RTS April 2021

10 UNDER

40 APRIL 2021 | WWW.RTANDS.COM

ALSO: TRACK MAINTENANCE rtands.com

MATERIAL HANDLING February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 1

CONTENTS

April 2021

10 COLUMNS

3 40

DEPARTMENTS

On Track Favoring a crash and burn

4

Streamlining Brightline’s box-jacking feat

Last Stop Cybersecurity and the railroads

6

TTCI R&D Evaluation of alternative bridge ties and hardware

On the Cover 2021 RT&S 10 under 40 winner Josh Burris from CSX. For story, see p 10.

Photo courtesy of CSX.

AREMA News Message from the President, Getting to know, and more

37

Products The Switch Checker

38 39 39

Follow Us On Social Media @RTSMag rtands.com

33

Classifieds Advertiser Index Sales Representatives

FEATURES

10

In the conversation RT&S selects top young engineers in its first 10 under 40 list

20

Not all short lines are short How the Georgia & Florida kept a vital line going

26

Picking up the pieces Material handling market beginning to rebound

April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 1

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ON TRACK

Favoring a crash and burn VOL. 115, NO. 6 NO. 4 PrintVOL. ISSN 117, # 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

was slowly dropping, trying to figure out what the hand in front of my face was trying to tell me.

Nothing was working. My back was arched, my hands were in front of me, I thought my knees were bent properly, but then I hit the bottom of the steel cage. The wind was over 50 mph and I was dead weight.

For a Christmas break excursion for the kids, we decided to take them to one of those indoor skydiving facilities. I was not too keen on the idea of flopping into a giant wind tube, but anything for the kids, right? After we received a 15-minute tutorial, which included hand signals the guide uses to help you fly, we were in line and ready to take the plunge. I went first, and I was the worst. The first time I went in I sunk and slammed into the side of the tube, and there were spectators. I found out almost instantly that my 6-ft 6-in. lanky frame was about as aerodynamic as a World War II tank, and after about a minute of fumbling and bumbling, and getting all of the hand signals wrong that could improve my flight, I was shoved back into the waiting area. The instructor used me as an example of what not to do. My wife and three kids proceeded to experience very little turbulence, and I am certain it is because they learned off the model of anti-skydiving. Anything for the kids, right?

I did improve on my second attempt, but I will never again spread my wings for an artificial free fall.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan does not mind watching something hit that steel cage bottom. The Purple Line project playing out in his state has been the opposite of a smooth flight. On top of the delays and cost escalations, lawsuits have been filed and a few have played out, and at one point workers involved in the public-private partnership permanently abandoned the jobsite. Those delays and cost escalations reached an altitude that simply was not survivable.

The nightmare apparently has not given Hogan any night sweats. Appearing before the U.S. Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee in late February, Hogan said he liked the private investment that has been put into the Purple Line in the Washington, D.C., and Maryland areas.

You might as well be throwing hand signals in front of my face here, because this is just not registering in my brain. The state of Maryland is facing its third lawsuit involving the Purple Line project this spring. The first two were dismissed, and it looks like the third one will be as well, but all the litigation has just delayed the project and increased the cost. Furthermore, Maryland reached a settlement with the contractors that decided to run, one that will cost it $250 million.

The state also had to take on the burden of dealing with subcontractors in an attempt to keep some of the construction going when work abruptly stopped last year.

Soon the Purple Line project will have another contractor and there will be a second attempt to get it right. If I can miraculously float after a forgettable first attempt I guess anything is possible. However, how will things go differently with the Purple Line project?

As I have said before, I think private investment can be very beneficial and could be the only way some needed projects can get off the ground. This country has few positive experiences to build on, with the Purple Line serving as the definition of bad.

Yet there is Hogan, finding the good in a fatal crash.

BILL WILSON Editor-in-Chief

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April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 3

STREAMLINING

TOTALLY JACKED Brightine made history in March during the construction of a rail underpass under S.R. 528 in Brevard County, Fla. It marked the first time in North America the box-jacking method was used under a highway system.

It also was the first time the method was done under live traffic.

4 Railway Track & Structures // April 2021

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STREAMLINING

FOR THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS, GO TO WWW.RTANDS.COM. If you would like to contribute a photo to the Streamlining section please send a high-res version to Bill Wilson at wwilson@sbpub.com.

Photo Crediit: Brightline

Photos must be no more than a month old.

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April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 5

TTCI R&D

Evaluation of Alternative Bridge Ties, Hardware Comparing Douglas fir and yellow pine timber ties with FFU ties for the long term David Linkowski, Engineer Duane Otter, Ph.D., P.E., Scientist Anna M. Rakoczy, Ph.D., formerly TTCI Christopher Johnson, P.E., Principal Investigator II Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

S

ince 2009, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., (TTCI) has been investigating alternatives to solid-sawn timber ties for open deck bridges as part of the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Strategic Research Initiatives program. The ongoing investigation is evaluating two alternative bridge tie types for their long-term performance: Douglas fir glued-laminated (glulam) timber ties and fiber-reinforced foamed urethane (FFU) ties. These ties, as well as alternative deck hardware including Quick-Set hook bolts, are being tested on bridges at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST). FAST is located at the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colo.

Results to date have been encouraging regarding alternative bridge deck ties and hardware, with testing under heavy axle loads (HAL) currently ongoing.

Table 1 provides dimensions for all ties included in the test. Glulam, southern yellow pine (SYP), and FFU ties were installed on the 55-ft riveted steel-deck plate girder (DPG) test span at FAST.1 This span is similar to many of the open-deck steel spans still in North American revenue service today. It has an 8-ft girder spacing, allowing for higher bending moments to test structural bridge ties.

Regular, non-glulam Douglas fir ties also were installed on the 65-ft DPG span test span at FAST for comparison.

Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd., of Japan produces an FFU crosstie for open-deck

6 Railway Track & Structures // April 2021

Tie Type

Height

Southern yellow pine Douglas fir FFU ties Douglas fir glulam Superelevated glulam

Width

Length

Tie span center-to-center of girders

12″

10″

12'

8.0′

9.75″ 12″ 12″

9.75″ 10″ 10.75″

12' 12' 12'

9 – 4.25″

10.75″

12'

6.5′ 8.0′ 8.0′ 7.0

Table 1. Dimensions for open-deck bridge ties at FAST.

bridges, and it donated ties for testing in 2011. The surface properties of the fiberreinforced material do not allow the tie to deform over the rivets in the top flange, as is common for timber ties. Therefore, the bottoms of the ties were milled to allow a gap for rivets on the top flange of the girders.

In 2016, a derailment occurred at FAST, damaging the bridge deck. While the FFU ties survived the derailment with minor superficial damage from the wheel flanges, the original timber ties, serving as control ties, shattered at the point of impact. Additionally, the FFU ties supported a derailed wheel in the 55-ft open-deck DPG span. As part of the bridge deck reconstruction, the FFU ties were reinstalled and currently have accumulated over 1,400 million gross tons (MGT) of total traffic (including tonnage before derailment) at FAST. In 2009, Union Pacific Railroad (UP) donated glulam ties for testing. These glulam ties also were installed on the 55-ft span at FAST, and they too survived the 2016 derailment with all damage limited to the top lamina layer. The ties were designed to accommodate damage to this lamina, and it was determined the ties retained sufficient strength for continued use. To accommodate larger tie plates, the ties were flipped upside down and reinstalled in the new deck.2 Since their original installation, these ties have accumulated 1,580 total MGT of HAL traffic with no maintenance.

Figure 1 shows the deck rebuild after the derailment.

In late 2017, a 30-ft prestressed concrete box-girder span was replaced with an open-deck, steel DPG span on the Middle Bridge at FAST. The span is located in a 5° curve with 4

in. of superelevation. UP also donated a set of glulam ties with the appropriate superelevation cut into the ties themselves.

Since their installation, these ties have accumulated 452 MGT of HAL traffic at FAST. Figure 1 also shows the tie cross section with the superelevation cut.

When the deck of the East Steel Bridge was reconstructed after the derailment, new hardware was installed for the testing of next-generation bridge decks. On the 55-ft span, the ties were fastened to the deck with Quick-Set hook bolts as seen in Figure 2.

In addition, the superelevated glulam ties also were fastened to their span via QuickSet hook bolts where possible. This is a severe test of the capabilities of the anchor bolt hardware as the ties have no daps and the top flanges of the DPG lack rivets or other projections. The hook bolts and friction are the only restraints to lateral movement of the ties on this span.

Results To evaluate the performance of the various tie types, def lection measurements were taken under regular FAST train operations with data collected from 10 laps in each direction.

Figure 3 shows the average vertical displacement at the tie center. The figure also shows tonnage accumulated by the ties at the time the measurements were taken, the variability of measurements between tie types, and the center-to-center (c-t-c) spacing of the girders.

For the ties on the same span with 8-ft c-t-c girder spacing, the ties with the largest center deflection were the control SYP ties with an average center deflection of rtands.com

TTCI R&D

Figure 1. Superelevated glulam ties installed on a 30-ft DPG span in the Middle Bridge at FAST (right). Deck rebuild after 2016 derailment at FAST (left).

recommended limit of L/250 (0.38 in. for an 8-ft span).3

Figure 2. Quick-Set hook bolts securing deck ties to the top of 30-ft span girders.

approximately 0.18 in. The FFU ties had an average center deflection of 0.14 in. and the superelevated glulam ties an average deflection of 0.15 in. The ties with the least center deflection were the glulam ties with an average deflection of 0.13 in. The solid-sawn Douglas fir ties also had an average center deflection of just over 0.13 in. Due to a narrower 6.5-ft girder spacing, these ties experience less bending and deflection under load compared to the ties on the span with 8-ft c-t-c girder spacing. These solid-sawn rtands.com

Douglas fir ties also are newly installed, with only 600 MGT under traffic.

Though the glulam ties had some of the smallest deflections, there was higher variability in the tie deflection data between tests. Less variability is seen in the deflection of engineered ties (i.e., glulam and FFU ties) compared to the solid-sawn ties. It should be noted that none of the ties deflected close to the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) Chapter 7

Performance of deck hardware For the 30- and 55-ft spans, TTCI fastened the ties, including the superelevated glulam ties, to the top flange of the steel girder using Quick-Set hook bolts.

The lateral forces of the track were restrained only by the surface friction of the tie-to-top flange interface and the hook bolts. Regular observations of witness marks on these ties indicated little to no lateral migration of the superelevated ties across the girders.

Quick-Set hook bolts have required little attention so far in-track. However, due to dynamic effects from train loading, they will sometimes shift longitudinally, causing them to be slightly angled. In addition, three out of 20 Quick-Set hook bolts on the 5° curve broke during the first 395 MGT, while one of 32 Quick-Set hook bolts on a tangent span broke after 543 MGT. Traditional hook bolts also have broken in service at FAST. Investigation into these failures continues. Track crews noted the ease of installation using the Quick-Set hook bolts, as opposed to more traditional hook bolts.

Conclusion Engineered open-deck

bridge

ties,

April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 7

TTCI R&D

steel DPG span in a 5° curve with 4 in. of superelevation. Both the glulam and the FFU ties continue to show no signs of the warp or twist observed in the previous solid-sawn ties. In FAST operations, Quick-Set hook bolts have performed well while accumulating 600 MGT in tangent and 452 MGT in a 5° curve.

Figure 3. Average middle of tie deflection for each tie by type.

including glulam timber ties and FFU ties, continue to perform well at FAST. The Douglas fir glulam ties have accumulated more than 1,580 MGT of HAL traffic in 11 years of service at FAST. The FFU ties at FAST have accumulated more than 1,400

MGT of HAL traffic in 10 years. Both ties are still in use after a derailment in 2016 at FAST. Neither the glulam nor the FFU ties have required maintenance. More recently, installed superelevated glulam ties have accumulated 452 MGT on an open-deck

References 1. Otter, D. September 2017. “Update on FAST Bridge Research and Testing Including Damage and Repa irs f rom May 2016 Derailment.” AREMA Annual Conference, Indianapolis, Ind. 2. Manual for Railway Engineering.

2020.

Chapter 15, “Steel Structures.” American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association, Lanham, Md. 3. Linkowski, D., D. Otter, and A. R a kocz y.

Oc tober 2020.

“Evaluation of Alternative Bridge Ties and Hardware.” Technology Digest TD20-027. A AR/TTCI. Pueblo, Colo.

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RT&S 10 UNDER 40

RT&S selects top young engineers in its first 10 under 40 list.

By Bill Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

IN THE

CONVERSATION

W

henever you meet someone for the first time, they say it’s always polite to nod and smile. So at what time do you excuse yourself for Visine? When your eyes are as big as saucers during conversation due to the marvel that is being described something will be needed for the dryness, and the first-ever RT&S 10 under 40 list has plenty of candidates that meet the eye test. They pass every other test as well,

10 Railway Track & Structures // April 2021

with each honoree carrying a high degree of professional acclamation as well as some personal achievement. Each winner was nominated and evaluated by the editorial staff of RT&S, and the goal was to select a slate of winners that best exemplify the engineering industry.

Allow me to introduce you to the very best young engineers in the Maintenance-of-Way market, in no particular order. rtands.com

RT&S 10 UNDER 40

RAHIM KARMALI Chief Engineer, Engineering Technology & Supply Chain Canadian National

FRENCH F. THOMPSON General Director, Commuter Construction BNSF

Rahim Karmali has helped bring a strategic and tactical technology delivery approach at Canadian National focused on safety and operational excellence. This includes launching one of CN’s flagship technology programs, the Autonomous Track Inspection Program (ATIP), the largest of its kind on any North American Class 1 railroad. The ATIP program has delivered a comprehensive methodology that has improved track safety by reducing 87% of latent geometry conditions and increasing inspection frequency up to 17 times on high-risk, key corridors.

Karmali also has worked closely with regulators in the U.S. and Canada to successfully apply for and receive an ATIP Test Program with the Federal Railroad Administration, and two Canadian exemptions from Transport Canada to support the deployment of ATIP as a regulatory system.

Karmali served as director for Edmonton’s World Partnership Walk, an annual fundraising event held in multiple cities across Canada.

Currently he is the Financial Resource Development Convenor.

In his current role, French F. Thompson leads BNSF’s coordination efforts with the California High Speed Rail (HSR) in the Central Valley, which is inclusive of over $200 million in mitigation infrastructure and inspection covering over 30 individual work sites. Additionally, Thompson is BNSF’s lead engineering representative working with the California HSR in southern California, a project estimated at over $10 billion.

Thompson also leads the development, design, permitting and construction of Metrolink’s SCORE program in southern California and Sound Transit’s Sounder South expansion on BNSF’s Seattle subdivision in Seattle.

Thompson led the industry in grade-crossing advocacy, serving on several boards and industry panels. While in the role, Thompson saw the BNSF grade-crossing incident rate fall to an industryleading 1.45 incidents per million train miles.

Thompson is the Executive and Leadership Development Pastor at Freedom Church.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com/ APChanel

“

IN HIS CURRENT ROLE, FRENCH F. THOMPSON LEADS BNSF’S COORDINATION EFFORTS WITH THE CALIFORNIA HIGH SPEED RAIL IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY, WHICH IS INCLUSIVE OF OVER $200 MILLION IN MITIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND INSPECTION COVERING OVER 30 INDIVIDUAL WORK SITES.

rtands.com

April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 11

RT&S 10 UNDER 40

STEPHEN ASHMORE General Director of Engineering Union Pacific Stephen Ashmore is a leader in composite tie design and assessment, cross functionally engaging freight rail experts to develop modernized testing for alternative tie types utilizing real-world force data. His work has been shared with the industry and has helped push the adoption of environmentally friendly recycled plastic ties to decrease wood tie usage, thus increasing tie lifespan.

Ashmore also is heavily involved in concrete tie standards, testing and design. He revised Union Pacific’s concrete tie specifications and revamped quality-testing protocols, publishing the information internally.

Ashmore led a study that involved installing more than 3,000 test ties in curves 6° or greater and monitoring them for over five years, analyzing the results annually.

An avid hockey player, Ashmore helps lead hockey skills development programs for children ages four through eight, in addition to coaching a local team in the community’s youth hockey league.

“

STEPHEN ASHMORE IS A LEADER IN THE COMPOSITE TIE DESIGN AND ASSESSMENT, CROSS FUNTIONALLY ENGAGING FREIGHT RAIL EXPERTS TO DEVELOP MODERNIZED TESTING FOR ALTERNATIVE TIE TYPES UTILIZING REAL-WORLD FORCE DATA.

The CP family congratulates Karl Rittmeyer on being named a Railway Track & Structures 10 Under 40 and Alison Brayman for receiving an honourable mention.

Connect to an exciting career at cpr.ca/careers

12 Railway Track & Structures // April 2021

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BNSF proudly congratulates

FRENCH THOMPSON

for being chosen as one of Railway Track & Structures 10 under 40 award recipients.

BNSF.com/Careers

RT&S 10 UNDER 40

“

IMMEDIATELY AFTER AN ICE DAM DESTROYED 400 FT OF BRIDGING, RITTMEYER LED WORK TO TRANSPORT AND RETROFIT SECOND-HAND EMERGENCY SPANS AND INSTALL NEW BRIDGE FOUNDATIONS IN ORDER TO RESTORE SERVICE.

DREW WHITE Director of Engineering Watco Fresh out of college, Drew White went to work in the management trainee program with BNSF. He worked in various management roles in the engineering department, including District Roadmaster, where he managed a 30-member team completing track maintenance and capital construction projects within a territory that covered the Tulsa Hump Yard and 65 miles of main line rail.

While he was with the Illinois Department of Transportation, White led the state’s implementation of it’s $1.4 billion high-speed rail program as the program manager. This opportunity consisted of repurposing 245 track-miles of Union Pacific right-of-way for 110-mph rail service between St. Louis and Chicago.

For the past five years, White has supported and helped organize fundraisers for the Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach program to send medical supplies and equipment around the world. He and his family are the nucleus of a group that annually created fundraisers to pay for shipping containers, shipping costs, and logistical arrangements.

Congratulations Joshua Burris Assistant Regional Engineer Throughout his 13 years in the rail industry, Joshua Burris has developed a professional reputation as a strong operations leader, committed to being on-site and understanding his team’s challenges and successes firsthand. Joshua’s engaging leadership style, thorough assessment of infrastructure projects, and commitment to driving safety and productivity results helps CSX deliver safe, efficient and reliable service across our network.

csx.com

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rtands.com 3/22/21 3:31 PM

RT&S 10 UNDER 40

KARL RITTMEYER Assistant Chief Engineer, Structures Canadian Pacific

JOHN FLEPS AVP Engineering, MW&S Norfolk Southern

Karl Rittmeyer was instrumental in the Turkey River Emergency Bridge Construction Project. Rittmeyer led the execution of engineering and fieldwork to restore railroad service during the historic flooding events in 2019. Work included the reconstruction of 400 ft of bridging across the Turkey River in Iowa in 12.5 days. Immediately after an ice dam destroyed the 400 ft of bridging, Rittmeyer led work to transport and retrofit second-hand emergency spans, install new bridge foundations with simultaneous work from two heavy-lift cranes, and the placement of the spans prior to track work to restore service.

Rittmeyer also played a key role in the development and launch of an industry-leading electronic record-keeping system for bridges in 20142015 called Structures Asset Management. The SAM system uses SAP as the data warehouse, and Rittmeyer was instrumental in developing an efficient work process to collect field data that could be uploaded to SAM. Rittmeyer partners with Catholic Charities rehabilitating lowincome apartments.

Fleps has held positions with increasing responsibility throughout his career and has excelled in making positive changes in every role. He is now responsible for the Norfolk Southern Line Maintenance Operations and Engineering Planning & Technology team.

Fleps has driven advancements in Norfolk Southern technology initiatives and process improvements, which directly improve productivity and reduce operating expenses.

Norfolk Southern has changed significantly in the past five years with a substantial decrease in the size of its supervisor team and workforce. Fleps has been instrumental in challenging the status quo and finding ways to accomplish what needs to be done without sacrificing the safety of workers in NS’s operation.

Fleps has relocated eight times across the NS system and has made a positive impact in every community he has lived in.

Fleps has taught Sunday school to elementary children, led small community groups within his church and coaches youth lacrosse.

rtands.com

April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 15

RT&S 10 UNDER 40

IAN MOON Track Engineer, Project Manager HNTB Corp.

PHILIP SYLVESTER Roadmaster Genesee & Wyoming

Ian Moon has worked exclusively on passenger and freight railroad infrastructure the last 11 years. As lead track designer on the Rangeley Line and Terminal Project, Moon navigated physical characteristics and environmental aspects that affected the restoration of about 6,600 linear feet of the former line, construction of approximately 4,000 linear feet of the new track and the addition of 1,500 linear feet of doubleended siding.

Moon also served as lead track designer on the expansion of Portland’s International Marine Terminal, a Maine DOT project. Moon helped Maine DOT and the contractor resolve issues in a timely manner to ensure the schedule was met. As part of the project, crews installed 5,000 ft of new track.

Moon has participated as a mentor for Youth Enrichment Services, providing shadowing experiences for late middle school and early high school students and introducing them to the day-today experiences of a rail industry professional.

Philp Sylvester helped to reduce Georgia Southwestern and Hilton & Albany railroads’ combined FRA-reportable track-caused derailments from one in 2017 to zero in 2018.

Also under Sylvester’s leadership, The Bay Line Railroad, designated as a Class 3 track, reported zero track-caused derailments in 2019 and one in 2020. He also assisted the FRA’s Regulation 49 Part 213 Track Inspection classes this year.

Sylvester accepted the Roadmaster position on BAYL on the heels of Hurricane Michael, which toppled over 1,000 trees along more than 130 miles of track and overturned numerous railcars. Sylvester and his team managed through the catastrophic damage, allowing the Transportation Department to resume basic operations within five days of the storm’s passing.

Sylvester serves on the board of directors for the Renaissance Park Youth and Family Center, a nonprofit organization in Marianna, Fla., for underprivileged kids and families. This year, he and his sister founded the nonprofit Community Revitalization Group, also based in Marianna.

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3/12/21 4:28 PM rtands.com

RT&S 10 UNDER 40

RYAN WAGNER Supervisor of Structures Conrail Ryan Wagner began his railroading career in 2014 as Conrail’s North Jersey subdivision Bridge and Building Department Supervisor. He oversaw the department’s daily maintenance operations as well as extensive capital improvement projects.

In 2019, Wagner was promoted and expanded his responsibility to Conrail’s Bridge and Building department system-wide. He currently manages Conrail’s bridge inspection and capital maintenance programs in all three subdivisions, and focuses primarily on the planning and execution of the inspection and maintenance of Conrail’s bridges and culverts.

Two years ago, Wagner was tasked with implementing an electronic inspection reporting system for Conrail’s engineering department. This was a tremendous challenge considering Conrail had been utilizing a handwritten reporting system. In just over a year, Wagner, along with the contractor, had designed and implemented Conrail’s new electronic bridge inspection system.

“

SYLVESTER ACCEPTED THE ROADMASTER POSITION ON BAYL ON THE HEELS OF HURRICANE MICHAEL, WHICH TOPPLED OVER 1,000 TREES ALONG MORE THAN 130 MILES OF TRACK AND OVERTURNED RAILCARS. SYLVESTER AND HIS TEAM HAD THE SYSTEM UP AND RUNNING IN FIVE DAYS.

Nicely done, Stephen.

Congratulations to Engineering General Director Stephen Ashmore for being named one of RT&S’ first-ever “Fast Trackers” 10 under 40 engineers in the railroad industry.

rtands.com

April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 17

RT&S 10 UNDER 40

JOSH BURRIS Assistant Regional Engineer CSX Josh Burris has been a strong safety leader at CSX and throughout the rail industry. Since he became a manager in 2011, his teams have only had two FRA reportable injuries. Burris has been instrumental in developing a capital plan that helps reduce train accidents on the Nashville Zone, where derailments have decreased from 27 in 2019 to seven in 2020. At Radnor hump yard in Nashville, derailments went from 19 in 2019 to just four in 2020.

Burris also helped to organize recent “mega-block” curfews across his area of responsibility on the Chattanooga (five weeks), Henderson (three weeks) and CE&D (three weeks) subdivisions, all of which were safety and productivity successes.

Burris has taken part in all of the mega-block curfews, which occur at night, and he is present on many of the large field projects.

Burris has succeeded time after time in quickly becoming familiar with both the railroad and the people he manages. Burris attributes this to his commitment to spending as much time as possible on the territory and talking to his team.

HONORABLE MENTION MAX LAFFERTY Vice President Herzog ANDREW NIGRO Construction Manager, Associate at LiRo GISI Inc. ALISON BRYCE BRAYMAN Assistant Chief Engineer, Testing and Commissioning Canadian Pacific MOHAMMED ABUSHABAN Senior Civil Engineer JMA Civil KRISTINA BOKA Manager, Design & Construction Canadian National

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Genesee & Wyoming Inc. www.gwrr.com 18 Railway Track & Structures // April 2021

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SHORT LINE TRACK MAINTENANCE

NOT ALL SHORT LINES

ARE SHORT How the Georgia & Florida kept a vital line going

W

hen railroad historians hear the name “Georgia & Florida Railway,” they may be reminded of the small railroad company that served eastern and southeastern Georgia, with short mileage in Florida, from 1906 until Southern Railway absorbed it in the 1960s.

Today’s Georgia & Florida serves some of the same areas as the original but has no connection with the predecessor road.

The Georgia & Florida (GFRR) is a short line road that is part of the OmniTRAX group. Three lines emanate from Albany,

20 Railway Track & Structures // April 2021

Ga.—one runs south to Thomasville, another to Moultrie and on to Adel, and one to Sylvester. The line from Adel runs south through Quitman, down to Greenville, Fla., and further south to Perry and Foley. The GFRR also interchanges with CSX and Norfolk Southern.

This article focuses on the rehabilitation of the line from Adel to Foley, referred to as the Foley Subdivision, and demonstrates that not all short lines are “short.” A short line’s capital costs to serve a customer are, in part, a function of the length of the line that must be maintained to reach

that customer. A short line with customers close to an interchange naturally faces a lower capital and maintenance cost per carload than a short line with customers located far from an interchange.

“The Georgia & Florida Railway’s Foley Subdivision from Adel to Foley is effectively an 81-mile driveway exclusively to serve a major pulp mill in Foley,” Dave Arganbright, vice president of government affairs for OmniTRAX, told RT&S. “Without a major customer at the end of the line, this subdivision probably would have been abandoned by prior owners rtands.com

Photo Credit: Georgia & Florida Railway

By David C. Lester, Managing Editor

SHORT SHORT LINE LINE TRACK TRACK MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE

Georgia & Florida train moving on the mainline.

decades ago.”

“GFRR was covering its variable costs,” Sam Terrel, vice president of growth and development at OmniTRAX, told RT&S. “But GFRR was not able to adequately repair its deteriorating infrastructure. Of significance, however, was that this pulp mill was the largest employer in rural Taylor County and provided living wage jobs for 600 employees in the region. The plant was also heavily reliant on adequate rail service to be competitive in its markets.”

The campaign to “repave” this 81-mile rtands.com

driveway became an interdisciplinary effort that brought together experts in track, bridge, and grade-crossing construction, project management, railway engineering, commercial relations, public policy, environmental and railroad law, local and federal government, and procurement to develop a project that will generate public benefits for years to come.

The CEBYR project Even with one major customer at the end of the line, by 2016 it had become increasingly challenging to generate sufficient

revenue to undertake a long-overdue capital overhaul on the Foley Subdivision.

Track conditions had continued to degrade to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Class 1 track speeds, requiring a full day for a train crew to reach Foley from the interchange in Adel and another day for the train to return to the interchange at Adel after serving the customer.

Track conditions increased the cost of equipment required to haul customer commodities, reliability decreased, and thousands of additional carloads were in danger of diverting from rail to highways.

April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 21

SHORT LINE TRACK MAINTENANCE

The County Commission of Taylor County recognized the economic lifeline of the GFRR and stepped in to champion the cause of rebuilding the line.

In 2017 Taylor County partnered with GFRR and OmniTRAX to apply to the U.S. DOT for a FASTLANE grant. FASTLANE grants have subsequently been rebranded as INFRA grants and have become an annual staple of federal transportation project funding. “Typically, these grant awards went to large transportation organizations, and not to small rural counties,” Arganbright said. “But in 2017, the Small Project pool of funding became a golden opportunity that boosted the competitiveness of smaller, rural projects.”

In August 2017, the DOT awarded $78.88 million in FASTLANE funds to 10 Small Projects. Taylor County’s application for the Competitiveness & Employment

by Rail (CEBYR) project received $8.67 million, matched by an equal amount of private-sector funding provided through the railroad to fund a $17.34 million track rehabilitation project to restore the entire line to FRA Class 2 speeds.

“The support of Taylor County for this application was essential,” said Arganbright. “But what put us over the top was the active support and relentless advocacy from Rep. Neal Dunn, M.D., (R-Fla.).

Adam Nordstrom of Viking Navigation LLC and OmniTRAX’s Washington, D.C., lobbyist, echoed that sentiment, telling 22 Railway Track & Structures // April 2021

RT&S, “GFRR got to know Dr. Dunn when he reached out while campaigning for office, to offer his support for small railroads in Florida. Dr. Dunn knew short line railroads were important to his district and hundreds of constituent jobs and sought ways to help keep and improve those jobs. That is why he fought tirelessly for this project at DOT from his first day in Washington. I will always remember his jubilant call with the good news for Taylor County.”

The Statement of Work A Statement of Work or SOW in DOT speak governs every DOT grant project.

The SOW, project schedule, and budget are key components of the grant agreement. Typically, these components must all be completed to the DOT’s satisfaction before work begins, and they govern the relationship between a grant recipient and the DOT. OmniTRAX Vice President of Engineering Anthony Cox had worked on government-funded projects before. He told RT&S, “This was an extensive project for a small railroad. The SOW for this project was expansive. The project initially involved procuring 115,000 railroad ties, an immense number of ties for a short line.

The original scope also involved 14 bridges and well over 100 grade-crossing replacements. I knew from the start that we would need a well-organized project management

effort just to complete the paperwork, let alone the project.” Nordstrom added, “The need to amend tie quantities and prices was one of the first hiccups we ran into on this project. But DOT and the FRA team understood the predicament. We were able to work through amendments to accommodate changing quantities and prices while still accomplishing the stated goal of the project.”

Brady Peters, assistant division engineer at OmniTRAX, was appointed project manager in the field for OmniTRAX. “The CEBYR FASTLANE grant was OmniTRAX’s first foray into large, federally funded projects,” Peters told RT&S. “In the four years since that first victory, OmniTRAX has won numerous state and federal grants. OmniTRAX built a project management team in our Denver headquarters to coordinate and work in cooperation with the county and its grants managers, the FRA, and the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Our effort required detailed schedule management, coordination, accounting, and legal work, all performed in Denver while I worked in the field with our contractors to keep the effort moving forward.”

The first challenge encountered by the team was compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act, or NEPA. “NEPA has historically been a bogeyman for projects,” said Arganbright. “At first, we had a lot of lessons to learn, and we rtands.com

Photo Credit: Georgia Southern & Florida

RailWorks track equipment working on line rehabilitation.

SHORT LINE TRACK MAINTENANCE

Photo Credit: Georgia Southern & Florida

Fruits of the labor—solid Class 2 track on the Foley Subdivision.

had some growing pains, but we engaged professionals to assist in our efforts. NEPA Categorical Exclusions is not a do-it-yourself project.”

OmniTRAX engaged Peter Masson, initially with Antea Group and now with Golder Associates, to revise and improve internally created NEPA drafts. “For most short line projects, the work will be performed within existing rights-of-way.

Working within the already disturbed footprint reduces the environmental risk immensely, but even these reviews require professional drafting. The fact that even large, Class 1 railroads contract out this work should be a sign to smaller organizations,” he told RT&S. Arganbright observed, “Based on the lessons learned from this project, we are now contracting out the NEPA review before a grant application is even submitted. Making this a standard operating practice has greatly improved our success. It is well worth the time and effort upfront.”

Safety first Construction work on GFRR got underway in February 2020 after completing DOT paperwork, evaluating contractor bids, and awarding work. The arrival of COVID-19 in America created a new host of challenges for the Taylor County and GFRR teams.

“OmniTRAX puts safety first, and it is one of our core principles as a company,” rtands.com

Sperry Rail Service was engaged for various inspections.

OmniTRAX President Sergio Sabatini told RT&S. “OmniTRAX, Taylor County, and our supporting contractors have worked nearly 100,000 person-hours on this project without an injury. We have

“

THE GFRR LINE IN FLORIDA IS VERY RURAL, HEAVILY FORESTED, WITH INTENSE VEGETATION. MANY LARGE SNAKES ARE IN THE SWAMP, AND IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON TO STARTLE 10-FT ALLIGATORS OFF OF THE ROADBED. ensured everyone goes home at the end of each workday by putting safety first, but COVID created unique safety challenges.”

Sabatini added, “Our executive team was on the plane to Florida for the groundbreaking when governments and the private sector began to curtail activity as a result of COVID. Rep. Dunn had to stay in Washington to vote on the first of many COVID bills, and we decided to postpone the groundbreaking.”

“Many of the managers for our contractors worked or lived in Washington state at the start of the pandemic,” said Peters.

“As states imposed early travel restrictions on travelers from Washington, we had to coordinate carefully to honor these restrictions, keep our partners and employees safe, and continue to move the project ahead. Also, one of the early COVID hot spots was Albany, Ga., headquarter city of GFRR. Even with these setbacks, we still completed this project working through the pandemic safely and delivered it on time.”

The project also involved work on over 120 grade crossings. “Many of our at-grade crossings are relatively busy and signalized. Other crossings are private crossings on dirt roads in the woods,” said Peters. “A key part of this project was upgrading the signage at grade crossings to include emergency contact numbers, stop signs, and new reflective crossbucks on passive crossings. An important legacy of this project will be a road-rail interface that is safer for motorists and our train crews.”

Snakes and alligators, oh my!

“This was a large project for any size of railroad,” Derek McCarty, assistant district manager/fleet manager with National Railroad Safety Services, Inc., told RT&S. “NRSS assisted GFRR in quality control (QC) efforts. There was so much going on at once in this project. Normally you get a April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 23

SHORT LINE TRACK MAINTENANCE

Crosstie Disposal, Inc., provided crosstie distribution, brush cutting, and ditching services.

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Photo Credit: Georgia Southern & Florida

Track Safety Standards

tie gang in year one, then a rail gang in year two, and then a crossing gang in year three.

You usually are not trying to do it all at once while keeping the railroad operating.”

McCarty continued, “On this project, NRSS helped GFRR coordinate work and QC for RailWorks as the primary contractor, along with Crosstie Disposal, Inc., for crosstie distribution, brush cutting, and ditching. National Salvage ran a grapple truck receiving and distributing various track materials. RailWorks filled a general contractor role with multiple subcontractors under them.

“The GFRR line in Florida is very rural, heavily forested, and swampy with intense vegetation. There were some places where road access was 5 miles from a work site, and we could only reach the site by hi-rail.

Many large snakes are in the swamp, and it was not uncommon to startle 10-ft alligators off of the roadbed.

“This project increased the track class, which also required increasing the sight distance. Greater sight distance required intense brush cutting. Some of the initial machinery was not up to the task in a

SHORT LINE TRACK MAINTENANCE

swamp, and we burned out hydraulic pumps and other components. Eventually, we were able to secure equipment that could tackle the swamp. Ditching and culvert clearing were also significant challenges.

“The biggest maintenance challenge on this project was getting the surface right on.

In some places where mud and soil were in the ballast, we had to resurface track multiple times to get the memory to hold, and we replaced about 10,500 ft of rail in places where the rail was surface bent.

“Our biggest challenge from a management standpoint is always quality control,” concluded McCarty. “Throughout the whole project, we all stayed strong. We worked together to complete a monstrous job.”

Peters added, “We cleaned up all our trash and scrap rail, and you see a very nice railroad there today. The brush cutting turned out fantastic. We all came together, and teamwork was a big factor there.”

God willing, and the creek don’t rise Bridge work was another critical component of the project. GFRR hired RailWorks

as the primary contractor for bridges. The CEBYR grant application initially highlighted 15 bridges in need of repair. During the project, though, bridge inspectors discovered a 16th bridge needing repairs, and it was included in the scope of work.

“We have traditionally shied away from bridge projects as a part of federal grants,” said Arganbright. “Structures are much more complex from an engineering standpoint. They may be historic, requiring additional state and federal oversight, and they touch water, which may create additional environmental considerations. But the bridges on the Foley Sub were a major impediment to Class 2, 25-mph operations. There was no way around it. The bridges had to be addressed.”

“Almost all of the bridge work was likekind replacements of pattern bridge structures,” observed Cox. “This simplified our approach to the project, as did working with a skilled bridge contracting company.

Short lines like GFRR were divested before electronic records, and many short lines do not have original bridge drawings, load ratings, or other documentation,”

WE SIFT THROUGH THE NEWS SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO

continued Cox. “By focusing on like-kind replacement of existing components, we were able to minimize both construction costs and the cost and time of completely re-engineering these structures.”

Flooding is a major annual problem north of Perry, Fla. As GFRR and Taylor County sprint to the finish, water levels around certain bridges stubbornly refuse to yield.

Peters observed, “For much of the year, you can step across some of these streams and have 18 ft or more of water. Had it not been for this standing water, we would have concluded much of this project and its expanded scope months ago.”

Peters affirmed that the original project scope is “99% complete,” and the expanded scope encompassed a small amount of work. “We will complete this project on time and under budget,” affirmed Peters.

“We appreciate all the hard work of the hundreds of people that made this project possible and helped to ensure the worldwide competitiveness of resources and materials produced in Taylor County for years to come.”

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MATERIAL HANDLING

PICKING UP THE PIECES Material handling market beginning to rebound following 2020

T

here are a lot of pieces needed for track construction and track maintenance.

Contractors, however, need the right piece of equipment or nothing gets done.

Material handling equipment can be specialized or can handle of number of different operations (crosstie installation, ballast maintenance, etc.), and every piece is essential to the job.

According to most manufacturers, the market is slowly rebounding in 2021 after the pandemic-induced 2020. Market challenges, however, will always be there.

“The material handling market overall is performing well in 2021 with relatively robust demand when compared to 2020,” Loram told RT&S. “We saw an uptick in requests for material handling equipment towards the end of 2020,” Omaha Track told RT&S. “The first quarter of 2021 looks favorable as well.”

The following are some of the products made for material handling.

26 Railway Track & Structures // April 2021

Plasser American Plasser American’s expertise in material handling is with its MFS conveyor and hopper cars designed to transport ballast, spoils or other material in train formation to and from various work sites as well as working with various machines. This well-proven design has been in operation for many years with hundreds of units delivered. The advantage of the MFS is its ability to transport, store, load, and unload material as a single unit or with other like units. MFS cars are available in various sizes from the MFS15 to the MFS120 to meet the customer’s needs and requirements of loading and clearance restrictions. Material storage capacity may be increased by coupling multiple units.

The floor of the MFS consists of a wide, hydraulically driven variable speed conveyor belt. The front of the unit carries a rotatable, hydraulically driven conveyor for unloading the MFS or transferring material to another MFS, a ballast-distributing

machine, other hopper cars, into highway trucks or onto the railway right-of-way.

Each MFS car is individually powered with its own engine, hydraulic supply and electrical system.

MFS cars are ideal for expanding the working capacities of machines. Used with the BDS100/200, they can be used to increase the storage capacity of ballast for cost-effective means of ballast management. This system allows for the movement of ballast from where there is excess to areas where needed. This allows for better utilization of existing assets resulting in significant cost savings.

The use of multiple units along with any Plasser ballast undercutter/cleaner provides efficient spoil removal with no interruption of the ballast cleaning process. This allows for the unloading of undercutter waste in an environmentally safe location. Additionally MFS cars loading with new/clean ballast can be used to feed ballast into the track through a Plasser undercutter. rtands.com

Photo Credit: Loram

By Bill Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

MATERIAL HANDLING

Photo Credit: Plasser American

Omaha Track Equipment Omaha Track Equipment (OTE) offers a standard lineup of material handling equipment including: hi-rail grapple trucks, hi-rail rotary dump trucks, hi-rail mediumduty section trucks, and rail and tie carts.

New for OTE in 2021, the company is expanding its lineup to include: excavators, wheel loaders, and other material handling construction equipment for sale or rent.

The excavator lineup ranges in size from 7,500 lb to 115,000 lb and will offer pneumatic, hydraulic, and magnetic attachments. The wheel loader offerings will range in bucket size from 1-yd capacity skid steers to 5-yd capacity wheel loaders. Most of the wheel loaders will be equipped with a hydraulic coupler, bucket, and forks. Many skid-steer attachments also are available for sale or rent.

OTE also has the ability to perform maintenance, inspections, and repairs for material handling equipment. OTE is certified to perform hi-rail, crane, and DOT inspections, and also is an ARI-certified repair facility. OTE can service your equipment at its facility in Omaha, Neb., or can provide you service in the field.

Industry-Railway Suppliers, Inc. Industry-Railway Suppliers, founded in 1966, is the U.S. distributor of Rosenqvist machines and attachments, and a leading North America distributor of AREMA track tools, abrasives, heavy railroad equipment, work equipment wear parts and mechanical shop tools. Rosenqvist has been designing, developing and manufacturing rail-handling solutions for over 30 years, and their equipment has assisted in the development of rail infrastructure in over 25 countries.

The Rosenqvist SL450 is designed for precise and efficient positioning of four concrete or wood ties allowing the operator full control of tie handling and placement.

When mounted to a material handling truck, the SL450 will transload ties or can be utilized as a tie-laying device while building sidings. The unique design of the SL450 simultaneously lays up to four adjacent ties, and also allows the user to spread the ties to the desired spacing of between 18 to 30 in. apart.

This four-tie layer can be equipped with an optional tilt/rotator head, which gives the operator precise 360° control of the loading and placement of ties, or with a stand-alone rotator. The SL450 hydraulic-powered attachment is designed for high-output tie rtands.com

laying with minimal ballast disturbance, and is easily adjustable to fit most concrete or wood ties.

Hiab USA, Inc. Hiab USA is a provider of on-road loadhandling equipment, intelligent services, and smart and connected solutions. With a proven and proud 75-year history, Hiab enters the railroad market with the debut of two new material handling loaders, the Hiab J14S and Hiab J24S. As the railroad industry is heavily invested to drive safety and daily efficiencies of hi-rail truck-installed equipment, Hiab’s experience and solutions will deliver plenty of opportunities to this field.

The Hiab J14S and Hiab J24S provide an enhanced level of safety and reliability needed for efficient Maintenance-of-Way. With maximum lifting capacities of 9,260 lb and 12,570 lb, respectively, the Hiab J14S and Hiab J24S both belong to Hiab’s heavy material handling range. The key differentiator between the new loaders and traditional U.S. A-frame loaders lies in their basic construction. Hiab’s engineers deliberately chose the column design format in order to broaden installation options and to enable a more flexible stabilizer system, increasing the loaders’ stability and thus enhancing operator safety. Both loaders also feature a one-hit E-Stop as a standard, which halts the machine in an emergency situation, and optional load-holding valves.

With their strength, the loaders are light in weight and engineered for an optimal weight-to-capacity ratio, providing a greater agility and higher payloads while also contributing to a longer service life.

Hiab J14S and Hiab J24S are treated with Hiab’s nDurance, which resists

corrosion and protects against minor physical damages. Hoses are protected with smart routing, while swiveling couplings minimize mechanical wear.

Combining the latest safety features in the industry with a durable engineering design, Hiab J14S and Hiab J24S lower operational costs over their lifetime. Productivity is secured by Hiab’s nationwide service network and warranty program.

Diversified Metal Fabricators Equip your material handler and take it on track with the DMF RW-1630 railgear.

DMF’s RW-1630 railgear is the original and successful hi-rail gear for large trucks.

The front guide wheel assembly attaches to the frame and front axle and lifts the front wheels off the track, thus utilizing the vehicle’s front suspension. This design supports the vehicle as it was intended and helps the truck navigate curves smoothly and dampen out the effects of track irregularities. The rear assembly attaches directly to the truck frame behind the rear axle/tandem spring hangers. It deploys with an articulated dualscissor action that allows the rear railgear to be moved both vertically and horizontally.

This mechanism provides the “side-shift” action which has made DMF gear so wellknown in the industry and gives operators a greater margin for aligning the vehicle to the track, which speeds and simplifies the process of getting the vehicle on rail.

Mitchell Rail Gear Mitchell Rail Gear’s most popular solution for material handling is its Hydraulic Drive Rail Gear for track excavators.

Mitchell has hydraulic drive solutions for mini-excavators and medium-size excavators that attaches to the excavator

Plasser American’s expertise in material handling is with its MFS conveyor and hopper cars.

April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 27

MATERIAL HANDLING

car body and is powered off the machine’s hydraulic system.

Mitchell’s hydraulic drive system is designed to be easily adapted to various make and model hydraulic excavators, but the mounting kit for each excavator is still custom for each model excavator. Fortunately, the drive axles are all the same, which is the highest cost of the system.

The medium-size excavators can be equipped with various material handling attachments such as grapples and magnet systems. The hydraulic drive excavators also can pull rail carts that typically weigh up to 10,000 lb.

Hydraulic drive excavators also are a great solution for laying continuous welded rail for which Mitchell offers its line of rail threaders.

Considering the economics of moving machines on rail for locations up to hundreds of miles away, the Mitchell System allows the excavators to travel these great distances at high speeds without the fear of overheating the machine’s hydraulic system. With short work windows available to perform on track material handling it is a plus to be able to travel on a system at higher speeds and longer distances to get to a location and get the job done and quickly move to another location without the high cost of trucking and machines that would require very costly permits.

One of the great challenges of any railroad is machine utilization. Mitchell Hydraulic’s drive system can be installed 28 Railway Track & Structures // April 2021

on new or used machines so railroads can easily equip machines they already have in their fleet in their own shop.

Custom Truck Custom Truck’s 755 is the perfect truck for tie gangs. The material handler features include: • 22-ft steel platform body with front/rear bulkheads and removable side posts; • Side access ladders; • 50-ton pintle hitch; • Grapple loader; • Hydraulic outriggers; • Bypass grapple with straight tine ends; • 12/24 VDC 32-in. magnet with quick disconnects; and • Heavy-duty railgear.

At customer request, the 755 may be up-fitted with a remote drive system, which interfaces with the truck’s transmission to propel the vehicle remotely. The chassis throttle, service brake, and park brake also are utilized. Ground speed is directly proportional to the engine RPMs. This system is ideal for spotting trucks.

RCE Equipment Solutions In July 2020, RCE unveiled the New Series Railavators—John Deere Models 210G, 245G and 250G hi-rail excavators.

The New Series 210G, 245G, and 250G Railavators boast RCE’s new Ultra Life Axles. These final drives are made of

Loram Maintenance of Way Bringing GREX material handling equipment under the Loram umbrella this year pairs the service offering of both into one source for a railroad’s material handling needs. Customers can now utilize DumpTrain, material handling cars, and SlotMachine from one trusted source with industry-leading service and reliability.

DumpTrains can deliver 1,500 tons of material to work sites, stockpiles, or washout locations and unload a full consist in under an hour. Offloading is done up to 45 ft from track centerline. The DumpTrain for Curves offers all the same features as the traditional DumpTrain, but can operate while in curves as well as tangent track.

After introducing the MHC60 material handling car in 2020, Loram secured multiple orders from customers who recognized rtands.com

Photo Credit: RCE Equipment Solutions

RCE unveiled the New Series Railavators in 2020.

high-strength alloy steel—two times more structural strength than existing cast iron final drives. Many rail maintenance operations require severe-duty applications with high-point loading. The Ultra Life Axles have overall increased axle bearing capacity and are rebuildable/repairable.

The New Series Railavators have many design enhancements, including a new hydraulic system. There are more components in the common manifold, which means less hoses, less separate components, and less joints to potentially leak.

The RCE team also updated the Railavator structure, including the hi-rail linkages and supports, extending support gussets and adding weight to the links and frames. These modifications reduce frame flexing and potential cracking. The main drive frame is aligned in all axises for drive components. The drive axle mounting has been changed for more strength and durability, as well as the axle mount and front/ rear bumpers and tow points.

The 50G, 85G and 135G Railavators feature an adjustable lower track frame.

When retracted, the machine is under the legal size for transit without a required permit. In work mode, the hydraulically operated frame expands to straddle the track.

RCE provides all makes of hi-rail gear for Komatsu, Caterpillar and John Deere 20-metric-ton excavators. The hi-rail gear is RCE’s patented hydraulic hi-rail system.

The 20-metric-class Railavator is ideal for rail maintenance applications like rail laying, tie handling, scrap pick-up, ballast and site preparation and under cutting.

MATERIAL HANDLING

to support almost any material handling demand. The SlotMachine consists of overlapping gondola cars carrying an excavator that can traverse the full 378 ft length.

This arrangement allows quick and efficient loading and offloading of ties, ballast, rip rap, spoils, and almost anything in the rightof-way that is within reach of the excavator.

Hiab USA is a provider of on-road loadhandling equipment, intelligent services, and smart and connected solutions.

the value that increased throughput and offloading productivity provide. The robust design of this machine that can self-unload into trailing cars as well as discharge material into the right-of-way is changing the

way ballast maintenance work gangs are being planned.

The SlotMachine fleet continues to experience strong demand from customers that utilize the flexibility of these machines

Loram Technologies Loram Technologies (LTI) Tie Setout Solution has had a great year with multiple systems working throughout the country and several more planned for deployment.

This system utilizes data collected from the Aurora automated tie inspection system to determine precisely where ties need to be replaced. Using this information, the Tie Setout Solution optimizes exact placement of ties. This reduces the number of times the ties need to be handled, which improves the efficiency of the tie gangs.

Last year the company introduced its second-generation GateSync and HydraDump kits for the automation of ballast cars and side dump cars. The new GateSync kit

Over four decades of renting quality trucks, construction equipment, and hi-rail units

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30 Railway Track & Structures // April 2021

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Photo Credit: Hiab USA

PRIDE IN EVERYTHING WE DO.

offers a closed-loop communication system between the cars and the operator. This allows for longer train lengths, faster setup times, and performance. Both the GateSync and HydraDump kits are great for car rehabilitation programs or new car builds.

Herzog As railroads continue to improve their precision scheduled railroading-focused operations, Herzog’s custom-built rail delivery equipment is turning heads when it comes to safety, productivity, and reliability. When paired together, Herzog’s Rail Unloading Machine (RUM) and Automated Tie-Down Car (ATC) offer gamechanging efficiencies in the rail unloading process.

Herzog’s injury-free, 15-year track record speaks for itself. When the ATC is used in conjunction with the RUM, no human interface with the rail is required, lessening the potential for injury. The RUM is the industry’s only mobile, road-to-rail distribution system capable of safe, hands-free precision rail placement. The ATC further complements the RUM as it offers a safer, automated solution to securing/disconnecting CWR on the rail train.

The ATC clamps/unclamps rail in 5-10 seconds, significantly accelerating CWR loading and unloading over conventional tie down cars. Rail trains can leave the plant quicker and get to work distributing rail.

Because the RUM is a road-to-rail vehicle, it can rendezvous with the ATC and rail train at a specified location with minimal coordination. Within five minutes, the RUM mounts onto the track at a crossing and quickly connects to the end of a fully loaded CWR train—simplifying equipment sequencing. Day or night, the RUM unloads rail to one (or both sides) of the track, curved or tangent, in all weather conditions.

With the RUM and ATC, railroads also can take advantage of Herzog’s continual improvements to its specialized MOW fleet.

Herzog technicians handle all scheduled maintenance and technology upgrades, eliminating maintenance concerns for the railroad’s varied fleet of winch cars and/or traditional tie down cars.

Vancer Vancer engineers, builds, and distributes quality, innovative and safe Maintenance-of-Way (MOW) equipment for the railroad industry. Vancer’s lineup of equipment featuring train air braking systems has the capacity and power needed to help you efficiently move products to your work site. Products include the Vancer CHX25 Hi Rail Excavator that can haul and distribute loaded railcars, ballast carts as well as loaded tie carts.

Vancer’s versatile product line ranges from mini-excavator to the Hi Rail CTB41. The Hytracker Rail Cart’s low-profile and heavy-duty construction create a sturdy platform for a variety of equipment. The ballast cart is designed to remotely distribute ballast where you want it from the cab of the excavator on the rail cart that is pushing or towing it. The tow cart is available with a 100,000-lb capacity.

Vancer has seen the need for compact material handling equipment that still has the capabilities to move up and down the track lines. Operators of the Cat-based hi-rail equipment, the rail bound machines, as well as the Hytracker, can handle concrete and wood ties with greater visibility and enhanced tie placement accuracy. Paired with versatile attachments and maximum power for material handling and transport, Vancer has products engineered to enhance operator ease of use for all material handling projects. rtands.com

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April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 31

AREMA’s convenient webinars provide Professional Development Hours (PDH) to serve your educational needs.

Designing a Functional Bulk Terminal Facility April 20, 2021 2:00 - 3:30 PM ET • 1.5 PDH

Environmental Permitting for Railroad Project Managers May 19, 2021 2:00 - 3:15 PM ET • 1.25 PDH

Welded Wire Reinforcement June 1, 2021 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET • 1.0 PDH

Retaining Wall Design for Railroad Application June 9, 2021 2:00 - 3:30 PM ET • 1.5 PDH

Design & Construction of Highway/Railway Grade Crossings August 3, 2021 2:00 - 3:30 PM ET • 1.5 PDH

Critical Geometry Defects November 3, 2021 2:00 - 3:15 PM ET • 1.25 PDH

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Visit www.arema.org for investment opportunities or email marketing@arema.org.

Message From The President

VICTOR R. BABIN AREMA President 2020-21

I

t may seem untimely to choose the month of April to publish a column about snow and ice removal, but as I have said before, our profession is always looking to the future.

South Shore Line (SSL) trains run from South Bend to Chicago paralleling the southern shore of Lake Michigan over most of the route. Lakeeffect snow is common, average annual snowfall is 82 in. for South Bend and the highest recorded seasonal snowfall is 172 in. according to the U.S. National Weather Service. As with all railroads, safety is paramount and walking surfaces must be kept clean and dry to the greatest extent practicable. Employees work long hours with plows, shovels, snow throwers, rotary brooms and salt spreaders to clear parking lots, walkways and platforms during snow events. The use of deicing salts, however, has dire effects on the environment and infrastructure.

Steel railings, seating benches, and canopy supports on platforms are corroded by salt, and the useful lives of those assets are shortened. Concrete breaks down with each exposure and ultimately must be replaced. Salt tracked into passenger train cars deteriorates the operating fleet. Salt granules accumulated in the tracks of sliding car doors prevent door closure; operating delays ensue. Over time, the saltwater runoff fouls the roadway ballast and shunts the track circuits of wayside signal and grade-crossing warning systems. This results in restrictive wayside signal indications and false activations of grade-crossing warning systems, delaying trains and instilling motorist distrust of warning devices. Salt is one of the primary causes of wintertime train delays on commuter railways in colder climates. On electrified railways, the saltwater runoff may contribute to imbalanced propulsion return rtands.com

SYSTEM TYPE & COSTS

ELECTRIC

HYDRONIC MANUAL SNOW

INSTALLATION

$211,803

$382,952

N/A

ANNUAL OPERATING

$10,480

$1,618

$30,866

ANNUAL MAINTENANCE

$504

$2,772

N/A

REMOVAL & SALTING

currents in impedance bonds. This can cause a wayside signal to drop to a restrictive aspect in the face of an approaching train; the ensuing automatic brake application by Positive Train Control may result in wheel damage. With direct current propulsion, current leakage into the ballast deteriorates the rail and tie plates.

What salt gives in terms of safety, it insidiously takes away in many other places. In 2012, the SSL decided to explore more environmentally and economically sustainable solutions.

The railroad commissioned a study to examine radiant heat alternatives for keeping boarding platforms clear of snow and ice. The modeled precast platform and ramps would be a combined length of 864 ft, a width of 10 ft and a depth of 6 in. of concrete topped with 2 in. of trap rock. The modular design consisted of a series of interchangeable panels that would each be 8 ft long and 10 ft wide. Hydronic or electric radiant heating system alternatives would be embedded in the concrete. Each system design included a layer of insulation along the bottom of the panels.

The electric system model consisted of heating cable mats, multiple zoned electrical panels, ground fault detectors, and moisture and temperature sensors. The hydronic system model included a closed loop piping system, boilers and pumps circulating a water/antifreeze mixture, and a zoned control system with moisture and temperature sensors. The table above summarizes the cost analysis in U.S. dollars (2012).

Either of the automated systems was determined to be safer, more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly than manual snow removal and salting. The combined annual costs of the hydronic system was the lowest but was found to take longer to heat up in response to snow events. Continuous idling to improve responsiveness would erase some of the economic benefits. The risks associated

with a delayed response in a snow event, coupled with the manual work required to recover from the delay, was weighed against the higher electric operating costs. Even at a higher annual cost, the return on investment for the electric system was calculated at 10 years. The calculations only included readily measurable costs; the many other benefits of reduced salt usage were not considered. Following our industry’s “Safety First” principles, the electric option was selected for the Dune Park Station.

The first electric radiant-heated platform was constructed in 2013. In the past eight years, operation has proven reliable. Complete snow and ice mitigation is typical; performance has exceeded the expectation of less than 1-in-25 events in which the system is overwhelmed or fails to adequately remove snow. Radiant heat is now a design standard for all future high-level boarding platforms and ramps on the SSL. The AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering, Chapter 11, Section 4.2.2.f, provides extensive guidance for the design of both electric and hydronic platform heating systems.

Advances in geothermal heating of walking and driving surfaces are occurring worldwide. Our industry should look toward those systems as we continue to strive toward environmental sustainability.

Dune Park boarding platform. (Moisture detector is in the foreground.)

April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 33

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Getting to know Committee 30’s, Marcus Dersch

AREMA is focused on your education and helping you advance in the railway industry. AREMA’s convenient we bin a rs p rovid e Professio n al Development Hours (PDH) to serve your educational needs.

DERSCH: I learned about AREMA via the Illinois AREMA Student Chapter, which does a fantastic job of recruiting and educating students about the rail industry. I naturally became more involved upon graduation given RailTEC believes that our findings must be relevant to industry and adequately disseminated. I have been actively involved with Committee 30 - Ties since 2011 and regularly work with colleagues and students to turn research findings into improved recommended practices.

Designing a Functional Bulk Terminal Facility Webinar Date: Tuesday, April 20 Time: 2-3:30 p.m. ET PDH: 1.5 Environmental Permitting for Railroad Project Managers Date: Wednesday, May 19 Time: 2-3:15 p.m. ET PDH: 1.25 Welded Wire Reinforcement Webinar Date: Tuesday, June 1 Time: 2-3 p.m. ET PDH: 1 Retaining Wall Design for Railroad Application Webinar Date: Wednesday, June 9 Time: 2-3:30 p.m. ET PDH: 1.5 Design & Construction of Highway/ Railway Grade Crossings Date: Tuesday, Aug. 3 Time: 2-3:30 p.m. ET PDH: 1.5 Critical Geometry Defects Webinar Date: Wednesday, Nov. 3 Time: 2-3:15 p.m. ET PDH: 1.25 These courses are comprised of re c o m m e n d e d p ra c t i c e s a n d relevant accumulated knowledge from subject matter experts in the railroad industr y. They are n ot inte n d e d as a re g u l ato r y qualification.

For more information on our educational programs and to register, please visit www.arema.org.

MARCUS S. DERSCH, P.E. Principal Research Engineer, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign

W

hy did you decide to choose a career in railway engineering?

DERSCH: I chose a career in the rail industry because of the people. I appreciate that relationships matter and have witnessed that the people I worked with in graduate school at the Rail Transportation Engineering Center (RailTEC) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) and as an engineering intern at Union Pacific (UP) are some of the same people I am interacting with today. I have remained in the rail industry because I have appreciated that the work has been challenging, rewarding, and always changing.

AREMA: How did you get started?

DERSCH: I started as a research assistant at Illinois and was able to work on a project funded by BNSF investigating the effect of coal fouling on ballast strength. I was then exposed to additional industry challenges and solutions through the William W. Hay Railroad Engineering Seminar series put on by Illinois. At one of these seminars I met David Connell, former vice president of Engineering at UP, and subsequently accepted an internship with UP. Through these experiences I was hooked on the rail industry.

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

34 Railway Track & Structures // April 2021

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

DERSCH: Being a father of two young girls keeps me plenty busy. But, when I am not working or spending time with them, I love being outdoors, woodworking, volunteering with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), cooking, and building into and mentoring young men.

AREMA: Tell us about your family.

DERSCH: I have been happily married to Kristen since 2013 and have been blessed with two girls, Madison (3) and Kinsie (5), and have one boy expected to arrive in May. AREMA: If you could share one interesting fact about yourself with the readers of RT&S, what would it be?

DERSCH: I grew up in sports and my favorite was baseball. As a pitcher, my fastball could regularly hit 92 mph and top out at 95 mph. I have also torn my ACL three times playing three different sports.

AREMA: What is your biggest achievement?

DERSCH: I feel so blessed to be where I am.

I work with a fantastic team, get the opportunity to encourage the next generation of railroad engineers, and make an impact on the industry with research findings. I see it as my job to help students grow into mentors who will be prepared to thrive as engineers and have the skills to solve the challenges they will face throughout their career. Therefore, though I am hopeful that the improved recommended practices will lead to more resilient components and safer railroads, I am more hopeful that the students I get to rtands.com

FYI

interact with go on to make an even bigger impact in the industry with their careers. I am fortunate to now regularly interact with multiple former students who are serving the industry well.

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

DERSCH: I would recommend being quick to listen; there is so much wisdom within the industry and when we stop to listen, we can learn what has been tried in the past which can save time and resources moving forward. Additionally, be open to new ideas; though the industry can be slow to change in some areas, it is always changing. Working to create positive change helps to better serve the industry.

AREMA is going virtual. Save the date: Sept. 26-29, 2021. We look forward to seeing you online at the AREMA 2021 Virtual Conference.

Order the 2021 Manual for Railway Engineering now. With more than 40 new or revised Parts, it’s the perfect time to get the 2021 Manual. Order online now at www. arema.org or contact publications@arema. org for more details.

Call for Entries for the 2021 Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence. The selection process for the 23rd Dr. W.W. Hay Award has begun. Entries must be submitted by May 21, 2021. Please visit www.arema.org for more information.

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

term success. Visit www.arema.org/careers to post your job today.

Did you miss the AREMA 2020 Virtual Conference & Expo? The platform will be open through Sept. 15, 2021, for you to network and learn while on the go. Purchase now at www.arema.org.

N ot a n AR E MA m e m b e r? J o i n n ow to get exclusive rates on products and educational courses, committee opportunities, access to the directories, subscriptions to your favorite magazines, and much more.

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

UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS 2021 MEETINGS MAY 18-19

JUNE 10

Join a technical committee

Committee 15 - Steel Structures Virtual Meeting

Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization Virtual Meeting

MAY 26

SEPT. 14-15

Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals Virtual Meeting

Committee 15 - Steel Structures Virtual Meeting

Joining a technical committee is the starting point for involvement in the association and an opportunity for lifelong growth in the industry.

AREMA has 29 technical committees covering a broad spectrum of railway engineering specialties. Build your network of contacts, sharpen your leadership skills, learn from other members and maximize your membership investment. If you’re interested in joining a technical committee or sitting in on a meeting, please contact Alayne Bell at abell@ arema.org.

JUNE 3-4

SEPT. 16-17

Committee 8 - Concrete Structures and Foundations Kansas City, Mo.

Committee 8 - Concrete Structures and Foundations Sandpoint, Idaho

2022 MEETINGS FEB. 8-9

JUNE 9-10

Committee 15 - Steel Structures Fort Worth, Texas

Committee 8 - Concrete Structures and Foundations Anchorage, Alaska

MAY 17-18

SEPT 27-28

Committee 15 - Steel Structures Chicago, Ill.

Committee 15 - Steel Structures Virtual Meeting

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For a complete list of all committee meetings, visit https://www.arema. org/events.aspx.

April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 35

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP ON & OFF THE TRACK

RAIL BRIEF The Weekly RT&S Email Newsletter

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

Subscribe at: http://bit.ly/railbrief

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Aldon introduces Switch Checker Aldon Company, Waukegan, Ill., has introduced its new SWITCH CHECKER, a pocket-sized card which teaches workers how to correctly read switch points and thus avoid confusion about switch alignment. Switchlining errors can send a train down the wrong track but also can cause damage to switch gearing, or even cause a derailment.

Switch Checker consists of a two-sided waterproof card depicting on one side facing point views for a left-hand turnout and a right-hand turnout, and on the other side it shows trailing point views of both switches.

A lenticular lens holds a double image which shows the movement of the points when the switch is lined for the main track and for the side track.

When the card is tilted up or down, the alignment view changes. In each view a green or red arrow indicates which track the train will take.

Switch Checker enables a worker to confirm that the switch is correctly lined for the intended train movement. The use of Switch Checker also can help prevent damaging trailing point run-throughs.

Aldon offers a brief video to show how Switch Checker works: www.aldonco.com/checker

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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.

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April 2021 // Railway Track & Structures 39

LAST STOP

Cybersecurity and the railroads Monitoring a growing threat

By David C. Lester, Managing Editor

I David C. Lester

“

MANY CITIZENS SEEM TO FEEL THAT CYBERATTACKS ARE NOT AS DAMAGING OR DANGEROUS AS PHYSICAL ATTACKS.

40 Railway Track & Structures // April 2021

magine waking up one morning and learning from your preferred news source that agents from an adversarial nation-state were fanned out across the country, stealing information and documents from private corporations and government agencies. This horrific news would occupy headlines of every news outlet in the country, and Americans would naturally be stunned and scared.

While we haven’t had headlines such as these, we might as well have. The information and investigative cyberattacks the nation has been dealing with for years, and malware placement in U.S. systems by bad actors, have the same impact as physical invasion or attack. While not as dramatic or receiving the same amount of news coverage, our computer networks’ vulnerability is shocking.

Why, for example, after suffering through cyberattacks for more than a decade, does the U.S. find itself vulnerable to two recent massive cyberattacks allegedly conducted

by Russian and Chinese actors? Each day we learn the intrusions’ depths were more significant than we thought, accompanied by statements that officials don’t know how far the attack went and it will likely take years before we can unravel it all. We often hear top officials testifying before Congress and speaking at conferences to share the message that our systems are safe and secure, only to have the rug pulled out from under their remarks by an unforeseen “unprecedented” cyberattack that no one saw coming. Indeed, at this writing, The New York Times just reported that Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) recently said, “When not one but two cyberattacks have gone undetected by the federal government in such a short period of time, it’s hard to say we don’t have a problem. The system is blinking red.”

Many citizens seem to feel that cyberattacks are not as damaging or dangerous as physical attacks. The average person can’t see what’s going on and often concludes that doing something nefarious on a computer cannot be all that bad. I recommend that Americans learn more about cyberattacks, and the threat they pose to our country.

In my opinion, one of the best sources of information is “The Perfect Weapon—War,

Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age” by The New York Times national security correspondent David E. Sanger (Broadway Books, paperback, 387 pages, 2018-2019). This is a riveting and grave account of cyberwarfare that we ignore at our peril. A more recently published book, “This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends” by The New York Times national security journalist Nicole Perlroth (Bloomsbury Publishing, 491 pages, 2020) is an equally powerful report on the dangers of cybersecurity lapses.

What does this have to do with railroads?

Plenty. Railroad technology, specifically computer technology, has advanced significantly over the past 20 years. Just about everything a railroad does, including dispatching, routing, customer shipment monitoring, financial transactions, and recordkeeping, are entirely dependent on computer technology. That includes critical infrastructure like Positive Train Control. All this technology connects through networks, with most of them running on Internet connections.

The railroads have robust cybersecurity tools in place, and they take cybersecurity seriously. The industry has formed what it calls the Rail Information Security Committee, which the AAR says “is the focal point of the industry’s unified, cooperative efforts for cybersecurity.” Railroads also have one or two members of their cyber teams with secret security clearance from the U.S. and Canadian governments to participate in classified briefings on cybersecurity issues. Participation in these briefings ensures that the carriers have current intelligence to better protect their railroad’s technology networks.

Detailed, proactive planning and threat mitigation is needed. It’s challenging, though, because these efforts are costly.

Unless there is a new, immediate threat, organizations may be hesitant to spend lots of money preparing for something that “may” happen. However, failure to be as proactive as possible in protecting our systems can lead to serious, even catastrophic, problems down the road.

A version of this article recently appeared in Railfan & Railroad magazine and is reprinted here with permission. rtands.com

Congratulations AREMA 2021 Scholarship Winners Gary A. Babcoke III Penn State University Altoona Norfolk Southern Foundation Scholarship

Samantha Lau Brigham Young University AREMA Educational Foundation Scholarship

Max Barnes Brigham Young University AREMA Educational Foundation Scholarship

Matthew M. Parkes University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Union Pacific William E. Wimmer Scholarship

Leonel Evans University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign AREMA Educational Foundation Scholarship

Geordie Roscoe University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign New York Central Railroad Memorial Scholarship

Walter H. Friesel Michigan Technological University AREMA Educational Foundation Scholarship Olivia N. Hansen Illinois Institute of Technology William E. and Barbara I. Van Trump Scholarship Brevel G. J. Holder University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign AREMA Educational Foundation Scholarship

Soumya Sharma North Carolina State University North Carolina Railroad Company Scholarship Taylor Wyatt University of South Carolina CSX Scholarship Jiaxi Zhao University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Canadian National Railway Company Scholarship

Zoe Kyle-Di Pietropaolo Illinois Institute of Technology AREMA Educational Foundation Scholarship

For more information about the AREMA Educational Foundation or offered scholarships, visit www.aremafoundation.org.

HIGH CAPACITY I PRECISION I RELIABILITY

Material Conveyor and Hopper Car Plasser‘s Conveyor and Hopper cars MFS40 and MFS60 are designed for a fast and efficient transport of ballast, spoils or other materials in train formation to and from various work sites. The advantage of the MFS is its versatility in operation. It has the ability to transport, store, load, and unload of materials as a single unit or with other like units, and can also be used in combination with the Plasser Ballast Distribution System BDS100/200, various Ballast Undercutting & Cleaning machines and the ULS-3000 Unloading Station.

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