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RAIL CONSTRUCTION

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February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 1

CONTENTS

April 2020

17

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

13

4 TTCI Measured effects of articulated double-stack cars on bridges

Circle the problem Georgia DOT addresses traffic issues at intersection with a railroad roundabout

17

Retreat!

Climate change could be changing the stability of the Del Mar cliffs, putting SANDAG trains at risk

21

A lot to handle Material handlers fill pivotal role in maintenance-of-way operations

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21

26 AREMA News Message from the President, Getting to know, and more 30 Classifieds 32 Advertiser Index 32 Sales Representatives

COLUMNS 3 On Track This is going to hurt

A completed railroad roundabout in the city of Sandersville, Ga. For more on the story, see p 13.

Photo courtesy of the Georgia DOT.

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April 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 1

voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak

ON TRACK

This is going to hurt VOL. 115, NO. 6 NO. 4 PrintVOL. ISSN116, # 0033-9016, Print ISSN ## 0033-9016, Digital ISSN 2160-2514 Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES EDITORIAL OFFICE 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 3680 Heathmoor Drive Chicago, Ill. 60603 Elgin, (312) IL 60124 Telephone 683-0130 Telephone 336-1148 Fax (312)(630) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com BILL WILSON Editor-in-Chief wwilson@sbpub.com DAVID LESTER KYRAC. SENESE Managing Editor dlester@sbpub.com ksenese@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES BOB TUZIK 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, Consulting Editor New York, NY 10005 btuzik@sbpub.com Telephone (212) 620-7200 CORPORATE OFFICES Fax (212) 633-1165 55 Broad St 26th Fl. ARTHUR J. MCGINNIS, New York, N.Y. 10004JR. President and Telephone (212)Chairman 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 JONATHAN CHALON ARTHUR Publisher J. MCGINNIS, JR. President and Chairman MARY CONYERS Production CHALON Director JONATHAN Publisher NICOLE D’ANTONA Art Director MARY CONYERS Production Director HILLARY COLEMAN GraphicD’ANTONA Designer NICOLE Art Director MAUREEN COONEY Circulation Director ALEZA LEINWAND Graphic Designer MICHELLE ZOLKOS Conference Director MAUREEN COONEY Circulation Director CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-895-4389 Reprints: PARS International MICHELLE ZOLKOS Corp.

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I

’m preparing for the body aches.

No, I do not have COVID-19 (at least I think I do not have it), but the coronavirus is partly behind it. Since all activities have been canceled for my three children, I have found myself fighting off boredom with a pool noodle.

I’m not winning. So in mid-March my daughter said she wanted me to paint her room for her birthday. Seeing that my calendar was a blank slate, I figured I would get a good punch in with boredom and get to work changing four lavender walls to a light gray color. In two days I know my 50-year-old body is going to remind myself how bad it is to put my 6-ft 6-in. frame in unorthodox positions, like sitting on my knees as I work the paint trimmer or stretching my arm out with the roller. Yes, those are unorthodox for me, and my body reacts the same way every time ... it waits a couple days before letting me have it.

That’s my coronavirus story so far, and if that is as dark as it gets for me, I will happily take the option of being surrounded by four light-gray-colored walls with sunlight separating itself through the blinds.

This is indeed unchartered territory, territory that is being re-staked daily as the country (or should I say states?) attempts to flatten the curve. Businesses have been nuked, but many are still doing the right thing. Major airlines are allowing customers to cancel flights without change fees, utilities and telecommunication companies are waiving late fees, and Sound Transit even suspended fares in mid-March.

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is still stuck in the pre-coronavirus era. Thousands of riders stopped using mass transit in early March, and when they attempted to get a refund for their monthly LIRR ticket, the agency dropped two quarters in their lap, if they dropped anything at all. LIRR monthly passes cost anywhere from $197 to $500,

and after most used just a few days worth, they got a 50-cent refund. Some were left empty handed. When questioned, LIRR pointed to its refund policy, which has been in place since the days of good health and when we were all able to shop, play and work without wearing hazmat suits.

LIRR is not doing the right thing. I really do not blame the transit agency. The sudden sharp decline in transit ridership is slashing the throats of light rail and commuter trains all over the U.S. In mid-March, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman Patrick Foye asked for $4 billion in relief from the federal government due to the coronavirus. The MTA oversees LIRR operations. The American Public Transportation Association was banging on the Capitol doors demanding a $16 billion bailout for transit agencies. It’s still not enough. Even with federal aid it will still take transit agencies years to recover from this pandemic. The money collected from fares goes towards many things, including general maintenance. I really do not want to think about the world following the coronavirus, at least from a transit perspective.

Some maintenance obligations will surely be side-stepped in the attempt to recover.

The LIRR, as well as other agencies, needs to do the right thing. It needs to come up with a new formula to refund those holding March monthly passes. The airlines are losing billions, but they are doing the right thing.

During this time of uncertainty, everyone deserves a feel-good moment, even if it hurts.

BILL WILSON Editor-in-Chief

Railway Track & Structures (Print ISSN 0033-9016, Digital ISSN 2160-2514), (USPS 860-560), (Canada Post Cust. #7204564; Agreement #40612608; IMEX P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Canada) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices.

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April 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 3

TTCI R&D

Measured effects of articulated double-stack cars on bridges Looking at in-situ measurements on a revenue service bridge Anna M. Rakoczy, Ph.D., Principal Engineer I David Linkowski, Engineer Duane Otter, Ph.D., P.E., Scientist Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

Transportation Technology Center, Inc.’s (TTCI) ongoing research on the effects of articulated double-stack cars on bridges indicates that they can apply greater loads to short bridge spans and floor system members.

Double-stack cars loaded to their capacity have a nominal truck weight of 157.5 kips, which is higher than the nominal truck weight of 143 kips for a coal car. TTCI’s previous analytical investigation indicates that doublestack cars should cause larger maximum moments only on spans shorter than approximately 15 ft. To confirm the analytical study, data was collected from a short bridge located near Kirkland, Texas, under intermodal trains and coal trains.

This article summarizes test results from in-situ measurements on a revenue service bridge under intermodal trains and coal

trains. The measurements included strains from all six beams and deflections from the center beams of each side of the bridge. The analysis focuses on comparisons of peak stress and stress range cycles. The work was performed as part of the Association of American Railroads’ Strategic Research Initiative on bridge life extension.

Highlights of the field testing: • The collected data results show that the double-stack cars often were not loaded to their full capacity. Therefore, their load effect was comparable to, or less than, the load effect from coal cars; • The maximum bending stresses recorded for double-stack cars on the short span bridge were slightly higher than those recorded for a coal train; • In terms of stress cycles, stress ranges under intermodal trains were more varied than the stress ranges under coal trains; • In terms of fatigue, the equivalent stress range was ~10 percent lower under a typical intermodal train as compared to a coal train. The number of accumulative stress cycles was ~80 percent lower. This is directly dependent on the loading in the particular cars tested.

A study was conducted on the load effects of double-stack cars on bridges. Of interest are articulated double-stack cars, with nominal truck loads of 157.5. The nominal weights and car dimensions for typical double-stack

cars were presented in an August 2017 Technology Digest1 and other reports.2 Equivalent Cooper loading The equivalent Cooper loading is based on the design loading recommended by the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA).3 It is current practice to design railroad bridges for Cooper E-80 loads, which have maximum axle loads of 80 kips. By comparison, the nominal maximum axle load for an articulated double-stack car is 78.75 kips. Many steel bridges currently in service originally were designed for lesser loads, such as E-50, but for greater impact, representing steam locomotives (per 1906 edition of AREA Manual). Double-stack car effects are highest only on shorter spans. The analysis of spans of various lengths, using simple supported beam assumptions and various types of double-stack cars, indicates that double-stack cars should cause larger maximum moments only on spans shorter than 15 ft.1 Also, the double-stack cars have equivalent Cooper loads greater than common 53-ft coal cars for spans up to ~15 ft long.1 Field measurements TTCI measured the load effects of both articulated double-stack railcars as well as coal cars on a short span bridge (Figure 1). The span is on a line that carries unit coal and grain traffic as well as intermodal traffic. The

Figure 1. Test span for field measurements.

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bridge is built from six rolled beams 16 ft long (end to end) with an open deck. The beams are 15 in. tall and 6 in. wide (S 15 Ă— 60).

Strain gages were installed on all six beams as presented in Figure 2. Data sets were collected under revenue service trains passing over the bridge, primarily for loaded articulated double-stack cars, which were compared to data sets collected for loaded unit coal or grain trains.

Data was collected for two days, and during that time 14 trains passed over the bridge. Among these, three were loaded coal unit trains, 10 were intermodal trains, and one was an empty coal unit train that was not included in analysis due to small stress ranges (less than 6 ksi). Figure 3 shows the peak stresses recorded for the loaded coal and intermodal trains.

Figure 2. Photos of gage locations.

Evaluation of stress cycles The peak stresses vary from car to car. In order to use the data from a typical train pass for a fatigue life estimate, the cycles should be counted using a rain flow cycle counting method.2 The cycle counts in coal unit trains vary from 129 to 137, and for the intermodal trains the cycle counts vary from 13 to 128 with a median of 97.

Distribution of the stress ranges under unit coal train is shown in Figure 4. This distribution shows that the majority of the stresses (100 to 120 counts) are in the range of 8 to 9 ksi. However, there are several cycles in the range of 9 to 10 ksi, especially on the south side of the bridge. The equivalent stress range for the south center beam is 8.8 ksi, including only stress ranges above 6 ksi (129 cycles).

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higher cycles in the range of 9 to 10 ksi and 10 to 11 ksi. The equivalent stress range for the south center beam is 7.9 ksi, including only stress ranges above 6 ksi (24 cycles).

Figure 3. Maximum peak stress recorded under train passage.

The stress history under an intermodal train is more varied than the stress history under loaded unit coal trains. Figure 5 shows

that the stress ranges are broadly distributed, but many of the cycles (~75 counts) are in the range of 3 to 6 ksi. However, there also are

Conclusions The test results from in-situ measurements on a revenue service bridge under articulated double-stack cars and coal cars indicated the following: • Double-stack cars caused larger maximum bending stresses only if the double-stack cars were loaded to their full capacity; • When the articulated double-stack cars were less than fully loaded, the load effect on bridges was less than that from coal cars; • Overall, the tested bridge span experienced comparable maximum load effects due to articulated double-stack cars and coal cars as was expected from the analytical study.

The test results indicated the following in terms of fatigue evaluation:

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TTCI R&D

Figure 4. Cycle counts for center beam under unit coal train.

• The stress ranges under an intermodal train were more variable than the stress ranges under a loaded unit coal train.

The loaded unit coal train produced 100 to 120 cycles per train in the range of 8 to 10 ksi, while the intermodal train produced only up to 20 cycles in the range of 8 to 11 ksi. This variation is directly dependent on the loading in the particular cars tested, i.e., the intermodal

Figure 5. Cycle counts for center beam under intermodal train.

train makeup has the ability to produce higher stress range cycles per train when wells are fully loaded.

References 1. Rakoczy A.M., D. Otter, and S.M. Dick.

“Effects of Articulated Double-Stack Cars on Bridges,” Technology Digest TD17-020, AAR/TTCI, Pueblo, Colo.

August 2017.

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Dick, S. “Legacy Train Configurations for Fatigue Life Evaluation of Steel Railway Bridges,” Proceedings of the AREMA Annual Conference, Orlando, Fla., 2016.

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RAIL CONSTRUCTION CONSTRUCTION CONST

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PROBLEM Georgia DOT addresses traffic issues at intersection with a railroad roundabout

By Bill Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

Photo Credit: Georgia DOT

I

t was if Todd Price was working at the most popular drive-through in town.

Not long after the completion of the first Georgia roundabout that included a set of railroad tracks in Sandersville, Price thought he would hang around the perimeters of the circle to get a feel as to how traffic was moving. What he was not expecting was people stopping and rolling down their car windows with a big smile on their face, and it really did not matter where he was standing. It could be on an ordinary street corner, or at another jobsite. People could not say enough.

“We frequently have somebody just stop and tell us how much they love it, or rtands.com

they roll down their window and say, ‘we really love this. Thank you for putting [the roundabout] in,’” Price told RT&S. Price is a district preconstruction engineer with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). “I have been out on-site numerous times and had some feedback. Everyone seems to love it.”

Getting over the fear It was not long ago when the commuters were full of hate. The S.R. 242 intersection that handled cross traffic going from Waco Mill Road to Hospital Road was wide open and offset at the railroad tracks. Accidents happened often at the intersection, and

some were severe. GDOT took a hard look at the traffic pattern around 2008 and was planning to construct a roundabout, but the state had never dealt with a roundabout and had reservations.

“Constructing a full-blown roundabout with a railroad going through it I think just somewhat scared everyone away,” remarked Price.

So GDOT went with Plan B, which involved constructing concrete islands on S.R. 242 to make Waco Mill Road and Hospital Road right-out only. The railroad tracks were right in between the islands. Left turns from S.R. 242 were restricted, which forced people to loop around to connector April 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 13

RAIL CONSTRUCTION

Flaggers stopped traffic for trains during construction.

roads to the east at Ridge Road or to the west near East Church Street.

The solution did not exactly stick.

“A lot of traffic would get on the railroad track and try to make left turns ... and to get

from Waco Mill over to Hospital Road we began to notice traffic would make a right out of each one of those and just go around the end of the islands,” said Price.

“So they were somewhat trying to use

it as a roundabout configuration when it was built.”

Local law enforcement was having a field day, and the number of tickets issued at the reconfigured interchange spiked. Pressure from local citizens and city officials put a stop to the police stakeout, which caused even more motorists to use the intersection the wrong way.

People simply hated the set up, so Sandersville approached GDOT again in 2017 to come up with a solution. By then the state of Georgia had warmed up to the idea of roundabouts, and they started popping up throughout the region. The feared had lifted, and not a moment too soon. On top of the issues car drivers were facing, the short line railroad company, Sandersville Railroad, also was dealing with crossing gates being damaged.

There is a timber mill on Waco Mill Road, resulting in a high number of logging trucks using the intersection and making a right turn. Many were clipping the crossing gate.

GDOT allowed Sandersville Railroad to put guardrail around the crossing gate, but crews often had to go out and repair the guardrail due to the truck collisions.

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GDOT’s maintenance division came out and removed the concrete splitter islands.

The asphalt pavement was then milled and work began on constructing the large circular center island that contained the

200124

Sandersville Railroad had the same reservations as some of the city officials due to the fact there were not a whole lot of roundabouts in the country that involved a railroad (Georgia’s would be the third), but signed off on the plan.

“A train going through the center of a roundabout was a new concept for the state,” said Price. “When we researched it early on, we only ran across a few in the entire U.S. Pressure came from that aspect knowing whatever we put on the ground had to work.”

The short-liner did have one request: that the new roundabout did not require additional track. Sandersville Railroad chose concrete panels for its track across the intersection, and did not want to do any additional work. As it turned out, the width of the intersection, which was about 120 ft, fit a single-lane roundabout.

With the thumbs up from both the city and railroad, GDOT now had to educate itself how to design such a unique roundabout, and brought in expert Mark Lenters, P.E., with MSA Professional Services.

Lenters had spent some time over in Europe, which has been building roundabouts for

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April 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 15

RAIL CONSTRUCTION

GDOT was able to initiate a few cost-savings measures.

railroad tracks. Long concrete islands on S.R. 242 were constructed next before smaller concrete islands, red islands called “blisters”, were installed. The red blisters allow large trucks to circle the roundabout without causing any damage. Concrete islands were then built on Waco Mill Road

and Hospital Road where the railroad crossing gates are housed. The road on the western approach of the roundabout had to be widened to accommodate the bump out, which helps traffic slow down as they enter the intersection.

Sandersville Railroad is only in operation

during the day, which usually results in anywhere between two and six trips through the intersection. During construction, railroad flaggers stopped traffic when a train moved through.

After the crossing gates were installed the asphalt was laid and the road was striped.

It took two weeks to pour all of the islands, but then rainy weather hit the Sandersville area and was enough of a nuisance to stretch the project out to six weeks before all of the work was complete.

The total cost of the project was $200,000, and a number of things were done to keep the cost down. GDOT’s maintenance division handling all of the needed demolition work for the job saved between $100,000 to $125,000. GDOT also wanted the roundabout to be well lit during nighttime hours, and the city of Sandersville donated four timber poles equipped with arms and lights. The poles were installed at the four corners of the roundabout and would have cost $200,000 to $250,000, according to Price.

The railroad crossing gates also were recycled.

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Photo Credit: Georgia DOT

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DESTRUCTION AT DEL MAR

RETREAT! Climate change could be changing the stability of the Del Mar cliffs, putting SANDAG trains at risk

By Bill Wilson Editor-in-Chief

Photo Credit: SANDAG

T

he earth keeps hitting itself, harder and harder. It’s a horrible case of rhythmic abuse and sudden acts of violence.

The act is both natural and uncontrollable, and it is becoming more severe. The shoreline that runs along the West Coast has been eroding for centuries. Waves generated by the Pacific Ocean hit the cliffs, over and over again ... and it’s in rhythm. Wave strength has been great for a long time, but for the past decade climate change has been the steroid nobody has wanted to see. Warmer oceanic temperatures at higher sea levels are creating waves that pack a far more powerful punch against the earth’s crust, and forming

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a wicked 1-2 combo is the extreme weather events which are producing a higher volume of precipitation at a much faster rate ... they are the sudden acts of violence.

The Del Mar bluffs, or cliffs, decorate the outermost edge of southern California not far from San Diego. Riding the edge of that outermost edge is a line of track used by freight and passenger rail. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) has a customer transit line that uses the track; about eight trains in the morning and evening peak hours. With the cliffs eroding at an unpredictable rate, officials are seeing the red flags and are making alternate plans for rail transit in the future, but what about

today? What about the next decade or so?

Is the rail line in danger of collapsing in an instant? In the first of a multiple-part series, RT&S magazine takes a look at the threat to the Del Mar cliffs and the train line.

November rain Another round just took place. Back on the week of March 16 San Diego was hit by a Pacific storm which generated more than a half-inch of rain in about a 24-hour window.

Since October 2019, rain at the San Diego International Airport has measured in at 8.91 in., a half-inch above the average. On Nov. 28 2019, the area received a little more than 2 in. of precipitation, and the worst happened in April 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 17

DESTRUCTION AT DEL MAR

The rate of erosion at the Del Mar cliffs in southern California may be accelerating.

terms of erosion. It could have been a nightmare for SANDAG. A section of the Del Mar cliff collapsed following a strong storm, just a few feet away from the coastal railroad tracks.

“There was a significant amount of rain,” John Haggerty, director of Engineering and Construction for SANDAG told RT&S. “That

rain more or less overwhelmed the drainage ditches and other structures underneath the track that basically drain from the east ... capture water on the east side of the tracks and transfer it over to the west side toward the ocean ... that just got overwhelmed and water came over the top, crossed the tracks and in

two locations caused erosion on the bluffs.

“That erosion actually exposed some of the piles we had already put into the bluff to stabilize the track.”

Mid Coast Transit Constructors, a joint venture of Stacy and Witbeck, Herzog and Skanska, was working close to the site and mobilized equipment to make the emergency repairs. According to Haggerty, crews “put in some lagging and then poured concrete in the voids behind the wall at one location.” The following weekend the contractor took the piles that were exposed, did some excavation, added a reinforcing mesh between the piles and did a shotcrete finish that was colored concrete with a textured look in an effort to blend in with the surroundings.

Even though recent history shows San Diego and southern California in general are getting hit with more severe rain events than ever before, the top concern has to do with the wave action and a rising sea level.

Nature recently published an article online on the melting of the Greenland and Antartic ice sheets. A group of 89 polar scientists from 50 organizations put together the most comprehensive evaluation ever of the ice

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DESTRUCTION AT DEL MAR

sheets. Results from 11 satellite missions monitoring Greenland and Antartic showed that both are losing ice six times faster than back in the 1990s.

Researchers at the European Union’s Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy, are reporting that half of the world’s sandy beaches could disappear by the end of the century under the current pace. The team, however, admits that the prediction is on the conservative side, and beaches could begin to vanish much earlier than the year 2100.

Patrick Barnard, research geologist at the USGS’s Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, said the combination of extreme precipitation and wave activity is making everything dealing with erosion in, on and around the Del Mar cliffs even more unpredictable.

“Coastal bluffs are more prone to failure after heavy rainfall, and that combined with wave attack ... those are the two main processes that are driving the cliffs to fail,” he told RT&S. “But it is still inherently a random process that we are still trying to understand better.

“What we do know is the sea level is rising

and it is accelerating, and that means the base of these bluffs are going to be hammered by waves more and more frequently throughout the century. What we have shown in our modeling work is the rate of cliff retreat is going to increase, and it could as much as double by the end of the century depending on which sea level rise curve we end up on.”

Using current data, Barnard said the sea-level-rise scenario over the next 80 years or so ranges from 62 ft to as much as 135 ft.

However, those numbers could change.

Adam Young is an expert when it comes to cliff retreat in the state of California. He is a project scientist with Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego, and has been studying the movement of cliffs in the area for years. Every week his crew is out taking sonar images of the cliffs in the hopes of detecting a trend with the movement. Young said erosion along the Del Mar cliffs has been higher than it has ever been in recent times.

“Particularly last winter there was a lot of erosion,” he told RT&S. “The rates are probably about an order of magnitude higher than they typically are in that area.”

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Unpredictable instability “The current situation is stabilized,” remarked Haggerty when asked about the Del Mar cliffs back in late February.

“So right now all of the service on the line continues to run.”

However, the erosion that hit the Del Mar cliffs back in November, which almost took a portion of rail with it, has definitely put a spotlight on the threat.

“What happened [in November] is exactly what we anticipated in terms of bluff retreat, that the bluff would retreat, it would hit the piles and then we would put up a retaining wall connected to those piles,” replied Haggerty.

SANDAG has a progressive program in place to continue to reinforce the cliffs, and that program has been accelerated since November 2019. The Del Mar cliffs are essentially broken down into sections, and work is going on right now on sections 4, 5 and 6.

The work is going to reinforce the bluffs and fix the maintenance issues, as well as address drainage issues.

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April 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 19

DESTRUCTION AT DEL MAR

and it not only overwhelmed the tracks but it overwhelmed the drainage structures,” said Haggerty. “So we are making sure that that is taken care of and the drainage that is existing is ready to handle the full capacity.

“And then we also are going to be doing additional drainage to make sure we do not have that water coming over the tracks and eroding down the face of the cliff.”

SANDAG is doing everything it possibly can to stabilize the land around the train track, but there still is that unpredictable danger tagged to sudden cliff retreat.

Young said the typical range of retreat in the area around the tracks is about 4 to 6 in. a year, but there were places that retreated 10 ft overnight. Additionally, between 2017-2019, the rate of retreat in some areas was over 3 ft a year, but in some places it was zero.

“The cliff process is very episodic,” claimed Young, “so even though you have these long-term averages they don’t present the possible hazard of what can happen in a instant landslide.”

During the winter of 2018-2019, Young said there were about five or six large landslides

in the area, along with several small and medium landslides. Young and his team are still processing the data for the 2019-2020 winter, but he noted there was more rainfall around Christmas that triggered more landslides on the cliffs.

“As far as understanding the actual risk from a day-to-day basis, it is probably more of these episodic large events which are more critical,” said Young.

“Cliffs are inherently unstable by their very nature,” added Barnard. “That is why that landform exists to begin with. But they fail in a somewhat random way.”

Barnard said there are a lot of mechanisms within the cliffs themselves, or properties like how the rocks are fractured, how they are liquefied, and how they are cemented within the cliff that is hard for scientists to research directly. It is an X factor that is worrisome.

“It’s hard to observe when a cliff is becoming inherently unstable at a particular location,” he said. “The geology changes, the fracturing of the rocks changes. So to try and understand all of those different idiosyncrasies of the cliff itself makes it a real problem to

address scientifically.”

In the next part of this series, RT&S will take a close look at reinforcement work that is currently going on around the Del Mar cliffs as well as future plans for the train line.

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20 Railway Track & Structures // Aoril 2020

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MATERIAL HANDLING

The Swingmaster Rail Threader (SRT).

A LOT TO HANDLE

2020 MARKET UPDATE

Machinery to handle materials for the right-of-way is critical to keeping the railroads moving.

By David C. Lester, Managing Editor

Photo Credit: Industry Railway Suppliers

U

nless you work in the maintenance-of-way department of a railroad, you likely don’t interact much with materials and material handling equipment. However, the MOW supply industry is critical to the daily functions of a railroad, and is particularly important when the roads have to deal with natural disasters or other unexpected problems along the line. RT&S checks in with material handling vendors each year to see what new equipment and technologies they’re employing. Profiles and offerings of several major vendors are presented in this article.

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efficiency and reliability.

For three decades, Brandt Road Rail has met that need with a range of productive, dependable mobile material handling and maintenance-of-way equipment. From multi-purpose railcar movers and specialized on-track cranes to custom rail carts, locomotives, or repair and maintenance equipment, Brandt designs and manufactures premium rail tools that work hard until the job is done.

“Developing the right product for the rail industry is always a challenge,” said Brandt’s Senior VP Sales—Manufactured Products, Neil Marcotte. “Our rail industry customers have very specialized needs, and we have worked hard to build strong relationships and

learn from their considerable experience.”

In 2018, based on customer focus sessions, Brandt added the Straddle Carrier—a highcapacity overhead material handler—to its line of equipment. The Straddle Carrier fills the need to efficiently remove material from railcars while minimizing the potential for damage.

Brandt’s unique architecture pairs the performance advantages of John Deere 130 to 350 excavators with Brandt’s top-loading design for unrivaled railcar cleanout efficiency.

This arrangement delivers maximum productivity and solid operator visibility in all directions, virtually eliminating blind spots.

April 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 21

MATERIAL HANDLING

And, it is more efficient than side unloading as no manual labor is required to remove that which has accumulated in the corners of the railcar.

The versatile Straddle Carrier can be easily disassembled, transported and then reassembled at another site and delivers exceptional maneuverability and stability, resulting in safer load handling.

The unit is available with a variety of options, including: magnet, grapple, a ground-level fueling system and multiple cleanout bucket options, customizable to the material being handled. There also is a safety- and productivity-enhancing lighting package for nighttime operation.

The ladder, cage and walkway system are designed to simplify access and servicing for all preventive maintenance points with continuous three-point contact and meets ISO, OH&S, and SAE safety standards. An available fire suppression system ensures safe handling of flammable materials.

For cold weather operations, an Espar engine heater delivers easy starts and increased uptime in even the harshest conditions while an auto-lube system ensures ease of maintenance and increased component longevity.

“We pour a lot of energy and resources into understanding what our customers need to succeed,” concluded Marcotte. “Because, when all is said and done, the reason Brandt Road Rail exists is to help make rail operators productive and profitable.”

Loram Loram’s newest addition to its line of ballast

maintenance equipment is the MHC60 Material Handling Car. The MHC60 transports and offloads new ballast or excavated roadbed materials, such as ballast and spoils. The MHC60 can self-unload into another MHC60 or directly into the right-of-way. The MHC60 can connect to and receive materials from any undercutter, shoulder ballast cleaner, ditch cleaner, Loram Railvac specialty excavator, or other material handling cars. The MHC60’s name comes from its 60-cu-yd hopper capacity.

The MHC60 exceeds the industry standard throughput by up to 30 percent and can discharge material up to 20 percent further to either side of the track centerline in comparison to other material handling cars in the market. Loram developed the MHC60 in response to what the market needed and to meet the requirements of their most demanding customers. The MHC60 is built with direct drive hydraulic pumps and motors to reduce the total amount of driveline components and the maintenance costs associated with them.

The transfer conveyor is equipped with dual-speed motors that can shift to high speed to cast material over 20 ft from track centerline, or to low speed/high torque to discharge the heaviest loads. To prevent unintentional overload, Loram designed the transfer conveyor with enough torque and horsepower to prevent stalling and offer an overall more productive and reliable material handling car. Loram customers are realizing an increase in productivity of their ballast maintenance equipment when used with their MHC60 cars.

Herzog As precision scheduled railroading (PSR) continues to gain its foothold in the railroad industry, Herzog offers several material handling solutions to maximize track windows. The Rail Unloading Machine (RUM) is the only mobile, road-to-rail distribution system capable of hands-free precision rail placement.

Operated and maintained by Herzogtrained technicians, the RUM can unload approximately 12-16 rails per hour and eliminates the need for excessive manpower—enabling a two-person crew to unload a 50-pocket rail train in under four hours.

When paired with the RUM, Herzog’s Automated Tie-Down Car (ATC) can offer even greater efficiencies in the rail unloading process. The ATC secures to most existing rail-train configurations with more power, faster operation, and better remote access than conventional systems. The ATC can release any type of rail loaded on the train, in any order, in just 5-10 seconds.

The hydraulic clamps on the ATC can be controlled remotely from the comfort and safety of the RUM cab. This solution eliminates the need for the use of air- and hydraulic-operated impact wrenches on the tie-down cars.

Safety is the No. 1 priority at Herzog when designing new equipment. Company officials told RT&S, “We strive to keep our operators out of harm’s way by providing them with increased visibility and safe vantage points from which to work.

Our engineers ensure our equipment is

Photo Credit: Loram

Loram’s MHC60 Material Handling Car.

22 Railway Track & Structures // April 2020

rtands.com

MATERIAL HANDLING

A Hiab J14S utility loader.

Photo Credit: Hiab (left) and Brandt Road Rail (right)

optimally designed to avoid unnecessary rework and mechanical downtime.”

Hiab, USA Hiab USA offers a direct sales and service network with over 27 branches complemented with a nationwide field service team. Their innovative product portfolio includes Hiab loader cranes and utility loaders, Moffett truck-mounted forklifts and Multilift hooklifts. Their solutions cover the wide range of railroad/hi-rail truck operation needs.

Hiab introduced two new products to the market in 2020, the Hiab J14S and Hiab J24S. These new heavy-duty utility loaders are tailored specifically for the material handling industry. The Hiab J14S and Hiab J24S deliver what the market expects with exceptional safety, reliability and performance. Built using over 75 years of proven experience in the industry, along with innovative technology, they can be relied upon to withstand constant heavy-duty use in harsh climates, year after year. Hiab’s users in other segments know that strength and reliability are built into Hiab equipment.

Hiab is a provider of on-road material handling equipment, intelligent services, smart and connected solutions. As the industry pioneer, Hiab is committed to be the preferred partner and solution provider to its customers and shape the future of intelligent material handling.

Mitchell Equipment The Mitchell Rail Gear Hydraulic Drive rtands.com

Brandt’s Straddle Carrier.

system kits for all brand hydraulic excavators are available in different sizes depending on the capacity of the hydraulic excavator. Once a hydraulic excavator is equipped with the Mitchell Hydraulic Drive System the machine is transformed into a dual-purpose quick on/off track excavator/ material handler.

A very popular size excavator/material handler is a 25-ton-capacity hydraulic excavator. This excavator/material handler is set up with a hydraulic grapple to be able to pick up railroad ties and load them on rail carts attached to the excavator both front or rear, or both. A typical operation is to use one cart to be able to load/unload and get on/off track fast during work windows.

The hydraulic drive system is powered by four high-speed/high-torque hydraulic motors that are designed to efficiently operate at machine idle even when traveling at high speeds up grades as steep as 3 percent with a fully loaded tie cart weighing as much as 10,000 lb. Additionally, the system can drive very long distances without hydraulic overheating. This size excavator cab lift can swing a 4,000-lb rail cart at full boom extension without tipping the machine while on rail.

The double shoe hydraulic foot-controlled Cobra rail brakes have proven to be a very efficient braking system. Additionally, the foot control braking adds a level of safety, because the operator never has to take his eyes off the boom while controlling the machine boom or braking. With the four-motor drive system, the operator can operate two motors

or four motors at will. In two-motor drive, the operator can effectively operate the machine in creep speed for precise excavator control. The Hydraulic Drive System can easily be put in tow mode if the machine ever would need to be put in a consist. The Hydraulic Drive System features an on-rail smooth drive during long travel and in-work mode as a result of the Hydraulic Drive System hydraulic suspension system.

Omaha Track The shift of Class 1 railroads to PSR has created opportunities for innovation to help reduce the impact on material handling in condensed work windows. Omaha Track has re-engineered its existing resources to provide additional value to its customers and maximize efficiency. Omaha Track is currently using Brandt-style car movers pulling flatcars and/or gondolas with an excavator to handle all types of railroad materials. This new spin on long-standing material handling concepts has increased their productivity by reducing handling and stockpiling of materials.

In addition, Omaha Track is now offering road-to-rail power by the day for your maintenance-of-way, bridge rehab, and construction projects. Omaha Track owns and operates Brandt power units (or similar) for its internal operations, and is now making them available for outside short-term car pulling and spotting needs. The OT Power Program package includes: One power unit with up to 60,000-lb tractive effort, and one qualified Power Plan operator 10 hours per April 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 23

MATERIAL HANDLING

with a 14-ft, 12- to 14-cu-yd elliptical dump body. The demolition style bed is constructed from AR450 steel. The body is controlled via proportional joysticks; • SPEC X2: The Workhorse X2 Model will feature a streamlined hydrostatic bogie system, weight transfer sled, sanding system, knuckle coupler, and a knuckle boom loader.

day, seven days per week.

Omaha Track has a stock of hi-rail grapple trucks, section trucks, rotary dump trucks, pickups, and rail and tie carts for sale and lease. Omaha Track offers lease-to-own and buy-here, pay-here purchasing options.

Custom Truck One Source Custom Truck One Source (CTOS) offers an extensive catalog of hi-rail vehicles.

Bryan Boehm, CTOS rail president, stated, “We strive to provide our customers with a line that satisfies each of their needs.

Material handling is one of those big needs and, as such, is one of the vehicle types to which we afford much focus.”

There are three standardized materialhandling specs that the company offers: • SPEC 755: This grapple truck consists of a 22-ft AR500 platform body, a bypass or butt-style RR grapple, a 12/24 VDC magnet system, and a knuckle boom loader; • SPEC 760: This rotary dump is outfitted

ALLINONE EFFICIENCY. Whether you are doing brush control, undercutting, material handling, or moving rail cars, the Brandt Rail Tool delivers the ultimate in construction and maintenance efficiency and pulling power. This versatile all-in-one mobile work platform does it all - lowering costs by reducing track-time requirements and eliminating the need for a costly locomotive. And, best of all, these machines are backed by Brandt; the best-trained and most committed 24/7 after-sales support team in the business. That’s Powerful Value. Delivered.

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24 Railway Track & Structures // April 2020

Custom Truck, as the name implies, goes beyond standardized stock units. “Our pool line is just the beginning,” Boehm affirmed.

“The lion’s share of our business comes from specialized requests. Our standard builds are usually the foundation for something more focused or sophisticated.”

“We constantly strive for optimization,” Tim Minor, CTOS rail sales operations manager, added. “Over time, we’ve finetuned our specs. We continue to do so. Each iteration teaches us something new and expands the arsenal from which we pull when developing specialized versions of our standard builds.”

With customers from the Class 1, short line, contracting, and commuter segments, Custom Truck offers a line that can cater to the specialized requirements found throughout the railroading marketplace.

Industry Railway Suppliers, Inc. Industry-Railway Suppliers Inc, founded in 1966, is the distributor of Swingmaster machines, along with AREMA track tools, abrasives, heavy equipment, work equipment wear parts and mechanical shop tools to the railroads, transit systems and contractors throughout North America and Mexico. Swingmaster has provided the rail industry with specialized and customengineered material handling products since 1985. They’re a leading producer of mobile hi-rail swingloaders designed specifically for the railroad industry, all made in the U.S. The Swingmaster Rail Threader (SRT) is the newest addition to their product line.

At the boom tip, the SRT’s rail-threading workhead utilizes a four-axis, electronically controlled, hydraulic manipulator head, which allows for complete control of the rail threading operation. The manipulator head is designed to rigidly constrain the rail during threading, enabling installation of rail into curve block plates and existing spiked plates for out-of-face rail remediation, along with handling of tipped rail.

The SRT’s mechanical boom-swing stops rtands.com

Photo Credit: Omaha Track

An Omaha Track rail car moving equipment.

MATERIAL HANDLING

to prevent fouling of adjacent track, allowing it to continue laying rail while having a live adjacent railway. The first dual-sided operator cab improves visibility of the work being done, and the SRT also eliminates the need for certifications associated with operating a crane.

GREX GREX material-handling solutions make light work of even the biggest jobs. Their innovative machines are designed to get tasks done in the most efficient and reliable way possible, minimizing the impact on your track time.

For more than 25 years, the GREX DumpTrain has set the standard for aggregate delivery, offloading with precision at up to 2,000 tons per hour. The secondgeneration DumpTrain for Curves adds the ability to offload in significant curvature, as well as custom consists that fit the needs of any job.

GREX also offers an automated ballast delivery system utilizing their GateSyncsoftware platform and Solaris remoteoperated gates. The solution precisely opens

A Herzog rail unloading machine.

and closes ballast gates to deliver the right amount of ballast right where it’s needed.

The SlotMatchine and self-powered SPS work trains allow you to quickly maneuver into position to begin ditch cleaning or material pickup/distribution using an onboard excavator. Setup takes just moments, allowing efficient utilization of

limited work windows.

For railroads with side dump cars, HydraDump offers an easy pneumaticto-hydaulic conversion option. It provides more dependable and predicable dumping that’s safer and without common headaches like freezing water vapor that can get into lines under cold conditions.

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April 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 25

Message From The President

EDWARD D. SPARKS, II, P.E. AREMA President 2019-2020

T

ake a moment to consider any facet of the railway industry today, in 2020. When I started my railroad career, the year 2020 was often associated with far away, futuristic goals.

Those tasked with coming up with creative slogans often latched onto this very year with the obvious parallel to 20/20 vision, a term used to express normal visual acuity.

That far-away time is now.

So, does it feel as futuristic as you’d imagined? In many ways, railroad life has gone on seemingly unchanged for years ... even decades. Gage is still 56.5 in. Locals still spot boxcars. Track time is still never available in quantities to our liking. It doesn’t seem like the Jetsons or other futuristic programs from youth. However, that is likely due to the fact that we are in it. We’re in the day-to-day operation of this industry and changes large and small have happened over time that we’ve grown accustomed to or taken for granted.

For example, take a look at a photograph of a railroad from just 25 years ago. Likely you will see active communications and signals pole line paralleling most main lines. In addition, some secondary main lines and most passing sidings still had jointed rail. One has to look far and wide to find these items in the present day, if at all.

So what happened? Productive change and innovation, the hallmark of any successful venture, was implemented across the railroad industry.

Continuous welded rail is not a new development. It has been around for decades.

However, there are clever and industrious people in the work equipment business. They have developed new and better machinery to distribute and install welded rail more cost effectively while engineering out risk to 26 Railway Track & Structures // April 2020

improve personal safety. In addition, the steel industry continues to strive for ever better quality steel and creative metallurgy to meet the evolving needs of the industry.

On the communications and signals side of the business, change was steady over the years throughout North America with improved equipment that allowed for the decommissioning and removal of thousands of miles of pole line and elimination of the associated maintenance cost and risk.

That steady pace of change greatly accelerated with the Positive Train Control (PTC) mandate in the U.S. Signal relay technology that worked reliably for decades has been replaced to a great extent with state-of-the-art PTC technology and equipment.

So, you’re probably thinking, how does this relate to AREMA? AREMA is not a research organization. We do not develop cutting-edge products, technology or equipment. However, our members do. They come up with innovative ideas. They network with fellow members

“

2020 IS HERE. WHAT WILL OUR INDUSTRY LOOK LIKE IN 2030 OR 2040? THAT, IN SEVERAL WAYS, IS UP TO EACH OF YOU. I PREDICT IT WILL BE BETTER.

through work on committees and at conferences. This interaction and sometimes critical review is an important factor in bringing an idea to reality. There is no better place to have railroaders, suppliers, researchers and regulators interact in a productive, professional, yet critical forum.

This knowledge exchange and debate comes from members across the spectrum from brand new to decades of experience. AREMA is now making it easier for those who’ve had a lengthy career in the industry to stay in the industry beyond their employment through an expanded Life Member initiative. Life Members are those who have been in good standing with AREMA or one of its predecessor organizations for 30 continuous years and

have reached the age of 60. Their many years of service and expertise is appreciated and valued by the association. As such, they are now eligible for additional benefits such as automatic upgrade to Life Member status upon verification, reduced or complimentary dues, rights and privileges of their previous Member Class, and reduced conference registration fees.

As you’ve just learned, there is an improved rationale for staying a member beyond your retirement date and to continue to provide that knowledge critical to your area of expertise. There also is an imperative to attract new talent from the industry to our association. In a sense, each of you is a recruiter.

2020 is here. What will our industry look like in 2030 or 2040? That, in several ways, is up to each of you. I predict it will be better than it is today, and AREMA, with your participation, will play an important role.

In closing, remember that our AREMA Annual Conference & Expo is just down the line in September in Dallas, Texas. See you on the railroad.

SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS Congratulations to the 2020 AREMA Educational Foundation Scholarship Winners: S i n a A n e s te h; M a x B a r n e s; Josue Cesar Bastos; Christopher Bauer; Tyler Bernstein; Ethan Eric Boardman; Chung-Lin Chan; Alex Christmas; Isaias Colombani; Michael Joseph Copley; Trevor Curran; Adrian Diaz De Rivera; Kyle Dick; Lee Evans; Sam J. Hanson; Daniel Holmes; Sheida Khademi; Samantha Lau; Juliette Marquis; Joshua Musselman; Jason Neufeld; Jordan Isaiah Niemeyer; Amethyst O’Connell; Kurt Ordillas; Matthew M. Parkes; Camila Pereira Silva; Daniel Rappoport; Geordie Roscoe; Soumya Sharma; Matheus Trizotto; Braden Vance; Zoe Wahr; Zezhou Wang; and Zhipeng Zhang.

Fo r a f u l l l i s ti n g a n d m o re i nfo r m a ti o n , g o to www.

AREMAfoundation.org.

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FYI

• Order the 2020 Communications & Signals Manual now. With over 50 new, revised, reaffirmed or extended Manual Parts, it’s the perfect time to get the 2020 Manual. Order online now at www. arema.org or contact mbruins@arema. org for more details.

• Re-released after six years, order the NEW, Third Edition of the Practical Guide to Railway Engieering. This expanded edition offers in-depth coverage of railway fundamentals and serves as an excellent reference combining and consolidating the most useful information from a multitude of sources including: AREMA manuals; Railway Engineering by W.W. Hay; Railway Curves and Earthwork

by C. Frank Allen; regulatory and other agency sources. Order online now at www.arema.org or contact mbruins@ arema.org for more details.

• Call for Entries for the 2020 Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence. The selection process for the 22nd William W. Hay Award has begun. Entries must be

submitted by May 22, 2020. Please visit www.arema.org for more information.

• Leverage the power of your trusted a s s o c i ati o n’s Ra i lwa y C a re e r s Network to tap into a talent pool of job candidates with the training and education needed for long-term success. Visit www.arema.org/careers to post your job today.

• AREMA members, if your membership recently lapsed, you may still renew your dues online. Login now to www.arema. org to reactivate your membership.

Not an AREMA member? Join now to get exclusive rates on products and educational courses, committee opportunities, access to the directories, subscriptions to your favorite magazine and much more.

• Apply now for the Watford Fellowship for a chance to attend a unique learning opportunity. The Fellowship will consist of one paid registration to the 2020 Watford Conference in Singapore to be held Oct.

25-28. Please visit www.aremafoundation. org for more information on the Watford Fellowship, educational benefits and how to apply for this opportunity. The deadline to apply is April 13, 2020.

• Save the date for the AREMA 2020 Annual Conference & Expo, Sept. 13-16 in Dallas, Texas. Visit www.conference. arema.org.

• Want to generate leads, promote a product and reach a target audience?

Sign up for sponsorship at the AREMA 2020 A n n u a l C o nfe re n ce & E xp o.

Please visit www.arema.org or contact l m c n i c h o l a s @ a re m a .o rg f o r m o re information on sponsorship investment opportunities.

NOT AN AREMA MEMBER? JOIN TODAY AT WWW.AREMA.ORG FOLLOW AREMA ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS APRIL 29-30

MAY 28-29

AUG. 11-12

Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals Long Beach, Calif.

Committee 8 - Concrete Structures and Foundations Anchorage, Alaska

Committee 1 - Roadway & Ballast Atlanta, Ga.

Committee 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations Long Beach, Calif.

Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment Kansas City, Mo. MAY 6 Committee 13 - Environmental Welaka, Fla. MAY 6-7 Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways Cedar Falls, Iowa MAY 19-20 Committee 15 - Steel Structures Pueblo, Colo.

JUNE 2 Committee 9 - Seismic Design for Railway Structures Chicago, Ill. JUNE 12-13 Committee 24 - Education & Training Homewood, Ill. JUNE 18 Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization Philadelphia, Pa. JUNE 23-24

SEPT. 12 Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment Dallas, Texas SEPT. 12-13 Committee 5 - Track Dallas, Texas Committee 24 - Education & Training Dallas, Texas SEPT. 13 Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance and Construction Dallas, Texas

Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction Manhattan, N.Y.

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

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April 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 27

Getting to know Committee 17’s Krista Keene

“

MY DAD WORKED AT AMTRAK AS AN ELECTRICIAN. I ALWAYS THOUGHT MY DAD’S JOB WAS COOL, SO THAT MOTIVATED ME TO BECOME A RAILROADER.

KRISTA L. KEENE Senior Manager, Utilities Amtrak

A

trying to see all 50 states before I turn 50, and I only have 13 left. Of course, I try my best to travel by rail here in the U.S. and abroad.

REMA: Why did you decide to choose

a career in railway engineering?

KEENE : My dad worked at Amtrak as an electrician in the Mechanical Department back when Amtrak had Metroliner service. I always thought my dad’s job seemed cool, so I think that motivated me to become a railroader.

AREMA: How did you get started?

KEENE : I started out working as a consul-

tant for the railroad industry. I then went to work for Amtrak in System Production. At that time, retirements were few, so I decided to go back out to consulting for the railroad industry and worked on many projects for many railroads and transportation agencies. Some notable projects include the Portal Bridge Replacement Project and New York State High Speed Rail. In 2014, I came back to Amtrak where I plan to stay.

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

KEENE: I joined AREMA in 2006. Soon thereafter, I joined Committee 17 as a member and became involved in subcommittee work, wherever they needed assistance.

I was nominated to be Secretary of Committee 17 in 2012 and finally moved up to Chair in 2019.

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

KEENE : Travel. In April of this year, I am headed back to Ireland. I cannot wait. I am 28 Railway Track & Structures // April 2020

AREMA : Tell us about your family.

KEENE: I am married to a fellow railroader,

Keith Keene. We met on the railroad when I was a consultant and Keith was a foreman.

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

KEENE: Not sure if this is interesting; I love root beer floats. Another fun fact is that I did not like nature camp as a kid, so I went to sailing camp. Loved it!

AREMA: What is your biggest achievement?

KEENE: My biggest achievement is my

commitment to education. I have a bachelor’s and a master’s in engineering. I am currently working on a second master’s degree in business administration. I hold a PMP certification, and I am currently working toward obtaining my SR/WA certification and becoming a licensed professional engineer.

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

KEENE: At your railroad, learn as much as you can about every department, each role, and as many job functions as you can. It takes a lot of people to get those trains on the tracks and running on time each day, and there is a whole host of support functions behind that operation. It is great to build your internal network at your own company to be able to draw on those resources to help your company succeed.

RESERVE YOUR EXHIBIT SPACE NOW

EXPO OVER 60 PERCENT

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DALLAS SEPT. 13-16 The AREMA Annual Conference & E x p o i s th e p e r fe c t p l a c e to sh owcase yo ur prod uc ts a n d s o l u ti o n s to th e l a rg e s t targ ete d a u die n ce with in th e ra i l wa y e n g i n e e r i n g i n d u s tr y.

You can expect to find railway engineering professionals from all segments of the industry–track, structures, passenger and transit, maintenance-of-way, engineering se r v ices a n d co m m u n icatio n s and signals.

This Expo is an affordable way to reach your target group of railway professionals looking for products and services to help advance their work within the railway industry.

The schedule has been formatted to give exhibitors the perfect mix of face-to-face time with decision makers on the exhibit floor, as well as time to meet with potential customers outside the exhibit hall.

This is the premiere event for railway engineering professionals. Join AREMA in Dallas Sept. 13-16 at the Hilton Anatole. Please visit https:// conference.arema.org/ for more information.

rtands.com

Watford Fellowship now accepting applications

T

he AREMA Educational Foundation in cooperation with the U.S. Committee to the Watford Group of International Railway Designers has created a unique learning opportunity for aspiring railway employees to gain international perspective of railroad and transit design and operations called the Watford Fellowship.

The 2020 Fellowship will consist of a paid registration to the 2020 Watford Conference in Singapore. This conference is organized by the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) and will include tours of recent infrastructure and rolling stock projects.

The three-day conference commences on Oct. 25 and will include presentations by the attendees in all aspects of railway planning, design, and construction with an emphasis on buildings, bridge and tunnel structures, and corporate identity.

On Oct. 28, Watford attendees will have the opportunity to participate in some of the field trips of the Singapore International Transport Congress and Exposition (www.sitce.org) that follows on Oct. 29-30. The Watford Fellowship grant does not include registration for the SITCE event.

The goals of this initiative are twofold: to broaden professional horizons of aspiring railroaders while enabling them to carry the AREMA brand internationally, and to add new members to the U.S. Watford Committee that can carry on the tradition of Watford Conference participation and the educational benefits that accrue.

The Watford Conference registration fee includes nearly all of the meals during the conference, all local travel, and admission fees for conference activities.

The Watford Fellowship grant will reimburse up to five nights of hotel accommodation and incidental meals in Singapore not covered by the registration fee. The only added cost to a North American would be transPacific air travel (could be done using airline rewards) and expenses before and after the conference. The total value of the grant may not exceed $2,500.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for a Watford Fellowship, the applicant must: 1. Be a member in good standing of an AREMA Technical Committee; 2. Be a direct employee of a U.S.- or Canadian-regulated rail carrier, a public or private entity responsible for providing and/or sponsoring passenger rail service, rtands.com

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

or a consultant employee assigned to a single public entity passenger provider on .75 FTE basis between July 2019 and February 2020; Have not less than three years nor more than 20 years of railway industry employment as of Sept. 1, 2020; Have the written approval of his/her employer to attend the Watford Conference and participate in post conference events organized by AREMA; If a consultant employee, submit an eligibility certification letter from the passenger service entity; Commit to paying all personal travel and transportation costs required that are not included in the Watford Fellowship grant; Commit to making at least one technical presentation at the Watford Conference on some aspect of railway design about a project executed by his/her employer or another railway company of which he/she has knowledge; and Commit to hosting an AREMA webinar derived from the materials obtained at the Watford Conference or make a presentation at a subsequent AREMA conference or AREMA-sponsored event based upon information obtained or observed.

Each applicant must complete the required application and certification form which can be downloaded from the AREMA Educational Foundation website. Included on page 2 or attached to the application must be a Vision Statement that identifies the applicant’s current position responsibilities with respect to railway design and expresses a strong commitment to obtain and share knowledge with other AREMA members, an employment history, and at least one 150-word abstract of a presentation to be made at the Watford Conference as required by item No. 7 above.

The AREMA selection panel will evaluate all submitted materials to identify an individual, which in its opinion best exemplifies the AREMA and Watford goals. The decision of the selection panel is final.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AREMA offers seminar and webinar programs that will extend our ability to serve the educational needs of our railway-engineering community with PDH-accredited courses. If you need additional continuing education credits, plan to sign up for an upcoming seminar: Bridge Inspection & Streambed Scour Seminar Date: June 8-11, 2020 Location: Winnipeg, MB, Canada PDH: 21.75 Hours T h i s s e m i n a r i s d e s i g n e d to give the railway professional an understanding of what is involved in inspecting bridges, culver ts and tunnels to ensure they are safe for the passage of trains. Led by experienced railroad bridge professionals, this Seminar will give you a basis for knowing when to ask an expert about a potential concern. The instructors teach the participant how to recognize early signs of issues that, if not addressed, can develop into serious problems.

The bridge inspection portion of the seminar is based on the AREMA Bridge Inspection Handbook published in 2017.

F o r m o re i n f o r m a ti o n o n o u r e d ucation al programs an d to register, please visit www.arema.org.

Application deadline is April 13, 2020.

Selectee will be announced by June 10, 2020.

An individual awarded a Watford Fellowship will be required to execute a Grant Agreement with the AREMA Educational Foundation and is solely responsible for personal tax liabilities, if any, incurred on the value of the grant.

April 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 29

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April 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 31

AD INDEX

COMPANY

PHONE #

FAX #

E-MAIL ADDRESS

PAGE #

Brandt Road Rail

306-791-7557

306-525-1077

www.brandt.ca

24

Custom Truck One Source

816-241-4888

816-241-3710

816-241-3710

6

Danella Rental Systems, Inc.

561-743-7373

561-743-7373

SBolte@danella.com

25

Diversified Metal Fabricators

404-875-1512

404-875-4835

sales@dmfatlanta.com

20

Herzog Railroad Services Inc.

816-385-8233

jhansen@herzog.com

C2

Hiab USA Inc

419-482-6000

Jani.Koskinen@hiab.com

C3

Hougen Manufactruing Company

866-245-3745

800-309-3299

info@trak-star.com

18

Nordco Inc

414-766-2180

414-766-2379

cnielsen@nordco.com

16

OMNI Products, Inc.

815-344-3100

815-344-5086

bcigrang@omnirail.com

14

Plasser American Corp

757-543-3526

757-494-7186

plasseramerican@plausa.com

C4

Progress Rail, A Caterpillar Company

256-505-6402

256-505-6051

info@progressrail.com

15

Racine Railroad Products, Inc.

262-637-9681

262-637-9069

custserv@racinerailroad.com

7

Rail Insights

212-620-7205

212-633-1165

conferences@sbpub.com

10-11

Railway Education Bureau The

402-346-4300

402-346-1783

bbrundige@sb-reb-com

8,19

voestalpine Nortrak, Inc.

307-778-8700

307-778-8777

gord.weatherly@voestalpine.com

2

Willamette Valley Company

541-484-9621

541-484-1987

alisha.barrowcliff@wilvaco.com

5

Advertising Sales MAIN OFFICE JONATHAN CHALON Publisher 88 Pine St., 23rd Floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 620-7224 Fax: (212) 633-1863 jchalon@sbpub.com AL, KY, JONATHAN CHALON 88 Pine St., 23rd Floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 620-7224 Fax: (212) 633-1863 jchalon@sbpub.com

CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA, WV, CANADA – QUEBEC AND EAST, ONTARIO JEROME MARULLO 88 Pine St., 23rd Floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 620-7260 Fax: (212) 633-1863 jmarullo@sbpub.com AR, AK, AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, NM, ND, NV, OK, OR, SD, TN, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY, CANADA – AB, BC, MB, SK HEATHER DISABATO 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 Chicago, IL 60603 (312) 683-5026 Fax: (312) 683-0131 hdisabato@sbpub.com THE NETHERLANDS, BRITAIN, FRANCE, BELGIUM, PORTUGAL,

SWITZERLAND, NORTH GERMANY, MIDDLE EAST, SOUTH AMERICA, AFRICA (NOT SOUTH), FAR EAST (EXCLUDING KOREA / CHINA/INDIA), ALL OTHERS, TENDERS JEROME MARULLO 88 Pine St., 23rd Floor New York, NY 10005 (212) 620-7260 Fax: (212) 633-1863 jmarullo@sbpub.com

SCANDINAVIA, SPAIN, SOUTHERN GERMANY, AUSTRIA, KOREA, CHINA, INDIA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, SOUTH AFRICA, RUSSIA, EASTERN EUROPE BALTIC STATES, RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING MICHAEL BOYLE International Area Sales Manager Nils Michael Boyle Dorfstrasse 70, 6393 St. Ulrich, Austria. +011436767089872 mboyle@railjournal.com

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

ITALY, ITALIAN-SPEAKING SWITZERLAND DR. FABIO POTESTA Media Point & Communications SRL Corte Lambruschini Corso Buenos Aires 8 V Piano, Genoa, Italy 16129 +39-10-570-4948 Fax: +39-10-553-0088 info@mediapointsrl.it JAPAN KATSUHIRO ISHII Ace Media Service, Inc. 12-6 4-Chome, Nishiiko, Adachi-Ku Tokyo 121-0824 Japan +81-3-5691-3335 Fax: +81-3-5691-3336 amkatsu@dream.com CLASSIFIED, PROFESSIONAL & EMPLOYMENT JENNIFER IZZO 800 Connecticut Avenue Norwalk, CT 06854 (203) 604-1744 Fax: (203) 857-0296 jizzo@mediapeople.com

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

32 Railway Track & Structures // April 2020

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