority approved right-ofway engineering and surveying contracts with five California firms: Chaudhary & Associates, Inc., Hernandez, Kroon & Associates Inc., Mark Thomas and Company, Inc., O’Dell Engineering and Quad Knopf, Inc. Chicago Transit Authority Board of Directors awarded a $25.6-million design/build contract to F. H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen and Associates, LLC, for the rehabilitation of the Damen, Western

6 Railway Track & Structures

Funds for TIGER VI grants will make $600 million available The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) sixth round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants is making $600 million available to fund transportation projects across the country.

“President Obama knows that transportation means opportunity for so many Americans,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “TIGER investments answer the president’s challenge to expand opportunity through a strong transportation system that connects Americans with a better way of life.”

The TIGER 2014 grant program will place an emphasis on projects that support reliable, safe and affordable transportation options that improve connections for both urban and rural communities, making it easier for residents to reach work, school and other “ladders of opportunity.” While continuing to support projects of all types, USDOT will prioritize applications for capital projects that better connect people

March 2014

to jobs, training and other opportunities, promote neighborhood redevelopment and reconnect neighborhoods divided by physical barriers, such as highways and railroads. Applications for the sixth round are due April 28.

Congress has provided USDOT with the flexibility to use up to $35 million of TIGER funds for planning grants, the first time since the 2010 round. In addition to supporting the planning of innovative transportation, these funds can support regional transportation planning, freight and port planning and programmatic mitigation approaches that increase efficiency and improve outcomes for communities and the environment.

Since 2009, the TIGER program has awarded $3.5 billion. USDOT said demand has been overwhelming and during the previous five rounds, it received more than 5,300 applications requesting nearly $115 billion for transportation across the country.

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INDUSTRY TODAY Metrolink marks progress on PTC program and Perris Valley extension Southern California’s Metrolink marked two milestones as it began positive train control (PTC) service on BNSF track and started construction on the Perris Valley extension.

Metrolink will operate PTC revenue service demonstration (RSD) under the authority of BNSF. The Federal Railroad Administration has authorized Metrolink to operate PTC RSD on BNSF territory using Wabtec’s Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS)®. Metrolink’s PTC service on BNSF track will be implemented on select trains and PTC capability on Metrolink territory is expected to be available later this year, while the entire service area is anticipated to be complete before the Rail Safety Improvement Act (RSIA) mandate of December 2015.

The estimated cost for developing, installing and deploying PTC on the Metrolink system including the expansion of the communication network to support the PTC system is $216.3 mil-

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lion. Metrolink secured full funding from local, state and federal sources with the funding split at 50 percent, 42 percent, nine percent, respectively. Nearly 30 grants were secured.

In other news, construction began on the $248.3-million, 24-mile-long Perris Valley Extension, which will extend the current Metrolink 91 Line to new stations in North Riverside, Moreno Valley/March Field, Downtown Perris and South Perris/Menifee. Once completed, this will be the first expansion of the Metrolink system, in ter ms of added mileage, since 1994.

The actual construction project is projected to create as many as 4,000 jobs during the two-year duration of the work and service is expected to begin by December 2015. Funding sources for the project include Riverside County’s voter-approved Measure A program, a $75-million Federal Transit Administration grant and additional funding from the state of California.

Supplier News and California stations to improve and upgrade the O’Hare branch of the Blue Line.

GrandLinq consortium, which is comprised of Plenary Group, Meridiam, Aecon, Kiewit and Keolis, has been recommended for the development of the Region of Waterloo Stage 1 Light Rail Transit Project in Ontario, Canada.

Koppers Inc. and Norfolk Southern agreed to extend their two existing sales contracts to supply railroad crossties and related rail products and services for an additional three years.

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INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority awarded a $24-million contract to repair and rehabilitate three bridges spanning the Merrimack River in Haverhill to JV: LM Heavy Civil Construction and Cooperativa Muratori & Cementisti – CMC di Ravenna.

Design firm Perkins+Will was selected by the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation to design eight stations for the fourth and final phase of the Honolulu Rail Transit project.

8 Railway Track & Structures

PennDOT approves funds for 33 freight rail projects The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has approved $34.7 million in funds for 33 freight rail projects across the state, which the transportation department says will create more than 43,000 jobs.

The State Transportation Commission (STC) voted to approve $33.4 million for 15 projects through the Rail Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP) and 14 projects through the Rail Freight Assistance Program (RFAP). RTAP is a capital budget grant program funded with bonds and RFAP is underwritten through the new MultiModal Fund, created by Act 89. The STC approved $1.3 million for four projects from Marcellus Shale impact fees designated for distribution through PennDOT’s Bureau of Rail Freight, Ports and Waterways.

“Pennsylvania has more operating railroads than any other state and investing in our rail freight network keeps these invaluable assets in prime position to generate economic growth and jobs,” Pennsylvania

March 2014

Gov. Tom Corbett said. “Improving rail networks not only spurs our economy, it also increases safety by helping to ease traffic on our highways.”

RTAP Projects include constructing a rail siding transfer station along the Buffalo & Pittsburgh line for Casella Waste Management of Pennsylvania, Inc.; building a 7,000-foot unit train loop track and a 400foot industrial track siding for a new tenant in the Keystone Regional Industrial Park and reconstructing the existing rail yard and construct additional track for South Avis Realty.

RFAP Projects include the last phase of track rehabilitation in the Leetsdale Industrial Corp. industrial park, including turnout replacement, welding, upgrading rail and rail alignment; crosstie replacement, drainage and surface improvements at Techs Industries, Inc., and adding five new tracks and nine turnouts, realigning 390 feet of mainline track and 1,350 feet of new track for Columbia and Reading Railway Co. LLC.

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In memoriam: Jim Young Union Pacific Corporation Chairman James R. (Jim) Young, who worked his way from an entry-level finance position to chairman, president and chief executive officer, died Feb. 15, 2014, after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 61 years old.

A lifelong Omaha resident and the oldest of six children, Young began his railroad career with UP in 1978 and held a variety of management positions. He was elected Union Pacific Corporation chairman in January 2007. He ser ved as president and chief executive officer from November 2005 until March 2012. Prior to those appointments, Young was Union Pacific Railroad president and chief operating officer, a position he had held since January 2004. He was elected a director of Union Pacific Corporation in February 2005.

Young was named Railway Age Railroader of the Year in 2013.

A graduate of the University of Nebraska Omaha, he and his wife, Shirley, established the Jim and Shirley Young Scholarship Program specifically designed to assist low-income students.

The Youngs grew up in Omaha, graduated from Omaha South High School and led the community fundraising effort to install a new artificial turf field at the school’s Collin Field in 2009, marking the first time the school could host varsity football games since 1946.

In addition to Shirley, Young is survived by three children and two grandchildren. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to pancreatic research in care of Dr. Jean Grem at the University of Nebraska Medical Center or the charity of their choice.

“Jim was an icon at Union Pacific and in the railroad industry, a colleague and great friend,” said Jack Koraleski, Union Pacific president and CEO. “Jim’s vision and leadership took Union Pacific to unparalleled heights and his civic contributions made positive impacts on many communities across Nebraska and the entire Union Pacific system. Most importantly, he was a dedicated and loving husband, father and grandfather. He will be greatly missed.” www.rtands.com

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PEOPLE Fort Worth Transportation Authority named Paul Ballard president and chief executive officer, effective April 14.

Las Vegas Railway Express, Inc., promoted former chief operations officer of passenger service, Penny White, to president and chief operations officer.

Metra Board of Directors unanimously selected Donald Orseno as the next executive director/CEO of the Chicago suburban rail agency.

Metrolink hired Sam Joumblat as its chief financial officer and treasurer, effective March 17.

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County named Tom Lambert president and chief executive officer.

New Jersey Transit’s Board of Directors appointed Veronique Hakim as the new executive director, effective March 1, 2014.

Nisus Corporation hired Ken Laughlin to work in sales of its QNAP copper naphthenate and Cellutreat DOT borate to the pressure treatment market.

South Florida Regional Transportation Authority Governing Board named Jack Stephens interim executive director, replacing Joseph Giulietti.

Toronto City Council appointed Councilor Maria Augimeri as chair of the Toronto Transit Commission until the term expires November 30, 2014.

Union Pacific named Lance Fritz president and chief operating officer.

Veolia Transportation hired Richard Palmieri as vice president of business development for rail and he will also serve on the company’s Rail Management Committee.

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NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN

Ready, set, go!

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

12 Railway Track & Structures

While we can all hope that the extreme winter weather the country has endured will bring an early spring, in any case, the 2014 construction and maintenance season will be upon us quickly.

NRC member companies have spent the past few months getting their equipment in good working order and their employees retrained on safety, prepared to hit the ground running when the weather breaks. We are gearing up for another strong year based on the capital spending programs of the railroads and rail transit agencies that the membership heard first-hand at the NRC Conference in January. I would like to wish our entire membership a safe and productive 2014. Plan well and think safety.

The next major event the NRC is participating in “Railroad Day on the Hill,” set for March 13 in Washington, D.C. There is strength in numbers at an event like this and we are anticipating a large turnout from NRC members to support our customer Class 1 and shortline railroads. If we don’t see you at this year’s event, we hope you’ll plan to join us in future years at this annual gathering.

Both passenger and freight rail safety are dominating the regulatory and legislative discussions in D.C. at this time. After extensive consultation with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration, the Association of American Railroads has recently announced a new crudeby-rail safety initiative, which encompasses a variety of actions, including increased inspections, additional wayside detectors, increased use of distributed braking systems, rail routing solutions, reduced speeds in urban areas and an increased focus on emergency response planning and training. Updated standards for new rail cars to move CBR and an agreement on how to handle existing tank cars moving CBR are still to come.

In addition, the federally-mandated Positive Train Control deadline of December 31, 2015, is looming near. While Class 1 railroads and major commuter agencies are now spending more than a billion dollars per year implementing this mandate, there is also a growing consensus that the deadline isn’t realistic and will need to be pushed back, eventually.

Congress is also working on a passenger rail reauthorization, which may become part of the broader surface transportation reauthorization bill that will need to move shortly. The NRC staff and board will be actively working on these bills – we will advocate for increased passenger and rail transit/commuter rail investment, Railroad March 2014

Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan reforms, provisions to expedite project delivery, expansion of the Section 130 gradecrossing program for enhanced public safety, funding a Projects of National and Regional Significance program, which could support major freight rail projects with public benefits, such as the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program and establish permanent parity for the pre-tax commuter benefits provided for transit use and parking of an individual car.

The NRC will also support the shortline railroads and their shippers as they push to restore the Section 45G tax credit that expired on December 31, 2013. This tax credit was originally enacted in January of 2005 and enables shortlines to claim a tax credit of 50 cents for every dollar spent on infrastructure improvements up to a cap of $3,500 per mile of track. This program has been very successful and we need to work hard to keep it in place.

The next big NRC event to follow our efforts in Washington, D.C., will be our equipment auction. This year’s auction will be held at Quality Track Equipment, a division of Delta Railroad Construction, located at 2950 Industrial Drive, Austinburg, Ohio, 44010. The equipment auction will be held on May 1, 2014. The auction will start at 9 a.m. with an anticipated finish of 2 p.m.

Everyone planning on attending will be afforded a day in advance of the auction to visually inspect the equipment to be included. The inspection will be 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. on April 30.

The NRC has secured a block of discounted rooms at The Lodge & Conference Center at Geneva-On-The-Lake located at 4888 North Broadway, (RT 534) Geneva, Ohio, 44041. The room block rate is $95 per night. To make your reservations, call (800) 801-9982 and refer to the Delta Railroad Group #4G72ZF. There will also be a happy hour/social event the night of April 30 from 5 p.m., until close at the Lodge & Conference Center at Geneva-OnThe-lake. If you plan on attending, it is suggested that you make your reservation early for this event; we expect another strong turnout this year.

Auction details are available at www.nrcma.org.

I hope to see many of you in D.C. and/or Ohio and I look forward to getting the 2014 construction and maintenance season off to a safe and strong start.

Have a safe day.

by Bill Dorris, NRC Chairman www.rtands.com

TTCI R&D Improved rail joint bar designs and maintenance methods for use in CWR track TTCI researchers and AAR seek to improve joint bars in CWR track and heavy-axle-load environments.

I

mprovement of rail joint performance is a long sought after goal for track engineers. As rail has improved over the years, the difference in service life between rail and rail joints has increased. Under the Association of American Railroads’ Strategic Research Initiatives Program, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), is leading an industry-wide effort to improve the performance of standard joint bars (noninsulated) in a continuously welded rail (CWR) track, heavy-axle-load environment. The multifaceted approach to achieve this goal includes improving maintenance practices, refining manufacturing processes, improving mater ial properties and designing a new joint bar profile. This article discusses recent findings on maintenance practices and joint bar profiles.

Background

Joint bars, fish plates or splice bars are track components used to join two Figure 1: Symmetrical joint bar designs.

14 Railway Track & Structures

March 2014

David Davis, senior scientist, TTCI rails. Joint bars may be categorized into insulated joint bars, standard joint bars, compromise joint bars and strap joint bars. As the name suggests, insulated joint bars are used to make insulated joints for purposes of dividing the track into electrical circuits for signal controls. Standard joint bars are used to join two rail lengths permanently or temporarily.

Standard bars were not specifically designed to prevent changes in the gaps at rail ends due to temperature.

Compromise joint bars are installed to join rails of different sections.

Strap joint bars are used when a flaw is present at or near a weld as a precaution against failure.

Joint bars are intended to hold the two rails in alignment under load to allow safe passage of trains across the joint. Additionally, they should carry longitudinal loading of the rail due to ther mally-induced forces.

Limitations placed on the joint bar designer include: • Clearance envelope: wheel treads and flanges must pass the joint. This limits joint bar height and width.

Additionally, bars that are lower than the base of the rail require special plate work and/or tie configurations.

• Rail configuration: a butt joint is preferred instead of mitered or angled rail ends for ease of assembly and repairs in the field. This configuration is structurally weak. With the clearance issues, it is difficult to make a joint that is as capable as the surrounding rail.

• Foundations: A conventional ballast foundation is typically used.

Due to the different structure and loading environment, the joint typically settles at a higher rate. www.rtands.com

Since the inception of railroads, the joint bar has evolved from simply shaped symmetrical bars (all being symmetrical about a horizontal axis and some also being symmetrical about a ver tical axis) to rather nonsymmetrical bars that extended well below the rail and then to the current designs (short, but somewhat nonsymmetrical bars). The early s y m m e t r i c a l d e s i g n s , s h ow n i n Figure 1, were not optimized for bending strength.

Nonsymmetrical designs, examples shown in Figure 2, were not always successful. Extensive theoretical and experimental work conducted under the direction of American Railway Engineering Association (AREA) in the 1920s and 1930s determined that matching the inertial moment of joint bars to the rail does not necessarily increase its strength, because of lateral bending of the unsupported bottom flange. The same study recommended a joint bar design that has been the industry standard since then, with minor changes over time, as shown on the left in Figure 3.

Currently used joint bars have an average service life that is significantly less than the surrounding rail in track.

Several failure modes contribute to this foreshortening of service life.

Fatigue of the joint bars, rails and connectors may occur. An important performance issue since the early 20th century has been gouging on the top surface of the joint bars due to railhead contact. This can occur when the joint is loaded. The railhead ends can dig into the top of the joint bar at the rail gap. Gouging was believed to be the source of crack initiation, thus an easement to the profile was introduced to the top of the joint bar to avoid this contact. However, rolling load testing conducted in the laboratory showed it reduced but did not eliminate contact caused crack initiation.1

Cross section design

To address the most common failure modes seen, TTCI has developed a joint bar profile that is designed to www.rtands.com

improve the perfor mance of rail joints, especially in CWR, where changes in the gaps between the rails due to temperature change are not desired. The following performance improvements are expected from the listed profile features: • Larger contact with the rail web — to reduce contact stresses and metal flow.

• Thicker joint bar web — to provide better support for the bolt holes, reducing bolt-hole cracking.

• Higher bolt torque — to reduce rail to bar slippage, desirable in conventional bolted track but not wanted in joints in CWR, resulting in lower dynamic loads due to the minimum rail end gap.

• High profile relief — to eliminate worn wheel flange contact with the joint bar.

Figure 3 compares the current and new joint bar profiles.

In order to keep the same level o f h a n d l i n g e f f o r t i n r e ve n u e service, the prototype joint bar has a maximum weight of approximately 60 pounds. Bending stresses in the prototype joint bars are likely to be similar to the current joint bar s. The ability of the cur rent joint bar designs to bend along the long itudinal axis, joint bar “springiness,” is a good feature and was maintained to some extent in the improved joint bar. The prototype design also provides higher relief for worn (i.e., tall flange) wheels.

Prototypes were machined from rectangular bar stock of a higher

Figure 2, left: Top, nonsymmetrical joint bar designs; bottom left, Bonzano and bottom right, continuous angled or angled joint bars.

Figure 3: Joint bar cross section comparison.

(than typical joint bars) strength steel for testing under heavy-axle-loads at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST), Pueblo, Colo. The joint bar prototypes tested did not improve the longitudinal strength of the joint, despite the larger rail contact area. This is attr ibuted to poor fit with the rail due to the prototypes being machined.

In addition, f atigue cracking occurred very early in the test (at 25 mgt). The poor fit created stress raisers, which caused the bars to fail before the new design features could be evaluated. The higher strength steel also may have allowed less metal flow, further concentrating bending stresses at the bottom center of the joint. Figure 3 shows the location of crack origination on the bottom surfaces of two prototype joint bars.

Analysis of both fracture surfaces indicates that both cracks originated at the surfaces and progressed into the joint bars, as fatigue cracks, until critical failure.

The outside surfaces of both joint bars exhibited rough surfaces with material buildup (metal flow). Either one of these surface irregularities could have been a factor in the Railway Track & Structures

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TTCI R&D

bu i l d u p o f s t r e s s concentration d u r i n g t r a i n o p e r at i o n s. S t r e s s concentration at the crack origin is most likely what led to crack initiation. Crack or ig ination was close to metal flow or indentation due to rubbing against the rail base top surface (see Figure 4).

Thus, additional prototype bars using the current joint bar chemistry should be made with improved fit to the rail so that a better design evaluation can be made. A finish that approximates rolled bars is needed so that a fair comparison of the cross section design and material properties can be made.

Figure 4: Indentation at joint bar/rail contact.

Rail joint maintenance

A series of tests were conducted at FAST and in revenue service to determine the effects of maintenance on joint bar performance. As a result, the following knowledge was gained: • Deflections greater than 0.35 inch at the rail joint resulted in bending stresses that are higher than the fatigue threshold of current joint bar material and can result in reduced service life.

• In tests of rail joint fasteners, standard bolts lost more than 50 percent of applied torque during the first 25 mgt of traffic. Torque loss in the center bolts was even higher. No nut rotation was measured, suggesting that vibration effects on bolt loosening were minimal. Instead, most torque loss was due to wear and metal flow between rail and joint bar surfaces.

This suggests that a rail to bar spacer or a bar that contacts the rail near the bolt hole may be useful in retaining bolt tension.

• The temperature-thermal force relationship of joint bars tested by anchoring every other tie was similar to that measured when anchoring e ve r y s i n g l e t i e . H owe ve r , t h e additional anchors will reduce the rail end gap width.

• A standard rail joint installed at FAST with reduced gap has not required surfacing after more than 300 mgt of traffic. The rail ends of the reduced gap joint were in contact 16 Railway Track & Structures

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with only a small chamfer on each rail creating a running surface gap. Typical joints can have rail end gaps of 1/8 to 3/8 inch. The reduced rail gap in CWR mitigated rail joint related problems, such as rail end battering, railhead metal flow and foundation degradation.

Reducing the gap may also increase overall joint stiffness.

• Railroads should consider these findings as part of an overall maintenance strategy.

While not a part of the experiments conducted, it is also well known among track maintainers that following recommended practice for rail joint installation is key to obtaining good service lives. These practices include proper hole drilling and finishing, bolts and fasteners and proper torqueing of fasteners.

Acknowledgements

Complementar y research projects funded by the Federal Railroad Administration’s Office of Research and the Association of American Railroads’ Strategic Research

Initiatives Program produced the results presented in this article. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of these two organizations.

References 1. Sabri, C., Akhtar, M. and Davis, D. May 2103. “The Historical Evolution of Standard Rail Joint Bars.” Technology Digest TD13012, Association of American Railroads.

Transpor tation Technology Center, Inc. Pueblo, Colo.

2. Akhtar, M. and Davis, D. April 30, 2013.

“Load Environment of Rail Joint Bars – Phase I, Effects of Track Parameters on Rail Joint Stresses and Crack Growth.” DOT/FRA/ ORD-13/24. Federal Railroad Administration.

Washington, D.C. 3. Akhtar, M., Sammon, D. and Davis, D. April 2013. “Improved Joint Bar Profile for Heavy Axle Load Environment.” Technology Digest TD13-009, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. Pueblo, Colo.

4. Akhtar, M. and Davis, D. May 2012.

“Improving Joint Bar Ser vice Life – Maintenance Practices.” Technology Digest TD12-009, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. Pueblo, Colo. www.rtands.com

NRC Chairman Bill Dorris began his two-year term at the conference.

Good weather, but better information, could be found at the 2013 National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association Annual Conference.

NRC Conference proves to be anything but dry

by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

F

or the tenth year in a row, the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association’s Annual Conference can claim a record number of registrants, tallied at approximately 1,100. A feat made more impressive because the 2014 NRC Conference, which was held January 5-8, 2014, in Palm Desert, Calif., took place just as the rest of the country was being introduced to a new weather term: Polar vortex. The frigid cold, which was accompanied by heavy snow in some cities, took its toll on flights, with more than 12,000 cancellations occurring in the days leading up to the conference, stranding many would-be conference goers.

Once attendees arrived at the conference, they were not only treated to balmy weather, but to informative presentations, ample networking opportunities where many a travel story was swapped and the NRC-REMSA Exhibition provided the opportunity to discuss product and service offerings with more than 100 exhibitors.

Attendees heard presentations from 16 Class 1, shortline and transit system representatives about their opportunities for contractors in the upcoming year. Other presentations discussed the political climate in Washington, D.C., financial outlook of the industry, safety initiatives and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) delivered the gathering’s keynote presentation. NRC membership also saw Terry Benton conclude his chairmanship and Bill Dorris take the association’s helm for 18 Railway Track & Structures

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the next two years.

“We had a record crowd, the top speakers in both the freight rail and rail transit industries detailing their exciting 2014 capital investment programs and the weather even cooperated nicely,” said Chuck Baker, NRC president. “We were thrilled and are already looking forward to the Jan 7-10, 2015, conference at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Fla.” Following an opening reception and welcome in the exhibit hall, the general session began with Norfolk Southern’s Ron Patton detailing the railroad’s 2014 capital program. Scott Linn then hit the highlights of Genesee & Wyoming’s capital plans for its 111 railroads.

Sen. Moran’s well-attended speech focused on his efforts to reinstate the 45G shortline tax credit, legislation for which the senator is an original author. Sen. Moran said he recognized that uncertainty, such as not knowing if 45G will be extended, leaves many in the rail industry unable to plan for the year and has a negative effect on capital investment. He also was upbeat about the possibility of receiving an extension saying 45G works and an extension will likely be a result of its success. Sen. Moran noted that his primary interest was preserving rural America and thanked the rail industry for serving that interest noting the railroads’ ability to move goods from the middle of his state of Kansas to the rest of the world.

Jo Strang, vice president for regulatory affairs with the Amerwww.rtands.com

NRC in Palm Desert ican Short Line & Regional Railroad Association and Jeff Moller, assistant vice president, Transportation Systems and Practices with the Association of American Railroads, spoke about federal rail safety initiatives and the RSAC Process.

Following a break in presentations for attendees to explore the exhibit hall, Florida East Coast Railway’s Fran Chinnici discussed the shortline railroad’s capital plans for the upcoming year.

Joe Smak, senior director – track maintenance and compliance, Amtrak, pulled double presentation duty. As current chairman of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) Board of Governors, Smak described AREMA’s successful past year to the conference before going through Amtrak’s planned maintenance and trackwork projects.

The NRC Safety Committee, which is in it’s eighth year producing the association’s safety DVDs, gave a preview of the fifteenth and sixteenth DVD, “Building a Turnout and Special Trackwork” and “Handling CWR.” Next, were two transit presentations from New York City Transit (NYCT) and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). Lou Montanti with NYCT told the audience of the “inordinate amount of work” the agency is undertaking, while LACMTA’s Krishniah Murthy presented the agency’s plan to perform 30 years of work in ten.

Day One of presentations wrapped up with attendees

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2013 NRC special Awards 2013 Field Employee of the Year Award Craig Almont Construction Project Engineer, Hamilton Construction 2013 Rail Construction Project of the Year Award Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project; Delta Railroad Construction, Inc.

hearing from Union Pacific’s Kevin Hicks on the railroad’s engineering plans for the upcoming year.

A reception in the exhibit hall was followed by a Florida State versus Auburn viewing party, sponsored by L.B. Foster Co., closed the first day of the conference.

The next day brought presentations from CSX, as well as shortline plans from Watco’s family of railroads, Los Angeles’ Metrolink capital program and an update on the California high-speed rail program.

The conference continued its focus on safety with the presentation of 2013 NRC/RT&S/Commercial Insurance Associates Safe Contractor of the Year Awards. In addition to the winners in four categories, 42 companies were recognized with Gold Awards, four companies won Silver

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NRC in palm desert 2013 Safe Contractor of the Year Award winners. A full list of winners is available on the opposite page.

Awards and two were honored with Bronze Awards.

The final day of the conference was packed with valuable information on capital plans for the upcoming year from two Class 1s, BNSF and Canadian National, OmniTrax and two transit systems, Southern California’s North County Transit District and Chicago’s Metra. The final day also featured a Washington, D.C., update from Keith Hartwell, a business outlook report from Tony Hatch and the planned reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Pacific Imperial Railroad.

NRC also presented its 2013 Special Awards on the con-

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ference’s last day. The 2013 Railroad Construction Project of the Year was awarded to Delta Railroad Construction, Inc., for its work on the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.

The NRC said the project “proves that large projects conducted in adverse conditions can be completed on time and on budget when a strong safety culture is embraced.”

The association’s 2013 Field Employee of the Year was awarded to Craig Almont, construction project engineer, Hamilton Construction.

Of Almont, the NRC said, “One year after his hiring, Hamilton Construction sent Craig to a job in Idaho where he not only exceeded the company’s project goals and expectations, but he also immersed himself into the community and joined the coaching staff of the struggling local high school football team in need of inspiration. Craig managed to keep the project on time and on budget, while turning a losing football program into the fourth best team in the state.”

The next NRC event will be the Annual Railroad Contracting Equipment Auction on Thursday, May 1, 2014, Austinburg, Ohio. Blackmon Auctions will run the proceedings, which will take place at the Delta Railroad Construction facility at 9 a.m. NRC’s 2015 Conference and NRC-REMSA Exhibition will be held Jan. 7-10 in Hollywood, Fla.

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2013 NRC/RT&S/Commercial Insurance Associates Safety Awards Category I - 30 employees or less Winner: CR Construction Company Gold: American Rail Marketing, LLC; American Track Generations; Amtrac of Ohio, Inc.; Coleman Industrial Construction, Inc.; Crafton Railroad Company, Inc.; East Coast Railroad Services, LLC; K.W. Reese, Inc.; Railroad Construction Company of S. Jersey, Inc.; Sharp & Fellows, Inc.; US Trackworks, LLC silver: Northern Plains Rail Services; Omega Rail Services, Inc. Category II - 31-99 employees Winner: L.K. Comstock National Transit Gold: Armond Cassil Railroad Construction, Inc.; Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc. - Gillette Division; FritzRumer-Cooke Co., Inc.; Georgetown Rail Equipment Company; Kelly-Hill Company; Queen City Railroad Construction, Inc.; Ragnar Benson Construction, LLC; Railroad Constructors, Inc.; Rhinehart Railroad Construction, Inc.; STX Corporation Silver: Mass Electric Construction Company; Clayton Railroad Construction Category III - 100-300 employees Co-Winners: Herzog Services, Inc., and Herzog Technologies, Inc. Gold: Colo Railroad Builders, LLC; Delta Railroad Construction; J-Track LLC; Lone Star Railroad Contractors, Inc.; Moran Environmental Recovery, LLC; Musselman and Hall Contractors; Railroad Construction Company, Inc.; Scott Bridge Company, Inc.; Tranco Industrial Services Bronze: R&R Contracting Category IV - 301 or more employees Winner: Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc. Gold: Ames Construction, Inc.; Edward Kraemer & Sons, Inc.; Herzog Contracting Corp.; Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.; Holland L.P.; Kiewit Infrastructure West, Co.; PNR RailWorks; RailWorks Track Services; RailWorks Track Systems; RJ Corman; Stacy and Witbeck, Inc.; Trumbull Corporation Silver: Loram Maintenance of Way; Trans-Global Solutions Bronze: Railroad Controls Limited

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March 2014 21

Technological advancements are being incorporated into North American ballast maintenance products and services.

Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.’s ballast unloading cars.

Maintaining

ballast

by Jennifer Nunez, assistant editor

S

upport and drainange are crucial elements of a railroad’s maintenance program whether it’s a Class 1, shortline or passenger line. Manufacturers of ballast maintenance products and suppliers of services have upped the ante technologically speaking and improved ballast maintenance offerings for 2014.

Balfour Beatty

Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc., has enhanced its Railroad Asset Scanning Car (RASC) hi-rail inspection vehicles with the introduction of upgraded GPS systems, stereo and 360-degree cameras, GPR array systems and LIDAR scanning technology.

Balfour Beatty Rail’s ZRL200 20D high-speed LIDAR scanning system produces surface profiles of the ballast, which can be compared with customer s’ trackbed templates for both tangent and curved track to identify areas of noncompliance. The system also allows detailed structural clearance measurements to be obtained during routine surveys.

Balfour Beatty Rail also develops customized data acquisition systems that integrate its GPR with existing third-party track geometry, GRMS and VTI systems.

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BTE

BTE has made advancements with its BTE-450-UC Backhoe Undercutter/Tamper High-Rail Loader system.

The company says that with the integrated, easy-onoff hi-rail system and a full line of rail maintenance attachments, the BTE-450-UC is its most versatile piece of equipment for complete track maintenance and that its heavy-duty, nine-foot undercutter bar with 360-degree rotation effectively and efficiently undercuts problematic mud spots.

“Our backhoe system also utilizes a two-motor, fourtool tamper attachment,” explained Matt Weyand, sales engineer. “This versatile attachment makes short work of tamping difficult areas, such as diamonds, switches and turnouts. With the new programmable logic controller (PLC), BTE has automated the tamping functions on the attachment to replicate the operations of a production tamper. The PLC control system also provides increased safety for the crew with the use of safety interlocks, which helps prevent operator error.”

BTE offers lease and purchase plans for all equipment and has delivered equipment throughout North America to Class 1 railroads and other lines, as well as contactors. www.rtands.com

The company’s ser vice team also follows the BTE machines wherever they go to help provide service and upgrades in the field.

“Machine up-time is important ever y day and day-after-day, too,” noted Joe Smith, sales engineer. “Due to shorter work windows and long travel distances, we have seen higher demand for easy on/off track service equipment. This combination of high performance, multiple uses and the ability to quickly get out of the way, maximizes the work that can be done safely and effectively in small work windows with limited manpower.”

Dymax

The Dymax Rail Rider II hi-rail s y s t e m f e at u r e s r e m o t e c o n t r o l technology with built-in creep drive modes, allowing operators to perform multiple tasks. The Rail Rider II has built-in stabilizers that secure the machine car for on-track work, such

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as ditch cleaning, culvert and dam building for flood damage, post hole drilling and other demanding jobs.

It’s a modular system that does not require machine modifications or power assistance from the excavator.

It’s designed to travel long distances and handle big loads.

Each Dymax Rail Rider II hi-rail machine is provided with a remote control, allowing contractors and rail networks to set up any machine brand, in any class and perform track maintenance. The remote system features the ability to control the machine from the control box, or the provided foot pedals. Foot pedals are required when performing track maintenance from the Rail Rider II so that operators can use the excavator machine controls for the maintenance work. The remote control includes a padded case for protection and a remote camera system, which allows operators to have a clear view of the track section

behind them while working.

The Dymax Rail Rider II has a hand tool circuit with 30 feet hose reel, capable of operating all types of hydraulic tools, from the end of the power car or the machine car.

GREX

“Railroads seeking automation solutions expect suppliers to incorporate sophisticated technologies that provide the latest advances in mater ial-handling efficiencies to replace passed-down knowledge and experience-based, subjective methods,” said Lynn Turner, vice president of marketing and sales for Georgetown Rail Equipment Co. (GREX).

BallastSaver®, a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technologybased inspection system was developed by GREX to assess the existing roadbed ballast profile and overlay that data against the customer’s ideal or standard profile. The existing

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ballast maintenance

Plasser Unimat 09-475/4S N-Dynamic Switch and Production Tamping Machine.

profile conditions, with variations for cur ves and other anomalies, ultimately can be transformed into a fully-automated system planning tool or spot analysis for a few miles of problematic track. With the addition of lateral instability detection (LID), BallastSaver can detect areas subject to erosion of the roadbed and exposed end of ties, where dangerous conditions might develop and derailment risk could increase, the company notes.

“BallastSaver, a hi-rail based platform, can perform as a stand-

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alone service or be combined with the GREX’s GateSync automation t e c h n o l o g y,” e x p l a i n e d Tu r n e r.

“BallastSaver also can be customized

to be meet customer requirements.

Data collections can be done day or night, or in inclement weather. The combined ser vices of BallastSaver

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ballast maintenance

Loram’s Railvac.

and GateSync enable customers to determine GPS-specific ballast tonnage requirements laterally along the track and deliver them at speeds up to 10 mph, exactly where needed.”

Both BallastSaver and GateSync have been independently and field tested for accuracy and repeatability, GREX says, providing railroads with the ability to objectively assess, predict, plan and deliver their ballast requirements in a fully-automated manner over vast territories and regions.

Herzog

In 2013, the Herzog Railroad S e r v i c e s I n c . ( H R S I ) P. L . U. S . a n d S M A RT Tr a i n s r e c e i ve d a technological upgrade.

“We have always exper ienced

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ballast maintenance

some deg ree of difficulty when attempting to spread ballast through areas of intermittent or non-existent GPS signal availability,” stated Tim Francis, vice president of marketing.

“We listened to our customers and spent years researching, developing and implementing the P.L.U.S./ SMART Inertial System.”

Using similar technology that is established on Herzog’s ProScan LIDAR Truck, the company replaced the standard GPS antenna with the P.L.U.S./SMART Inertial System.

Now, when dumping ballast, the company says it has yet to find a tunnel it can’t dump through or a mountainous terrain it can’t dump over.

“Dumping ballast with our P.L.U.S./SMART Iner tial System also allows us to shorten the dump zones on the approach and departure

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of fixed assets to 15-feet and five-feet, respectively,” Francis noted. “This technology has truly revolutionized our ballast train fleet. Shorter dump zones mean less time surf acing , reduced work windows and more time running revenue freight.”

HRSI’s ballast trains can dump ballast in either direction regardless of the direction of survey. Minimal set up time is required and can be completed in a siding or yard track located miles from the dump location.

Once the train reaches the dump site, no additional set up is needed and the ballast begins to flow. Valuable track and time is not wasted stopping the train for additional measurements or adding extra equipment before ballast dump can begin.

“We have even spread ballast through a two-mile tunnel, as well

as several new construction projects on steel, wood and concrete tie skeletonized track surfaces. All of these features save our customers time and money,” explained Francis.

Knox Kershaw

Knox Kershaw Inc. (KKI) has made enhancements to KKI machines in 2013 and 2014, which include the updated KPB 200 Plate Broom, improved broom element clamps on all sweeper machines and the redesigned KYC 550 Yard Cleaner.

Additionally, Knox Kershaw Inc. offers on-site operator and mechanic training for all ballast regulator makes and models.

The KPB 200 has been updated to incorporate electronic controls to simplify use; the broom element c l a m p s h ave b e e n i m p r ove d b y

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ballast maintenance

Montana Hydraulics’ centermounted bi-directional ballast blow on curve.

incorporating a backing plate for element support when brooming in reverse, prolonging the life of the element and the clamp incorporates a drilled and tapped mounting hole for easier maintenance.

The new KYC 550 has been completely redesigned from the old model KYC 500 to improve t r a n s p o r t a b i l i t y, m a i n t e n a n c e , accessibility and operation. “Knox Ker shaw continues to improve upon existing models of its machines to make them safer, more efficient and easier to operate,� explained Courtney Kershaw, media

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ballast maintenance

BTE’s backhoe with attachements.

coordinator. We could not do this without the guidance and support of our customers. Through them, we learn how to make our products better with each model.”

Loram

“Research and development is the vehicle of innovation and business growth,” stated Scott Diercks, product development manager at Loram Maintenance of Way,

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Inc. “Loram invests heavily in research and development to enhance our services and provide additional value to our customers. Loram continues to develop in all areas of our ballast products. Special emphasis has been placed on our Track Lifter Undercutter (TLU), a more productive, exceptionally versatile and cost-effective alternative to traditional undercutting services.”

Diercks points to the addition of the powered plow to the TLU and says it can perform ballast renewal activities and lower track with speeds that can exceed 5,000 ft./ hr. He says the self-supporting cut-in allows customers to take advantage of short track windows and expand daily productivity without the hassle of moving additional support equipment. TLU options include undercutting, power plow, track lifting and cement tie pad replacement.

“Railroads are realizing long-term sustainable benefits through increased budgets for ballast maintenance

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ballast maintenance

activities,” he said. “Our customers are working to maintain their ballast section in a preventative maintenance mode. Strategically, this allows our customers to cover more of their system rather than only focusing on problematic areas.”

Loram is currently expanding its

fleet of Railvacs for specialty ballast evacuation in areas of tight clearances, such as ballast deck bridges, switch winterization, tunnels and on transit properties. The Railvac is designed to apply 5,000 pounds of force coupled with a rotating nozzle to break up tough material. The machine also features

remote joystick controls and Loram says its unrivaled nozzle flexibility to reach hard to reach track structures.

Miner Enterprises

Miner Enterprises, Inc., recently made improvements to the performance/life cycle of the linear actuators and electrical systems used in its Miner Electric AggreGate®, a stand-alone electric aggregate system.

The electric stand-alone AggreGate enables independent operation of the car from anywhere within a ballast train, eliminating the need for grouping manual and automatic cars.

“We are making these changes to help car builders and car shops streamline the applications and reduce labor costs,” stated Chris Gaydos, manager mechanical engineering.

“Customers have been asking for a safe, durable, maintenance-free way that ballast that can be applied to new or existing cars and that is what the Miner AggreGate provides.”

During the past year, Miner has p r ov i d e d t w i n c y l i n d e r , r e m o t e control operated ballast systems for cars exported to South America and is currently providing AggreGates to two Class 1 railroads for new cars and car conversions. AggreGate is available in pry bar manual, pushbutton or remote-control operations using pneumatic or electric power to operate the gates.

Montana

In the past year, Montana Hydraulics received its ISO 9000 Quality Certification and continues to focus on education and awareness about its centermounted bi-directional ballast blow.

“Our center-mounted bi-directional plow (patent pending) has self ar ticulating blades,” said Della Ehlke, co-owner. “This product is extremely effective and safe and very popular. There are over 160 installed and operating and our Montana shop excels at manufacturing large custom hydraulic cylinders typical to maintenance-of-way equipment. We try to keep our ballast field services evolving to keep up with railroad demand. This past year, we added ballast tarp cover installation to our services offered.”

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ballast maintenance

NMC

To help solve the spot work on bad ballast, NMC Railway Systems offers the Cat® Backhoe Loader package nicknamed “One Man Gang,” which is available for purchase or rent. The “One Man Gang” package consists of a 420-foot or 430-foot backhoe equipped with hi-rail gear and various attachments to combat bad ballast. The NMC “One Man Gang” Backhoe Loader is able to accommodate several attachments, including: a seven-foot undercutter bar, twomotor tamper, tie inserter and the standard thumb and cribbing bucket. NMC says this package allows the operator to perform spot work and operate as a one man gang without the need for several pieces of equipment.

“NMC Railway Systems has increased its service and parts availability for the Cat equipment we provide to the railroads,” stated Mark Anderson, sales manager. “Making serviceability and parts more readily available have helped the railroad stay more productive in the field. Additionally, our team continually looks to provide operators, field and on-site training for all of the NMC Railway Systems products. Ensuring the operators understand the machine and how to properly maintain them allows them to utilize the products to their full potential.”

Anderson says the railroads are continually looking for products that diversify their ability to work on remote track

lines and find that the company’s 324 Hi-Rail Excavator (HRE) can provide that, due to its ability to utilize a variety of attachments without having to switch machines.

Nordco

Nordco Inc.’s XL-5, a road-ready mobile tamper and regulator set, offers the railroad industr y a tamping solution that is designed for high production and mobility.

“Normally, reactive tamping processes have meant the expensive stationing and maintaining of equipment across the country in anticipation of potential reactive tamping needs,” explained Bill Straub, president roadway equipment. “When a unit has to be deployed, it either has to track travel to the work area or department of transportation permits must be obtained to move the unit by truck.”

Straub says the Nordco XL-5 makes those permit requirements obsolete and notes the set’s length, width, height and weight are all within legal road limits. The machines can be directly attached to a standard truck without using a drive-on trailer and moved to the work area at any time.

“The XL-5 can get on and off the rail at any standard crossing, saving on expensive track travel time and without the need for cranes,” he said. “The mobility of the XL-5 system will allow for better utilization of assets by railroads and contractors.”

Nordco also offers its hydraulic switch tamper, rebuilds of Jackson 6700 or Mark series tampers and an extensive inventory of tamper parts (including complete workhead, jackbeam and vibrator assemblies).

Plasser American

“Ballast regu lating mac hin es, an im por t an t l i n k for distributing and profiling the ballast are often overshadowed by other track maintenance machines, but for no sound reason, because the work they do is an important contribution to the overall mechanized system,” commented Plasser American Corp. “Ballast distr ibuting and profiling machines have become a standard feature of modern track laying and track maintenance and are used in conjunction with many different construction projects, such as ballast regulating as part of maintenance operations; ballast distribution on newly laid track; sweeping of turnouts and accurate placement of ballast.”

T h e c o m p a ny n ow o f f e r s t h e P l a s s e r U n i m at 09-475/4S N-Dynamic Switch and Production Tamping Machine. The machine combines ballasting, tamping, regulating, stabilizing and measurement all in one.

Plasser says it was designed for simplified worksite logistics with high potential savings and that it performs complete work for maintenance of plain track and turnouts in the technologically correct sequence in a single working pass.

Ballasting and tamping are performed in the front part of the machine. Plasser notes there is typically a lack of ballast in switches and turnouts and says in the past, this meant that ballast had to be delivered and distributed 32 Railway Track & Structures

March 2014

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ballast maintenance

NMC’s backhoe loader with undercutter in action.

before the tamping operation. With the Unimat, additional ballast is provided by a MFS-type material conveyor and hopper unit coupled to the machine.

Profiling, sweeping, stabilizing and measuring follow and are combined in the rear par t of the machine.

Here it is also possible to add ballast as needed to fill in the tie cribs. The integrated stabilizing unit provides the initial controlled settlement following the tamping operation.

Measuring, recording and analysis of the track geometry parameters provide verification of the performed work.

Progress Rail

Progress Rail Services designed and built a new One-Pass Ballast Regulator.

The Kershaw Model 66-2-3 features a center-mounted plow, reversible wings and a broom with conveyor and hopper assembly for ballast shaping, shoulder profiling and a variety of other track maintenance operations.

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The frame is all welded construction using tubular sections with formed and structural cross members and is powered by a Caterpillar C9 Liquid Cooled Diesel Engine producing 350 hp, allowing the regulator to reach speeds of 50 mph.

This model has a fully integrated hydraulic system in which the pump drive powers the hydrostatic propel pump, as well as the pumps which power the broom, conveyor and wing and plow operations. The cab is a two-

man, fully enclosed unit with insulated safety glass, dome light, front windshield wipers and sliding side windows and is climate controlled.

Progress Rail Ser vices designed and built a new Shoulder Ballast Cleaner, Kershaw Model KSC2000, that is a self-contained, self-propelled machine for excavating and cleaning the shoulder ballast, returning the cleaned ballast to the track, profiling the shoulder and sweeping the tie ends in one pass.

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ballast maintenance

“Especially noteworthy about this new cleaner is its sheer size and its capabilities while moving considerably faster than other models while still creating high quality profiling,” noted Dean Mackey, general manager, Kershaw. “Aspects include 12-foot, nine-inch diameter excavating wheels with 30-inch wide buckets equipped with bolt-on carbide tipped wear plates. The hydraulic system has separate hydrostatic circuits to each wheel for independent operation.”

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Left, Progress Rail Services’ Kershaw Model KSC2000 in operation.

Nordco Inc.’s XL-5, a road-ready mobile tamper and regulator set.

The cleaner has two main loading conveyors with 48-inch-wide belts and the spoil conveyor under screen has a 60-inch-wide belt. The

screening system is an eight-foot by 20-foot single shaft, two-deck system with multiple screen cloth configurations available and can process 2,900 tons per hour. The loader car cab has a two console setup for both travel and work modes with ergonomic seating for two. The cab is equipped with a camera monitor and two diagnostic displays. The screen car cab has a split console with two dual joystick seats for control of the left and right shoulder wings.

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CREATE keeps Chicago

rail moving In it’s 11th year, the CREATE program continues its capacity and safety enhancements to secure Chicago’s place in a strong national rail network.

by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

I

38 Railway Track & Structures

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relieve congestion and enhance safety throughout the system, which is already seeing significant measurable results from the completed projects.

“The feedback from rail customers around the country impacted by CREATE has been positive,” said Bill Thompson, CREATE program manager with the Association of American Railroads. “Regionally, the railroads have seen roughly a 30-percent reduction in manifest cross town transit time. The Chicago terminal is ringed by Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) readers. Each rail car in North America has an AEI tag on it. The railroads are able to receive the date and time a car enters the terminal and departs the terminal.

In 2003, manifest trains were operating through the terminal in 43 hours. In 2012, trains were operating through the terminal in 32 hours.”

Project update

Approximately 42 percent of the 70 projects associated with CREATE are complete or under construction. The program has spent $500 million of the $1.2 billion available and currently estimates the full build out will require an additional $2.5 billion for remaining design and construction.

“The progress of CREATE is often effected by environmental studies and funding constraints, but with regards to funded freight projects, we are finishing all the railroad projects on the Beltway Corridor followed by the Western Avenue Corridor. Some of this is controlled by environmental issues and some are driven by completion of design,” said Thompson. “The Western Avenue Corridor sees significant intermodal traffic.

As the Western Avenue improvements are being completed, the intermodal www.rtands.com

Nathan Weber - Vellum Media

t’s hard to believe the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program, a partnership between the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), the state of Illinois, city of Chicago, Metra (the region’s suburban passenger rail provider), Amtrak and the nation’s freight railroads, is more than a decade old. In that time, 20 projects have been completed, nine are under construction and 19 are in the design phase with four of those design projects expected to enter construction later in 2014.

The program is vital to Chicago’s survival as a national and North American rail hub. Early terminal model results, prior to the program’s commencement, pointed to complete gridlock along the Chicago system by 2015 if nothing was done. But something was done and CREATE set out to improve capacity,

create update

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150 passenger and freight trains that traverse the area each day with a series of rail-to-rail and rail-to-highway grade separations, including a 2,100-linearfoot flyover bridge to elevate Metra’s Rock Island tracks over Amtrak and freight lines at 63rd and State streets.

In July 2012, a contract was awarded to the joint venture of IHC Construction and Illinois Constructors for the project and approximately 60 percent of the grade separation work is complete.

Extensive bridge construction at 59th

Opposite page: Crews setting steel over NS tracks for the P1, Englewood Flyover Project.

This page: Another vantage point of the work for the P1 project. Precast retaining walls constructed for the 60th Street bridge closure.

Street, 61st Street, 63rd Street, a Norfolk Southern overpass, the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-94), Wentworth Avenue and 67th Street/Marquette Road is required for the track realignment and approaches

Railway Track & Structures

March 2014 39

The Neel Company

product will move through the terminal with greater reliability.”

The grade separations, which are managed by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), will follow on these corridors as funding becomes available.

Thompson also says six of the program’s 12 tower projects are complete.

The railroads agreed to upgrade the remaining towers at railroad expense out of their CREATE contribution and progress continues as railroad funding is available and plans finalized.

Thompson says the largest of the CREATE projects, the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project, a combination of the P2 Flyover, the P3 Flyover, EW2 track upgrade and GS14 71st street grade separation projects, will have its Environmental Impact Statement complete by the end of 2014. One of the program’s most high-profile projects, P1, the Englewood Flyover, is progressing well.

The south Chicago P1 project will relieve congestion for the approximately

CREate update to the new flyover. Several large cast-inplace retaining walls and precast retaining walls are being constructed in multiple locations throughout the project and have replaced bridges that were removed at 60th and 66th streets.

Another interesting construction practice utilized in the CREATE program has been innovative bridge roll in and out technology, such as that used to roll a truss into place over Torrence Avenue near 130th Street in August 2012 as part of project GS15a. The 394-footlong, 43-million-pound bridge is believed to be the largest truss bridge ever moved after assembly.

The project general contractor on GS15a, Walsh Construction, used four self-propelled mobile transporters to relocate the fully-assembled bridge from its assembly site to its final position on the new bridge piers a few hundred feet away.

Similar technology was also used on the P1 project for bridge removal and the GS14 project for bridge installation.

Thompson says a severe winter has slowed progress on the nine CREATE projects under construction, but he expects decks to be constructed in early spring on the P1 and GS25 bridges.

Thompson also provided an update on the following projects: • An RFP will go out in 2014 for design and construction management support on the EW3 and WA7 projects.

• GS6, the grade separation on 25th Avenue in Bellwood, and the EW1 double tracking project through BRC’s Clearing Yard will both go out for bid this summer or fall.

• The B1 project and crossovers near Bensenville and WA1 project in Chicago will finish design midyear and construction is expected to start later this year.

• The WA1 project near Ogden Avenue and EW3 project at Pullman Jct. will bid in early 2015.

There’s always a challenge

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March 2014

Project GS 25: Bridge work with newly detailed bridge girders and diaphragms.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel understood the importance of CREATE from the moment he stepped into the mayor’s office and this continues. The U.S. Department of Transportation continues support of CREATE with FRA Administrator Joe Szabo and FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez visiting projects last year.

Many other officials including U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA), both members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, visited CREATE. The CREATE partners were awarded $10.4 million in the TIGER IV program. The railroads have budgeted $234 million for CREATE projects. In June, U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA), the chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, convened a roundtable discussion on rail transportation and included CREATE in the discussion,” said Thompson.

CREATE has proved to be a good model, as well, with a similar program under development in Louisiana with the railroads working closely with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to improve the New Orleans rail network.

While Thompson mentions that the CREATE partners appreciate the support received, they aim to be good agents and remain focused on one of the railroads key areas: safety.

“The CREATE partners are always watchful of and concerned about the safety of the railroaders, contractors and general public involved in or around each project. In addition, the CREATE partners are always good stewards of the environment and good stewards of the funding,” said Thompson. www.rtands.com

Eras Beseka - Roderick Group

A program that has been around for as long as CREATE will run into its fair share of challenges and the trials evolve as the project does. What stays constant is the CREATE program partners’ commitment to see the program through to completion.

“Recent challenges include steadily increasing rail business and a tough winter. CREATE exists so that, in the long term, the region and the railroads

around Chicago can be more effective dealing with issues that restrain capacity, such as increased business and weather issues,” said Thompson.

“Track time is always a challenge. The railroads operate 24 hours and seven days per week including most holidays.

In addition, Metra dominates the Chicago operation during the rush hours or roughly 25 percent of the work day. Because of 2013 holiday traffic, there was little track time available in November and December. This can be frustrating at times for contractors but this is the rail operation in Chicago,” he said.

“All the CREATE partners, CDOT, IDOT and the railroads along with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) want the program finished, but funding is always a challenge,” explained Thompson. “Fortunately, the CREATE partnership is solid. The partner contributions to the CREATE program are commensurate with benefits received.

“Most public-private partnerships have a cash stream, such as with a toll authority. The responsible agency will borrow against that future funding stream and expand the infrastructure.

This is not the case with CREATE. With CREATE the railroads committed millions of dollars to the program and have kept the money available for design and construction. This previously helped cover Phase 1 shortages when one of the agencies ran short of funding,” he said.

Thompson also points out that the CREATE program’s benefit is recognized by officials at the state and federal government.

“Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has been very supportive of the program and IDOT contributed an additional $210 million to the program bringing IDOT’s contribution to $410 million. Chicago’s

AREMA NEWS Professional Development Upcoming seminars

Introduction to practical railway engineering April 28-30, 2014 UNLV Las Vegas, Nevada

Message from the President

In like a lion, out like a lamb

By Joe Smak

Sign up for IPRE and TADS and SAVE $100 off your registration fee. Register by April 7 to receive an additional discount.

track alignment design May 1-2, 2014 UNLV Las Vegas, Nevada

Joe Smak AREMA President 2013-2014

Sign up for IPRE and TADS and SAVE $100 off your registration fee. Register by April 7 to receive an additional discount.

Introduction to practical railway engineering July, TBA Montreal, Canada railroad bridge load rating - steel structures September 15, 2014 New Orleans, LA Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering September 26-28, 2014 Chicago, IL In conjunction with the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition

Please visit arema.org for more information.

42 Railway Track & Structures

March 2014

As the month of March rolls in, the old folklore saying “in like a lion, out like a lamb” certainly applies. This winter was one for the record books, as many regions in North America experienced long, sustained accumulations of snow coupled with continuous days and nights of sub-freezing temperatures, often whipped by icy arctic winds. I even learned a new term, “polar vortex,” which the weathermen were using to describe the absolutely frigid weather. The jetstream dipped way down into the southern United States, causing havoc in major southern cities that were not prepared for the highly unusual low temperature, ice and snow. The railroads weathered the storm, due to their winter planning and preparation for the season. But the railroads weathered the storm mainly because of the dedication and perseverance of their employees, who braved the elements and kept the trains running. Here at Amtrak, despite some delays and cancellations, the passenger railroad network was the only mode of transportation that was running, at any level.

It is safe to say that everyone is anxious for March 20, which is the first day of spring. Hopefully by then, all the winter challenges will be over and the railroads can turn their attention to the coming spring and summer construction and production seasons. Judging by the planned construction and production programs, the railroads will be tackling one of the largest operating and capital programs in history.

It is a busy month for AREMA, as well. The functional group leaders, under Senior Vice President Randy Bowman’s leadership, are busy reviewing, choosing and scheduling the program for the 2014 Annual Conference in Chicago, Ill. The opening and closing sessions are promising to be interesting and informative. The technical sessions will be comprised of excellent presentations on timely subjects. The AREMA staff is also busy working on all the endless details that are involved in order to hold the conference. If you are interested in display space at the exposition, contact AREMA headquarters soon, as space is filling up quickly. Make sure you mark your calendar on September 28 through October 1 to attend what will be an excellent event.

I presided over the AREMA Board of Governors meeting on March 11 in Chicago, which was held in conjunction with the Railway Age Railroader of the Year Award Dinner later that night. I am proud and honored that the president and CEO of Amtrak, Joseph Boardman, was presented with this most prestigious award. Under his leadership, Amtrak continues to break ridership records, revenue records and increased interest in passenger train travel. He gave a very motivating acceptance speech and the event was a special night for Amtrak and the railroad industry. I am happy and honored to announce that Joe Boardman will be the keynote speaker at the AREMA Annual Chairs' Luncheon on Tuesday, September 30, 2014. I know that he will give a very interesting and informative presentation at the AREMA conference. On behalf of AREMA, I thank Joe Boardman in taking time out of his busy schedule to talk at the conference and I extend our congratulations on his recognition as the Railroader of the Year. Thank you and best wishes for the future.

Speaking of the future, I recently had the opportunity to tour a concrete tie plant with the students from the University of Illinois. These young students Continued on page 43 www.rtands.com

2014 Upcoming Committee Meetings March 31 Committee 11 - Commuter and Intercity Rail Systems March 31 Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems April 1-2 Committee 36 - Highway-Rail Grade Crossing

Warning Systems April 2-4 Committee 37 - Signal Systems April 3-4 Committee 4 - Rail April 21-22 Committee 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering

& Operations

Pueblo, CO Pueblo, CO Harrisburg, PA Harrisburg, PA Pueblo, CO Chicago, IL

April 27-28 May 8 May 13-15 May 15-16 May 20-21 June 3-4 June 5-6 Aug. 4-5

Committee 34 - Scales Tampa, FL Committee 9 - Seismic Design for Railway Structures Chicago, IL Committee 5 - Track New Orleans, LA Committee 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations Southern CA Committee 15 - Steel Structures Eugene, OR Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Foundations Pueblo, CO Committee 30 - Ties Urbana-Champaign, IL Committee 1 - Roadway & Ballast New York, NY

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

Continued from page 42 continue to amaze me. Not only are they interested in subjects relating to railroading, they are deeply involved in research projects, which will certainly help the railroad engineering profession. I was impressed with the quality of questions that they asked and I was also impressed with their insight on the process. I continue to work on recruiting additional AREMA student chapters, with several new additions in the works. I also am working on another visit with my alma mater, Penn State, where I was asked to make another presentation by the head of the program, Dr. Hai Huang. I am truly impressed by the quality and quantity of the interest from the students in these programs and I am confident that the future of our industry is in good hands.

I close this message with a sad note. Our industry has lost an icon, someone that I had the privilege to have known and considered my friend. After a battle with cancer, Arthur Wilmott Worth passed away on January 17, 2014. He worked on Canadian National for 42 years and continued to be involved in the industry for more than 50 years. Art began as a member of AREA, a predecessor organization, in 1960 and subsequently was a very active member of AREMA. He participated in several committees, lending his uncanny technical expertise, as well as his command of the English language. He was an AREMA life member, a member emeritus of Committee 4 - Rail and was bestowed AREMA’s highest accolade as an honorary member. Art’s passion was railroad engineering and anyone that knew him became a better railroader by working with Art. He will be missed.

Be safe in all that you do.

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

FYI…

Registration is now open for the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition. You may now book your hotel reservations at https://resweb.passkey.com/go/AREMA2014.

Introducing the Watford Fellowship.

This New AREMA educational initiative is for “early career” individuals involved with railway infrastructure design. For more information, please see additional information at the bottom of this page and visit www.arema.org for more information.

Online dues renewal is now available.

To pay online, log into www.arema.org then select “Dues Renewal” from the “Membership” drop-down menu. Print renewal invoices have been mailed.

Nearly 3/4 of the booths are sold for the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition being held September 28 – October 1, 2014. Please contact Christy Thomas at cthomas@arema.org to book your space today! For more information, including the live expo hall floor plan, please visit www.arema.org/meetings/2014/2014_expo.

Interested in sponsorship for the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference and Exposition?

Please contact Lindsay Hamilton at lhamilton@arema.org or 1.301.459.3200, ext.

705, for more information.

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

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

Not an AREMA Member?

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

Railway Track & Structures

March 2014 43

AREMA NEWS

Getting to know Ronald Patton Each month, AREMA features one of our committee chairs. We are pleased to announce that the March featured chair is Ronald Patton, chair of Committee 10 - Structures Maintenance & Construction.

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

PATTON: While growing up in Southern Indiana, I became interested in railroads since my grandpa and dad loved the industry and were retired from Southern Railway. Also, I started working on a farm when I was in elementary school, which helped me learn responsibility early and decide that the hayfield and farming were not good career options for me. As I grew older, I worked one summer in construction and did some surveying, which led to my interest in railway engineering and bridges.

AREMA: How did you get started?

PATTON: Like many of my friends, I had to work my way through college and applied for a summer job with Southern Railway as a clerk in Louisville, Ky. (Go Cards), but that did not work out.

However, I did get hired in engineering as a B&B apprentice. After working a short period of time, I applied and was accepted into the management training program. That was 36 years ago and I have been with Norfolk Southern ever since.

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

I joined AREA as a junior member in 1980 and became a full member in 1982. During the mid-1980s, I joined Committee 7 then subsequently joined Committee 10 and have been a member since its inception.

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

PATTON: I enjoy spending time with my wife and working on home improvement projects. We are baseball and football fans and like to go to games and travel. Also, for many years I have enjoyed running and boxing to stay fit.

AREMA: Tell us about your family.

PATTON: My wife, Cynthia, and I have been married for seven years. Combined we have six grown children and 11-plus (another on the way) grandchildren. We enjoy visiting them whenever we get the opportunity.

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

PATTON: I went to Namibia, Africa, on a safari in 2012 and made it back with all body parts intact. However, my wife’s cousin was not so lucky and was attacked by a lioness during a hunt and lived to tell his story.

AREMA: What would you say is your biggest achievement?

PATTON: Other than finding and marrying an intelligent, beautiful woman, I am proud of the network of friends and associates that I have met and developed relationships with over the years with Norfolk Southern and in the industry. It’s very gratifying to see younger individuals that I have mentored and worked with through the years go on and be successful in the industry.

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

PATTON: There are many opportunities in the railway industry for those willing to work hard and never stop learning. Ask questions, learn all you can from other experienced professionals and enjoy your work. Take advantage of your opportunities, which includes joining AREMA and being active in your field of expertise. A career in railway engineering can be very rewarding.

44 Railway Track & Structures

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Ronald Patton Chair, Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction Division Engineer, Norfolk Southern

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

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

Railway Memoirs by William G. Byers, PE

2013 Manual for Railway Engineering© There have been numerous updates to more than 5,000 pages of the Manual for Railway Engineering. The chapters are grouped into four general categories, each in a separate volume: • Track • Structures • Infrastructure & Passenger • Systems Management. The Manual is an annual publication, released every April. It is available in four-volume loose-leaf format, CD-ROM, revision set (loose-leaf only) and individual chapters (hard copy and downloadable formats).

Downloadable Chapters Available Online.

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

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

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

Downloadable Sections Available Online.

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

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

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

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

Innovation

•

Safety

•

Service performance and reliability

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

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

Railway Track & Structures

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46 Railway Track & Structures

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CALENDAR

APRIL 1-2. 19th Annual AAR Research Review. Cheyenne Mountain Resort. Colorado Springs, Colo.

Transportation Technology Center, Inc. Pueblo, Colo.

Phone: 719-584-0544. E-mail: annualreview@aar.com.

Website: www.aar.com.

8-11. Track Safety Standards Part 213 Clases 1-5 Workshop. DoubleTree by Hilton Omaha Downtown.

Omaha, Neb. Phone: 800-228-9670 . E-mail: studentservices@sb-reb.com. Website: http://www. railwayeducationalbureau.com/TrkInspWrkShp.html.

22-25. ASLRRA 118th Annual Convention. Hilton San Diego Bayfront. San Diego, Calif. Contact: Kathleen Cassidy. Phone: 202-585-3443. E-mail: kcassidy@aslrra. org. Website: www.aslrra.org.

MAY 5-7. Engineering Fundamentals of Rail Freight Terminals, Yards, and Intermodal Facilities. Hilton Chicago/Oak Lawn. Oak Lawn, Ill. Contact: Dave Peterson. Phone: 800-462-0876. E-mail: peterson@epd.engr.wisc.edu.

Website: http://epdweb.engr.wisc.edu/Courses/Course. lasso?myCourseChoice=N895.

20-22. RSSI 54th Annual C&S Exhibition. Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Nashville, Tenn. Phone: 502-3277774. Fax: 502-327-0541. E-mail: Sharon@rssi.org. Website: www.rssi.org.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AUGUST 3-8. Global Level Crossing and Trespass Symposium. Illini Union, University of Illinois. Urbana, Ill. Website: http://ict. uiuc.edu/railroad/GLXS/overview.php. www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

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PRODUCTS

Safety illumination

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Phone: 888-906-9327.

Treated form of Teflon

Interflon offers MicPol, a treated form of Teflon that is micronized and polarized and forms dry Teflon films on components. This film is said to be extremely durable, lowers friction, stops adhesion of dirt and dust and protects against corrosion. The product was designed with four functions, it cleans, creeps, lubricates and protects. MicPol is said to reduce product used by up to 90 percent, which provides cost benefits, environmental benefits and stops lubricants from deteriorating composite pads under the rail. The company notes lubrication intervals can be lengthened by 50 percent to 100 percent and there is no need to move the switch when applying the product, which was designed for time-savings and worker safety. Phone: +44(0)1642-615-002.

48 Railway Track & Structures

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Ad Index Company

Phone #

AREMA Marketing Department Auto Truck Group Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc. Danella Rental Systems, Inc. Georgetown Rail Equipment Co. Herzog Railroad Services, Inc. Hougen Manufacturing, Inc. Knox Kershaw, Inc. Koppers, Inc L.B. Foster Co. Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. Montana Hydraulics Neel Company, The NMC速 Railway Systems NRC Osmose Railroad Services, Inc. Plasser American Corp.

Postle Industries Progress Rail Services Corp.

Railway Age Crude By Rail RAILCET Rails Company Rail Construction Equipment Co. Railway Educational Bureau, The Schenck Process Stella-Jones Corp.

Tensar North American Green Trimble Navigation Limited voestalpine Nortrak Inc.

Fax#

e-mail address

Page #

301-459-3200 301-459-8077 marketing@arema.org Cover 3 816-412-2131 816-412-2191 eschoenfeld@autotruck.com 10 888-250-5746 904-378-7298 info@bbri.com 28 610-828-6200 610-828-2260 pbarents@danella.com 8 512-869-1542, ext.228 512-863-0405 karen@georgetownrail.com 30 816-233-9002 816-233-7757 tfrancis@hrsi.com 9 866-245-3745 800-309-3299 info@trak-star.com 36 334-387-5669, ext.208 334-387-4554 knox@knoxkershaw.com 32 412-227-2739 412-227-2841 ambrosegf@koppers.com 17 412-928-3506 412-928-3512 glippard@lbfoster.com 4 763-478-6014 763-478-2221 sales@loram.com 24-25 406-449-3464, ext.1005 406-449-3465 dehlke@mthyd.com 33 703-913-7858 703-913-7859 btemple@neelco.com 7

866-662-7799 402-891-7745 info@nmcrail.com 19 202-715-2920 202-318-0867 info@nrcma.org 13 800-356-5952 608-221-0618 Cover 4 dostby@osmose.com 757-543-3526 757-494-7186 plasseramerican@plausa.com 29 216-265-9000 rspeese@postle.com 10 800-476-8769 256-593-1249 info@progressrail.com 23,31 212-620-7208 212-633-1165 conference@sbpub.com 34-35 866-724-5238 217-522-6588 grif1020@yahoo.com 20 973-763-4320 973-763-2585 rails@railso.com

8 866-472-4570 630-355-7173 dennishanke@rcequip.com 21 402-346-4300 402-346-1783 bbrundige@sb-reb.com

47,48 262-473-2441 262-473-4384 mktg@schenckprocess.com 39 412-894-2865 412-325-0208 asutch@stella-jones.com 11 404-214-5374 404-250-9185 cmgovern@tensarcorp.com 6 720-587-4606 rail@trimble.com 26,27 307-778-8700 307-778-8777 gord.weatherly@voestalpine.com Cover 2 Reader Referral Service

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

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

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

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

Africa, Britain, Eastern Europe, Far East, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, Middle East, South America, Rail Tenders, all others.

Louise Cooper Suite K5 &K6 The Priory +44-1444-416917 Syresham Gardens Fax: +44-1444-458185 Haywards Heath, RH16 3LB United Kingdom lc@railjournal.co.uk Italy & Italian-speaking Switzerland

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

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

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P. O. Box 162 • Arcola, IL 61910

M & W Equipment for Sale/Rent Professional(1)Directory Jackson 6700 Complete Re-build, John Deere power . . . . . . . . . . . . . FOR SALE

WEED & BRUSH SPRAYING Specialized fleet of computer operated sprayers

Tree Trimming/Brush Cutting

Line Clearance-Hazardous Trees-Whole tree chipping

POLE LINE REMOVAL

A variety of on/off track removal equipment

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

Mercier’s

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT

2001 Mark IV Tamper, 2004 System V, V4.10, Smart I/O, Laser . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL! 1999 Mark IV Tamper, 2003 System V, V4.10, Surface fit, Smart I/O, Laser . . . . . . . CALL! 1997 Mark IV Tamper, 2003 System V, V4.10, Surface fit, Smart I/O, Laser . . . . . . . CALL! 1995 Mark IV Tamper, 2007 System V, V4.10, Surface fit, Smart I/O, Laser . . . . . . . CALL! (4) 1993 Mark IV Tampers, System V, 4.10, Smart I/O, Surface fit, Laser . . . . . . . . CALL! Remanufactured Mark III ECTR-130G Tamper, four wheel drive, combo clamp . . . . . CALL! . . . CALL! (5)#9 1996 - 1983 Mark III, AREMA ECTR-130GTurnouts Tampers, combo clamp,for 4 wheel drive, AC delivery.

115RE & 136RE available immediate . . . . . . . . . . . CALL! (2) STM Switch Tampers, no jacks.

EnclosedColorado cabs. Nice 80223 machines!

2 Santa Fe Drive – Denver – 720-355-0664 (16) Fairmont Tamper Mark I, www.Specialtrackwork.com II, ES, ES-TDAG, EA, EAS, JRM Tampers available! . . . . CALL! (5) Harsco TR-10/TR-1’s Tie Remover/Inserters, 1998,1996,1991 Models & Older . . CALL! (2) Kershaw / RTW Tie Cranes & Bridge Cranes. Enclosed cabs, GM 3-53 engines . . CALL! (3) Kershaw Model 35-13 Tie Plate Sweepers, diesel engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL! (3) Nordco Auto-lifts (one new 2008 unit!) Hatz diesel engines . . . . . . . . . . FOR SALE! Racine Dual Anchor Spreaders and Dual Anchor Adjusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . FOR SALE! (3) Teleweld Rail Heaters w/vibrators, self propelled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL! (1) Speed Swing 441-D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL! (1) Nordco model “C” Spike driver with PLC upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL! (2) Nordco model “C” Spike drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL! (All of the above equipment is located in Illinois) JER OVERHAUL INC. / NEWMAN MACHINERY Equipment Website: www.newmanmachinery.com EMAIL: Eric Headrick, eheadrick@jeroverhaul.com JER Website: www.jeroverhaul.com SALES & RENTAL Tel# (217) 259-4823 PARTS & SERVICE: Tel# (217) 268-4823 • Fax# (217) 268-4813

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT

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

Phone: (330) 479-2004 Fax: (330) 479-2006 4313 Southway Street, S.W. Canton, Ohio 44706 Web Site: www.sperlingrailway.com E-mail: info@sperlingrailway.com

to advertise contact classified advertising sales representative phone

212.620.7211 •

fax

Craig Wilson

Grapple Trucks Magnets & Self Propelled

212.633.1325 • e-mail cwilson@sbpub.com

www.rtands.com

QUADRILL® Rail Scrap Retriever OTM Retriever Tie Plugger Carriers Plate Picker Personnel Carriers Powered Cart Tie Marking Machine Bulk Material Loader Heavy Duty Material Carts Wheel & Axle Assemblies Hitch Pins/Tow Bars Railroad Signs Crossbucks/Switch Targets

Railway Track & Structures

April 2011 49

Products and services

REESE

Section Trucks Telescoping & Articulating Cranes

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

and many more truck configurations...

WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU? • Track construction and maintenance Track Maintenance Trucks

• On-track ditching and rotary dump service • On-track tree trimming and brushcutting • Storm and flood cleanup and debris removal

877-888-9370

• Tie distribution and removal

ASPENEQUIPMENT.COM/RAIL

K. W. Reese, Inc.

Box 298 • Mercersburg, PA 17236

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

2013 NRC SAFETY AWARD GOLD MEDAL WINNER

RT&S2013revAd.indd 1

2/12/13 2:57 PM

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

50 Railway Track & Structures

March 2014

www.rtands.com

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT Some things never change.

Quality, Service, and Dependability. Since 1910.

Rotary Dump

Grapple Truck

Hirail Crew Cab

LEASE or BUY Hirail Gradall w/opt. Brush Cutter

Hirail Service/Maintainers Truck

Custom Build New or Used Chassies.

Also: Hirail Boom Dump Trucks Hirail Mechanics Trucks Hirail Section Trucks Hytracker for moving equipment Hudson Ballast Cars DMF & Harsco parts, service and installation

RAILROAD SERVICES

Est. 1910

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

Qualified Set of 4 each 50 Ton Whiting Locomotive Jacks Price is $54,000 per set of 4 Jacks Contact: Brian Marty- 618-271-7210

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

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

EQUIPMENT FOR SHORT OR LONG TERM LEASE HARSCO AND NORDCO TAMPERS 6700S, SJ, SJ2, Mark IV Switch and Production Tampers 3300 and HST Chase Tampers 3000 Tampers w/Raise & Line or Chase Tampers 2400 Tampers w/Raise & Line, 900 Tampers w/Jacks TIE INSERTERS/EXTRACTORS Nordco TRIPPs TR-10s & TKOs 925 S/Ss, Standards, KTR-400s KNOX KERSHAW REGULATORS, KRIBBER/ADZERS, TIE CRANES, PLATE BROOMS, BRUSH CUTTERS, & SNOW FIGHTERS KBR-850-925-940 Ballast Regulators & Snow Fighters KTC-1200 Tie Cranes KKA-1000 Kribber/Adzers KPB-200 Plate Brooms NORDCO ANCHOR APPLICATORS, SPIKERS & GRABBERS Model F Anchor Machines and BAAMs Models CX and SS Spikers Model SP2R Dual Grabbers RACINE RAILROAD PRODUCTS Dual Anchor Spreaders, Squeezers, Knockers (Removers), Anchor Applicators, DAACs (Dual Anchor Adjuster Cribber), Dual Clip Applicators, Ride-on Regauge Adzers, TPIs, Tie Straighteners, OTM Reclaimers, SAFELOK IIIs (SAR IIIs) HI-RAIL CRANES, SPEEDSWINGS & RAIL HEATERS Pettibone Model 445E Speedswings w/Multiple Attachments Geismar 360 Hi-Rail Excavators w/Cold Air Blowers & Brush Cutters Badger 30 Ton Cranes w/Hi-Rails Rail Heaters - Single Sided, Dual Sided, Self-propelled w/Vibrators HI-RAIL TRUCKS, EXCAVATORS, & CARTS Hi-Rail Gradalls, XL3300 Series III w/Digging Buckets & Brush Cutters CAT 320B Excavator on Hytracker Platform w/Gondola Hi-Rail Rotary Dumps, Various Hi-Rail Pickups Hi-Rail Grapple Trucks (Magnet, Rail Racks & Wireless Remote Optional) 25-ton Hudson Ballast Cars, 25-ton Rail and OTM Carts 5-ton Tie Carts & Hytracker Gondolas

RT&S Classified Section Jeanine Acquart 212-620-7211 jacquart@sbpub.com s r

www.rtands.com

r

TM

Railway Track & Structures

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NEW & USED EQUIPMENT

Get the inside scoop on and off the track

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

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

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

March 2014

www.rtands.com