RT&S February 2018

2018 CLASS 1 CAPEX :

Combined spending of largest railroads reflects an increase

GRINDING AND MILLING

Metal removal avoids going heavy.

WINTER MAINTENANCE

Northeast transit systems are put to the test.

FEBRUARY 2018 | WWW.RTANDS.COM rtands.com

AND ALSO

AREMA News P.33

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 1

contents

February 2018

FEATURES

16

Grinding and milling Proper rail re-profiling begins with planning.

20

28 NEWS

DEPARTMENTS

4

Industry Today Updates from NCDOT, UP and Oklahoma DOT.

12

6

Supplier News Acquisitions, contracts and other news.

33

8

People New hires, promotions and appointments.

AREMA News Association restructures its Functional Groups

39

Products Rotary latch solution and an AEI reader system

40

Calendar

41 41

Ad Index

An NS intermodal train travels past track maintenance equipment.

Story on page 28 Cover Photo Credit: Norfolk Southern

TTCI Researchers evaluate the effect of grinding on intermediate strength rail

Sales Representatives

42

Classifieds Advertising

44

Professional Directory

2018 CapEx expectations Class 1s are using labels such as balanced, strategic or sustained to describe their 2018 capital programs, otherwise, anything but flat.

28

Keep everything moving Northeast transit systems upgrade equipment and develop plans to keep their rail systems in service during all weather conditions.

COLUMNS

3

On Track One industry, one voice

12

NRC Chairman’s Column Hello from Texas

BNSF

Follow Us On Social Media @RTSMag

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February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 1

Harsco Rail knows what it takes to keep commerce on track.

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On Track

One industry; one voice Vol. 114, No. 2 Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 Chicago, Ill. 60603 Telephone (312) 683-0130 Fax (312) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com Mischa Wanek-Libman Editor mischa@sbpub.com Kyra Senese Managing Editor ksenese@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES 55 Broad St 26th Fl. New York, N.Y. 10004 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. President and Chairman Jonathan Chalon Publisher Mary Conyers Production Director Nicole Cassano Art Director Aleza Leinwand Graphic Designer Maureen Cooney Circulation Director Michelle Zolkos Conference Director Customer Service: 800-895-4389 Reprints: PARS International Corp.

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

I

’m continually impressed with the unique ability within the rail industry to collaborate. Your competitor one day could be your partner the next day.

Those attending the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association’s (NRC) Annual Conference in Los Angeles in early January, received some exposure to this phenomenon in the “Transportation Legislation and Policy Priorities in the 115th Congress and Beyond” panel on Jan. 13.

The four railroad lobbyists and two congressional staffers on the panel were in agreement that the rail industry is very good at speaking with a single voice.

Outside of the NRC Conference, the industry provided a few examples of this concept in action.

First, concerning trade, the freight rail associations representing Mexico, the United States and Canada, sent a joint letter to negotiators ahead of the sixth formal round of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) discussions being held in Montreal, Quebec.

Leaders of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), Railway Association of Canada and the Asociación Mexicana de Ferrocarriles penned the letter in an effort to communicate the vast benefits that NAFTA has provided to the Canadian, Mexican and United States economies, and the critical need to maintain free trade on

the continent. The letter calls for constructive negotiations and the preservation of successful elements currently in place.

Another example of cooperation toward a greater goal comes from AAR, the Rail Passengers Association and the American Public Transportation Association, who are joining forces in an educational effort aimed at the general public on safe practices around railroad property.

Citing recent fatal incidents in Florida, what the groups call “an unhelpful political campaign targeting the Brightline rail service” and a local group’s suggestion that using tracks as walking paths is a normal activity, have prompted the joint focus on safety. The joining of freight and passenger rail advocates shows there is no agenda above safety in this industry.

The industry will get the opportunity to practice using that group voice on March 7 at Railroad Day on Capitol Hill.

I’ll be there and I hope to see you, as well.

By the way, the February issue marks the launch of a redesign in RT&S. The fonts are more readable and graphics are more eye-catching, which we hope translates into a more dynamic reading experience.

What hasn’t changed is our commitment to bring quality coverage about the rail maintenance and construction industry to these pages. Happy reading.

Mischa Wanek-Libman Editor

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

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February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 3

Industry today

O

klahoma Department of Transportation (OKDOT) successfully moved two BNSF bridge spans into place the weekend of Jan. 26-28 in a complicated maneuver that was part of a highway expansion project.

OKDOT said the bridge move was the first of its kind in state history. Two years of planning went into the move, which occurred during a 60-hour work window where all lanes of I-235 in Oklahoma City were shut down.

On the morning of Jan. 27, OKDOT says 4 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

self-propelled mobile transporters began inching the first of two 45-foot tall truss bridge spans weighing a total of 4-million pounds from their assembly site in the work zone to their final location about a quarter of a mile to the south, just south of N. 50th St. The second span began moving mid-Sunday morning and was fully installed by early Sunday evening. Northbound I-235 reopened to traffic Sunday night and southbound lanes opened early Monday in time for the morning commute, which was a full day ahead of schedule.

The new bridge is one element of the nearly $88-million reconstruction and widening project on I-235 between N. 36th St. and I-44. While completion of this bridge move is a major accomplishment to celebrate, there is still a year left in this more than two-year-long project on I-235.

The bridge was originally planned to be moved during the week of Jan. 19-21, however, high winds required the move to be rescheduled as winds more than 20 mph pose too much safety risk.

The three-day interstate shutdown wasn’t the original plan either. The bridge was set to be moved over the course of two weekends.

OKDOT credits its contractor, Allen Contracting, with bringing the proposal of a three-day shutdown to the table. OKDOT said its was open to accomplishing the work safely with fewer shutdowns and moving forward with the three-day closure allowed for a reduction in future planned interstate closures for the project.

“The amazing teamwork between the project designers, Allen Contracting and American Bridge and [OKDOT] workers to get all this in place over a weekend was truly a modern engineering marvel and something Oklahomans will long remember,” said OKDOT Chief Engineer Casey Shell.

This marks the first time this type of bridge movement and installation has taken place in Oklahoma. Building the bridge truss structures near the highway and moving the fully assembled spans into place over the weekend greatly reduced the impact to traffic, requiring the interstate to be closed for a few days rather than several months if traditional bridge construction methods had been used.

“This innovative bridge construction and installation method is a first for Oklahoma and saved drivers the inconvenience of several months of closures on I-235,” OKDOT Bridge Engineer Steve Jacobi said. “Everyone involved with this effort did an excellent job executing the bridge move, which was a major milestone in this project.”

In the coming weeks, BNSF crews will begin laying track to connect the existing railroad line to the new structure, allowing for later removal of the old railroad bridge by OKDOT’s contractor. The old bridge is expected to be removed sometime this spring. rtands.com

Oklahoma Department of Transportation

Two spans of new BNSF bridge rolled into place over Oklahoma interstate

Industry today

California state agency allocates $52 million to passenger rail providers The California State Transportation Agency awarded $51.9 million in State Rail Assistance program funding to seven recipients. The funds are made possible by the passage of state Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) last year.

SB 1 created the State Rail Assistance Program by directing a portion of new revenue specifically to intercity rail and commuter rail. The majority of program funding is directed by statutory formula to rail operators. The legislation is expected to provide $7.6 billion in new transit funding over the next decade.

“SB 1 is about rebuilding California and keeping the state on the move, I am pleased to announce this investment of $51.9 million to rail operators that move 110,000 Californians between work and home every day,” said California State Transportation Agency Secretary Brian Kelly. “These funds will expand service, modernize equipment and rebuild stations and tracks. SB 1

rebuilds California.”

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority received a total of $13.1 million for four projects including safety and security improvements, the replacement of the passenger information system, rail and station infrastructure improvement environmental and design work and signal replacement.

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, Metrolink and North County Transit District each received $10.5 million. The Altamont Corridor Express and Caltrain each received $2.5 million and the Los Angeles – San Diego - San Louis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency received a total $2.32 million for five projects.

The agency says the 16 projects have a total value of $136 million with funding from other sources included and are focused investments by the state to improve commuter and intercity rail service across California, reduce air pollution and ease traffic congestion.

NCDOT

NCDOT wraps up Piedmont Improvement Program North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has completed the state’s largest rail infrastructure improvement program after seven years of construction. NCDOT says the Piedmont Improvement Program (PIP) is improving safety, efficiency and reliability for freight and passenger rail service between Charlotte and Raleigh.

Over the course of the program, more than 40 comprehensive rail projects were completed. These included constructing 13 new bridges over or under highways to prevent train/vehicle collisions; laying 27 miles of double track between Greensboro and Charlotte, making the route between both cities now double track and closing nearly 40 street-level roadway crossings to improve safety among others.

“The Piedmont Improvement Program has put our state on the right path for the future by not only improving connectivity for passenger customers, but also serving as a catalyst for economic improvement through freight rail service, locally and nationally,” said NCDOT rtands.com

Chief Deputy Secretary David Howard.

“Additionally, modernization of the corridor allows for increased freight service along the line to better accommodate growing freight traffic while lightening the load on our state’s highways.”

The Federal Railroad Administration awarded the state a $520-million grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the work.

SEPTA adopts Locally Preferred Alternative for KOP rail project The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will adopt the recommended Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) as presented in the King of Prussia Rail (KOP Rail) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) with the North/South design option following board approval.

The transportation authority said this move will allow for the Final Environmental Impact Statement phase of the project to begin.

KOP Rail, the transportation authority’s proposed extension of the existing Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL) into King of Prussia, is intended to provide a “one-seat” ride to King of Prussia from the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby or from the Norristown Transportation Center, SEPTA said.

The KOP Rail extension would cut travel time between Center City Philadelphia and King of Prussia by about a half hour in each direction, SEPTA said. The 4.5-mile elevated extension will have five station stops with a projected total ridership of 9,500 trips per day by 2040.

The new extension is also set to allow for improved transit service between King of Prussia, Center City and University City, which SEPTA notes are the region’s three largest economic hubs.

The Draft EIS identified alternatives and analyzed the effects the proposed project would have on the natural, cultural and socioeconomic environments. SEPTA will submit the project’s LPA to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission for inclusion in the regional long-range plan. The Final EIS is currently set to be issued in 2019.

Officials said SEPTA considered more than 30 alternatives for a new rail connection between the existing NHSL and destinations in King of Prussia.

Following community and stakeholder feedback and the consideration of 40 different technical factors, SEPTA said it chose the PECO/Turnpike First Avenue alternative with the North/South design option that moved the alignment away from residential areas.

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 5

Industry today

An ACS G roup/H ochtief-le d consortium has been chosen as the recommended developer for a $1.95 billion public-private partnership project to build an automated people mover at Los Angeles International Airport.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s rail division has chosen Dewberry to provide rail project management and technical support, as well as other general rail engineering support.

GE Transportation signed two c o n t ra c t s wo r t h m o re t h a n $900 million with Kazakhstan railroad Kazakhstan Temir Zholy for 300 switcher locomotives and an 18-year service agreement to maintain and repair 175 Evolution™ Series passenger locomotives.

H a r sco Ra i l b e g a n d e l ive r y of 31 rail vehicles that will help maintain Switzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel.

Sound Transit awarded a contract to HDR to provide planning, preliminary engineering and other services for the Tacoma Dome Link Extension.

Industry-Railway Suppliers, Inc., has acquired the business assets of ESCO Equipment Company.

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc., and Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX) have completed a definitive merger agreement where Loram will acquire all outstanding shares of GREX. Pandrol signed multi-year distributor partnership agreements with Industry-Railway Suppliers, Inc., in the United States and Davanac, Inc., in Canada.

R. J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC, completed the sale of Roadway Worker Training to RailPros.

6 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

Union Pacific began construction began in early January on Brazos Yard in Robertson County, Texas. The $550-million yard is the largest capital investment in a single facility in its history.

UP says Brazos Yard is the first classification yard to be built in more than a generation and will showcase best practices in operating efficiency, technology and innovation. The yard is scheduled to be completed in 2020 and will have the capacity to switch

up to 1,300 rail cars per day, making it one of the highest capacity yards on Union Pacific’s 23-state network.

“Brazos Yard will play an important role in helping Union Pacific’s men and women provide excellent service to our customers that represent a wide variety of economic drivers,” said Lance Fritz, Union Pacific chairman, president and CEO. “It also will improve efficiency and fluidity across our entire rail network.”

The Brazos Yard site sits at the convergence of seven Union Pacific rail lines, making it a strategic point for freight rail traffic travelling north, south, east and west.

Brazos Yard will support Union Pacific’s customers that represent a wide variety of economic drivers across Texas, including cross border traffic, petrochemicals, consumer goods and plastics.

“This project has been an important part of Union Pacific’s planning for several years as we’ve monitored customer demand and economic growth across the region,” said Brenda Mainwaring, Union Pacific’s assistant vice-president Public Affairs. “Based on current demand and building for future freight transportation needs, Union Pacific is making our largest capital investment in the Texas Brazos Valley.”

Final rail installed for LIRR double track project along Ronkonkoma Branch January saw the final five miles of rail installed as part of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Double Track project. The 13 miles of new double track will enable the LIRR to provide more frequent offpeak service to the Ronkonkoma Branch in both directions.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) explains that the utilization of design-build construction along with a specialized New Track Construction machine lays rail more than 10 times faster than the agency has ever done. The accelerated construction has saved MTA more than $7 million and the project is expected to be complete in August 2018, 16 months ahead of schedule.

With just one track along most of the 18-mile route between Farmingdale and

Ronkonkoma, the LIRR can operate only a limited number of trains and lacks operational flexibility in the event of a disruption. If one train becomes disabled, all other trains - coming from both east and west - have no way around the problem.

The project has taken place over two phases. Phase One used the New Track Construction machine to lay the first 3.5 miles of new track between Central Islip and Ronkonkoma and was completed in August 2016. Phase Two includes laying the rest of the track between Farmingdale and Central Islip. Over the next several months, crews will continue construction that includes stone ballast, tamping, surfacing and installation of the third rail and new signal system. rtands.com

Union Pacific

Supplier News

Union Pacific begins construction on Brazos Yard in Texas

Industry today

Preferred Alignment selected for Chicago’s Red Line Extension The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has selected a preferred alignment for the Red Line Extension (RLE) project, which is set to extend the Red Line to 130th Street from 95th Street.

The RLE project is intended to provide new access to rail service for the city’s Far South Side residents, CTA said.

The proposed 5.3-mile extension would include four new stations near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue and 130th Street. Each new station would feature bus and parking facilities, as well.

The transit authority selected a route for the project that would begin the extension at 95th Street and run along the west side of the

Union Pacific tracks from I-57 south to approximately 109th Street; cross the UP tracks and run along the east side of the tracks until crossing the Metra Electric tracks near 119th Street where it would continue south to 130th Street.

The CTA said the preferred RLE alignment would minimize the effects on local businesses and homes and takes advantage of several large, vacant sections of land that will enable economic development opportunities.

The engineering work must be completed before CTA can apply for more than $1 billion in federal funds to support the project, which has an estimated cost of $2.3 billion.

CTA said it intends to apply to the

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for entry into the Project Development Phase of this project, which would allow the transit authority to pursue federal funding for the project under the competitive federal “New Starts” program.

“We are happy to introduce our preferred alignment for the Red Line Extension, a transformational project that will expand rail service to Chicago’s southernmost communities and create better access to jobs, education and opportunities,” CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. said. “We made this selection based on feedback from the community, and look forward to moving forward on this project.”

Canadian government to help finance Lac-Mégantic rail bypass A plan to move a rail line from out of downtown Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, received financial backing from the federal government of Canada, but no solid dollar amount.

Transport Canada Minister of Transport Marc Garneau said in a statement that the federal government would contribute a “substantial sum” toward the Lac-Mégantic rail bypass project.

“The bypass project is a complex one, which I have been working on since I began my duties as Minister of Transport. There is still a lot of work to do with the Government of Quebec on cost sharing, and with the municipalities on finalizing the route, which

THE

is why the exact amount of the federal contribution is yet to be confirmed,” said Minister Garneau.

He continued, “For me, this bypass line is much more than a railway infrastructure project. It is rather a social rebuilding project for the people of Lac-Mégantic...I therefore want the people of Lac-Mégantic to know that the government of Canada has heard them and is behind them.”

The town is the sight of a tragic accident when an un-manned train carrying crude oil lost its effective braking hold and rolled downhill, into town, where it derailed, resulting in a large fire that left 47 dead.

ORIGINAL

Three employees of the train operator, Montreal Maine and Atlantic, were recently found not guilty at a criminal trial.

Quebec’s environmental review board, BAPE, published a study in July 2017 identifying several options for a possible bypass route.

The options involve adding approximately 11 km (6.8 miles) of rail at a rough estimated cost of CA$130 million (US$105.3 million).

“My goal is to be able to announce the details before the fifth anniversary of the tragedy. Therefore, I am now inviting the provincial and municipal governments l to collaborate with us to complete this project as soon as possible,” said Minister Garneau.

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February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 7

Industry today

People Bergmann, a national engineering firm, named George Kevgas, PE, as its new vice president of infrastructure for the firm’s Atlantic region.

T h e C A L I F O RN I A H I G H - S P EE D RAIL AUTHORITY named Brian P. Kelly as its new CEO, effective Feb. 1, 2018.

The authorit y also announced the appointment of Joseph Hedges as its new chief operating officer and Pamela Mizukami as chief deputy director.

C ANA D I AN P A C I F I C RA I LW AY announced that Corey Heinz, managing director, Asia, will lead its new Shanghai, China office.

T h e C A P I T A L ME T R O P O L I TAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY Board of Directors in Austin, Texas, named Randy Clarke to serve as the agency’s next president and CEO. Th e CENTRAL MAI NE & Q U E B E C RAILWAY named Chad Mowery as its

8 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

new vice president of operations, and chose J. Wesley Logan to be general manager of operations.

H AR S C O RA I L p r o m o t e d A l l e n Branham to vice president of its North America Sales and Global Contracting Services division.

The NEW JERSEY TRANSIT Board will consider the nomination of AECOM’s Kevin Corbett to serve as the public tra n s p o r tati o n sys te m’s exe c uti ve director at its next meeting.

John M. Scheib was named executive vice president law and administration and chief legal officer for NORFOLK SOUTHERN ef fective March 1, 2018.

Scheib will succeed William A. Galanko, who will retire on th e sam e date.

Jennifer F. Scanlon was elected to serve as an independent director of NORFOLK SOUTHERN effective Jan. 22.

OMNITRAX, Inc., Board Chairman

Edmond Harris announced his resignation this month af ter being named executive vice president of operations at CSX Corporation.

TNW CORPORATION n am ed Luis Delgado as the company’s market development manager for the company’s Dallas office.

TRIMET’s Board of Directors has named current TriMet Chief Operating Officer Doug Kelsey as the single finalist in the search for a new general manager.

Cindy Sanborn has joined UNION PACIFIC as regional vice president Transportation-Western Region.

Allan M. Zarem bski, professor of practice and director of the UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE’s Railroad Engineering and Safety Program, received the 2017 Fumio Tatsuoka Best Paper Award from the journal Transportation Infrastructure Geotechnology.

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NRC Chairman’s Column

Hello from Texas

H

“

I will work closely during the next two years with the executive committee and the board of directors to ensure the association continues to flourish.

The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association, Inc. 410 1st Street, S.E. Suite 200 Washington D. C. 20003 Tel: 202-715-2920 www.nrcma.org info@nrcma.org 12 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

ello, from Ft. Worth, Texas. As the new chairman of the NRC Board, I would like to introduce myself: Mike Choat, vice president of Business Development with Wabtec.

I have served on the NRC Board of Directors since 2009 and during the past four years, I have served as a member of the executive committee.

I attended Western Kentucky University and received a master’s degree of in business administration from Jacksonville University.

I have been married to my wife Kathy for 35 years and have a son, a daughter and five grandchildren. It is an honor and privilege to serve this association as chairman.

I have been in the rail industry for more than 40 years, starting in 1976. I spent 30 years with CSX, where I began as an assistant signalman in Henderson, Ky. My main tools were a pick and a shovel. I moved into management in 1982 as an assistant signal supervisor and was promoted to supervisor - Signals in 1984.

I was promoted to division signal engineer in Atlanta in 1988 and in 1992, I was named director signal construction in CSX headquarters in Jacksonville. During the next 10 years, I held many positions within Signals and in 2002, I was promoted to chief engineer Communication and Signals. I retired in 2006.

After my time with CSX, I served as president of Railroad Controls LTD (RCL), providing signal and communications installation for Class 1 railroads, shortlines and commuter railroads. In 2015, Railroad Controls was acquired by Wabtec.

During 2016 and 2017, I oversaw the Signaling and Construction business unit within the Electronics group, which included Xorail and RCL. My current role as vice president of Business Development is focused on achieving the growth objectives in the engineering and construction areas.

As chairman of the NRC, I will work closely during the next two years with the executive committee and the board of directors to ensure the association continues to flourish. Wabtec will continue to be very supportive of my position on the board.

We will continue to work diligently to provide more opportunities for our contractor members, increase the membership and focus on Capitol Hill to represent the best interests of our association and the entire rail industry.

We will continue to focus on providing our member companies with valuable services, such as safety training videos, regulatory requirement advocacy and leadership and coordination on RSAC issues.

The committees are performing extremely well and as chairman, I have recently appointed a new slate of committee chairs, which will be announced soon. If you are interested in serving on a committee, please e-mail mbell@nrcma.org.

As most of you know, we just completed our annual conference in Los Angeles and it was a tremendous success, drawing more than 1,100 attendees. All of the speakers were well prepared and their presentations on capital budgets and contractor and supplier opportunities were well-received.

Thanks to all of our presenters.

Overall, the conference sessions and exhibits were well-attended. I would like to give special thanks to Matt Bell, Lindsey Collins, Will Resch, Matt Ginsberg and Chuck Baker for their vigorous work.

Thanks to Chris Daloisio, president, Railroad Constructors, for the fantastic job he has done as chairman for the past two years.

Through Chris’s leadership, the association has remained in strong financial shape, produced great safety videos and has benefited from outstanding work across all committees.

I am joined on the executive committee by: Jim Hansen with Herzog Railroad Services, Inc., and Steve Bolte, Danella Rental Systems.

For your calendars, the NRC has two major upcoming events early this year: 1. Railroad Day on Capitol Hill is March 7 in Washington D.C. Advocacy issues will include tax policy, the need for balanced economic regulation of freight railroads and truck size and weight laws. These issues are critical to the railroad industry as a whole.

2. The annual NRC Rail Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction, to be hosted by Blackmon Auctions April 26 in Lonoke, Ark. Additional information on these events and more is available at www.nrcma.org.

Make it a safe day!

Mike Choat NRC Chairman rtands.com

TTCI r&d

Rail grinding adds life to intermediate strength rails at FAST TTCI evaluates the effects of rail grinding on intermediate strength and standard strength rail types.

by Ananyo Banerjee, principal investigator; Joseph A. LoPresti, scientist, Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

R

ail testing has been an integral part of evaluation of track components at Transportation Technology Center, Inc.’s (TTCI) Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST). In 2012, TTCI initiated a performance test of intermediate strength (IS) rails, which concluded in 2016 after 598 million gross tons (mgt) due to multiple shell formations on the high rail. Four out of six rail types developed shells and transverse defects, which included a standard strength (SS) rail type used as the baseline comparison.

For this study, five different IS rail types were donated by five suppliers. One SS rail was included for baseline comparison.1,2 The previous IS rail test lasted 390 mgt3, and the second IS rail test lasted 598 mgt.

The difference was due to preventive grinding cycles employed in the second test to remove surface cracks and inhibit shell initiation.

The test was conducted in a 5-degree, lubricated curve with four inches of superelevation and consisted of 40-foot lengths of 136-lb. rails. All were flash-butt welded to form an 800-foot string of high rail. The standard strength (SS) rail type had lower hardness of 320 Brinell hardness number (BHN) compared to the IS rail types, which ranged from 330 to 360 BHN. Defect analysis Table 1 summarizes the total number of observed shells and transverse defects. The SS rail type is shown in blue to differentiate from the IS rail types.

The IS 1 and IS 3 rails did not develop rtands.com

shells or transverse defects at any time during the test. There were two IS 2 rail test pieces, and both pieces developed multiple shells and had to be removed from the test before 417 mgt.

One of the four shells transformed into a transverse fissure. One of the IS 5 rails developed a shell that grew to form a transverse defect and had to be removed at 310 mgt. Two other shells on IS 5 rail were removed at 548 mgt, one remaining shell and one remaining transverse defect were removed at the end of the test.

The IS 4 rails developed shells at a later stage of the test. Two shells opening to the surface and two subsurface shells were removed between 548 mgt and 560 mgt.

These were the only subsurface shells observed in this test while the remaining 15 shells opened to the surface. Two remaining shells of the IS 4 rails were removed at the end of the test. Two of the SS rails that developed shells had to be removed at 320 mgt and 474 mgt. A third piece of SS type rail was removed at 550 mgt due to a transverse defect and the fourth piece having a shell was removed at

the end of the test. All 17 shells formed at the gauge corners of the rails.

Figure 1 features photographs of the shells with growth patterns developed in IS 2, IS 4 and IS 5 rails. These growth patterns appeared to be in periodic step formations and the periodic reversal of growth direction might be linked to the bi-directional movement of the FAST train. The shells of IS 2 and IS 5 rails shown in Figure 1 were open to the surface of the gauge corner; however, the shell of IS 4 rail developed below the surface with no indication visible from outside.

Wear performance analysis Rail profiles were measured at approximately every 60 mgt; before and after every preventive grinding cycle.

Figure 2 shows the comparative wear/ metal loss performance and difference in mgt between the previous and recently concluded IS rail tests. It should be noted that Figure 2 depicts a comparison of metal loss of IS rails from both tests and not a pure comparison of wear.

The metal loss of the recently concluded

Rail Type (Number of Rails)

Shells

Transverse Defects (TD)

IS 1 (3)

0

0

IS 2 (2)

4

1 (TD under shell)

IS 3 (3)

0

0

IS 4 (4)

6

0

IS 5 (4)

4

2 (1 TD under shell)

SS (4)

3

1

Total

17

4

Table 1: This table outlines the total number of observed shells and transverse defects.

Shown in blue, the SS rail type is set apart from the IS rail types.

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 13

TTCI r&D

Figure 1: This figure depicts shells in IS 2 (left), IS 5 (center) and subsurface shell in IS 4 rails (right).

The growth patterns displayed appeared to be in periodic step formations.

IS rail test is due to a cumulative loss of metal due to wear and grinding cycles; whereas, the metal loss of the previous IS rail test was due to wear only. The 2010– 2012 previous IS rail test lasted for 390 mgt and was concluded due to excessive shelling of the rails. No preventive maintenance grinding was done in the previous test and it ended with 18 shells formed between 340 mgt and 380 mgt.

One of the goals of the second IS rail test was to delay defect initiation by doing preventive maintenance grinding at regular intervals and monitor rail wear performance. Although preventive grinding was not done at equally spaced time and traffic intervals, eight grinding cycles at an average interval of 60 mgt were completed. These grinding cycles led to longer life of the rails and delayed initiation of shells.

The SS rails in the 2012–2016 IS rail test had the highest metal loss rate including wear, while the five IS types in this test had similar metal loss rates. Grinding was similar every time with equal amounts of metal removal for all rail types. The head metal loss performance of a high-strength (premium) rail is also shown in Figure 2.

The premium rail has lasted for 674 mgt with an average head loss of 0.06 inch, which is about 34 percent of the average head loss of the SS rail type and about 48 percent of the average head loss of the IS rail types at 598 mgt. The premium rail had a minimum surface hardness of 370 BHN which is higher than the hardness of the IS rails and SS rails.

Conclusions The 2012–2016 IS rail test conducted at

the high tonnage loop of FAST concluded at 598 mgt due to excessive shelling of the high rail. Four out of six rail types developed shells and transverse defects, which included a SS rail type used as the baseline comparison.

The test was focused on rail wear performance and defect formations of the different IS rail types. This test was longer than the previous 2010–2012 IS rail test by 208 mgt due to regular preventive maintenance grinding cycles that helped to delay shell formations. But preventive grinding at an average interval of 60 mgt could not eliminate shell formation and the test concluded with 17 shells and four transverse defects.

Metal loss rates of the IS rail types were similar and the SS rail type had an average metal loss of about 33 percent higher than the IS rails by the end of the test.

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TTCI r&d

Figure 2: This figure shows the comparison of average metal loss of rail head between premium rail from 2010-2012 and between 2012-2016 in IS rail tests.

References 1. Banerjee, A. and LoPresti, J. March 2017.

“Intermediate Strength Rail Test: Wear and Defect Analysis.” Technology Digest TD-17005. Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.

2. Szablewski, D., LoPresti, J. and Lucero, M. February 2015. “FAST Intermediate Strength Rail Test Results: 2012-2014.”

Technolog y Digest TD-15-001.

Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.

3. Szablewski, D. and LoPresti, J. May 2014.

“Intermediate Strength Rail Testing at FAST: Wear, RCF, and Deep-seated Shelling Analysis.” Technology Digest TD-14-010.

Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.

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February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 15

Grinding

Vossloh’s milling process can remove up to 3mm of steel from the rail in a single pass.

INNOVATIVE

GRINDING STYLE Rail quality is enhanced through advancements in grinding and milling technology.

A

good rail maintenance program contains some element of rail grinding or rail milling to extend expected rail life and remove defects. Service providers are concentrating on offering new equipment with greater versatility, but they are also concentrating on proper planning to make sure track time, as well as return on investment, is maximized.

Versatile equipment Orgo-Thermit, Inc., will introduce re-profiling and deburring of rails and switches in 2018 utilizing its new RailShape Eco. GeorgeAnne Tutunjian, director of Business Development, explains that the machine can correct the narrowing of gauge, removes defects on the running edge of the rail and can be operated by a single person when grinding standard rail.

She notes that the new service offered by the RailShape Eco fits into the company’s aim of providing extremely versatile equipment.

“With our VM8000 on/off track two-way rail grinding vehicle, we can enter and exit track within one minute as traffic is inbound.

Additionally, the ability of our four-wheel

16 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

By Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

steering allows us to set on at any crossing in the vicinity of the work to be done. It’s not necessary to travel from the yard prior to commencing work,” said Tutunjian.

She continued by saying that having an organized and detailed inventory ensures Orgo-Thermit’s grinding technicians are best equipped to handle issues that may arise unexpectedly. Tutunjian says the company also tracks past work that has been performed electronically so as not to duplicate efforts and keeps its equipment in good condition with daily maintenance to prevent breakdowns and unnecessary costs.

Proper re-profiling Harsco Rail says that with maintenance work windows being reduced, proper maintenance cycles can be performed with efficient planning and monitoring.

“Understanding the proper rail/wheel interface gives the railroad information that allows for predicting rail wear,” said the company. “The re-profiling of rail isn’t all about maximum metal removal anymore, it’s more about the proper amount of profiling in order to be more precise as it relates

to the contact band of the trains running on the rails.”

Harsco Rail has developed software to simulate the trains’ contact band on the rail for planning and monitoring rail/ wheel interface.

“This allows for precise rail templates to be ground on a variety of different track sections, which better fits the desired contact,” explains Harsco Rail. “We have been involved with a number of projects where we take various rail measurements and compare to vehicle wheel measurements, then run the measurements through our software in order to make decisions about the most efficient rail/wheel interface for specific customers’ needs.”

Spark free cutting Vossloh Rail Services provides rail milling solutions to customer throughout Europe via mobile rail milling machines (milling trains). Vossloh explains that milling is a maintenance practice capable of correcting advanced rail defects through a spark free cutting process that removes up to 3 mm of steel from the rail head in one pass. rtands.com

Grinding

Vossloh explains that its milling trains are integrated with measuring equipment that works behind the milling cutter, analyzing the machined rail to ensure there are no remaining defects. The result, says Vossloh, is a precise, dimensionally accurate restoration of the rail’s transverse and longitudinal profiles.

“Vossloh Mobile Rail Milling machines operate at speeds of up to 2 mph. While this is a lower speed than production grinding trains, rail milling is also much more efficient, capable of completely re-profiling the rail head in as little as a single pass,” said the company. “Rail milling is a maintenance technique used to recondition rail sections with advanced rail defects, which helps our customers avoid costly and time consuming rail replacement.”

Orgo-Thermit will introduce the RailShape Eco in 2018, designed to re-profile and deburr rails and switches.

ROI maximization Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. introduced its truckable rail grinder, RGT, to enhance its maintenance-of-way line of equipment. The RGT consists of a trailermounted, eight-stone, full-flex grind

buggy that is both Department of Transportation and railroad compliant. The company notes the RGT’s combination of productivity and robustness within a “truckable” platform makes it an attractive option for its customers.

“As the RGT is able to travel over road or on track, its transportability allows it to be a quick deploy solution to rapidly remove rail defects while also retaining many of the same features of our specialty and production grinders,” said Ken Range, manager of Product Development.

Loram describes rail grinding as one of its core competencies and says it is committed to delivering superior value through lower cost per unit by providing more efficient rail grinders that lead the industry in metal removal.

“Efficient rail grinders with superior metal removal reduce the amount of passes required and operate at higher speeds to produce the required profile and minimize overall cost. Loram’s rail grinding product offerings include a full equipment and services that serve heavy haul, international, specialty and transit railroads,” said the company.

Loram explains that any preventive or corrective grinding program can be planned and accomplished effectively and economically through proper inspection,

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February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 17

Grinding

scheduling, machine selection, grind stone selection and performance monitoring, thus, maximizing the railroad’s return on investment.

The company explains that its team delivers on the railroad’s service expectation through pre-planning, effective communication and a dedication to hard work.

“Through the utilization of data gathered by a Rail Inspection Vehicle (RIV), Loram rail grinding customers work in concert with the Loram Asset Management team to gather, analyze and plan grinding activities according to the diverse requirements and trends of individual customers and track situations. The resulting grind plan provides the remediation requirement for that track section allowing the selection and deployment of the most efficient rail grinding program,” said the company.

“Loram continues to invest in both research and development in the design and manufacturing of highly-productive equipment that can operate at the highest level of reliability,” said Scott Diercks, director of Marketing and Business Development.

Loram says its new RGT combines productivity and robustness on a truckable platform.

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Capex 2018

Steady state Of Capital

expenditures

20 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

growth opportunities.

Four of the seven Class 1s plan to increase spending between 4 percent and 18 percent over 2017 and Canadian National plans a record program in 2018. While recent U.S. legislation revamping corporate tax rates is viewed as generally good, the law was signed too late in 2017 to have an immediate impact on 2018 programs.

Our annual round up of what and where the North American Class 1 railroads plan to spend their money came from year-end earnings reports, industry association presentations and general reporting. All dollar figures are reported to the best of our ability, but should be read as estimates,

are subject to change and are dependent on approval from the various Boards of Directors; with the exception of Canadian National and BNSF, which officially announced their programs in late January.

BNSF BNSF Railway’s $3.3 billion 2018 capital plan is equal to the 2017 program. The railroad says the program reflects continued focus on maintaining its network as well as expansion projects aimed at meeting customer demands.

“Every year we work to ensure our capital investment plan enables us to continue to operate a safe and reliable rail network as well rtands.com

Canadian Pacific

N

orth America’s seven largest freight railroads anticipate spending more than $14 billion through their capital programs this year. Two planned reduced programs, four programs are increasing and one remains exactly the same.

The biggest drop in capital spending comes from CSX, which is still implementing a precision schedule railroad model and transitioning into new leadership following the death of E. Hunter Harrison. The only other Class 1 planning a reduction in spending in 2018 is Kansas City Southern, but the railroad credits this to large projects reaching completion rather than a lack of

Capex 2018

2018 capital spending met with more optimism as estimated programs among Class 1 railroads total a slight increase over last year.

By Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

Canadian Pacific plans to progress 70 bridge projects to either the design or construction phase in 2018.

as anticipates the needs of our customers,” said Carl Ice, BNSF president and CEO. “Our attention to safety and service, along with our investments in our network, provide a solid foundation for our ability to grow with our customers today and in the future.”

The 2018 program will again invest the largest portion of the program, $2.4 billion, into the replacement and maintenance of the railroad’s core network and related assets.

The projects included in the maintenance part of the plan will primarily be for replacing and upgrading rail, crossties and ballast and maintaining its rolling stock. It will include approximately 13,000 miles of track surfacing and/or undercutting work and rtands.com

the replacement of more than 500 miles of rail and nearly 3 million crossties.

“Our infrastructure is strong and robust.

Our efforts to normalize our maintenance investment have positioned us to replace the right assets at the right locations at the right time,” Ice said. “This allows our maintenance investment to be at similar levels year-to-year.”

Approximately $500 million of this year’s capital plan is for expansion and efficiency projects. The majority of those projects are focused on key growth areas along BNSF’s Southern and Northern Transcon routes, connecting Southern California with Chicago and the Pacific Northwest to Upper Midwest respectively. The company has also allocated $100 million for positive train control (PTC) as it moves toward meeting the Dec. 31, 2018 implementation deadline.

BNSF notes that it is the only Class 1 freight railroad to have completed the installation of PTC on all its federallymandated subdivisions and is currently running hundreds of trains daily with PTC as it tests revenue service across its mandated territory. Another element of its capital plan will be $300 million for freight cars and other equipment acquisitions.

Canadian National Canadian National plans a record CA$3.2 billion (US$2.59 billion) capital program in 2018. The railroad says the program will focus on key capacity projects to meet growing freight demand and continue investment in infrastructure maintenance to enhance safety and efficiency.

“CN is investing more than ever before in the safety, efficiency and resiliency of our network,” said Luc Jobin, CN president and chief executive officer. “These record investments, a substantial portion of which will go to new capacity and growth projects, will improve our network fluidity, allowing us to deliver superior service to meet our customers’ growing freight volumes.”

Within the Class 1’s planned CA$1.6 billion (US$1.2 billion) track and railway infrastructure maintenance envelope is the replacement of 2.1 million crossties, more than 600 miles of rail, as well as bridge work and other general track maintenance.

The maintenance spending is consistent with what the railroad has spent during the past three years on basic maintenance. Two high-profile bridge projects expected to see progress this year include the Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge in Louisiana and the St. Charles Air Line bridge in Chicago.

What is driving the bump in the program in 2018 is the planned CA$700 million (US$563.4 million) on capacity investments in both infrastructure and equipment.

Michael Cory, chief operating officer and executive vice president, said during CN’s 2017 Q4 earnings call that the capacity investments are aimed at a simple target: keeping trains moving.

“Our trains will continue to get bigger.

With more trains on the network, we must reduce the number of times trains have to stop from meeting and the duration of that stop. That is why a number of our investments are targeted for building doubletrack sections where our big trains can meet without stopping,” said Cory.

Approximately CA$400 million (US$321.9 million) is expected to be spent on equipment, including the acquisition of new high horsepower locomotives. A further CA$800 million (US$643.9 million) is targeted towards initiatives to increase capacity and enable growth, such as track infrastructure expansion, investments in yards and in intermodal terminals; and on information technology to improve safety performance, operational efficiency and customer service.

More specifically, major capacity and equipment investments include 60 new GE locomotives, the first deliveries from a three-year order of 200 new units; double track and siding extensions in the West Coast to Chicago corridors and intermodal equipment and infrastructure in Toronto, Memphis, Tenn., Joliet, Ill., and other terminals.

The company plans to invest approximately CA$400 million (US$321.9 million) in 2018 on the implementation of PTC along 3,500 route miles of its U.S. network.

CN plans to invest a total of US$1.4 billion on PTC capital expenditures by 2020.

Canadian Pacific Canadian Pacific Railway will target a capital program between CA$1.35 billion (US$1.08 billion) and CA$1.5 billion (US$1.2 billion) in 2018.

At the low end, the capital plan reflects an 8-percent increase over 2017’s targeted CA$1.25 billion (US$955 million) capital plan, while at the high end, it could represent an 18-percent increase over 2017 numbers.

Nadeem Velani, CP’s chief financial officer, said during the railroad’s 2017 Q4 earnings call that the wide range is due to the possibility of the Class 1 investing to upgrade its grain hopper fleet. The decision to upgrade the fleet rests on the outcome of February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 21

2018 CapEx

A maintenance-of-way employee works on a ballast and tie restoration project in Columbus, Neb.

CSX CSX 2018 capital program of $1.6 billion is a dramatic decline when compared to the $2 billion the railroad spent in 2017, but as top executives explain, it is a strategy that aligns 22 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

with the goal of achieving greater capital efficiencies as part of its implementation of precision scheduled railroading.

“There is no turning back,” CSX CEO Jim Foote said on the Class 1’s 2017 Q4 earnings call. “I am committed to follow through on implementing the scheduled railroad business model at CSX.” Foote said that while the capex number is down significantly from 2017, the program is where Hunter Harrison directed the railroad to be prior to his death in December 2017.

“I am committed to investing and maintaining a safe and reliable railroad. As we become more efficient, we are able to achieve more with each dollar we spend,” said Foote.

The railroad plans a marked reduction in rolling stock purchases for the foreseeable future and will focus $1.4 billion on core capital with $200 million for PTC. Frank Lonegro, chief financial officer for CSX, said during the earnings call that half of the PTC footprint is currently operational, with the railroad scheduled to be hardware-compliant by the end of 2018. He explained that PTC will be implemented on more than half of the subdivisions requiring

it by the end of the year and the railroad is on track to hit the final 2020 deadline for the technology.

Regarding the reduction in CSX’s planned capital program, Lonegro explained that the railroad is cutting in the right places, offering up the example that the $2.7 billion 2016 capital program included $602 million in engine and freight car purchases, which do not need to be duplicated.

Foote added that CSX does not need to spend money on investments previously made into its infrastructure unless there is a compelling reason to do so.

“If you look at the last five-year run rate in terms of rail, in terms of turnouts, in terms of curve rail, in terms of ties installed, in terms of ballast, we are spending the same amount of money that’s historically been spent by CSX,” said Foote. “This is a very well-maintained, not gold plated physical plant. And we intend to spend the same amount of money to keep this plant in excellent working shape.”

Kansas City Southern Kansas City Southern estimates its 2018 capital program will be between $530 rtands.com

Union Pacific

Canada’s Transportation Modernization Act (Bill C-49), which is a proposal that, among other things, would change the Maximum Revenue Entitlement in a way that would promote hopper car investments.

The railroad will again target about 50 percent of its capital program on basic replacement capital in 2018 including 210 miles of new rail, 1.2 million crossties, continue its focus on eliminating close to 23,000 joints and progress 70 bridge design or construction projects.

Keith Creel, president and CEO, also took time during the call to mention the railroad’s improved safety statistics pointing to a 16 percent reduction in personal injuries and a 21 percent reduction in train accidents.

“On a full year basis, our train accidents frequency finished at an all time low, marking the 12th consecutive year CP has lead the industry in this key safety metric,” said Creel.

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2018 CapEx

million and $550 million; down slightly from the $560 million spent in 2017.

Railroad executives explained during the 2017 Q4 earnings call that the reduction in the planned capital program is due to a number of large projects wrapping up in 2017 rather than an indication that growth opportunities are limited.

“Reductions in the Sasol Investment, which is now complete and other reductions in [positive train control] and Sanchez Yard have somewhat been offset by investments in new projects and continued growth opportunities,” said Jeffrey Songer, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Patrick Ottensmeyer, president and CEO, added, “The reduction in CapEx does not reflect that we see lower growth. It’s a function of completing some really major capital projects and in the absence of new projects that come along. It certainly does not reflect that we feel different about the growth outlook or that the growth outlook is going to be weaker.”

Half of the capital program will be spent on maintenance, 34 percent on growth, 7 percent on PTC and 9 percent on IT and other expenditures. Within the growth capital, KCS estimates between $63.6 million and $66 million will be spent on capacity projects and between $42.4 million and $44 million on line rehabilitations in Mexico.

Songer mentioned a few projects KCS is looking to invest in during 2018 including rehabilitation of the F-Line and construction of the Celaya Bypass in Mexico.

Songer said the F-Line is a viable gateway for refined products and cross border shipments and is located between Monterey and the KCS border crossing at Matamoros. KCS will begin a multi-year rehabilitation of the line, which is driven by the long-term outlook for refined product exports to Mexico.

Celaya, in central Mexico, sees the meeting of several rail and rail-highway connections including KCS de Mexico’s main north-south route and FerroMex’s east-west route. According to Songer, construction of the Celaya Bypass will provide benefit to both railroads and improve the overall fluidity and interchange between the rail networks.

KCS will also begin track construction to support and eventually serve the planned 2019 opening of BMW’s San Luis Potosi plant.

Michael Upchurch, executive vice president and chief financial officer, noted that KCS invested $20 million in liquid terminals in Mexico during 2017 to stimulate more line haul traffic for the petroleum segment.

He said KCS would continue to look for 24 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

investment opportunities to grow its business as a result of energy reform in Mexico.

Upchurch continued that the railroad has a good amount of flexibility with its capital to make additional investments, specific to Mexico, should the opportunity arise.

Ottensmeyer added that terminal projects in Mexico could be the key ingredient to drive growth for the railroad.

“We are looking at a lot of other alternatives including technology that could help drive growth of volume and revenues on the railroad,” said Ottensmeyer. “We haven’t included that in the CapEx budget, but I would say I would be disappointed over the course of the year if we don’t have some things to talk about in terms of additional uses of capital that will help drive growth even further.”

Norfolk Southern Norfolk Southern plans what it calls a balanced deployment of capital with a program estimated to $1.845 billion in 2018.

The 2018 program is approximately $100 million above what the railroad spent in 2017 and NS plans another year focused on core infrastructure.

During the railroad’s 2017 Q4 earnings call, Cynthia Earhart, executive vice president of Finance and chief financial officer, said this year’s budget supports growth and the continuation of investment in the railroad’s core assets.

NS plans to spend $930 million to replace track, bridges and communication systems, $345 million on locomotives; $170 million on facilities and terminals; $150 million on technology; $140 million on positive train control; $60 million on infrastructure and $50 million on freight cars. The rail program will remain equal to the 2017 program, as will the tie program with an estimated 2.48 million borate-treated wood crossties planned for installation.

James Squires, chairman, president and CEO, said the railroad is making smart, targeted investments that make sense.

“We’re open for growth and [there could be] additional investments if the returns are there, we’ll take our time, we’ll do it right, we’ll make sure that we maximize the returns from each and every dollar we put into the network going forward,” said Squires.

Union Pacific Union Pacific will target a 2018 capital plan of approximately $3.3 billion, pending final approval from its Board of Directors.

The number is approximately $200

million or 6 percent above its 2017 capital program of $3.1 billion. As expected, the majority of the program, $1.97 billion, will go toward infrastructure replacement. The remaining category breakdowns include $460 million for locomotives and equipment; $45 million for capacity and commercial facilities; $240 million for technology and $160 million for PTC. Cameron Scott, executive vice president and chief operating officer, gave a brief update on PTC during the 2017 Q4 earnings call where he said about 60 percent of the total track miles requiring the technology were at full implementation and operational by the end of 2017.

“The western region has been completed.

The northern region is near completion and we’re well underway on the southern region. With these new regions come a new set of challenges both from a technological and training perspective,” said Scott. “The team is doing an excellent job troubleshooting and building upon the lessons learned from those locations where PTC has been implemented. We will continue working through these challenges as we progress towards the 2018 PTC deadline.”

Scott said one challenge the railroad will face in the next year concerning PTC is the interoperability between UP’s system and the systems of the other railroads.

On the facilities side, the railroad mentioned its $550-million Brazos Yard project, which began construction in early January. Scott said the yard would help support expected volume growth from UP’s customers in the southern region.

“We will improve service by decreasing car handlings and car cycle times. It will also be the most efficient hump yard in our rail network with the lowest operating cost,” said Scott.

The railroad also noted its safety performance during 2017.

“Our reportable injury rate was 0.79, slightly higher than the full year record of 0.75 achieved in 2016. Although we continue generating near record safety results, we won’t be satisfied until we reach our goal of zero incidents, getting every one of our employees home safely at the end of each day,” said Scott. “With regards to rail equipment incidents or derailments, our reportable rate improved 3 percent to 2.94.

In public safety, our grade-crossing incident rate increased 5 percent versus the 2016 to 2.55, as we continue to reinforce public awareness to community partnerships and public safety campaigns.” rtands.com

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WINTER MAINTENANCE

Safety continues to be the top m/w machinery requirement, but versatility, productivity and reliability are needed, as well.

By Kyra Senese, managing editor

Keep everything

s the East Coast gets hit with extremely cold temperatures and severe storms this season, passenger railroads have used a combination of efforts to combat the cold, icy and, at times, dangerous weather while working hard to maintain safe, reliable service.

MBTA The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) system was tested recently as it dealt with major winter weather side effects following a record breaking 10-day cold snap. Called a “bomb cyclone,” Winter Storm Grayson brought on snow and ice along the East Coast throughout the start of the New Year.

Luis Manuel Ramírez, general manager and CEO of the MBTA, spoke about the winter storm and thanked MBTA’s 28 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

employees for their efforts at the authority’s Jan. 8 Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) meeting.

“First of all, I want to thank each and every one of the men and women of the MBTA, as well as our vendors and municipal partners for their dedicated and hard work during the storm and over the now record-setting stretch of cold weather we’ve had,” Ramírez said of the storm that occurred Jan. 4. “While there are certainly some lessons to be learned from the storm, there is a lot that went well. Something we believe was definitely effective was having a unified storm plan.”

Ramírez said having a predefined standard operating procedure and detailed action plans allowed MBTA to strategically deploy its resources, clear snow and ice from the tracks and equipment and keep customers informed in a timely manner.

“Additionally, having teams on 12-hour rotations prevented, to a large degree, fatigue affecting the group’s thought process and ability to execute,” Ramírez said.

Ramírez said the authority’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was critical to its success at coordinating the deployment of snow fighting equipment and assets to key locations. He said the strategic coordination tactics MBTA used made the most of the limited time maintenance forces had to make repairs and check the tracks.

“It was our dedicated crews who worked around the clock fixing equipment, repairing vehicle components or [who] were out in the field repairing third rail insulators, clearing snow and ice from track, key switches and doing anything and everything they could to keep the system moving,” Ramírez said. rtands.com

Shutterstock/ Stieber

moving A

WINTER MAINTENANCE

He also noted that the weather storm that began Jan. 4 dumped about a foot of snow on the ground, which he said was only the beginning of the MBTA’s winter weather battle.

“The storm also happened to fall within the stretch of extremely cold weather that broke a record set over 100 years ago,” Ramírez said. “When the storm finally stopped, our work to recover and reset continued around the clock throughout the weekend.”

The 10-day cold snap required that MBTA’s equipment and vehicles be exercised on a continuous basis. Air systems also had to be monitored constantly to identify any moisture and ice buildup, Ramírez said. Doors, brake and propulsion systems needed to be constantly cycled and tested, as well.

Additionally, any vehicle requiring extensive maintenance during the weekend needed time to thaw out before repairs could start, at times causing employees to have to wait to perform maintenance activities.

“While transit systems generally are not built to withstand such extreme operating conditions for such an extensive period of time, our system did, and it did so because every member of the MBTA team worked 24/7 to defy the odds and keep our system operating,” Ramírez said.

Jeffrey Gonneville, deputy general manager at the MBTA, also addressed recent winter maintenance work at the authority’s Jan. 8 FMCB meeting.

“It is certainly moments like these past 30 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

two and a half weeks when I am truly inspired by our workforce,” Gonneville had said of the recent experience fighting the winter storm. “Our employees have inherently difficult and dangerous jobs. This gets exponentially increased [during] these adverse conditions, but they went above and beyond doing their jobs through all of this.”

Gonneville said the MBTA had some things go right during the storm, while other experiences offered lessons to be learned.

“

When the storm finally stopped, our work to recover and reset continued around the clock throughout the weekend.”

—Luis Manuel Ramírez, MBTA general manager and CEO

“This was really our full test to the snow plan,” Gonneville said.

Gonneville said during extreme cold weather events, the transportation authority’s mantra is “keep everything moving,” because anything that sits idly runs the risk of freezing and becoming ineffectual.

MBTA experienced tunnel leaks throughout the system, he said, adding that

there are usually certain areas where the leaks are not as problematic and absorb into nearby ballast or other surrounding materials, but that was not the case during the recent cold snap. “[Leaks] were creating ice piles and we had to have staff knock down snow piles in such areas...if we do not knock that down a train will hit that and stop, and once that train stops we run the risk of the vehicle being disabled because the brakes will go into emergency mode,” Gonneville said.

Infrared cameras also came in handy during the severe cold weather, Gonneville said. MBTA used the cameras to verify that the system’s third rail heat and switch heaters were functioning properly across the entire network, he said.

“This [storm] was the greatest test we have had since the winter of 2015 and frankly, the first big test of the procedure,” Gonneville said.

The MBTA had announced earlier this season that it invested $101 million toward winter weather preparation. The transportation authority also urged customers to take advantage of its multiple communication channels available during troublesome winter commutes.

“We’re doubling down on our efforts to highlight the key resources that allow us to get the most accurate information about service out to our customers so they can make informed decisions,” Ramírez said earlier this season.

Ramírez said the passenger system had made investments in equipment and infrastructure to become more resilient, rtands.com

MTA/Patrick J. Cashin

MTA New York City Transit workers clearing tracks in the 239 Street train yard in the Bronx following a storm in early January 2018.

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WINTER MAINTENANCE

but the MBTA also intends to continue to strengthen its communication efforts to keep riders better informed on the status of the service they can expect to receive.

MBTA offers alerts, social media updates, a transit and commuter rail smartphone application and information published through its website to keep passengers posted when service issues arise.

“Building on the experience and investments over the past three years, the MBTA has made major progress in our infrastructure,” Gonneville said earlier this winter.

“In the weeks to come, we’ll continue our multi-faceted approach to snow preparations, from trimming trees along the Green Line corridors, to installing new rail, expanding snow clearing and snow removal contracts, performing upgrades to vehicles and adding additional backup power equipment.”

The MBTA says since 2015 it has revamped its track and signal infrastructure, invested in snow-fighting equipment and stocked up on replacement parts for vehicles, accounting for more than $101 million in investments toward fighting harsh winter conditions.

The MBTA also said it has improved switch function during the past two years on its commuter rail by incorporating propane heaters and covers to its existing infrastructure in order to mitigate the risk of switch failure resulting from ice and snow build up.

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) aimed to better help its customers navigate service 32 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

MTA The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) said when weather gets out of whack, subway lines may not operate normally or run according to its previously printed schedules.

The MTA said it has created an informative

poster intended to alert customers of what to expect when inclement weather persists.

Times of heavy snowfall, ice and freezing rain can require that out-of-service trains be stored in subway tunnels rather than be left sitting in outside yards. MTA says this practice allows trains to remain prepared for service while maintaining a comfortable temperature within the rail cars.

“We try to maintain as much train service as possible, but during instances of severe winter weather, service on [some] lines may run local for segments of their routes,” the transportation authority said.

Service may also end earlier than typically scheduled on some weekdays, MTA said. Such service adjustments are detailed on MTA’s New York City Transit Authority posters that outline “Cold Weather Service.” The posters are present at subway stations and within cars throughout its system, MTA said.

“Subway customers should allow for additional travel time whenever there is inclement weather,” the authority said.

MTA notes that service advisories and weather-related notices are updated on its website, as well as on social media pages including the transportation authority’s Twitter and Facebook accounts.

“When cold or inclement weather is in the forecast, MTA services are subject to change as conditions demand,” MTA said.

“While forecasted temperatures and snow accumulations guide our preparations, the actual intensity of the storm, road conditions and our ability to clear tracks will dictate the level of service we can safely provide and/or restore.”

MBTA’s crews used snow-fighting equipment, such as an auger deployed along the Orange Line, during their efforts to fight Winter Storm Grayson. rtands.com

MBTA

The MBTA used its Snowzilla, a snow blaster that clears the tracks following inclement weather, on the system along its Red Line.

limitations due to winter weather with a new tool this season.

This winter, the public transportation system provided its customers with its new Severe Weather Schedules feature to enable passengers to more clearly identify their travel options and make it to their destinations in a timely manner.

“In the midst of winter weather, visibility outside may be low, but we want our customers to have a clear picture of how much service we can safely operate and when their next train will be departing,” said Steven H. Santoro, NJ Transit’s executive director. “Our operations divisions statewide have prepared the transit system, equipment and facilities, and these Severe Weather Schedules allow our customers to be prepared, as well.”

NJ Transit said it has made several additional efforts to prepare for and fight the effects of winter conditions, such as having snow-fighting equipment stocked throughout the state in case severe weather hits the area.

The public transportation system said it “winterized” its hundreds of rail cars and locomotives. NJ Transit also said its preventative maintenance program includes the inspection and winter maintenance of more than 750 switches and switch heaters, overhead wire systems, 12 moveable bridges and wayside power at storage yards and terminals.

All NJ Transit locomotives have been equipped with snowplows to clear snow from the rails, the company said. It also has 20,000 pounds of salt on hand and can obtain an additional 100,000 pounds, as well, if the need to fight especially severe weather occurs.

Switch heaters have been tested throughout NJ Transit’s three light-rail systems, officials said. Snow blowers and backup generators have also been monitored to ensure they are in working condition.

NJ Transit said its management staff for all three light-rail lines will continue to collaborate with local municipalities to coordinate snow removal in the lightrail’s downtown “street running” territory, as well.

Message from the President

T

he AREMA Board of Governors and the Functional Group Board of Directors recently approved a restructuring of the AREMA Functional Groups and I thought I would take the opportunity in this article to discuss the restructuring.

The decision was made to proceed with a restructure following significant discussions that go back more than a year.

All Functional Groups are affected by this new structure except for the Passenger and Transit Functional Group. The plan, which is effective immediately, involves the renaming of the Maintenance Functional Group.

This article provides both the background behind the decision and the revised AREMA Functional Group restructure details.

History of the Maintenance Functional Group The Maintenance Functional Group was established to span the gap created with the establishment of AREMA. Maintaining railroads is a major accountability for railroads.

Prior to the merger of the associations, the Roadmaster’s and Maintenance of Way Association and the American Railway Bridge and Building Association had been the forum for these maintenance-oriented tasks. Prior to establishing the Maintenance Functional Group, our newly-formed association did not offer topics or technical sessions of interest to the maintenance audience at the conference.

I recall speaking with one of the Class 1 engineering vice presidents who stated he would be interested in sending his engineering staff to conferences if they had something that would add value to his organization.

At that time, a higher percentage of our members were maintenance-oriented rtands.com

versus hard-core railroad engineeringfocused.

When the Maintenance Functional Group was established, we developed teams so they would have the flexibility and autonomy to work on issues that were of value to the industry.

In 2016, the four Maintenance Functional Group Teams were changed by the Functional Group Board of Directors to full committee status. All four committees reported to the Maintenance Functional Group. They were: • Committee 40 - Engineering Safety • Committee 41 - Track Maintenance • Committee 42 - Bridge Maintenance • Committee 43 - Signals Maintenance The objective for converting teams to committees was to elevate the standing of these groups and grow participation. This would be followed up with formal assignment for their work and the future production of Manual material or other educational content.

Recent background After extensive discussions among the Functional Group Board of Directors at the November 2016 and June 2017 meetings, with regard to their assignments, it was decided that the issue would be elevated to the AREMA Board of Governors.

Immediate Past President David Becker took on the challenging responsibility to draft a report, review the issue with the AREMA Board of Governors and propose options for moving forward.

The Board of Governors voted to approve one of the proposed options for committee realignment. This was forwarded and reviewed at the November 2017 Committee and Board meetings and voted on at the Functional Group Board of Directors’ meeting then approved.

The revised Functional Group structure is explained in the bullet points below.

The “AREMA Functional Group Revised Structure” detailing specific changes to the groups and committees is also provided.

• The Maintenance Functional Group has been renamed to the Maintenance-of-Way Functional Group.

• Committee 2 - Track Measurement and Assessment Systems has moved from the Engineering Services Functional Group to the Maintenance-of-Way Functional Group.

• Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment has moved from the Track

Professional Development AREMA is focused on your education within the railway industry. To help your advancement, AREMA offers seminar and webinar programs that will extend our ability to serve the educational needs of our railway engineering community with PDH accredited web based courses as well as classroom setting seminars.

If you need additional continuing education credits, plan to log-on for the next webinar.

Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering Seminar Date: March 14-16, 2018 Location: Lanham, Md. Participants benefiting the most from this course are those with limited exposure to the railway industry or railroaders with highly specialized positions. Participants will gain a greater appreciation for the technical and not-sotechnical aspects of railroad engineering and operations.

The registration fee includes a workbook containing printed copies of the presentation and a digital copy of the Practical Guide to Railway Engineering ($200 value), an 800-page text published by AREMA. For more information on our seminar programs, please visit: www.arema.org.

Follow Arema on Social Media:

Functional Group to the Maintenance-ofWay Functional Group.

• Committee 43 - Signals Maintenance has moved from the Maintenance-of-Way Functional Group to the Communications and Signals Functional Group.

• Committee 42 - Bridge Maintenance is now a Subcommittee under Committee 10 - Structures Maintenance & Construction (Structures Functional Group).

• Committee 42 - Bridge Maintenance has equal standing/status as a Subcommittee February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 33

under Committee 10 - Structures Maintenance & Construction. The current leaders of Committee 42 is now the Subcommittee Leadership.

• All Committee 42 Members are members of Committee 10.

Revised AREMA Functional Group Structure Communications & Signals Functional Group • 34 - Scales • 36 - Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Warning Systems • 37 - Signal Systems • 38 - Information, Defect Detection & Energy Systems • 39 - Positive Train Control • 43 - Signals Maintenance (New to this Functional Group)

• 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations • 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways • 24 - Education & Training Maintenance-of-Way Functional Group - (Renamed from Maintenance) • 2 - Track Measurement and Assessment Systems - (New to this Functional Group) • 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment - (New to this Functional Group) • 40 - Engineering Safety • 41 - Track Maintenance Structures Functional Group • 7 - Timber Structures • 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations • 9 - Seismic Design for Railway Structure • 10 - Structures Maintenance & Construction - (Note: Committee 42 Bridge Maintenance is now a subcommittee) • 15 - Steel Structures • 28 - Clearance

Engineering Services Functional Group • 6 - Building & Support Facilities • 13 - Environmental • 14 - Yards & Terminals

Track • 1 - Roadway & Ballast • 4 - Rail • 5 - Track • 30 - Ties Passenger & Transit • 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems • 12 - Rail Transit • 17 - High Speed Rail Systems • 33 - Electric Energy Utilization The restructuring of the AREMA Functional Groups provides a forum in which maintenance-focused committee members can share their expertise while gaining muchneeded synergy from closely-related AREMA technical committees.

Technical committees focused on traditional maintenance-of-way interests are now together and the Bridge Maintenance and Signal Maintenance Committees will be directly aligned with their core Functional Groups. This should also provide greater accessibility to the Functional Group Board of Directors for this underrepresented AREMA constituency.

Upcoming Committee Meetings Feb. 21 - 23, 2018

March 14 - 15, 2018

June 1, 2018

Committee 7 - Timber Structures New Orleans, LA

Committee 38 - Information, Defect Detection & Energy Systems Atlanta, GA

Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction St. Louis, MO

Feb. 27 - 28, 2018 Committee 37 – Signal Systems Atlanta, GA Feb. 28 - March 1, 2018 Committee 36 – Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Warning Systems Atlanta, GA March 7, 2018 Committee 28 - Clearances Salt Lake City, UT March 13 - 14, 2018 Committee 39 - Positive Train Control Atlanta, GA

March 26 - 28, 2018

June 22 - 23, 2018

Committee 2 - Track Measurement and Assessment Systems Colorado Springs, CO

Committee 24 - Education & Training Salt Lake City, UT

April 22, 2018 Committee 6 - Building & Support Facilities Philadelphia, PA May 15 - 16, 2018 Committee 15 - Steel Structures New York, NY May 24, 2018 Committee 9 - Seismic Design for Railway Stuctures Chicago, IL

Sept. 15 - 16, 2018 Committee 24 - Education & Training Chicago, IL Sept. 16, 2018 Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction TBA Oct. 23 - 24, 2018 Committee 15 - Steel Structures Orlando, FL

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 https://www.arema.org/events.aspx.

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

34 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

rtands.com

Getting to know David J. Bonas

David J. Bonas Regional Engineer Structures Norfolk Southern Railway

E

ach month, AREMA features one of our committee chairs or committee members. We are pleased to announce that the February featured member is David J. Bonas, chair of Committee 10 – Structures Maintenance & Construction and Regional Engineer Structures at Norfolk Southern Railway.

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

BONAS: I had some interest in railroading because my father worked for Illinois Central for 37 years and then Amtrak for another five years. I was attending the University of Illinois and heard that Professor W. W. Hay was going to retire from teaching. The next semester, I took his last two courses on railway engineering.

AREMA: How did you get started in the industry?

BONAS: I worked during the summer months as a laborer with the Washington Terminal Railroad in Washington, D.C. Upon graduation, I interviewed and accepted an engineering trainee position with Southern Railway in the bridge department in Atlanta.

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

BONAS: Jim Carter encouraged me to get involved with an AREMA committee and to work toward being the chairman.

I was most familiar with Committee 10

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because I worked for Willie Benton, who is a charter member and past chairman of the committee.

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

BONAS: I plan to retire on March 1 and then I may try to swing a golf club again, find my fishing gear, ride horses, raise chickens, cut hay, mow grass, learn to play my new Les Paul guitar and then join the Allman Brothers Band.

AREMA: Tell us about your family!

BONAS: Susan and I have been married 33 years and raised four children. Rebecca is getting married three days after I retire, Katie is working as an SLP in a nearby town, John is working in Greenville and enjoys playing on his Ultimate Frisbee Club team.

Leah, our youngest, is a violin major at Columbus State Schwob School of Music.

Susan and I are truly blessed when we all can be together.

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

BONAS: I was the 1984 Georgia Dart Champion. My team won the City Championship many times and it was quite a bit of fun. I met Susan while playing darts and she married me even though the name of our team was, “The Egotists.”

AREMA: What is your biggest achievement?

BONAS: My career goal developed early on. It seemed like in the early 80s the cover of ENR magazine focused on disasters and then went into great detail about how the engineer screwed up. I’m glad to say I never made the cover of ENR. AREMA: What advice would you give to someone who is pursuing a career in the railway industry?

BONAS: I remember well what my father said to me back in 1975 when I told him I was thinking about going to work for a railroad. He said, “Son, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” Of course, railroads were not doing well back in the 70s and I can understand his advice at the time. Today, it is just the opposite. The railroad industry is a great place to work. I would just say to hurry up and graduate and get on board as soon as possible.

FYI

Renew your membership: Be sure to renew your membership today online at www. arema.org to not miss out on what AREMA can offer you.

Book your 2018 AREMA exhibit booth now for the AREMA 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago, Ill., Sept. 16-19, 2018!

For more information and to book your exhibit space, please visit www.arema.org.

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Please contact visit w w w.arema.org for more information on sponsorship investment opportunities.

Order the 2018 Communications & Signals Manual now. With more than 50 new, revised, reaffirmed or extended Manual Parts, it’s the perfect time to get the 2018 Manual. Order online now at www.arema. org or contact mbruins@arema.org for more details.

Call for Entries for the 2018 Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence. Entries must be submitted by May 25, 2018. Please visit www.arema.org for more information.

2018: The year to advance your career.

The New Year is a chance for a fresh start in your career. Visit www.careers. arema.org and take the first steps into making your 2018 resolution a reality.

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February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 35

AREMA Committee 24’s IPRE Students in Toronto Visit GO Transit’s Willowbrook Maintenance Shops and Toronto’s John Street Mechanical Interlocking

By John G. Green, Committee 24 secretary, senior project manager – Rail, and Glenn Mullally, senior project manager – Communications & Signals, Mott MacDonald

Figure 1: The students and instructors of the Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering (IPRE) seminar at GO Transit’s Willowbrook Maintenance Shops in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

G

reater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) is a vibrant urban area inhabited by more than 6.4 million people. Many of these residents depend on GO Transit for their daily work-related or social commute.

GO Transit is a division of Metrolinx, the regional public transit service for GTHA. It carries more than 65 million passengers each year. The first rail line of GO Transit was started in May 1967 and now there are seven rail lines with feeder bus service.

GO Transit typically operates 209 train trips and 2,075 bus trips daily, transporting about 304,000 passengers on an average weekday, with 227,000 passengers on the trains and 77,000 riders on the buses. GO Transit has been a great success — in its 50-year history it has served more than one billion riders.

When AREMA Committee 24 – Education & Training visited GO Transit’s facilities prior to the 50th anniversary, the committee members made the visit a part of the three-day Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering (IPRE) seminar. The group of seminar students and instructors from AREMA’s IPRE seminar visited the GO Transit’s Willowbrook Maintenance

36 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

Shops and then they were lucky enough to see a true bit of rail history in action: the John Street Interlocking Tower.

The tour was part of the three-day IPRE seminar held in Toronto. The first two days were spent in a classroom where instructors from diverse railroading backgrounds taught the students about railroading topics such as basic track components, railway operations, track design, railway vehicles, railway construction, environmental issues and communications and signals.

The third day took place in the field in order to provide students with a chance to see the concepts they learned about in the classroom put into action.

The GO Transit Willowbrook Maintenance Shops were constructed in 1980 and were expanded in 1987, 1997 and again in 2014. All of GO Transit’s rolling stock is maintained at this facility, which is operated by Bombardier by contract through the year 2023.

Buildings at Willowbrook house a repair shop and train cleaning equipment. The grounds outside include the North Yard, South Yard and the Storage Yard. The North Yard contains four tracks that are used for storing cars and also leads to and through

the maintenance building. The South Yard consists of four tracks, which are used for servicing locomotives and coaches. The Storage Yard has two tracks that are used to handle the overflow of on-track rail maintenance equipment when the South Yard is filled to capacity.

The second half of the field trip entailed a visit to the John Street Interlocking Tower.

Located immediately north of the Canadian National Railway (CN) Tower in Toronto, the John Street Tower operates a multitude of switches and signals in a very short distance to move trains west out of Union Station to the Lakeshore, Newmarket or Galt Subdivisions.

Fourteen tracks enter the east end of the plant and eight tracks leave the west end of the plant. All of these must go through the eighttrack gauntlet called John Street. All tracks are accessible so you can enter on any track and be routed to leave on the same or any other track.

Metrolinx (GO Transit) operates commuter passenger service from downtown Toronto to a wide range of locations to the north, west and east of the city.

VIA Rail Canada operates passenger service across Canada. CN and Canadian Pacific Railway operate freight service to customers in the downtown core. All need to pass through the John Street Interlocking.

Two particularly interesting facts about the John Street Interlocking make it unique. First: it may be difficult to find unless you know where to look for it. Recent development has seen many attractions built on the south side of the railroad tracks, such as the Rogers Center (Blue Jays baseball), the AC Center (Maple Leafs hockey), and the Ripley’s Aquarium. With the downtown core located north of the tracks and these attractions located to the south, a pedestrian bridge connecting both sides was proposed.

In order to conserve space, the pedestrian walkway was constructed directly above the John Street interlocking tower and due to tight vertical clearances, the building’s roof was removed. rtands.com

The second interesting fact is that the John Street interlocking has a mechanical locking device. Railway interlockings require a system to prevent trains from performing conflicting movements that will result in a collision or derailment.

Authority for a train to proceed is only granted after no conflicting routes exist, switch movements have been completed and “locked,” and all tracks in the train’s route are clear.

Today, this is typically performed by a computer with a person in a remote office looking at a computer screen, and using a keyboard to operate the equipment trackside. The John Street interlocking has been safely and effectively controlling train movements since before computers existed.

The tower operator can look out the window and see “his” plant. To prevent conflicting routes, a series of levers operate signals and

switches. Routes are selected by moving the switch levers.

These levers mechanically interlock in the machine with the signal controls, and will only allow the signal lever to move with a correctly-lined route (all mechanically checked). There are electrical outputs and inputs to operate the switch machines and confirm the switch points have moved to the correct position.

When all the mechanical parts line up and the electrical inputs are correct, the electrical output to the signal is provided to allow the train to proceed. The participants of the tour were fortunate and were able to observe the operation of the John Street Mechanical Interlocking, as shown in Figure 5.

The IPRE instructors hold engineering degrees and have decades of railway experience, all of the instructors in Toronto – Dr. John G. Green, P.E. of Mott

MacDonald, James Bertrand of Transport Canada, B. Coy Horton of Union Pacific, Marcin Taraszkiewicz, P.E. of CH2M Hill, Rocco Cacchiotti (retired) and Luanne Patterson, both of the CN – but they all agreed the IPRE seminar field trips to the GO Transit Willowbrook Maintenance Facility and the John Street Interlocking control tower were highly enjoyable and educational experiences.

The IPRE seminar will be presented next in Lanham, MD, in March. To register for the IPRE seminar and to see the full schedule of AREMA educational seminars, please visit the AREMA website at www. arema.org.

REFERENCES. (1) “GO Transit Goes Golden”. Railway Age. Simmons-Boardman Publishing, Inc. June 15, 2017 (online full version).

Figure 2: A GO Transit manager explains the locomotive maintenance operations performed at the Willowbrook Shops to students of the AREMA IPRE class.

Figure 3: IPRE Instructor James Bertrand of Transport Canada explains to the students details of track components.

Figure 4: IPRE Instructor and one of the authors of the article, Dr. John G. Green, in front of a GO Transit model MP40PH-3C locomotive #622 in the yard of the Willowbrook maintenance facility.

Figure 5: Ben Gusz, manager of operations at Toronto Terminals Railway, explains the operations of the Toronto John Street Tower mechanical Interlocking while the switches are operated.

rtands.com

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 37

Become a Member Membership in AREMA demonstrates that you are a professional in your field, dedicated to improving your practical knowledge and interested in exchanging information with your peers in order to advance the railroad engineering industry.

JOIN NOW AT AREMA.ORG

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PRODUCTS

Rotary Latch Solution

AEI Reader System

Southco, Inc., which produces engineered access products, recently expanded its line of rotary latching solutions with the launch of the R4-81 Rotary Latch with Paddle Actuator.

The newest addition to the R4 Rotary Latch series combines a compact rotary latch with a heavy-duty paddle actuator, enabling direct actuation without the need for a connected cable.

Available in corrosion-resistant plastic and diecast steel, the R4-81 offers a stylized paddle design with custom finish options and versatile key-locking security.

By combining both rotary latch and actuator into one solution, the R4-81 enables simplified rotary system installation for a variety of transportation applications including rail and marine, off-highway, and heavy-duty truck.

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The AI3050S AEI Reader System is intended to offer an easyto-use solution for the installation of AEI readers near tracks. The AI3050S AEI Reader System contains a Sargas AEI RF Reader within a weatherproof enclosure.

The enclosure contains a 120 VAC to 12 VDC and a 120 VAC to 5 VDC power supplies.

The company said the Sargas reader features a network interface and is capable of multiplexing between two antennas, with one antenna present on each side of tracks. The reader also offers two digital inputs that can interface to wayside sensors, such as presence detectors and switch position or turnout monitors.

The company notes that this system only reports raw AEI tag reads and digital input status with a network connection. The system does not process the data into a train consist, and it is designed to gather and provide the data to another system for processing.

The AI3050S AEI Reader System reads railroad AT5110, AT5118, AT5125, AT5133, AT5510, AT5541 and AT5549 transportation tags. Website: www.aeitag.com

The Railway Educational Bureau Track Safety Standards

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Workplace Safety

Subparts A-F

Track Safety Standards, contains all the Track Safety Standards, Subparts A-F, for Classes of track 1-5. The standards cover general information, Roadbed, Track Geometry, Track Structure, Track Appliances and Track-Related Devices, and Inspection. Includes Defect Codes.

Updated April 3, 2017.

Track Safety Standards, Subparts A-F Only $9.86 for orders of 50 or more!

$10.95

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

BKBRIDGE Bridge Safety Standards $7.95

Federal Regulations

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

BKWRK

$10.50

Railroad Workplace Safety Only $9.45 for orders of 50 or more!

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

BKTCAL Track Calculator $10.50 Only $9.50 for orders of 50 or more!

Only $7.15 for orders of 50 or more!

The Railway Educational Bureau 1809 Capitol Ave., Omaha NE, 68102 www.RailwayEducationalBureau.com rtands.com

800-228-9670

www.transalert.com

Add Shipping & Handling if your merchandise subtotal is:

UP TO $10.00 10.01 - 25.00 25.01 - 50.00 50.01 - 75.00

U.S.A. $4.50 7.92 10.78 11.99

CAN $8.75 12.65 16.80 21.20

Orders over $75, call for shipping

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 39

Calendar

FEBRUARY 14-16. Exporail 2018 presented by the Asociación Mexicana de Ferrocarriles AC. Hotel Iberostar. Cancún, Quintana Roo, México. Website: http://exporail.mx/english/.

Cheyenne Mountain Resort. Colorado S p r i n g s , C o l o., a n d Tra n s p o r ta ti o n Technology Center, Pueblo, Colo. Contact: Lo r i B e n n et t. Ph o n e: 3 03-617-3 3 0 0.

Website: www.aar.com.

MARCH

APRIL

6-7. Railroad Track Construction Project Management by University of WisconsinMadison. Hilton Garden Inn-Chicago O’Hare Airport. Des Plaines, Ill. Contact: Dave Peterson. Phone: 800-462-0876.

E-mail: dmpeter5@wisc.edu.

7. Railroad Day on Capitol Hill 2018.

Washington, D.C. Website: www.aslrra.org.

13. Rail Freight Business Development, p r e s e n te d b y R a i l w a y A g e . U n i o n League Club Chicago. Phone: 212-6207208. E-mail: conferences@sbpub.com.

Website: www.railwayage.com/index.php/ conferencespage.

27-2 8 . 2 3 r d A n n u a l A s s o c i a ti o n o f American Railroads Research Review.

7 -1 0 . A S L R R A 2 0 1 8 C o n n e c t i o n s Convention. Gaylord Opryland. Nashville, Te n n. Ph on e: 202-628-4 50 0. E-m ail: aslrra@aslrra.org. Website: https://aslrra. org/aslrra2018connections.

1 6 -2 0 . U n i v e r s i t y o f D e l a w a r e ’ s Management Essentials for the Railroad Industry. Phone: 302-831-8302. E-mail: enggoutreach@udel.edu. Website: http:// railroadengineering.engr.udel.edu.

2 3 -2 5 . U n i v e r s i t y o f W i s c o n s i n ’ s Fundamentals of Rail Freight Terminals, Yards, and Intermodal Facilities. Hilton Oak Lawn. Oak Lawn, Ill. Contact: Dave Peterson. Phone: 800-462-0876. E-mail: dmpeter5@wisc.edu. Website: https://epd. wisc.edu/railroad-engineering.

The Railway Educational Bureau Design and Construction of NEW! Modern Steel Railway Bridges,

BKTMA

30-2. Transload Distribution Association o f N o r t h A m e r i c a ( T DA N A ) a n n u a l conference. Washington, D.C. Contact: Steve Braithwaite. Phone: 402-306-2250.

E-mail: steve@tdana.com. Website: www. tdana.com.

MAY 15-17. 2018 International Crosstie and Fastening System Symposium. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. ChampaignUrbana, Ill. Phone: (217) 300-1340. E-mail: crosstie-conf@illinois.edu. Website: railtec. illinois.edu/Crosstie/2018/crossties.php.

22-24. 58th Annual RSSI C&S Exhibition.

Hilton Omaha. Omaha, Neb. Phone: 904379-3366. E-mail: rssi@rssi.org. Website: http://www.rssi.org/2018-portal-home.html/.

Track Resources The Art and Science of Rail Grinding

Second Edition

This new edition encompasses current design methods used for steel railway bridges in both SI and Imperial (US Customary) units.

It discusses the planning of railway bridges and the appropriate types of bridges based on planning considerations.

BKDMSRB2 Design & Const. of Mod. Railway Bridges $169.95*

26-27. Light Rail 2018, presented by Railway Age and RT&S. Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. Baltimore, Md. Phone: 212620-7208. E-mail: conferences@sbpub. com. Website: www.railwayage.com/ index.php/conferencespage.

Rail grinding saves millions of dollars every year! The Art and Science of Rail Grinding is the first book dedicated exclusively to the subject.

BKGRIND Rail Grinding

$145.00

Advanced Principles of Track Maintenance

Introduction to North American Railway Signaling

Advanced Principles of Track Maintenance takes your crewmembers to the next level. They'll benefit from a comprehensive presentation of FRA Track Safety Standards as well as an introduction to track inspection.

Introduction to North American Railway Signaling covers the basics of signaling philosophy and techniques.This is the book you need for information pertaining to signaling systems used in the various rail transportation modes in North America.

Advanced Principles of Track Maintenance

$140.00

BKINARS

Dictionary of Railway Track Terms

The Frog Gauge Easy-to-use, this gauge is made of rugged, indestructible, composite material. Ideal for track inspectors, maintenance and welders repairing frogs. The compact gauge measures the flangeway gap and checks proper spacing for guardrails. Order 10 or more and get a 20% discount.

The most comprehensive collection of definitions relating to track. Over 1500 terms from antiquated forgotten slang to today's jargon. Clearly illustrated line art enhances the text.

BKRTT Dictionary of Railway Track Terms

$35.00

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

$56.95

North American Signaling

MSFROG

$40.00

Frog Gauge

800-228-9670

www.transalert.com

Add Shipping & Handling if your merchandise subtotal is:

UP TO $10.00 10.01 - 25.00 25.01 - 50.00 50.01 - 75.00

U.S.A. $4.50 7.92 10.78 11.99

CAN $8.75 12.65 16.80 21.20

Orders over $75, call for shipping

rtands.com

Ad Index

COMPANY

PHONE #

FAX #

E-MAIL ADDRESS

PAGE #

AREMA Marketing Department

301-459-3200

301-459-8077

marketing@arema.org

Cover 3

Custom Truck & Equipment

816-241-4888

816-241-3710

bboehm@cte-equipment.com

14

Danella Rental Systems, Inc.

610-828-6200

610-828-2260

pbarents@danella.com

8

Diversified Metal Fabricators

404-875-1512

404-875-4835

sales@dmfatlanta.com

7

Encore Rail Systems, Inc.

866-712-7622

303-922-6178

www.encorers.com

Cover 4

Harsco Rail

803-822-9160

803-822-8107

railinfo@harsco.com

2

Hayward Baker, Inc.

314-802-2920

jrhill@HaywardBaker.com

Cover 2

Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.

816-385-8233

jhansen@hrsi.com

15

Koppers Railroad Structures

800-356-5952

608-221-0618

rrdiv@koppers.com

25

Landoll Corporation

800-428-5655

888-293-6779

jim.ladner@landoll.com

31

Light Rail 2018

212-620-7224

212-633-1165

jchalon@sbpub.com

26-27

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.

763-478-6014

763-478-2221

sales@loram.com

19

Plasser American Corp.

218-236-0223

218-236-0223

plasseramerican@plausa.com

23

Racine Railroad Products, Inc.

262-637-9681

262-637-9069

custserv@racinerailroad.com

17

Rail Freight Business Development

212-620-7224

212-633-1162

jchalon@sbpub.com

10-11

Rail Insights

212-620-7224

212-633-1165

jchalon@sbpub.com

9

Railway Education Bureau, The

402-346-4300

402-346-1783

bbrundige@sb-reb-com

39, 40

Railway Equipment Co.

763-972-2200

763-972-2900

sales@rwy.com

29

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

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

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

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

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

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

rtands.com

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 41

New & Used Equipment

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

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

Sales

aspenequipment.com/railroad

Rentals

Service Parts

New and Used Hi-Rail Trucks Available

Nationwide DELIVERY

- Pickup Trucks - Service Bodies

- Flatbeds - Bucket Trucks

- Welding Trucks - Section Trucks - Grapple Trucks

- Track Inspector Trucks - Boom Trucks

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

100 S Paniplus Drive Olathe, ks 66061 main: 913.764.1315 Mobile: 913.972.1013

PARTS • SALES • SERVICE • RENTALS

Available for Lease 3000 cu ft Covered Hopper Cars 4650 cu ft Covered Hopper Cars 3600 cu ft Open Top Hopper Cars 4480 cu ft Aluminum Rotary Open Top Gons 65 ft, 100-ton log spine cars equipped with six (6) log bunks 60 ft, 100 ton Plate F box cars, cushioned underframe and 10 ft plug doors 50 ft, 100 ton Plate C box cars, cushioned underframe and 10 ft plug doors Contact: Tom Monroe: 415-616-3472 Email: tmonroe@atel.com

42 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

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

www.colliscw.com

rtands.com

New & Used Equipment

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

MOW Integrated Carbide Tools 6700 Tamping Tool JK-635

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

MKIV Tamping Tool JK-215L/R

GRM3000 Tamping Tool JK-560C

Omaha Track Equipment 13010 F Plaza • Omaha NE 68137 (402) 339-4512 Contact JOHN GALLO • (402) 990-9385

Replace worn components with Harsco Rail’s complete line of integrated carbide tools.

• Class 1 product approval • Genuine OEM parts • All products in stock with immediate availability

johng@omahatrack.com

To order, call: 1-800-800-6410 Email: railparts@harsco.com MOW Equipment Lease & Sale Brushcutting Specialized Hauling Track Surfacing Low Boys with Rail

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

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP ON & OFF THE TRACK

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

Grapple Trucks

Rotary Dumps

LEASE or BUY

Tunnel Trucks

Custom Build New or Used Chassies.

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

RAILROAD SERVICES

Est. 1910

RAIL BRIEF

The Weekly RT&S Email Newsletter Subscribe at: www.rtands.com/RailBrief

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

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 43 RTS_RailBriefAd_QuarterPage_Final.indd 1

1/9/18 12:20 PM

RFP Notices

Professional Directory

PUBLIC NOTICE MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

CABOT YARD & MAINTENANCE FACILITY IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTOR FORUM Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2018 Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm Location: State Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza, 2nd Floor Board Room Suite 2890, Boston, MA 02116 Approximate Contract Value: $195M This project will be the sixth construction project issued to bid as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Red Line and Orange Line Infrastructure Improvements Program. The forum provides interested contractors the opportunity to learn more about the scope and schedule of the project, and to connect with other potential partners/subcontractors. Interested parties are recommended to attend.

PROJECT: This large-scale project involves two major components.

The first is the replacement of various elements throughout Cabot Yard located in South Boston, Massachusetts and includes improvements to drainage, track, traction power, signals and lighting. The second is the rehabilitation and modernization of the maintenance facility, originally built in the 1970’s and includes a new roof, lighting, doors, and windows; improved communications, AC/DC power and MEP systems; hazardous materials remediation; installation of new gantry cranes, wheel truing machine, electronics room, access platform, spray paint booth & other specialty equipment; and an upgraded carwash. Ultimately the Cabot Yard & Maintenance Facility Improvements project allows for the safe operation, proper maintenance, and reliable servicing of the new Red Line vehicle fleet.

BACKGROUND: To meet the goal of improving revenue service, reliability, and customer experience on the Red Line and Orange Line (RLOL), the MBTA has two major programs underway.

The first program, the New Vehicle Procurement Program, procures new Red Line and Orange Line vehicles, and the second program the Red Line and Orange Line Infrastructure Improvements Program, provides for critical infrastructure improvements and signal upgrades on the Red and Orange Line systems to support these new vehicles. The Cabot Yard & Maintenance Facility Improvements project forms a core part of the RLOL infrastructure program.

Please RSVP to Mike Fitzgerald at mfitzgerald@mbta.com

Products & Services

ERIC HEADRICK President 205 N. Chestnut/PO Box 404 Arcola, IL 61910 Ph217-268-5110 cell217-259-4823 Fax217-268-3059 email eric@rrcri.com

Exchange Units/Related Tamper Parts and Assemblies To purchase parts, contact: New & Rebuilt sales@rrcri.com Electromatic/Hydraulic Units available for same Workheads day shipping

REESE WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU?

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

K. W. Reese, Inc.

Box 298 • Mercersburg, PA 17236

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

2016 NRC PlatiNum Safety awaRd wiNNeR 44 Railway Track & Structures // February 2018

rtands.com

RAILWAY ENGINEERING EMPLOYERS NEED A

LEVEL OF JOB PERFORMANCE

THAT IS BETTER THAN SATISFACTORY. The candidates at the Railway Careers Network deliver consistent excellence a standard which can only be met with continuous access to state-of-the-art skills and continuing education. By leveraging the power of a trusted association, you tap into a talent pool of candidates with the training and education needed for long-term success.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to be seen by an exclusive audience of the best and brightest in the railway engineering industry.

Visit the Railway Careers Network to post your job today!

www.arema.org/careers UPDATED: Bridge Inspection Handbook Bridge Inspection Handbook, Second Edition • A comprehensive source of information and criteria for bridge inspections and their assessment • Updated photographs, diagrams, sketches and dual units • NEW additional chapters

Order your copy online now at www.arema.org

Ensure Crosstie Performance.

Choose Encore.

When you require the best equipment, compounds and service to ensure your crosstie performance, choose the company railroads prefer.

Wood Crosstie Plugging Compound • 1:1 Ratio Expanding Polyurethane Foam

• • • •

Formulated to Match the Density of a Hardwood Crosstie Superior Holding Strength Maintains Track Gauge Easily Dispensed Fast Setting Inventory Ready to Ship

Equipment • Powered and Manual Handguns • Walk-Behinds and Skid-Mounts • Ride-On

Service • Field Service Support Team Ensures

Equipment Uptime

®

Encore Rail Systems, Inc. 2350 West Midway Boulevard, Broomfield, CO 80020 866.712.7622 Find more at encorers.com