RTS July 2020

2020 MIDYEAR REPORT

WAVES OF PROGRESS DESPITE PANDEMIC INDUSTRY IS GETTING THE WORK DONE

JULY 2020 | WWW.RTANDS.COM

ALSO: FASTENERS SPECIAL TRACKWORK rtands.com

February 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 1

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CONTENTS

July 2020

10 FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

10

4 Streamlining U-shaped progress

Putting the whack into work CSX, transit agencies take advantage of technology, reduced traffic to thrive during pandemic

16

Holding down the rail Strong fastening systems minimize rail headaches

22

Free to move Chicago project involves special trackwork

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6 TTCI Review of turnout frog running surface design

22

25 AREMA Message from the President, and more 29 Classifieds 31 Advertiser Index 31 Sales Representatives

COLUMNS 3 On Track BNSF takes on tall order 32 Last Stop COVID, transit, and the workplace

On the Cover Nortrak Moveable Point Frog Concrete Turnout in Eloy, Ariz.

For story, see p 22.

Photo courtesy of voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak.

Follow Us On Social Media Railway Track & Structures @RTSMag

July 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 1

Made in the USA Fasteners, ties and special trackwork designed to work as a system for freight or transit applications.

voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak www.voestalpine.com/nortrak

ON TRACK

BNSF takes on a tall order VOL. 115, NO. 6 NO. 7 PrintVOL. ISSN116, # 0033-9016, Print ISSN ## 0033-9016, Digital ISSN 2160-2514 Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES EDITORIAL OFFICE 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 3680 Heathmoor Drive Chicago, Ill. 60603 Elgin, (312) IL 60124 Telephone 683-0130 Telephone 336-1148 Fax (312)(630) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com BILL WILSON Editor-in-Chief wwilson@sbpub.com DAVID LESTER KYRAC. SENESE Managing Editor dlester@sbpub.com ksenese@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES BOB TUZIK 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, Consulting Editor New York, NY 10005 btuzik@sbpub.com Telephone (212) 620-7200 CORPORATE OFFICES Fax (212) 633-1165 55 Broad St 26th Fl. ARTHUR J. MCGINNIS, New York, N.Y. 10004JR. President and Telephone (212)Chairman 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 JONATHAN CHALON ARTHUR Publisher J. MCGINNIS, JR. President and Chairman MARY CONYERS Production CHALON Director JONATHAN Publisher NICOLE D’ANTONA Art Director MARY CONYERS Production Director HILLARY COLEMAN GraphicD’ANTONA Designer NICOLE Art Director MAUREEN COONEY Circulation Director ALEZA LEINWAND Graphic Designer MICHELLE ZOLKOS Conference Director MAUREEN COONEY Circulation Director CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-895-4389 Reprints: PARS International MICHELLE ZOLKOS Corp.

253 West 35th Street 7th Floor Conference Director New York, NY 10001 CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-895-4389 212-221-9595; fax 212-221-9195 Reprints: PARS International Corp. curt.ciesinski@parsintl.com 253 West 35th Street 7th Floor New York, NY 10001 212-221-9595; fax 212-221-9195 curt.ciesinski@parsintl.com

I

’m sure at one time tallgrass prairie land was marked on certain types of U.S. maps. Today, I don’t think it owns a spot on a highway sign to the right of a ditch somewhere.

Long ago, the vegetation covered 230,000 sq miles in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. It can now be found only in spots, with the largest collection (3.8 million acres) in Flint Hills, Kan. The plant species is facing extinction.

BNSF is serving as the Green Peace of the flatlands. The Class 1 is in the midst of a project that involves the construction of a second line of track, one that will be 42 miles long from Ellinor, Kan., to El Dorado, Kan. Work is currently going on in the Flint Hills area, where tallgrass prairie still means something ... even a mention off the shoulder of the highway.

Track will be laid in the railroad right-ofway, and BNSF is currently in the process of acquiring 19 parcels of land. Crews will be dealing with eight minor wetland fills, stream realignment, seven bridge projects and 36 culvert extensions.

Per a stormwater permit and through voluntary consultation with The Nature Conservancy, BNSF wants nothing but fertile conditions for the tallgrass prairie long after the project is over. The Nature Conservancy was supposed to inspect the area in late June, and I am pretty sure the agency was satisfied with what it was seeing.

“This earth moving is only temporary and as we complete portions of the project we will restore the area and plant native grass according to our KDHE construction stormwater permit requirements and in voluntary consultation with The Nature Conservancy,” said BNSF spokesperson Amy Casas.

“We are also a big supporter of the ongoing efforts to preserve the tallgrass prairie of the Flint Hills. Throughout the years we have donated to and worked in conjunction with The Nature Conservancy, Symphony in the Flint Hills, and the

Flint Hills Discovery Center in their efforts to preserve and increase the appreciation for this Kansas national treasure.”

Unfortunately, Class 1s are often looked at as pirates when it comes to the environment. The same holds true with contractors in the road and bridge industry. The public sees them as raping the landscape in the name of progress.

I remember covering a bridge construction story a few years ago and the point of focus for the community was this fragile insect called the Emerald Dragonfly. The contractor went to enormous lengths to protect the species. If a sighting was reported, a whirlwind of change had to happen before construction could return to normal. Attached to just about every bridge project is a clause that demands for the protection of some water inhibitor. Again, contractors and Class 1 railroads always make sure to tip-toe their way around the project so the ecosystem footprint goes undisturbed.

Efforts on display during big bridge projects might get the notice of the mainstream media, but I would be stunned if BNSF receives much popular press for what it is doing to resurrect the tallgrass prairie fields.

Believe it or not, tallgrass prairie does attract some tourists to Flint Hills. I doubt it is enough to spike the local economy, but those tourists will soon appreciate what BNSF is doing to help the land flourish. They will know, as will most of the locals. However, the rest of America will not be given a moment’s notice about the accomplishment. Of course, the tallgrass prairie has been a forgotten commodity for decades. It’s too bad not many will be in the know on how BNSF tried to put it back on the map.

BILL WILSON Editor-in-Chief

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

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Railway Track & Structures, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407.

July 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 3

STREAMLINING

U-SHAPED PROGRESS Workers on Brightline’s Orlando Extension project deal with rebar cages on the construction fly-under for S.R. 528.

Photo courtesy of Brightline.

4 Railway Track & Structures // July 2020

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STREAMLINING

Photo Crediit: Brightline

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

Photos must be no more than a month old.

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July 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 5

TTCI R&D

Review of Turnout Frog Running Surface Design

Trying to accommodate range of worn wheel profiles and frogs David Davis, Ben Bakkum, Stephen Wilk, Duane Otter

T

urnout frog running surface profile design has been evolving since the introduction of movable point and movable wing designs, heavy point frogs, and conformal profile frog designs.

These innovations have brought significant benefits to railroads in the form of improved dynamic performance, longer service lives, and lower maintenance demands. A continuing challenge is to accommodate the range of worn wheel profiles in service and allow for wear of the frog itself. Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) reviewed turnout frog running surface design under the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Strategic Research Initiatives Project for Special Trackwork.

Designing a running surface profile for North American freight operations is a challenging systems engineering problem. The objectives of providing a smooth ride, a long service life, and high reliability all go together. But they are not easily achieved with a single design profile over the life of the frog.

Accommodating a single wheel running surface profile is feasible for a designer. The wide variety of worn wheel profiles in service today makes this design task considerably more difficult. The range of shapes dictates the transverse and longitudinal profiles needed on the frog. These profiles affect the location where the wheels will transition from wing to point on the frog.

Frog running surface design Frog running surface design has evolved over the years from designs that were easy to make to designs that mimic worn frogs seen in the field. The easy designs involve planed, 6 Railway Track & Structures // July 2020

usually flat, surfaces. These designs are amenable to a material like austenitic manganese steel (AMS), which works (hardens) rapidly as it deforms. Thus, developing a more conformal and durable running surface as the frog is used.

Cross section profile As a frog wears, the running surface takes on the shape of the wheels running on it, approximating a 1:20 tread taper slope. This general cross section shape is altered where the wheel tread end, flange, and flange root contact the frog. This contact occurs at the gage corners of the wings and the point. At the gage corners, one is faced with the conflicting demands of making the running surface conformal to the wheels while keeping the flangeway as small as possible. A good compromise between these two demands is to make the gage corner radius closely conformal (but with a radius larger than needed to be conformal) to the worn wheel flanges on the frog point where this portion of the wheel is likely to be in contact.

This compromise keeps wheel contact off the gage corner and allows a place for flowed metal to accumulate. A sharper radius gage corner can be used on the wings.

In combination with longitudinal profile improvements, the use of conformal cross

section profiles for the wings and the frog point, with proper longitudinal point and wing slopes, has been shown to reduce initial deformation and wear (and required grinding maintenance) in heavy axle load testing by about 50 percent (as compared to flat running surface profiles).1,2 Most of the benefit comes from a larger gage corner radius. However, the use of a tapered running surface also spreads contacts across the wing or point rather than concentrating them all at the gage corner.

Longitudinal profile A good longitudinal profile is needed to accommodate the range of wheel profile shapes that will operate over the frog. The location where the wheel transitions from wing to point (in a facing point move) changes with wheel and frog wear. New wheels transition from wing to point first, with hollow worn tread profiles transitioning last.

To effectively accommodate this range of wheel shapes, a frog must have the proper relationship of wing-to-point elevation. The two critical locations are 1) the physical start of the frog point and 2) the location where wheel treads can no longer reach the wing.

Figure 1 shows these locations.

To accommodate new wheels, the frog

Figure 1. Plan view of frog with locations noted by red circles.

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TTCI R&D

point must be approximately 5/16 in. lower than the wing at the 5/8-in. point. This height difference allows a new wheel to clear the frog point in facing point moves. It is important to remember that a tapered profile wheel will drop in elevation as it rolls across a turnout frog. This drop occurs because the frog wing is deviating from the gage line of the wheel’s path to create the space needed for the diverging route’s flangeway. As the wing diverges, the point of contact on the wheel changes from near the flange to near the field side of the tread. As the wheel contact point moves laterally, the wheel elevation drops by an amount that corresponds to the taper in the tread profile.

For example, if a wheel with a 1:20 tread taper shifts the point of contact 3 in. laterally, the wheel will drop 0.15 in.

The point depression also allows the new wheel to transition smoothly onto the wing in trailing point moves. Today, this is typically done with a point depression of 3/16 in. (recognizing another 1/16-in. allowance for initial deformation under lower speed traffic and some risk of a wheel flange strike). In the past, this function was sometimes accomplished with a wing riser. The riser raised the wheel to allow the flange and flange root to clear a frog point that did not have a depression. This is an elegant solution in that a wheel with a design tread profile will pass over the frog without changing elevation.

Thus, dynamic loading should be reduced. A frog with a wing riser, rather than a point depression, is harder to maintain, however.

This is due to fewer level reference points being available when making a weld repair.

The second critical location involves hollow tread profile wheels in both facing and trailing point moves. This location varies with the frog angle but is located where the frog point and flangeway are just wide enough that the wheel can encounter the wing in trailing point moves. Figure 2 shows this location and situation. At this location, the wing must be below the point elevation by about 0.13 in. (or the current wheel tread hollowing limit) to avoid false flange impacts. The goal at this location is to have the wheel come into contact with the top of the wing, rather than the side of the wing. This situation is analogous to that of the switch, where a switch point riser is commonly used to ensure the hollow worn wheel does not cause the stock rail to roll over in trailing point moves.3 In facing point moves, hollow worn wheels can run on the wing until they fall onto the frog point. This is often seen in the field as a mashed down point. In trailing point moves, rtands.com

the false flange of the hollow worn wheel will strike the side wall of the wing, causing large deformations and high dynamic loads. These types of accelerated wear are reported in conformal frogs that do not have a longitudinal wing slope.

Figure 3 shows a longitudinal profile design that performed well in testing under heavy axle load traffic.1 In this application, a frog point riser could be used. However, the use of a frog point riser would require that all wheels be raised when only the hollow worn ones should be raised. Raising the vehicle creates a dynamic loading that is detrimental to the frog. The use of a frog point riser also would have maintenance issues as did the wing risers of the distant past.

A preferred alternative is to use a wing depression/wing slope, like the currently

used point depression/point slope. As shown in Figure 4, the wing slope will provide the clearance needed for hollow worn wheels in trailing point moves. The ramp will allow wheels to climb up to top of rail height and lift off the frog point without high dynamic loads.

Implementation of a frog wing slope can address some of the challenges required to accommodate wheel profiles ranging from new to hollow-worn conditions. The result should be a reduction in dynamic loading, and longer frog life.

Acknowledgements The financial and technical support from AAR’s Strategic Research Initiative on Special Trackwork Project and TTCI is highly appreciated.

Figure 2. Hollow worn wheel on worn frog: Profile combinations that can cause impacts during wheel transition.

Figure 3. Profile view of longitudinal wing slope and point slope (from RS03-004).

July 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 7

TTCI R&D

Figure 4. Wing depression with hollow wheel (to avoid impacts on wing and point during transitions).

The wing relief (shown in blue) also accommodates frog point wear.

References 1. Sasaoka, Charity, D. Davis and D. Guillen, December 2003, “Service Evaluation of Improved Running Surface Profile Frogs,” Research Summary report RS03-004, TTCI/AAR, Pueblo, Colo.

2. Sasaoka, Charity, D. Davis, S. Singh and

3.

D. Guillen, July 2002, “Improved Running Surface Profile for Number 20 Frogs,” Technology Digest TD02-017, TTCI/ AAR, Pueblo, Colo.

Davis, David, D. Guillen, C. Sasaoka, and S. Singh, December 2002, “A Review of Turnout Design Practices, Research

4.

Report,” Research Report R-961, TTCI/ AAR, Pueblo, Colo.

Jimenez, Rafael, D. Davis, X. Shu, and I. Aragona, January 2017, “Performance of Number 20 Frogs of Various Designs in Revenue Service,” Research Report R-1019, TTCI/AAR, Pueblo, Colo.

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W

hen times are tough, railroad companies often reduce stress by playing the easiest Whack-a-Mole game one can find in the world. Bridge projects, rail projects, and other capital expenses are there for the hammer. The CapEx projects are easy prey.

CSX, however, is not doing the traditional pounding during the days of the coronavirus pandemic, and Vice President of Engineering 10 Railway Track & Structures // July 2020

Ricky Johnson will tell you it has a lot to do with CSX’s new operating model based on precision scheduled railroading (PSR).

“Our transformation to our new operating model is the reason that we are so well abled to weather this historic epidemic time and remain financially strong and not having to reduce our investment in our ties, rails, bridges and other engineering needs,” Johnson told RT&S. “An investment in core

infrastructure may have been something to reconsider when any economic hardship hit the country or industry in the past. The railroad has historically been able to reliably serve its consumers, but today CSX is more ably equipped with a strong financial sheet and we are able to continue to invest. Safety is always a top priority; even in economic downturns we are able to be out there checking our tracks and equipment.” rtands.com

Photo Credit: Brightline

2020 UAS INSPECTIONS MIDYEAR REPORT

2020 MIDYEAR REPORT

PUTTING THE WHACK INTO WORK CSX, transit agencies take advantage of technology, reduced traffic to thrive during pandemic

By Bill Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

The project sheet continues to be strong for CSX in 2020. The Class 1 has four major projects in Chicago’s CREATE, including a flyover project around 79th Street where crews are doing some grade separation work between multiple railroad tracks.

“Instead of having an at-grade crossing dealing with a multiple of railroads, we will actually elevate some of the tracks and build a bridge over the top so traffic can move freely,” rtands.com

said Johnson.

Other key projects ongoing are the Syracuse Intermodal Terminal and the CCX Terminal and Line of Road Improvements. At Syracuse, CSX is supporting the construction of a new intermodal facility on the west side of the I-481 Ohio Bridge structure. Contract work covers grading, drainage, utility relocation, and track work. Crews will use about 2,400 tons of ballast, 550 timber ties and 770 track ft

for the connection track. Work is on schedule to be complete in the coming weeks. The CCX Terminal and Line of Road Improvements project entails the construction of a new intermodal terminal and support siding in Rock Mount, N.C., to accommodate future growth.

When complete there will be three semi-automated rail-mounted widespan cranes with 110,000 container/year capacity; five 3,000ft-long processing tracks; two 7,800-ft storage tracks; 3 miles of new siding; and a 1.3-mile extension of double track.

The project calls for over 93,000 tons of ballast and over 51,000 ties (mix of timber, steel, and concrete).

On the maintenance front, CSX has planned for the replacement of just over 3 million crossties (2.5 million on the main line and 540,000 in yards). Through the first week of May, 991,000 main line ties have been replaced and 260,000 yard ties are new. CSX plans to lay about 564 track miles of rail. Of that, 475 track miles deal with curves and outof-face line (from point A to B), and 90 track miles will be installed in yards. Through the first week of May, 2,020 track miles have been placed on the main line and 32 track miles have been placed in yards.

“As we went through the PSR change we really have shifted some focus and have really upgraded and have made our yards stronger,” said Johnson.

CSX will surface about 4,600 miles of railroad this year, and through early May 1,900 miles have been completed. Johnson said the Class 1 also will be replacing over 400 switches in 2020.

The focus at BNSF in 2020 has been replacing and upgrading rail, rail ties and ballast, and maintaining rolling stock to safely and efficiently meet the expectations of customers.

Here are some BNSF projects of note this year: • In April, a new quadruple main track was put into service in Winslow, Ariz. The additional track facilitates greater throughput at this crew change location by offering a passthrough route for trains traveling at higher rates of speed; • In Kansas, work continues on a multi-year effort to install an additional main track along a portion of BNSF’s Southern Transcon. In total, BNSF will complete 50 miles of additional main track; and • In Sandpoint, Idaho, BNSF is staging work barges to support building two temporary work trestles at the north shore and the south shore for a multi-year bridge project over Lake Pend Oreille. The scope of the project will add an additional track to relieve July 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 11

2020 MIDYEAR REPORT

The pandemic has not slowed the work for BART.

congestion on the Northern Transcon at this single-track bottleneck. BNSF also is continuing work on a new pedestrian tunnel.

Kansas City Southern has completed design work for approximately 6,000 ft of receiving and departure tracks in El Campo, Texas, in support of a new rail-served industrial park. Construction is expected to begin later in 2020. KC Southern’s maintenance plan for the year remains on schedule. Track improvements were made on a 13-mile rail line in Mississippi for a key customer that has resulted in the removal of weight restrictions on the line.

A 2020 focus on improving the productivity of production gangs and reducing down time during work windows has resulted in improved costs per unit and an overall cost savings.

Canadian National has installed 194 miles of rail and 587,000 ties so far in 2020.

Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific, and Norfolk Southern declined requests for interviews/ information regarding 2020 CapEx progress.

OK is better than most When it comes to short-line railroad companies, Genesee & Wyoming is one of the longest. The company’s Railroad Engineering Services performs about 50 percent of overall tie capital projects, 60 percent of surfacing capital projects, and 25 percent of bridge capital projects for G&W’s 100+ railroads across 42 states. G&W railroads’ consolidated 2020 budget includes 850,000 ties (37 percent installed to date), 580,000 linear ft of rail (20 percent installed), 250,000 tons of ballast (45 percent installed) and 1,800 track miles of 12 Railway Track & Structures // July 2020

surfacing (35 percent complete). G&W also inspects and maintains 7,000 bridge structures, and so far 28 percent of the work has been completed and 47 percent are committed under contract.

As a whole, short-liners are getting by so far, and that is saying a lot considering what the pandemic has done to the economy.

“People are still maintaining the track, they are still rehabbing, they are still moving trains and working with customers,” ASLRRA President Chuck Baker told RT&S. “I would say we are doing OK. The business has not fallen off a cliff overnight, but at the end of the day we are reflective of the broader economy and everyone is hurting right now.”

Through the month of May carloads were down around 25 percent year over year, and the short-line sector was feeling the brunt of that decline. It’s hard to imagine what the industry would be like now had Congress not extended the Short Line Tax Credit (45G) in late 2019. The tax credit is good through 2022 and goes to support the overall maintenance and rehabilitation program of short-line companies. According to Baker, a lot of 45G is the “meat and potatoes” of basic railroad maintenance: ties, new rail, and some bridge maintenance.

In late May, the Railroad Rehabilitation and Financing Innovation Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate that would improve the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan program. The measure would provide dedicated funding for RRIF funding costs (half going to short line and the remaining going to passenger), streamline the application process, and allow

It’s progress season in Florida It’s now rainy season in Florida, which means turbidity checks on Brightline’s Orlando Extension project are about to get a lot of screen time on personal mobile devices.

Turbidity monitoring points run throughout the project, and workers now have a phone app to check the turbidity at any point in the drainage basin. If there is a spike in the water level, an alarm goes off on the phone.

“Florida is basically a sponge,” Brightline Executive Vice President, Rail Infrastructure, Mike Cegelis told RT&S. “We don’t have that many giant rivers in this state but we have lots and lots and lots of wetlands. So when we get rain, water levels rise rapidly.”

Progress has been soaking the project throughout 2020. The job is divided up into four zones, and all of them have been filled with action over the last few months. Zone 1 includes the vehicle maintenance facility and 2,500 ft of connecting track. Site work has been completed and the building contractor was given a notice to proceed on June 1. The contractor is currently doing deep excavation for the drop pits, which requires dewatering. Zone 2 is 40 percent complete and is the alignment that stretches south of the Intermodal Transit Facility to where Highway 436 joins Highway 528. Rail construction is visible. Major earthwork and drainage have taken place north of the station going toward Highway 528. Large culverts have been installed and the rail alignment there is completely visible. Cegelis pointed to Zone 3 where strong progress has been made. The alignment is almost 100 percent cleared, and about 2.1 million cu yd of a total of 6 million cu yd of embankment has been placed. Eighteen of the 21 bridges in the zone are under construction, and range from just starting to 50 percent complete. Rail construction has not begun yet but crews are beginning work on the connection to the Orlando Utility Commission’s coal spur, which will be used for material delivery. Two underpasses will be box-jacked, marking just the second time this has been done in the U.S. The first one on Golden Rod Road has the placement slab and the thrust lock that will allow for hydraulic jacking in place. The first segment of the tunnel, the floor slab and the walls have rtands.com

Photo Credit: BART

the program to provide longer loan terms for some infrastructure projects while changing the way the U.S. DOT evaluates collateral and creditworthiness.

Baker said if enacted into law the bill would certainly help short-liners, but his association is more focused on making 45G permanent.

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2020 MIDYEAR REPORT

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COVID construction Before COVID struck the Bay Area, the C Line carried the most passengers. Today, it is carrying a heavy amount of work traffic. C25

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been completed, and the top slab was being formed at press time. Skeletonized track is under construction on the north end of Zone 4, and four out of 109 special track pieces are complete. Sub-ballast operations have started, and construction has begun on five of the 20

interlocking work is the focus in Orinda, Calif.

“While performing these interlockings we take advantage of the weekend shutdowns,” Dave Sherer, superintendent of the Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART) in-house construction group, told RT&S. “We are doing bus bridges around these interlockings to replace these turnouts, and while we are doing the bus bridging we jump on any other projects we can in the area.”

That includes the 34.5 kV cable replacement project and work in the BART Caldecott Tunnel. Tunnel lighting is being tended to in the 3.5-mile-long tunnel, and direct fixation pads and third-rail insulators also are being replaced. A total of 3,500 direct fixation fasteners have been switched out, and the C25 interlocking project is about 75 percent complete.

From the C Line, work will move to the A Line and then to the K Line.

Measure RR is a $3.5 billion BART renewal package that was passed by the voters in 2016.

The track rebuilding portion of the project— full replacement of ballast and switching from timber to concrete ties—is about 30 percent

2020 MIDYEAR REPORT

BART has been able to devote time to the C Line.

Work is now focused on completing track installation on the Homer M. Hadley floating bridge, finishing stations and landscaping.

The OMF East is almost complete, and crews are now focusing on finishing work to start

new light-rail vehicles at the end of the year.

Fifty percent of the drilled shaft work at the Lynnwood Link is done, and work is just now under way at the Federal Way Link Extension and the Downtown Redmond Link.

Photo Credit: BART

complete. Twenty-three mainline switches also have been replaced. Over in Oakland, a restraining rail replacement project was completed early this year. Curves with a radius shorter than 750 ft require restraining rail, and crews replaced all of the fastening systems and restraining rail with a new upgraded version that features 136-lb restraining rail. A total of about 6,300 ft of restraining rail was installed and there were seven curves total.

Rail reprofiling work also is taking place.

BART is putting in its “Fleet of the Future,� which requires a conical wheel profile. It is a two-step process consisting of an interim wheel profile and a final profile. BART owns two rail grinders, but those machines are now being refurbished so Loram is now helping with the rail reprofiling.

Sound Transit put a halt to most construction during the opening stages of the coronavirus pandemic, but progress is still being made. The Hilltop Tacoma Link is about 54 percent complete. Current work is finishing underground utility relocations, and installing track, power stations and poles. Construction on the East Link is 75 percent complete.

rtands.com

July 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 15

FASTENING SYSTEMS

Strong fastening systems minimize rail headaches

HOLDING DOWN

THE RAIL

By David C. Lester, Managing Editor

Atlantic Track Atlantic Track specializes in direction fixation rail fastenings for specialty applications, such as crane rail systems.

A recent example would be the company’s selection to design an engineered rail fastening system specifically for gantry cranes that span over the first nine tracks at the newly commissioned Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) Mason Mega Rail Project.

This unique system included fabricated base plates complete with engineered rail clips that laterally restrain the rail at the proper gauge, all while allowing for thermal 16 Railway Track & Structures // July 2020

expansion and contraction of the rail. The design of Atlantic Track direct fixation rail fastening clips allows the lateral load imposed by the crane wheel to disperse on to the rail profile into the clip body. The Atlantic Track direct fixation fastening clips are fully Buy America compliant.

Atlantic Track’s commitment to providing the industry with the best available products has allowed the company to partner with one of the leading anchoring epoxy manufacturers, Adhesive Technologies. This company has multiple DOT approvals and has anchoring products used nationwide in transit systems with direct fixation rail systems.

In addition to the typical direct fixation system above, Atlantic Track also can provide rail anchors specifically designed to prevent longitudinal movement of the rail system due to other forces typical on these systems. Their expertise in direct fixation rail fastening systems is why several companies chose them to provide this same system

at various Class 1 railroad intermodal facilities, where wide-span cranes are in use. voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak has developed an integrated portfolio of concrete ties and fastening systems designed to be used in open track and in conjunction with Nortrak turnouts, switch machines, and premium rail offerings for freight and passenger customers.

Nortrak has leveraged in-house manufacturing for ductile plates and plastic injection molding at their Decatur, Ill., facility, along with a team of dedicated rail fixation design engineers equipped with the latest modeling and testing technology at their new test center in Cheyenne, Wyo., to accelerate product development and lower costs to customers.

Nortrak has supplied ductile iron cast tie plates for timber ties and injected molded rail pads and insulators for resilient concrete tie fasteners to Class 1 railroads and passenger systems since 2011.

Offering a complete lineup of fastening rtands.com

Photo Credit: Miller Ingenuity

R

ailroad fastening systems, which anchor the rails to the ties, are critical components of track structure, particularly with today’s longer, heavier and faster trains. There is a variety of fastening systems available, and we’ve invited major vendors to share their latest developments with our readers in our annual look at fastening systems.

WE TOUGHEN THE BACKBONE OF TRANSPORTATION. Class 1 railroad networks do the heavy hauling—we help them deliver.

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FASTENING SYSTEMS

system components for all rail sizes and applications provides customers with a cost-effective aftermarket alternative to OEMs that provided the fasteners during initial installation.

“Many customers think about turnouts when they think of Nortrak, but we think about railway systems,” said CEO Dave Millard.

Nortrak is finding success with the systems approach and recently won large metro projects in Los Angeles and Seattle where they are providing integrated designs for turnouts, concrete ties and bonded direct fixation fasteners including a broad range of high-performance standard, medium, and high-attenuation direct fixation fasteners to mitigate noise and vibration in sensitive areas.

A final example of this approach is the Keyway Tie, which contains a “keyway” in the concrete beneath the rail seat that accommodates a unique pad, plate, and fastener system.

Together, these components provide the modulus of a wood tie with the strength and gauge-holding ability of concrete.

The result is the railroad can randomly intersperse a concrete tie among wood ties to strengthen the track where and when it is needed.

L.B. Foster Company L.B. Foster is a proven industry leader in developing and commercializing vulcanized rubber bonded direct fixation fastener technology for the North American transit industry.

Its Transit Products Division draws upon over 40 years of fastener development expertise advancing specialized product solutions to market to meet specific customer needs.

According to Sarah McBrayer, general manager, L.B. Foster Transit Products, “Over the past four decades we have

Miller Ingenuity Customers frequently come to Miller Ingenuity and complain that they are spending most of their time tightening up track bolts that become loose from track vehicle vibrations. Miller Ingenuity’s ReLok fastener system, a vibration-proof, self-locking nut, can significantly increase a customer’s hardware lifecycle and reduce maintenance labor

Safelok your rail infrastructure Safelok III delivers fast, efficient track installation with all components captive to the tie when delivered to site. pandrol.com Design.indd 1 & Structures // July 2020 18 Railway Track

05/06/2020rtands.com 16:14:13

Photo Credit: Miller Ingenuity

A unitized version of Miller Ingenuity’s ReLok system at a well-known diamond test location in Bremen, Ga.

designed and qualified more than 50 unique direct fixation fastener products and have successfully delivered more than 4 million fastener units to over 30 transit agencies across North America.

“This past year we received approval from Chicago Transit Authority and New York City Transit Authority for our new four anchor Model F51 and F21 Series Direct Fixation Fasteners, respectively.

“Our Model F51 features a fully captive plate design in a lighter weight and a more compact unit than the typical bonded DFF, and our Model F21 features a standard DFF footprint with two additional anchor locations.

“Both fasteners offer greater resilience, noise and vibration mitigation, improved electrical isolation, and reduced assembly components to improve construction and maintenance efforts.

“With coordination between our Pittsburgh R&D and Atlanta Transit Products Engineering and Laboratory teams, utilizing finite element analysis and our depth of industry know-how we also are currently designing a suite of high-resilient direct fixation fasteners for use in special trackwork areas. L.B. Foster remains focused on the development of next-generation track fastener products and systems with improved performance characteristics based on customer demand to maintain our standing as an industry leader.”

FASTENING SYSTEMS

costs. Its unique design features the annulus of the nut forcing its way into the collar during vibration movement, and that captures, retains, and delivers the energy back to the joint to ultimacy deflect shock and vibration.

Also, even though the system is a locking fastener, customers can reuse the fastener for multiple installations and remove the fastener using the amount of force needed to tighten it up.

The two-part ReLok system was recently enhanced to feature a unitized version that minimizes parts for inventory and makes installation easier for maintenance crews.

The system has undergone testing at a well-known diamond test location in Bremen, Ga. The enormous lateral forces of trains on this crossing create a severe condition, and the addition of the constant cyclical motion of automobiles running across this intersection has caused all other fasteners to fail quickly. ReLok has held strong at a location that was previously under continuous monitoring and upkeep. Two Class 1s have recently purchased the fastener for their new diamond installations.

Photo Credit: Pandrol

Pandrol Pandrol defines the industry standard for rail fastening systems and has delivered rail infrastructure in more than 100 countries. Their innovations include: Safelok 3 builds upon its predecessors by meeting the need for fast, efficient track installation and reduced maintenance. All components are captive on the tie when delivered to the site, meaning there is a significant reduction in the workforce required during rail installation and adjustment. The dual-insulator design results in extended component life and significantly reduces maintenance costs.

Existing track equipment is effective for fast, fully mechanized application and removal, and all components remain on track during rail changeout or de-stressing. Safelok’s mechanical lock-in feature provides effective clip retention, and there is no metal-tometal contact at the clip/rail interface, reducing the risk of damage.

Furthermore, Safelok offers quality gage retention and durability.

The system exceeds the standards and requirements established by the world’s major railroads and provides optimal performance over a wide range of operating conditions.

Fastclip FE is a switch-on/switch-off threadless system with substantial global references that work as a total system with all components delivered to the site pre-assembled on the tie. Once the ties are laid and the rail installed, the clip is pushed onto the rail using a simple drive action. This action automatically provides the correct tensioning load.

This switch-on/switch-off capability allows for mechanizing the installation and extraction processes. It is suitable for all track categories and at installation speeds of up to 70 ties per minute. The low-profile design minimizes accidental impact issues, and the cast shoulders are electrically isolated from the rail by collars. Correct tensioning occurs when the clip drives into the working position.

J. Lanfranco To remedy mechanical failures at a busy double diamond and relieve the strain on maintenance crews, J.Lanfranco supplied a Class 1 with 70 THU self-locking nuts (1 3/8 in. - 6UNC Gr.8), and installation completed using a standard hydraulic impact wrench. These all-metal, dual-slotted nuts resist tremendous vibration, heavy loads, and extreme temperatures without loosening. The installation went exceptionally quickly while working on live track with no slowdowns.

As the THU nut tightens onto the bolt, the locking slots expand and tightly grip the thread flanks of the bolt, locking it in any

Fastclip FE is a captive fastening solution used worldwide designed for use on heavy haul, transit and high-speed applications.

position. The locking torque applies evenly over two planes and on opposite sides for a highly secure fit. And, to maximize longevity and minimize maintenance, these anti-galling nuts resist adhesive wear, can be reused, and are immune to corrosion even under the heaviest traffic and harshest conditions.

Over the past six months, the THU installation has provided savings on every front. The benefits of installing J. Lanfranco’s THU locknuts at the busy double diamond are significant. The company was able to reclaim all the labor hours spent by its maintenance and weld crews by eliminating the weekly maintenance required to keep that diamond in proper working order. Reducing track maintenance resulted in the

T tal Track Management

Anti-Trespass Panels An essential safety solution that deters pedestrian traffic in rail grade crossings

A recent FRA study indicates a 38% reduction in pedestrian trespassing incidents when using our Anti-Trespass Panels.

CONTACT: Jennifer Rohr jrohr@lbfoster.com 412.295.2132

rtands.com

lbfoster.com

July 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 19 QtrPage_ATP_Ad.indd 1

5/19/2020 9:14:23 AM

FASTENING SYSTEMS

A close-up of Miller Ingenuity’s ReLok system at the Bremen, Ga., diamond testing location

freeing of both hours and personnel for more productive work.

Progress Rail With the expansion of its infrastructure offerings, Progress Rail, a Caterpillar company, now has a complete line of fastening systems, including rubber bonded, direct fixation (DF) fasteners. The company’s dedicated team has more than 30 years of experience and has been involved with the design of over 20 different products in its DF portfolio. While Progress

Rail has many standard fastening products to offer customers, innovating for the next generation of fasteners remains a passion.

One of these innovations is the Acoustical Direct Fixation Fastener (ADFF). Since the early 1980s, the company’s Egg-Type DF fastener has led in the high-resilient market by significantly reducing impacts, vibration and secondary noise created by passing trains.

The Egg DF fastener incorporates a fail-safe containment design. Its unique internal geometry allows for it to be much softer than

standard products while maintaining lateral stability. To accomplish this, the Egg design carries a non-conventional, rail-seat elevation and anchor bolt pattern when compared to standard DF fasteners, resulting in certain accommodations when used. Through research and design, the Progress Rail fastener team challenged themselves to make a product which performs as well as or better than an Egg Type DF fastener, while providing the standard North American rail-seat elevation and anchor bolt pattern of a conventional DF unit. The result is the ADFF. Also created with a containment design, it has successfully withstood rigorous qualification testing, providing results as good, and in some cases even better than expected. Progress Rail has already supplied the ADFF to customers, who have indicated they recognize the value it brings to their systems. The ADFF is interchangeable with standard DF units, making a retrofit solution and with its more conventional size, a potential solution for system-wide applications, allowing all structures and neighboring buildings to benefit from the reduced impact, vibration and secondary noise created by passing trains.

RAIL NEWS DELIVERED TO YOU AT HIGH SPEED

RAIL From Railway Age, RT&S and IRJ GROUP http://bit.ly/rail_news NEWS RA_RailGroupNews_Half_HighSpeed_2019.indd 1

20 Railway Track & Structures // July 2020

Photo Credit: Miller Ingenuity

RAIL GROUP NEWS brings you a daily round-up of news stories from Railway Age, RT&S, and IRJ. This email newsletter offers North American and global news and analysis of the freight and passenger markets. From developments in rail technology, operations, and strategic planning to legislative issues and engineering news, we’ve got you covered.

ROUND-UP of NEW

RAILWAY

3/4/19 1:03 PM

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SPECIAL TRACKWORK

FREE TO MOVE Chicago project involves special trackwork

By Bill Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

22 Railway Track & Structures // July 2020

design, construct, install, maintain and operate. Significant man-hours and big equipment are required to construct it.

Some of the largest pieces of special trackwork are difficult to tamp, line and surface with even the most advanced production equipment,” said Mike McGee, vice president, Regional Operations, at RailWorks.

RailWorks is installing six separate double crossovers; each of those No. 9 double crossovers contain four switches and eight frogs. Due to the tight track centers in this area, five of the crossovers contain two of what RailWorks has called a “triple frog”, a steel structure more than 60 ft long that connects frog to frog to frog.

The sixth crossover is located on greater track centers allowing for rails to connect

the frogs in lieu of direct connections.

A summary of other offerings in the special trackwork market is below.

Progress Rail Progress Rail delivers a full infrastructure product line to Class 1s, transits, regional and shortline railroads, as well as serving contractors and the industrial market.

With its recent acquisition of Cleveland Track Material, the company has increased its capacity and product offerings to include bridge joints.

Progress Rail continues to lead in the development of full-flange bearing crossing design, with more than 50 crossings built since the early 2000s. When properly maintained, these crossings have proven rtands.com

Photo Credit: Progress Rail

I

n June, RailWorks kicked off a special trackwork installation with Chicago Transit Authority’s Red and Purple lines. The phase of the project will allow CTA to move between all four tracks both north and south of Wilson Station through all four north mainlines.

During the project, RailWorks will install three double crossovers; remove, replace and/or realign 3,200 track ft; and install tapered ties for superelevation. All of this work will occur on CTA’s open-deck steel structure.

“Special trackwork is exactly that: trains, equipment, containers, materials, the world. It all moves through special trackwork. It’s also the track infrastructure that requires the most expertise to

SPECIAL TRACKWORK

Rail’s lift frog, the company has shipped more than 4,000 units. Mating the lift frog with unique vertical switch design creates an invisible turnout. Progress Rail recently designed and built a derail switch based on the company’s vertical switch design. By eliminating the traditional vertical interface between the wheel and switch point, the vertical switch and derail reduces maintenance and component replacement.

Rail thermal forces and high-tonnage directional traffic can affect track alignment and component life where grade crossing diamonds are required. Progress Rail developed an improved sliding rail or expansion joints, which eliminates rail movement in the crossing. This has proven effective in helping prevent alignment deviations and component failures. The company offers these for bridge use as well.

times normal service loads can allow the stock rail to roll out of the seat and the corresponding ties to disengage from the stock rails. The resulting delays can overrun work blocks, delay trains, and present a safety hazard to nearby employees. The ClickTite rail brace was designed specifically to provide quality clamping force to overcome this issue, and was recently adopted by two major Class 1 freight railroads.

“

L.B. Foster Company With a focus on adding value through innovation and unique technology, L.B. Foster supplies a broad range of highly differentiated products to its special trackwork customers across North America and has maintained this commitment by introducing new designs and high-performance components.

For example, the Endura-Joint Insulated Joint (IJ) has become the industry standard and incorporates improved materials and discrete design features. A ceramic end post, available in poly-ceramic and fiberglass-ceramic versions, is a novel addition to the IJ and is used as a structural element to provide an effective method to spread load over the joint bars and epoxy insulation layer. The Endura-Joint IJ also incorporates a high-strength insulated tie plate, proprietary Temprange III adhesive and a forged steel high modulus insulated joint bar.

Another recently introduced product is the Transition Insulated Joint. Using machined rail that can be easily installed in worn rail track, its design allows for time and cost-efficient installation. Taking advantage of the somewhat slower rail traffic operating environment, North American Class 1 railroads have embraced this IJ as they are currently focusing on crucial maintenance projects versus new construction, finding track time to expediently install these in track.

SPECIAL TRACKWORK IS EXACTLY THAT: TRAINS, EQUIPMENT, CONTAINERS, MATERIALS, THE WORLD.

Progress Rail has built more than 50 crossings that have its fullflange bearing crossing design since the early 2000s.

to reduce vertical alignment issues and component failures. The unique design of Progress Rail’s one-way, low-speed crossing ensures a competitive option with typically a shorter lead time. In addition, the company recently built a full-flange bearing double crossover for direct fixation track, as well as an embedded turnout for the transit industry. The company realizes impacts on the railroads cause noise and vibration in the transit market and as such, Progress Rail continually works to reduce joints and impacts in special trackwork and evaluate component life.

The company’s Clamptite boltless adjustable rail brace has proven to keep stock rail secure from installation through tamping cycles. Since introducing Progress rtands.com

voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak On April 1, 2020, voestalpine Nortrak (Nortrak) officially became known as voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak.

The addition of “Railway Systems” to the middle of the legal name was made to recognize the fact that previously distinct business units were combined into a single entity. CEO Dave Millard explained that while in the past Nortrak has been known primarily as a turnout manufacturer, the company actually has a North American engineering team with over 400 years of design experience in all aspects of railway systems. This includes leading experts in the disciplines of special trackwork, concrete, plastics, fastening systems, rail and signaling.

Millard went on to explain that, “With a multi-disciplinary approach to solving customer problems, we are capable of treating different track infrastructure components as a system, and can deliver an integrated railway systems solution.”

One example of this approach relates to the installation of pre-assembled turnout panels on concrete ties. Although a small part of the overall system, the rail brace plays a critical role in the installation process. Braces that are not designed to withstand installation forces of up to five

Atlantic Track Atlantic Track’s Transit Division has expanded its trackwork capabilities specific to streetcar and light-rail systems.

This expansion focuses not only on maintenance materials for vintage systems but includes newer design capabilities July 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 23

SPECIAL TRACKWORK

L.B. Foster supplies a broad range of highly differentiated products to its special trackwork customers in North America.

Division has significantly elevated involvement with f lange-bearing technology.

The company’s Partial Flange Bearing (PFB) turnouts have been successfully installed and are performing well in heavy-haul applications. The Atlantic

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Photo Credit: L.B. Foster/RailWorks

necessary to meet the demands of modern mass transit. Atlantic Track’s designs have resulted in solid performance as compared to traditional applications and can work with various encapsulation designs.

Additionally, Atlantic Track’s Railroad

RailWorks is installing double crossovers in Chicago.

Message From The President

I

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

n this column over the past several months, the topics of railroad industry history and culture have been touched upon. Those items add to the richness of North American railroad heritage, and AREMA plays an important role in bridging gaps or divides between groups, railroads, and geographically disparate areas.

Language is a similar such challenge.

Immerse yourself in any endeavor for very long and if you’re perceptive, you will notice that your language changes. First it is subtle, with an acronym here and a bit of lingo there. Your vocabulary gradually grows as you acquire knowledge in your area of focus. After a while you have developed a means of communicating that is very efficient for your immediate environment but doesn’t necessarily translate well to those outside.

This communication style is organic, natural, and inside its native environment, effective. Acronyms are one of the common hallmarks of one’s personal language. For instance, it is much less taxing to say or type AREMA than to say or type the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-ofWay Association every time our association is mentioned. The long form helps greatly with the word count, so get suspicious if you see me spelling it out multiple times in an article.

However, the typical reader of this publication needs no explanation for what AREMA is or stands for, while those outside of our industry likely do.

The marketing side of the railroad industry is filled with creative people that produce new terminology with the intent of gaining a business advantage. Railroad intermodal business is a good place to look as it has a language all its own. Trailer On rtands.com

Flat Car (TOFC) and Container On Flat Car (COFC) were the two main modes of railroad intermodal transport before the arrival of the double stack well car pioneered by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1977.

TOFC was referred to by some as “piggyback” service as truck trailers and sometimes even tractors rode on flat cars.

Canadian Pacific was an intermodal pioneer and referred to them as “pigs”. Another notable example is the Southern Pacific with its Golden Pig service, complete with a logo of a pig wearing an engineer’s cap.

Just within the CSX family tree, some of the intermodal names provide an interesting glimpse into the language and culture of the industry. Baltimore & Ohio had Trailer Jets, Seaboard Air Line had Razorback service, New York Central had Flexi-Vans, Pennsylvania had TrucTrain service and Louisville & Nashville had TOTEs (Trailer On Train Express), just to name a handful.

In 1971, the L&N Railroad was purchased by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad and it was fully absorbed in 1982. Flash forward 38 years to the present and when one looks up train information in the computer systems of CSX, the results render as Loads, Empties, Tons, TOTEs and Length. That’s right, TOTEs! In more modern times, Conrail had TV trains. These carried more than just televisions, they were Trail Vans. Sometimes that was shortened to just Van Trains. Again, not knowing the lingo, you might expect these to carry various passenger and cargo vans on them, but that wasn’t the case at all. Only truck trailers or containers were involved in this premium intermodal service.

At this point, like in most of my articles, you’re wondering where I’m going with all of this and how it relates to the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-ofWay Association. See what I did there?

The North American railroad industry has been in existence nearly two centuries.

Thousands of railroads and suppliers have come and gone. Each of them had their distinctive history, culture, and language, which naturally developed from their day-to-day business operation. What can rightly be a source of justifiable pride also can become a barrier to progress as there is a tendency for many to continue with the inertia of the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” mentality.

AREMA provides a unique opportunity to break through that mentality. It is a platform

for you to meet, interact, debate, and learn from others on a nearly limitless multitude of railroad engineering topics. In so doing, it provides a safe environment to step out from one’s specific railroad, cultural, regional, national, and political bubble and learn how others overcome the challenges of modern railroading. Here one can get beyond the language difference and learn. In a time of social unrest, it is refreshing to know that our association is one that encourages the learning and discovery from others rather than an inward-facing echo chamber.

I look forward to our AREMA Conference & Expo in September in whatever form or fashion it takes, as it will be yet another opportunity for personal, professional, and railroad industry growth.

Regardless, stay healthy. Participate as you are able. Keep those trains rolling. See you on the railroad.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT A R EM A’s c o nve n i e nt we b i n a r s provide Professional Development Hours (PDH) to ser ve your educational needs.

Designing a Functional Bulk Terminal Facility Webinar Date: Aug. 17 Time: 2-3 p.m. Eastern PDH: 1 This course will educate the attendee on best practices in planning for and designing a bulk terminal facility.

Topics covered will include: what is a bulk terminal facility, what are typical commodities shipped in bulk, what are typical loading and unloading systems for bulk commodities, what is precision scheduled railroading, and how to design for unit train vs. manifest operations with spurs, loop tracks, and interchange yards. The course will benefit those involved in plan n in g, e n gin e e rin g, an d operations.

F o r m o re i n f o r m a t i o n o n o u r e d u catio n a l p ro g ra m s a n d to register, please visit www.arema.org.

July 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 25

Nominees for election to the 2020–2021 AREMA Functional Group Board of Directors Society of America.

Nominated For: Vice President— Structures (Three-Year Term) Name: William S. Riehl, III, P.E., F.SAME Title: Vice President, Structures Organization/Company: Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREA in 1987

Nominated For: Vice President— Maintenance-of-Way (Three-Year Term) Name: Matthew R. Porto Title: Director of Data Analytics Organization/Company: Amtrak Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREMA in 2013

Freeman has worked in bridge engineering for over 35 years. From 1982-1997, he worked for Modjeski and Masters consulting engineers. In 1997, he joined Union Pacific Railroad. He has held various positions such as Director, Bridge Standards and Assessment, Director, Bridge Maintenance, Northern Region, and his current position is Director, Structures Design.

He holds a BS Civil Engineering degree from Mississippi State University. He has a Professional Engineer designation.

Freeman has served on the AREMA Board of Directors as Director of Structures (2015-2017) and as Functional Group Vice President of Structures since 2017. He is an active member of AREMA Committees 9 and 15. He is a member of the Transportation Research Board Committee on Steel Bridges (AFF 20). He also is a member of the Board of Directors of Heavy Movable Structures, Inc. (HMS).

Porto started his career in 1999 as Semiconductor Technical with Rodel, Inc. He was R&D Metrology Technician and Semiconductor Metrology Engineer with Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials, then Semiconductor Metrology Engineer with Dow Chemical. He started with Amtrak in 2011 as Environmental Coordinator, then Director of System Safety and Director of Workforce Management until his current position as Director of Data Analytics.

He holds a BS degree in Physics from the University of Delaware and an MBA in International Business Management from Goldey-Beacom College.

Porto has served on the AREMA Board of Directors as Director of Maintenanceof-Way since 2018. He is a member of AREMA Committee 40, previously serving as Chair. He also is a member of the Fatality Analysis of Maintenance Employees and Signalmen as well as the Microscopy

26 Railway Track & Structures // July 2020

Nominated For: Director—Communications & Signals (Three-Year Term) Name: Jeremiah “Jay” McAndre Title: General Director, Signal Design & Construction Organization/Company: Union Pacific Railroad McAndrew started his career in September 1999 with Union Pacific Railroad and has held various engineering and transportation positions. He has most recently been responsible for all signal specifications, processes, and compliance for the design, programming, and construction of all Union Pacific signal projects.

He holds BA/BS and MBA degrees from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. McAndrew is a member of AREMA Committees rtands.com

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com/ hxdbzxy

Nominated For: Senior Vice President Name: Michael P. Freeman, P.E. Title: Director, Structures Design Organization/Company: Union Pacific Railroad Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREA in 1994 and Bridge and Building in 1990

Riehl began his career as a civil engineer in 1987. He has been Chief Engineer with both Seminole Gulf Railway and Florida East Coast Railway, as well as President of Riehl Rail Solutions. He has been in his current position with Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. since October 2007. He also has been with the U.S. Air Force Reserves since 1981 (current assignment Colonel, Commander of 822d Civil Engineer Flight).

He holds a BS in Civil Engineering degree from Pennsylvania State University and an MS Industrial & Systems Engineering degree from the University of Florida. He has a Professional Engineer designation.

Riehl is a member of AREMA Committee 24, previously serving as Chair, and Committee 30, previously serving as Vice Chair. He previously served on the AREMA Board of Directors as Director—Structures.

He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and fellow of the Society of American Military Engineers.

36 and 39. He served on the AREMA Board of Directors this past year.

American Society of Civil Engineers and the Transportation Research Board.

Nominated For: Director—Engineering Services (Three-Year Term) Name: Cassandra M. Gouger, P.E. Title: Director, Project Design Organization/Company: Union Pacific Railroad Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREMA in 2000

Nominated For: Director—Track (Three-Year Term) Name: Erik K. Frohberg Title: Director, Track Standards & Procedures Organization/Company: BNSF Railway Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined B&B in 1994

Gouger began her career with Parsons through a college co-op in 1989 and then as engineer after college. She held engineer and manager positions with TranSystems, FTI Consulting and Felsburg Holt & Ullevig, until starting with Union Pacific Railroad in 2011 as a manager and now in her current position.

She holds a BS in Civil Engineering degree from Purdue University. She has a Professional Engineer designation.

Gouger is a member of AREMA Committee 24, as well as a past Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary of the committee. She has been very active on the Committee with the development of the Track Alignment Design seminar, re-writing the Practical Guide to Railway Engineering as well as the Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering seminar and many other committee initiatives.

Nominated For: Director—Passenger & Transit (Three-Year Term) Name: Lucas A. Bathurst, P.E. Title: Vice President Organization/Company: HDR Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREA in 1997 Bathurst began his career in law engineering in 1992. He was with Amtrak from 1997-2003, HNTB Corporation from 20032007, and has been with HDR since 2007.

He holds a BS in Civil Engineering degree from Lafayette College and an MS in Civil Engineering degree from the University of Delaware. He has a Professional Engineer designation.

Bathurst is currently a member of AREMA Committee 17, as well as a past Chair and Vice Chair. He is a member of the rtands.com

Frohberg has a 30-year engineering career with BNSF Railway. He has held various positions of increasing responsibility in both the track and structures departments, starting his career with the former Burlington Northern as a management trainee.

He holds a BS degree in Civil Engineering from North Dakota State University.

Frohberg is a member of AREMA Committees 5 and 30. He served on the AREMA Board of Directors this past year.

He also is a member of the Railway Tie Association (RTA).

Nominated For: Director—Maintenance-of-Way (One-Year Term/ Filling Unexpired Term of Porto) Name: Lawrence Fleischer, Ph.D. Title: Director Process Safety Organization/Company: BNSF Railway Joined AREMA or Predecessor Organization: Joined AREMA in 2002 Fleischer started as a designer in 1993 and moved to BNSF Railway in 1994 as Manager of Safety and Quality. He has been in his current position at BNSF Railway since 1996.

He holds a BS Environmental Design and Planning degree from the State University of New York, and an MS and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M. He is a Certified Safety Professional as well as a Certified Industrial Ergonomist.

Fleischer is a member of AREMA Committee 27 and Chair, Subcommittee 4, as well as a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

RESERVE YOUR EXHIBIT SPACE NOW

SAVE THE DATE!

The AREMA 2020 Annual Conference & Expo is an arena in which rail professionals can present the most recent advances in the various disciplines involved in the railway e n g i n e e r i n g f i e l d . T h i s eve nt provides an excellent opportunity for members of the railway industry to increase their railroad knowledge and technical expertise. Obtain your Professional Development Hours for participating in the conference, which are subject to the individual state board’s final authority.

Additionally, the Exposition brings together a large and diverse group of railway engineering professionals who have the authority to buy products or advise their companies which products and services to buy.

Expect to find new products and solutions from all segments of the industry: track, structures, passenger a n d tra n sit, m a i nte n a n ce-ofway, engineering services, and communications and signals.

The AREMA 2020 Annual Conference & Expo is the premiere event for railway engineering professionals.

Join AREMA in Dallas, Texas, Sept.

13-16, at the Hilton Anatole.

Please visit www.arema.org for more information.

July 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 27

FYI

• Registration opens soon for the AREMA 2020 Annual Conference & Expo, Sept.

13-16, in Dallas, Texas. For the latest information about conference keynote speakers, technical presentations, Expo, seminars and travel information, visit www.conference.arema.org.

• Order the 2020 Manual for Railway Engineering now. With more than 40 new or revised Parts, it’s the perfect time to get the 2020 Manual. Order online now at www.arema.org or contact mbruins@ arema.org for more details.

• Be sure you are viewed by all AREMA 2020 Conference attendees by adver tising in the 2020 AREMA conference proceedings. Visit www. arema.org for more information on opportunities and rates.

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

Sign up for sponsorship at the AREMA 2020 An n ual Co nfe re n ce & E xp o.

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

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

• Demonstrate that you are a professional by joining AREMA membership today.

AREMA members are dedicated to improving their practical knowledge and are interested in exchanging information with your peers in order to advance the railroad engineering industry. Join now at www.arema.org to get exclusive rates on products and educational courses, committee opportunities, and access.

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

UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS AUG. 11-12 Committee 1 - Roadway & Ballast Virtual Meeting Committee Meetings happening at the AREMA 2020 Annual Conference & Expo in Dallas

Committee 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways Committees 11 and 17 Joint Meeting

SEPT. 12 Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment

Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization

SEPT. 12-13 Committee 5 - Track

SEPT. 29-30 Committee 15 - Steel Structures Chicago

Committee 24 - Education & Training SEPT. 13 Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction Committee 6 - Building & Support Facilities Committee 11 - Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems Committee 14 - Yards & Terminals

Committee 41 – Track Maintenance

Philadelphia JAN. 1, 2021 Committee 8 - Concrete Structures and Foundations San Diego FEB. 2-3 Committee 15 - Steel Structures Fort Worth, Texas MAY 18-19 Committee 15 - Steel Structures Pueblo, Colo.

OCT. 1-2 Committee 8 - Concrete Structures and Foundations Montreal DEC. 19-20 Committee 30 - Ties Bonita Springs, Fla. DEC. 10 Committee 33 - Electric Energy Utilization

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

28 Railway Track & Structures // July 2020

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STAY IN GEAR WITH RAIL GROUP NEWS RAIL GROUP NEWS brings you a daily round-up of news stories from Railway Age, RT&S, and IRJ. This email newsletter offers North American and global news and analysis of the freight and passenger markets. From developments in rail technology, operations, and strategic planning to legislative issues and engineering news, we’ve got you covered.

RAIL GROUP From RAILWAY AGE, Railway Age,RT&S RT&S and and IRJ IRJ NEWS www.railwayage.com/rgn ROUND-UP of NEWS STORIES FROM:

30 Railway Track & Structures // July 2020

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AD INDEX

COMPANY

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PAGE #

Holland Lp

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Hougen Manufactruing Company

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J LanFranco Fastener Systems Inc

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L.B. Foster Co.

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Pandrol USA, L.P

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Plasser American Corp

757-543-3526

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plasseramerican@plausa.com

13

Progress Rail, A Caterpillar Company

256-505-6402

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info@progressrail.com

C2

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402-346-4300

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14,24

voestalpine Nortrak, Inc.

307-778-8700

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Willamette Valley Company

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17

18

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

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

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

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

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

JAPAN KATSUHIRO ISHII Ace Media Service, Inc. 12-6 4-Chome, Nishiiko, Adachi-Ku Tokyo 121-0824 Japan +81-3-5691-3335 Fax: +81-3-5691-3336 amkatsu@dream.com CLASSIFIED, PROFESSIONAL & EMPLOYMENT JENNIFER IZZO 800 Connecticut Avenue Norwalk, CT 06854 (203) 604-1744 Fax: (203) 857-0296 jizzo@mediapeople.com

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

rtands.com

July 2020 // Railway Track & Structures 31

LAST STOP

COVID, transit, and the workplace Will we see major changes in the ways we work and travel after the pandemic?

By David C. Lester, Managing Editor

I

’m not comfortable talking about COVID-19 in the context of social and economic impacts because the untold suffering this virus has brought to the world continually distracts me. Millions of people have been touched by it. “Well, it’s not as bad as the 1918 pandemic was,” some say. Yes, that’s the case so far, but as horrific as that was, most of us weren’t alive in 1918, and the pandemic of 2020 is our reality.

Despite the terrible sadness that tugs at our hearts, we must consider other impacts of our current pandemic. Some leaders have said that people should avoid using public transit—buses, light rail, heavy rail, and commuter rail—to avoid catching the virus. Transit agencies have ramped up their cleaning protocols. However, like many things in recent months, transit use has plummeted. Most of us feel safer from the virus in our cars. Nevertheless, with proper precautions, transit can be made equally safe. Despite the current fears around using mass transit, policymakers must do everything possible to keep our transit agencies financially healthy, clean, and safe—more about that in a minute.

Another consideration is how the idea of the workplace may change after we’ve come through this pandemic. With many who can work at home using communication and sharing tools available on the internet, businesses are learning that significant savings can be had by having some or all of their employees do so. Of course, everyone cannot work from home. So, we’ll need good mass transit.

I would expect that with large groups of people working from home now, technology companies are looking for ways to improve the experience. We’ve all seen what a significant breeding ground armed conflict—war—is for technological advancement. Consider how fast aircraft technology advanced during our World Wars and other military engagements around the world. We are fighting a war against COVID, and there is no reason to believe that this war will not produce more sophisticated and capable technology in several fields.

Commuters may think if the workforce is remote, traffic will be lighter, the 32 Railway Track & Structures // July 2020

journey to and from work will be more relaxed, and we won’t need mass transit.

Poppycock. Many will continue to drive cars, so we’ll always have traffic congestion to some degree. Many will use mass transit. But how many? Will subsidies be needed?

Consider the many hours we are stuck in traffic on an interstate highway creeping along between 0 and 2 mph. When this happens, the tremendous waste of resources is sickening. I wonder if anyone has ever calculated the average fuel burn of thousands of automobiles stopped in traffic with their engines running in every major city in the U.S., and even worldwide. Think of the loss of productivity resulting from the delay in getting to work, to say nothing of additional productivity loss stemming from the fatigue and high blood pressure many drivers bring to the office after sitting in traffic for nearly two hours.

Whatever you think about global warming and climate change, you must admit that the notion of all of these cars belching tons of carbon in the air is not healthy for us or the planet. As the world population grows and people build communities further from the city center, using an automobile for the journey to work makes little sense if there is a good alternative.

That’s where mass transit comes in.

Whether it’s light rail or commuter rail, the efficiencies of moving vast numbers of people by rail are monumental. Passenger rail operation requires a relatively small amount of land and is arguably the greenest form of transportation, especially electricpowered systems. Plus, riding the train is easy on the nerves—no stress from sitting in traffic and having to fight for a parking place when you get to your destination.

Most of the transit and commuter rail agencies in the U.S. have done a good job of moving millions of people in and out of our cities every day. However, for transit to be attractive, the transit agencies could step up their game a bit. High-service frequency.

Comfortable, clean, and modern equipment. A safe environment on the train.

The cleaning protocols that agencies have adopted to arrest the spread of COVID on public transit should continue after the

pandemic, although they may not need to be as stringent. Even without the pandemic, a clean train is much more appealing than a dirty one.

And, while a sensitive subject, we cannot allow our transit systems to become homes for the homeless. We’re all concerned about the homeless. Homelessness is a terrible situation that causes tremendous suffering for these human beings. However, pre-pandemic ridership on several urban transit systems dropped significantly because riders were tired of encountering human waste in the seats and floors of the trains and stations.

And, there have been complaints about the ineffectiveness of transit police from patrons of some systems because of panhandling, loud radios and rowdy behavior from their fellow passengers.

Now we’re in the middle of the war against COVID. We don’t know for sure how it will turn out. However, if the past is any guide, we will get through the COVID crisis. And, life may not return to the “normal” we had before. Yet, is that necessarily bad? If a “new normal” means that we don’t have to sit in traffic jams to get to work, (thereby improving our physical and mental health), don’t need to spend significant amounts of our monthly budget on fuel, have a range of public transportation options that we want to use, and have a cleaner environment— that’s a new normal I would welcome.

David C. Lester

rtands.com

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