RT&S May 2016

May 2016 | www.rtands.com

NRCory ct Dire side In

NRC Project of the Year:

Port of Long Beach,

Pier E

PLUS Field Employee of the Year State of the NRC and also AREMA News p.32

Contents May 2016

News

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Features

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Industry Today 5 Supplier News 8 People

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NRC 2015 Field Employee of the Year Dennis Riggs earned the description “backbone of the company” from his dedication to safety and commitment to customers.

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On Track Getting Amtrak’s ducks to line up

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NRC Chairman’s Column Auction in Little Rock, action in D.C. Port of Long Beach, Pier E was connected to Pier F by filling 40 acres of Slip 1 to create a new intermodal terminal. Story on page 24

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Railroad Construction Co. at 90 Railroad Construction Co. has kept a focus on teamwork and quality construction that has led to a successful 90 years and built a foundation for its future.

24 Departments 12 TTCI R&D 32 Arema News 40 Calendar 40 Products 41 Advertisers Index 41 Sales Representatives 42 Classified Advertising 43 Professional Directory FOLLOW US on Twitter LIKE US on Facebook

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NRC

NRC Directory: Work on the MidCoast Project in San Diego, Calif., performed by Stacy and Witbeck, Inc. Photo by Rick Merina.

NRC 2015 Project of the Year: POLB, Pier E Herzog Contracting Corp. led a joint venture effort to build a new intermodal terminal at the Port of Long Beach that will increase capacity and cut air pollution.

Port of Long Beach

State of the NRC Success of the association is based on member participation and efforts designed to protect member interests.

Columns

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RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 1

On Track

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Vol. 112, No. 5 Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 Chicago, Ill. 60603 Telephone (312) 683-0130 Fax (312) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com Mischa Wanek-Libman/Editor, mischa@sbpub.com Jennifer Nunez/Assistant Editor, jnunez@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES 55 Broad St 26th Fl. New York, N.Y. 10004 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr./ President and Chairman Jonathan Chalon/Publisher Mary Conyers/Production Director Wendy Williams/Creative Director Maureen Cooney/Circulation Director Michelle Zolkos/Conference Director

RT&S Railway Track & Structures (Print ISSN 00339016, Digital ISSN 2160-2514), (USPS 860-560), (Canada Post Cust. #7204654), (Bluechip Int’l, Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Agreement # 41094515) is published monthly by SimmonsBoardman Publ. Corp, 55 Broad St 26th Fl., New York, N.Y. 10004. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices. Pricing, Qualified indi vidual in the railroad employees may request a free subscription. Non-qualified subscriptions printed and/or digital version: 1 year Railroad Employees (US/Canada/Mexico) $16.0 0; all others $46.0 0; foreign $80.00; foreign, air mail $180.00. 2 years Railroad Employees US/Canada/Mexico $30.00; all others $85.00; foreign $140.00. Single copies are $10.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only. COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2016. All rights reserved.

Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact: PARS International Corp., 102 W 38th St., 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10018 Phone (212) 221-9595 Fax (212) 221-9195. For Subscriptions & address changes, Please call (80 0) 895-4389, (402) 346-4740, Fax (402) 346-3670, e-mail rtands@halldata.com or write to: Railway Track & Structures, SimmonsBoardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Railway Track & Structures, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172.

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Getting Amtrak’s ducks to line up

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uilding and maintaining track is performed in an unforgiving e nv i r o n m e n t . A l a p s e o f judgment or awareness can result in tragedy. Case in point, The Amtrak incident in Chester, Pa., that occured at the beginning of April where two Amtrak employees were killed after a train hit a maintenance vehicle. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) are investigating the incident and final reports are forthcoming, but early indicators are pointing to a lack of communication between the track workers and train dispatchers.

An incident such as this hits particularly close to home as most of you, our readers, will find yourselves working next to or near live track on any given work day.

Following the Chester accident, FRA required Amtrak to conduct a safety review and the railroad complied with a safety stand-down initiative.

More disheartening, but mercifully, less tragic, was that about a week after FRA’s order, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was forced to delay or cancel 40 MBTA commuter trains after a signal failure was caused by Amtrak personnel performing maintenance. According to MBTA, Amtrak was performing maintenance work on dispatch and signal systems and failed to communicate those activities to MBTA or its commuter operator, Keolis.

I hate to jump on the “beat up on Amtrak” bandwagon based on two well-publicized events, but a safety deficit seems to be developing.

According to FRA safety data, the cases of Casualties (Deaths and Injuries) to Employees on Duty for maintenanceof-way and structures personnel has been trending up since 2010 at Amtrak.

Based on the Pennsylvania and MBTA examples, better communication would have saved numerous headaches for MBTA riders and,

most importantly, the lives of two maintenance employees.

Amtrak’s leader, Joe Boardman, a for mer FRA Administrator, is keenly aware of the role safety plays in a profitable and efficient railroad.

Under his watch at Amtrak, safety prog rams, such as Safe-2-Safer, were launched. This $70-million program was designed to transform the company’s safety culture, reduce i n j u r i e s a n d a c h i e ve f i n a n c i a l b e n e f i t s. H owe ve r , a Fe b r u a r y 2015 report by Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General found the program produced mixed results and outlined improvement opportunities.

The repor t noted the increase every year in the number of injuries repor ted by employees following the program’s introduction in 2009.

The report said Amtrak expected reported injuries to increase initially, but did not understand why the trend continued. The report recommended ways to improve the program by ensuring that Amtrak employees are fully engaged in the program and accountable for reducing injuries and that the program is fully integrated into an overall safety plan.

In a January 2014 Railway Age interview following the announcement that he had been named Railroader of the Year, Joe Boardman said, “The debt you owe to the future is the people you select now, the processes you put in place, the strategy you have now, the values you’ve developed, the culture change to provide for the future.”

C o n c e r n i n g A m t r a k ’s s a f e t y issues, all the ducks are in the pond, which is a good star t, but there needs to be more of an effort to get them in a row.

Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor

Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 3

INDUSTRY TODAY FRA names 15 dicey crossings The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released a list of railroad crossings in the United States where multiple incidents have occurred in recent years. The list includes 15 crossings where 10 or more incidents have occurred during the past decade.

The list follows FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg’s recent letter to state department of transportation secretaries, which urged increased cooperation to improve safety at crossings and provided a detailed round up of federal financial resources and FRA expertise available to states.

Many of the 15 crossings are at busy, multiple lane intersections in neighborhoods with significant truck traffic or have tracks crossing roadways on a diagonal. Many crossings close to a traffic intersection also have their warning systems interconnected to traffic lights, which if sequenced and working correctly, these interconnected systems can help prevent vehicles from stopping over railroad tracks.

4 Railway Track & Structures

Palmetto Railways proposes 10-mile line; DEIS issued for Navy Base ICTF Palmetto Railways is exploring the development of a 10-mile industrial rail line to serve the Camp Hall Commerce Park in Berkeley County, S.C. Palmetto Railways is a shortline railroad and a division of the South Carolina Department of Commerce. Its plan for the new rail line would connect Camp Hall Commerce Park to existing railroad right-of-way, near the Santee Cooper Cross Generating Station in Berkeley County. Palmetto Railways will construct, own and operate the rail line, which the railway said is expected to open the door to greater economic development efforts to support the state of South Carolina.

The aim of the project would be to provide rail access for the development of future industries at the Camp Hall Commerce Park, including its primary tenant, Volvo, and would support future economic development opportunities for the region and state.

Palmetto Railways estimates the project will take three years to complete and is aiming to begin rail service in the third quarter of 2019. The railway is still working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to identify a preferred route and did not have a cost estimate.

The railway also said it would be performing the required environmental analysis to assess any and all impacts as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. In other news affecting the shortline, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, published the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed Navy Base Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) at the Former Charleston Naval Complex (CNC) in North Charleston, S.C. Palmetto Railways intends to construct and operate an ICTF on the 130-acre CNC site in North Charleston, S.C., which would provide equal access to both Class 1 rail carriers serving Charleston: CSX and Norfolk Southern.

The proposed terminal would provide capacity to meet projected future intermodal growth within the region. The intermodal facility site features would include, but are not limited to, processing and classification railroad tracks, wide-span gantry cranes, container stacking areas, administrative buildings and vehicle driving lanes. The off-site infrastructure improvements would include the northern and southern rail connections, an access-limited drayage road connecting to the South Carolina Ports Authority container facility currently under construction at the CNC, an overpass connecting Cosgrove Avenue to McMillan Avenue, removal of the existing Viaduct Road overpass and improvements to the intersection of Bainbridge Avenue and Hobson Avenue.

Based on the available information, the proposed project will result in the placement of fill material in waters of the U.S. and/or tidal marsh on the intermodal facility site and the off-site improvements.

May 2016

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INDUSTRY TODAY FRA accepting applications for PTC, rail infrastructure safety grants The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is accepting applications for $50 million in grants: $25 million is available for Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation and another $25 million will be used for safety improvements to rail infrastructure.

Funding for both competitive grants comes from the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act. In the President’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget proposal, the administration requested $1.25 billion for PTC implementation grants and $2.3 billion for rail safety grants.

“Any Congressional funding and investment to make Positive Train Control active on our nation’s railroad network is a worthwhile investment,” said FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg. “But it will take even more significant funding to achieve this important, life-saving goal. We look forward to working with Congress to find these resources and encourage railroads to submit strong applications.”

Applications for the PTC grants from railroads, suppliers and state and local gov-

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Supplier News

ernments will be accepted until 5:00 p.m.

EDT on May 19, 2016, and FRA said it would give preference to projects that would provide the greatest level of public safety benefits.

Local governments, states and railroads have until June 19, 2016 to submit applications for the rail safety grants. The Railroad Safety Infrastructure Improvements Grant program can fund safety improvements to railroad infrastructure, but the focus of a project must be safety improvements. This includes the acquisition, improvement or rehabilitation of intermodal facilities; improvements to track, bridges and tunnels; upgrades to railroad crossings and the separation of railroad crossings and roads.

“To safely move tons of freight and millions of passengers each day in this country, we need to continually invest in safety. These dollars will help get us closer to that goal,” said Administrator Feinberg. “We hope to receive applications that can make these limited funds go as far as possible.”

AECOM was selected to provide technical advisory services on the Hurontario Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in Mississauga and Brampton, ON, Canada and the Hamilton LRT project in Hamilton, ON, Canada, for Metrolinx; the sevenyear contract has a CA$100-million (US$78million) aggregate maximum value.

Harsco Rail has been awarded a multi-year contract from Network Rail in the United Kingdom valued at more than $40 million.

Bay Area Rapid Transit awarded MERMEC a contract to supply a

Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 5

INDUSTRY TODAY Supplier News

Metrolinx selected CH2M for its Next Wave Rapid Transit Projects.

GE selected Chicago to be the lead office for GE Transportation’s Digital Solutions business.

Orange County Transportation Authority selected RNL Interplan to complete the conceptual design of each of the OC Streetcar’s station stops.

Progress Rail Services Corp., has acquired Inspired Systems Pty Ltd; a move that will expand its rail signaling

6 Railway Track & Structures

Public officials and other community members joined R.J. Corman Railroad Group representatives in late March to celebrate the opening of its railroad service to the eastern regions of North and South Carolina.

R.J. Corman called the opening of the line a “culmination of unprecedented collaboration between area leaders and the private sector in addition to substantial track and bridge rehabilitation.”

The line had originally been shut down in 2011 and R.J. Corman purchased the line for $13.9 million in June 2015 after being selected by a two-state rail committee tasked with finding a owner/operator for the route.

“In the beginning of American railroading, our country’s leaders saw the opportunities this new form of transportation provided,” said R. J. Corman Railroad Group President and Chief Executive Offier Craig King. “These are different times, but this region has the need to expand markets and reduce costs of products brought in. Once again, vision-

May 2016

R.J. Corman Railroad Group

track recording vehicle to be operated on 104 miles of rapid transit lines.

R.J. Corman begins eastern Carolinas service following upgrades

aries have united to improve transportation and the lives of those in this region. I am humbled that we were your choice for renewal. You made the right choice.”

The Federal Railroad Administration has given its approval to begin operation of the 90-mile line, which is now known as the R. J. Corman Carolina Lines (RJCS). The shortline railroad already has commitments to ship cars from seven key companies and expects to add customers and increase the frequency of trains.

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INDUSTRY TODAY SEPTA launches PTC implementation on Warminster Regional Rail Line Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) began provisional revenue service operations for Positive Train Control (PTC) following written authorization from the Federal Railroad Administration.

SEPTA’s implementation of PTC started on the Warminster Regional Rail Line beginning with the first scheduled train on Monday, April 18.

“SEPTA has a strong commitment to safety and the introduction of the Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES) as a PTC compliant system on our regional rail network is an important milestone in our on-going efforts on behalf of our customers, employees and neighbors,” the transit authority said in an update. “We are the first commuter railroad operation in the country to implement ACSES and an important part of our PTC rollout program will be continuing to work cooperatively with Amtrak regarding the operations of our trains, under ACSES, on [its] PTC equipped lines.”

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SEPTA says getting to this point has taken an extensive and intensive period of testing to ensure that every aspect of the system meets the guidelines established by the FRA and the transit authority’s own reliability requirements for the safety system.

SEPTA said the first few days after beginning PTC was not challenge free, but noted that by the end of the first week, on-time performance along its Warminster Regional Rail Line had returned to pre-PTC numbers.

“Within the first two days of operation, we saw the benefits of PTC when a truck struck the grade-crossing gate at Old York Road near Willow Grove Station and we were able to use the PTC system to protect the out of service grade-crossing equipment,” SEPTA wrote in an update on the technologies implementation progress.

“While we continue to monitor PTC on the Warminster Line we are advancing our plans to launch this new safety system on SEPTA Regional Rail including those lines that operate on Amtrak territory.”

Supplier News offerings, according to the company.

Ontario is partnering with Thales in Canada to develop the next generation of railway signaling solutions.

Wabtec Corporation signed a $30-million contract to provide equipment and services for a Positive Train Control system to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District.

Wesbell Group of Companies Inc., provider of services to the telecommunications industry has completed its acquisition of Advanced Tower Services.

Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 7

PEOPLE

AMERICAN SHORT LINE AND REGIONAL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION installed Judy Petry, president and general manager of Farmrail System, as its new chairman and selected Peter Claussen, Jr., president of the Gulf & Ohio Railways, as vice chairman of the association.

Anacostia Rail Holdings promoted Pacific Harbor Line’s Director of Operations Marlon Taylor to a new role with New York & Atlantic Railway as assistant vice president.

Michael Melaniphy has resigned as president and chief executi ve officer of the American Public Transportation Association; APTA Vice President Member Services Richard White was named acting president and CEO until a permanent replacement is selected.

Denver Regional Transportation District Board of Directors approved the contract for David Genova as the general manager and chief executive officer.

HNTB Corporation named Kevin Haboian chief business development officer and senior vice president; Ronald Giamario, PE, vice president and operations manager for New Jersey and Lori Katzman senior project manager and vice president in the firm’s rail transit group.

J-Track LLC Central Division will be led by vice president and general manager Bill Dorris.

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc., appointed Katie Hadenfeldt to vice president of sales and marketing.

LEJAK & Associates hired Robert Cover as vice president of sales and marketing, Eastern Region.

Moley Magnetics, Inc., added David Koch to its sales team as Great Lakes Territory sales manager in the Attachments and Equipment Division.

Network Rail Consulting Inc. appointed Thomas Downs as a non-executive director and chair.

Parsons hired Joseph Abruzzo as its Railroad Bridge Practice Leader.

Washington M etropolitan A rea T ransit Authority appointed Patrick Lavin to the position of chief safety officer.

Watco Terminal and Port Services named Albert Perez II terminal manager at its Linden, N.J., location and Watco Companies appointed Chris Morehouse to director – assistant controller.

Obituary Former president of Plasser American Corporation Josef W. Neuhofer passed away peacefully at home on March 29, 2016, at the age of 78.

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May 2016

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NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN

Auction in Little Rock, action in D.C.

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

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The 13th Annual NRC Rail Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction was held on April 14, 2016, at Blackmon Auctions’ facility in Little Rock, Ark., and it was another excellent event. The rain held off, the weather cooperated, a solid crowd materialized and there was good equipment available. It was great to see everyone out there bidding on equipment, talking about upcoming jobs and having a good time. The equipment ranged from hydraulic tools to grapple trucks, tie inserters to 6700 production tampers, anchor machines to equipment trailers and forklifts to pickup trucks.

I would like to thank Thomas Blackmon, Jr., and Blackmon Auctions for hosting the event and making it so successful. Also a big thank you to our auction committee, Danny Brown of V&H Trucks, Inc., Deric Berry of Herzog Contracting Corp., Mark Gaffney of Stacey and Witbeck, Jay Gowan of Harsco Rail, Paul Laurello of Delta Railroad Construction, Inc., Dean Mackey of Progress Rail Services Corp., Dan Samford of Peak Performance Asset Services and Greg Spilker of Encore Rail Systems, Inc. These folks help put together the auction and take time out of their schedules to spread the word about the auction to friends in the industry.

Of the equipment consigned to sell at the auction, one percent of the buyer’s premium and a two percent seller’s fee goes to fund the NRC Safety, Training and Education Program and the seller keeps the rest. For donated equipment, 100 percent of the proceeds go to the NRC Safety, Training and Education Program, which is used to create great safety tools for our members, including our ever-popular Safety Training DVDs. This year, Balfour Beatty Rail (thank you Mark and friends), Encore Rail Systems, Inc., (thank you Greg and friends) and Railway Equipment Services (thank you Eddie and Barbara) donated equipment to the auction.

We truly appreciate their continued support of the NRC, our auction, our industry and the safety of our workers.

The safety DVDs are one of the many safety-related products and services that the NRC provides to our members. Some of our other products are tool box talks, pocket safety manuals and Roadway Worker Protection training and we also represent

NRC members through our participation in the Federal Railroad Administration Railroad Safety Advisor y Committee process. For more information on these and many other member benefits the NRC provides, please visit www.nrcma.org.

Back in Washington, D.C., Congress is squeezing in just a little bit more work before summer recess and the presidential election season shut the city down from about mid July to early November. The appropriations bills are one of the few major pieces of legislation that have a chance of moving this year and the NRC has a lot at stake in the annual transportation appropriations package. The news so far has been pretty good on that front for rail-related accounts, including the Northeast Corridor ($345 million), the ‘National Network’ ($1,075 million) [combined, that’s up $30 million over FY16 enacted for intercity passenger rail], Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI, $50 million, flat compared to rail safety grants in FY16), the State of Good Repair partnership program ($20 million, new program), the Restoration and Enhancement program for discontinued intercity passenger rail service ($15 million, new program), Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recover y ($525 million, up $25 million versus FY16 enacted), New Starts ($2,338 million, up $161 million versus FY16 enacted), and FRA Safety & Ops and R&D ($249 million, up $11 million from FY16 enacted).

This, however, was just the first step through the Senate Sub-Committee.

Action still needs to be taken at the Senate full Committee, Senate floor, House SubCommittee, House full Committee, House floor and conference committee levels and then the president’ signature is needed, before this theoretical funding begins to flow through the system. But rest assured that your NRC Washington D.C. staff at Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell is on top of it Finally, I wish ever yone a safe and successful month and don’t forget to save the date for the 2017 NRC Conference at the Boca Raton Resort - January 8-11, 2017.

by Chris Daloisio, NRC Chairman Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 11

TTCI R&D Evaluation of thermite welds with treated heataffected-zone TTCI updates its findings on heat-affected-zone overlay treated thermite welds and electric flash-butt treated welds at CN and UP.

by Megan Archuleta, engineer; Ananyo Banerjee, principal investigator and Joseph LoPresti, scientist, TTCI.

I

n an effort to mitigate running surface degradation observed in revenue service, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), has evaluated heat-affected-zone (HAZ) treatments. This article covers the updated results from evaluations of HAZ overlay-treated thermite welds currently in revenue service, as well as new induction-treated electric flash-butt (EFB) weld treatments being tested at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST). This is a follow-up to the RT&S article, “Interim results of HAZ treated thermite weld performance in revenue service,”1 published in early 2015.

Through the introduction of the induction treatment to EFB welds and the HAZ overlay treatment to thermite and EFB welds, the mitigation of soft HAZ degradation may be possible. The HAZ of a weld consists of two primary regions: the near HAZ and the far HAZ. The microstructure in the near HAZ consists of a recrystallized cementite microstructure and the far HAZ consists of spherical cementite, which is a softer microstructure than the near HAZ and parent rail.

A HAZ overlay treatment consists of laying down a weld bead manually over each of the original two HAZs of a thermite weld using a stick welder. In order to be effective, the weld beads are required to be applied to the thermite weld after shearing, but before rough and finish grinding between the boundaries 0.25 inch and one inch from the sheared thermite weld. The HAZ overlay treatments were developed

by TTCI as a way to mitigate the running surface degradation and weld batter initiating from the HAZs of thermite welds in revenue service. Currently, TTCI is monitoring HAZ treated thermite welds in revenue service on both the Union Pacific (UP) and Canadian National (CN).

In addition to the HAZ overlay-treated thermite test welds in revenue service, EFB weld HAZ treatment methods are being tested at FAST in Pueblo, Colo. HAZ overlay-treated EFB welds developed by TTCI have been installed at FAST 12 Railway Track & Structures

May 2016

and the newest test weld addition is the induction-treated EFB welds developed by a local steel manufacturer.

HAZ overlay treated thermite welds at CN

TTCI, in partnership with CN, installed nine HAZ overlaytreated thermite test welds and three untreated control thermite welds in three of the railroad’s subdivisions located in Superior, Wis. (Superior subdivision); Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (Sprague subdivision) and Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Halton subdivision). As of December 2015, test welds in the Superior subdivision have accrued 192 mgt; those at Halton have accrued 151 mgt and those at Sprague have accrued 205 mgt of heavy-axle-load traffic. The longitudinal profiles and running surface photographs of a HAZ overlay-treated and untreated thermite weld from one of the subdivisions are shown in Figure 1.

HAZ overlay treated thermite welds at UP

In mid-2014, TTCI partnered with UP to install seven HAZ overlay-treated thermite welds and four untreated control thermite welds in the South Morrill subdivision in Nebraska.

Currently, the test welds at this location have accrued a total of 279 mgt.

For the 2014 installation, two head alloyed welds (HAW) — one treated and one untreated — were included in the test welds. HAZ overlay-treated HAW were first tested at FAST and the results suggested that these welds battered less than the other test combinations in terms of running surface degradation and wear. The results from this test are further discussed in the June 2015 Technology Digest “Testing of thermite welds with treated heat affected zones.” 2 The longitudinal profiles and running surface photographs of a treated HAW and untreated HAW installed in 2014 are shown in Figure 2.

In fall 2015, two HAZ overlay-treated head alloyed thermite welds and two untreated head alloyed thermite welds were added to the South Morrill Sub test site in Nebraska. This addition was requested by the railroad to increase the number of head alloyed test welds in revenue service due to the combination of the HAZ overlay treatment www.rtands.com

over the HAW, resulting in the least amount of running surface batter.

Currently these test welds have been exposed to 42 mgt of heavy-axle-load (HAL) traffic and will be monitored like the other treated test welds.

HAZ treatments on flash-butt welds

Recent additional testing of HAZ treatments have been applied to EFB welds in response to the positive results of the HAZ overlay treated thermite weld study. For EFB welds, weld beads positioned over each of the original soft HAZ of the EFB weld soon after shearing, but before rough and finish grinding. The weld bead is bound between 0.25 inch and one inch from the edge of the sheared EFB weld. By applying the weld beads to the softest part of the head of the weld, enough heat is supplied to prevent softening of that section of the weld at the austenitizing temperature increasing the hardness of that section. The HAZ overlay treated welds currently have experienced 170 mgt of HAL traffic and initial longitudinal profiles have shown a decrease in the HAZ wear between treated and untreated EFB welds. One of the HAZ overlaytreated welds was removed in 2014 due to maintenance of a nearby broken thermite weld.

A local steel manufacturer has also developed induction treated EFB welds that were installed at FAST in July 2015.

Results of research conducted under the Association of American Railroads Strategic Research Initiatives Program on both HAZ treatments for EFB welds show mitigation of wear and batter in the soft HAZ on the running surface of the welds.

The local steel manufacturer’s induction treatment involves an induction coil placed over the HAZs of an existing EFB weld to reheat the head of the weld. The goal of this treatment is the same as the HAZ overlay treatment: to hold that section at the austenitizing temperature while simultaneously shifting and narrowing the soft HAZ to mitigate running surface degradation.

The HAZ of a weld consists of two primary regions; that is, the near HAZ and the far HAZ. The microstructure in the far HAZ consists of spherical cementite in a soft iron matrix. As a result, it is much softer than both the adjacent rail and the recrystallized cementite microstructure of the near HAZ.1 Both the HAZ overlay and induction treatment narrow the softer region of the HAZ. However, unlike the HAZ overlay treatment where the original soft HAZ is shifted away from the centerline of the weld, the induction treatment is applied after the EFB weld has cooled and results in the creation of two narrower soft HAZs on the running surface.

In July 2015, four induction treated welds and six untreated control welds were installed at FAST on the same five-degree curve as the HAZ overlay treated EFB welds. These welds are fairly new and have accumulated 70 mgt of HAL traffic. No weld failures have occurred; however, slightly increased metal flow on the weld surface has occurred on the induction treated EFB welds on the low rail in the curve. Longitudinal profiles for one induction-treated and one untreated EFB weld is shown in Figure 3.

Summary and future work

The thermite welds at the UP and CN test sites are performing as expected and TTCI will continue to monitor them to determine their long-term performance. Comparison between the treated standard thermite welds and head alloyed thermite welds will continue to be a major part of this study. www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 13

TTCI R&D

Figure 1,: Upper left - longitudinal profile of the running surface of an untreated thermite test weld. Lower left - surface photo of an untreated thermite test weld. Upper right - longitudinal profile of the running surface of a HAZ-treated thermite test weld. Lower right - surface photo of a HAZ-treated thermite test weld.

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TTCI R&D

Figure 2, top: Upper left - longitudinal profile of the running surface of an untreated HAW thermite test weld. Lower left - surface photo of an untreated HAW thermite test weld. Upper right: longitudinal profile of the running surface of a HAZ-treated HAW thermite test weld. Lower right - surface photo of a HAZ-treated HAW thermite test weld.

Figure 3: Upper left - longitudinal profile of the running surface of an untreated EFB test weld. Lower left - surface photo of an untreated EFB test weld. Upper right - longitudinal profile of the running surface of an induction treated EFB test weld. Lower right - surface photo of an induction treated EFB test weld.

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Longitudinal profiles and Brinell hardness measurements are being collected on the new test welds and the existing thermite test welds at the UP and CN sites biannually.

HAZ overlay-treated and induction-treated EFB welds have the potential to serve as a treatment for running surface degradation and will continue to be monitored through longitudinal profiles and photographic documentation before being installed in revenue service test sites.

References

1. Archuleta, M., Gutscher, D. and LoPresti, J. “Interim Results of HAZ Treated Thermite Weld Performance in Revenue Service” Railway Track & Structures. July 2015. Print.

2. Archuleta, M., Gutscher, D and LoPresti, J. June 2015. “Testing of Thermite Welds with Treated Heat Affected Zones.” Technology Digest TD-15-020. Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.

Railway Track & Structures

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state of the nrc:

Healthy and growing Membership gains, record conference attendance and members’ commitment to safety shapes the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association.

R

ailway Track & Structures (RT&S) asked NRC Chairman Chris Daloisio of Railroad Construction Co. of South Jersey, NRC President Chuck Baker, NRC Vice President of Operations & Events Matt Bell, NRC Vice President of Grassroots Advocacy and Events Lindsey Collins and NRC Vice President of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs Matt Ginsberg about the past year and what they believe is in the future for the NRC. RT&S: Chris, you are in your first year as NRC Chairman. What goals do you have in mind for the association to accomplish during your tenure and are you making progress towards those goals?

Chris Daloisio: My goals for the NRC are to continue promoting the importance of the organization to the membership by: • Making myself available to our membership, listening to their concerns and working with the board to determine how we can best serve their needs; • Continuing to support current legislative and safety initiatives and • Making every effort to increase our membership in order to strengthen our ability to represent the rail industry effectively in Washington, D.C. The NRC will continue to be a strong advocate for the rail industry in the legislative arena. Along with the help and support of the industry professionals that make up our board of directors, I will continue to push for the growth of the organization, as my predecessors before me have. I will continue to build on the legacy of the past chairmen: Bill Dorris of J-Track LLC Central Division, Terry Benton of Colo Railroad Builders, Jim Perkins of Loram Maintenance of Way, Jon McGrath of McGrath LLC, Manny Ramirez (formerly of Mass Electric), Rick Ebersold of Herzog Services, Inc., Larry Laurello of Delta Railroad Construction and Scott Brace (formerly of RailWorks Corp.).

The membership of the NRC has grown more than 100 16 Railway Track & Structures

May 2016

percent in the past nine years, from 184 member companies in 2006 to 420 members companies in 2015. We gained 50 new member companies in the past 12 months alone.

This past March, the NRC cosponsored Railroad Day on Capitol Hill, a fantastic annual tradition. NRC members, along with hundreds of shortline railroad executives and Class 1 railroad representatives, met with more than 300 U.S. congressmen, senators and their staffers. The unified effort showed our federal elected officials how contractors and suppliers work hand-in-hand with the railroads to ensure an efficient and safe system that operates day in and day out.

The 2016 NRC Conference in San Diego, Calif., broke records with more than 1,300 conference attendees and more than 150 exhibit booths. I am proud of the record attendance, great speakers and programing and I hope to continue the success at the 2017 NRC Conference being held next January in Boca Raton, Fla. RT&S: You mention expanding the membership. What benefits does the NRC offer to its current members and potential new ones?

Daloisio: The NRC Membership Committee, along with our Washington, D.C. staff, has done an excellent job of identifying and recruiting companies that will benefit by joining the NRC. The NRC exists to support and promote rail contractors and suppliers within the rail industry. Our primary goals are to expand and broaden our member companies’ business opportunities and protect them from harmful laws and regulations while promoting safe practices on the job. The NRC is the only organization dedicated to this purpose and we will continue to stay on top of all legislative issues that could adversely affect our membership or the rail industry in general.

Matt Bell: We have a long list of specific benefits we provide to our members, which are detailed on our website at www.nrcma.org. I would break down the benefits of NRC membership into three categories – safety, governwww.rtands.com

State of the NRC ment affairs and legislative advocacy and industry networking events.

The industry networking events include discounted registration at the annual NRC conference and exhibition and a full company listing in both the printed and online versions of the NRC Annual Membership Directory, which is distributed to Class 1, shortline and regional railroads, as well as executives at rail transit and commuter rail agencies throughout the country. In addition, membership includes access to the “NRC Bulletin,” which is full of useful information for rail contractors and suppliers, participation in the annual Rail Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction and the annual Railroad Day on Capitol Hill.

The NRC is committed to bringing its members the most up-to-date safety information available and recognizing companies and individuals who advance safety in the railroad construction industry. There are a variety of programs and resources available to NRC members created to promote railroad construction safety, including access to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulation 49 CFR 214, Subpart C Roadway Worker Protection (RWP) training, more than 100 safety tool box talks and the ongoing series of NRC Safety Training DVDs, of which we have produced 20 and counting. In addition, member companies participate in the NRC Safety Committee and are eligible for the annual Railroad Contractor of the Year Safety Awards. The NRC is also a voting member of the FRA Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) and several individuals of NRC member companies sit on RSAC working group committees.

The third component of a NRC membership is regulatory and legislative affairs. NRC works to promote and support legislation that furthers the railroad construction business climate and protects the railroad construction industry from becoming overregulated. NRC member companies receive updates on federal and state transportation infrastructure spending and regulatory changes and access to a complete network of railroad executives and key government officials.

At the moment, 425 rail construction, supply and professional service companies are members of the NRC, which as Chris said, has more than doubled over the past nine years.

We attribute most of that growth to word of mouth, the NRC Membership Committee and our board members who have been the NRC’s best evangelists. We have an impressive group on the board and they have the credibility with their colleagues to convince them to join the NRC and support our industry.

Chuck Baker: I’d like to specifically thank each of our board members. First off, a special thanks to our now past chairman Bill Dorris for his leadership over the past two years. Bill left Chris big shoes to fill and the NRC membership as a whole thanks you for your service to the NRC. Other than Bill and Chris, I would like to thank Mike Choat of Wabtec (NRC vice chairman), Jim Hansen of RailWorks (NRC secretary/treasurer), Steve Bolte of Danella, Joe Daloisio of Railroad Construction Co., Rick Ebersold of Herzog Services, Inc., Stephanie Freeman of Coleman Industrial Construc-

tion, Clayton Gilliland of Stacy and Witbeck, Scott Goehri of HDR Engineering, Marc Hackett of Loram Maintenance of Way, Nathan Henderson of R.J. Corman, Larry Laurello of Delta Railroad Construction, Greg Lippard of L. B. Foster, Scott Norman of Herzog Contracting Corp, Bill Reimer of R&R Contracting, Wiggie Shell of Georgetown Rail Equipment, Jody Sims of Stacy and Witbeck, Mark Snailham of Balfour Beatty Rail and Daniel Stout of STX Railroad Construction Services. These ladies and gentlemen do an extraordinary amount of work to support the NRC and the rail construction industry. Another special thanks to two NRC board members who recently termed out, Danny Brown of V&H Trucks and Dave Minor of A&K Railroad Materials, for your nine years of leadership and service to the NRC. Daloisio: The NRC will continue using a variety of methods to stay in touch with our membership to get our messages out, including our website and e-mail bulletins. The bulletins are e-mailed out every other week. If you would like to be added to our e-mail list, please e-mail Matt Bell, mbell@ nrcma.org. The NRC also continues association and industry conversations online through Twitter. The NRC’s Twitter account gained more than 400 followers over the past year.

For those of you that utilize a Twitter account, I recommend following @theNRC to keep up with the association and the day-to-day rail industry happenings. Social media has become a big part of how our messages are getting out to our members and our industry audience.

RT&S: What is the NRC doing to promote safety?

Matt Ginsberg: We have a very active Safety Committee, which includes some highly-experienced safety professionals.

The interest in the committee and its membership continues to grow, which we feel is a great reflection on the good work that the committee is doing. Our current Safety Committee chair is Trey Rowe of Herzog Railroad Services.

The Safety Committee oversees the Safety Training DVD program, the NRC’s participation in the FRA’s RSAC process, the Contractor Safety Award contest, the NRC’s RWP training materials, the Pocket Safety Manual, our Tool Box Talks and all of the NRC’s other safety programs.

The continuing series of safety training DVDs is led by

“ Our primary goals are to expand and broaden our member companies’ business opportunities and protect them from harmful laws and regulations while promoting safe practices on the job. The NRC is the only organization dedicated to this purpose.”

www.rtands.com

–Chris Daloisio, NRC chairman Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 17

State of the NRC Safety Committee member John Zuspan of Track Guy Consultants. The two most recent DVDs in this series, #19 How to Conduct a Job Briefing and #20 Ten Year Anniversary Highlights, were unveiled at the conference in January 2016. The entire series has received excellent reviews and is available at no cost to NRC members. The previous 18 DVDs, which are still available, are: Safety with Railroad Hand Tools, Safety with Railroad Power Tools, Safety on Freight and Industrial Track, Safety Around Railway Maintenance Equipment (Parts 1 and 2), Safety Around Transit Track, Safety While Unloading and Handling Material, Safety with Hot Work, Safety Around Thermal Adjusting of CWR, Safety Around Field Welds, Safety on a Rail Gang, Safety on a Tie Gang, Safety Around Flash Butt Welding, Fall Protection in the Rail Industry, Safety Around Building Turnouts, Safety Around Handling CWR, Safety Around Handling CWR and Safety Around Railroad Crossings (Parts 1 and 2).

Safety Committee members, along with NRC staff, represent the NRC’s interests on the FRA’s RSAC. RSAC

membership and participation enables the NRC to provide input to the FRA as it creates regulations dealing with such key issues as minimum training standards for railroads and contractors performing maintenance-of-way work, drug and alcohol testing policies, medical standards for safety-critical workers, bridge safety, roadway worker protection regulation updates, roadway maintenance machine operating rules, rail integrity testing, rail safety technology in dark territory, Positive Train Control implementation, hours of service and track safety standards.

Bell: Safety Committee member David Armstrong of Commercial Insurance Associates takes the lead for the NRC on organizing the very competitive “NRC Safe Contractor of the Year” award contest. RT&S also sponsors this contest and helps to publicize the winners, which is much appreciated. Safety must, and does, come first for rail construction and maintenance contractors and this award is a valued acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of the leadership and safety managers of our member companies. The 2015 contest 2015 hall of fame: Cosmo Lawrence had a record 51 companies who received awards. The winners were announced at “Larry Sr. “ Laurello the conference in January and are pubThe National Railroad Construc- be proud of, the NRC said in a lished on page NRC 8 in the NRC Direction and Maintenance Association statement regarding Laurello. This tory, which is bound into this issue.

Hall of Fame Selection Committee unanimously selected Cosmo Lawrence Laurello, known as Larry, Sr., as 2015’s only entrant into the NRC Hall of Fame. Laurello was inducted at the NRC Annual Conference on January 9, 2016 in San Diego, Calif.

Laurello was born August 27, 1938, in Ashtabula, Ohio. He was a 1956 graduate of Ashtabula High School and married his wife, Ida, in 1958 in Italy. Laurello returned to the United States after getting married to finish his education at the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a degree in Civil Engineering in 1961. He and his wife had three boys, Larry, Michael and Paul.

Laurello worked for Koppers Inc. until joining his father at Delta Railroad Construction in 1965. He continued to work with his father and mother until his father’s passing in 1979, when he became president and chief executive officer of Delta Railroad Construction.

The NRC notes that Laurello was a driving force at Delta, known for his ability to look at problems and find solutions that were good for the customer, the employees and the company. He taught this to his sons and grandchildren and, today, Delta continues to do work that he would

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May 2016

work includes a contract for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, which was recognized by NRC as the 2013 Project of the Year.

Although Laurello had FSH muscular dystrophy, he never allowed his disability to stop him. He was able to live and teach through others, especially his sons.

“Larry was respected for his utmost integrity and honesty in all aspects of his life. He was a humble man, unwilling to take credit or receive recognition for the many contributions he made to assist those in need,” stated the NRC. “His greatest joy was his family and the many workers that he also considered his family. He committed his life to helping others, never asking for anything in return. His friends and family say he was ‘the epitome of kindness’.”

For all of the reasons above, the NRC says it is honored to induct Laurello into the NRC Hall of Fame. He joins past inductees James J. Daloisio, chairman and chief executive officer of Railroad Construction Co. of South Jersey, Bill Herzog, founder and owner of Herzog Contracting Corp. and Thomas Philip Stout, executive with Atlas Railroad Construction/ Marta Track Construction.

RT&S: Your annual conference took place in early January in San Diego and set another NRC Conference attendance record. To what do you attribute the success of your conference?

Daloisio: I believe that membership growth, the quality resorts we hold our conferences at and the generally favorable weather in January (although not this year!) are all driving forces behind our continued success. And of course, the guest speakers we bring to our conferences, all rail industry leaders representing the Class 1s, shortlines and transit agencies, are the key draw. Our conference attendees hear firsthand what the railroads and transit agencies capital spending programs for the coming year will be and what future project are on the horizon. These spending programs afford our member companies opportunities each and every year. As the railroads grow and expand, so will the opportunities for our membership. Our conferences are very informative - if you are a rail industry professional, you should plan on attending our annual conference in January.

Bell: Also, several other industry associations and companies hold meetings in conjunction with our conference, such as the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s (ASLRwww.rtands.com

State of the NRC RA) Legislative Policy Committee, Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) Board of Directors, multiple American Railway Engineering and Maintenanceof-Way Association committees, the Railway Tie Association’s (RTA) Executive Committee and the Railroad Maintenance and Industrial Health and Welfare Fund.

And multiple seminars were offered at the conference, including a seminar by Rob Castiglione, staff director of Human Performance Program in the Office of Railroad Safety at FRA, on “Overview of FRA Part 243 Minimum Training Standards Final Rule” and a track construction seminar by John Zuspan of Track Guy Consultants on “Means and Methods for Direct Fixation, Low Vibration Track & Embedded Track.”

Baker: These meetings and seminars bring a new group of executives to the NRC Conference, adding to the appeal for NRC members. It also allows many folks to attend the conference and deal with other important business issues in a single trip, making the most effective use of people’s limited time. This has worked well and we invite other rail associations, committees, railroads, transit agencies and state departments of transportation reading this interview to consider coordinating their meetings and seminars with the NRC Conference.

Lindsey Collins : The NRC Special Awards have become a highlight at the conference, as well. These awards give NRC members an opportunity to recognize their colleagues for exemplary work in the industry. This year, two awards were presented.

The 2015 Railroad Construction Project of the Year was presented to the Port of Long Beach, Pier E project by Herzog/Reyes, A Joint Venture, story on page 24. Herzog is the managing venture partner, working with Reyes Construction for the Port of Long Beach, a project that is the centerpiece of the largest and most sophisticated automated marine terminal in the United States. This intermodal yard spans 345 acres and will handle 10,000 truck trips per day, 2,100 trains, 3.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units per year and will employ nearly 3,000 people. The total linear footage of crane rail foundation and rail installed was almost eight miles. The project was completed on schedule, within budget and with zero “lost time” accidents and 313,046 total man hours. The NRC was proud to honor this outstanding project with our Project of the Year award.

The 2015 Field Employee of Year was presented to Dennis Riggs, general superintendent at Railroad Construction Co. of South Jersey, story on page 22. Dennis began working at RCCSJ as a laborer in March of 1989. He quickly progressed to the position of foreman by 1991, becoming RCCSJ’s youngest ever foreman at that time. By 2000, he had continued his advancement to the position of general superintendent. He oversees as many as 12 projects at one time and deals with a work force of 110 people. He is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dennis’ unparalleled knowledge of the industry, his commitment to his customers and his dedication to safety are among many attributes that make for an outstanding NRC Field Employee of the Year.

Bell: Lastly, our conference would not be possible without the support of our valued sponsors. The NRC offers its members the opportunity to sponsor specific conference functions, such as sessions and receptions, as well as general gold and silver level sponsorships. An NRC Conference www.rtands.com

sponsorship is a unique marketing opportunity to showcase a company’s products and services. More information on 2017 Conference Sponsorships opportunities will be announced this summer in the “NRC Bulletin.”

RT&S: Your conferences are generally held in warm locales, which provide a nice break for those of us coming in from the frozen north.

Daloisio: The location and the time of year make attending our annual conference an easy decision, without a doubt. We hold our conferences in south Florida or southern California in alternating years, in early January. This time of year is typically the slowest part of the construction and maintenance season, which makes it easier for the majority of us to schedule such a trip. It’s the perfect time of year for many of us to get away, have some fun with colleagues and friends in the industry and still get some work done - it’s all good!

Baker: Until 2016, NRC had a decade of conferences in a row with mostly sunshine. That changed a bit this year when we were hit with San Diego’s biggest rain storm in years for the first two days of the conference, but at least the speakers on Thursday were happy as the poor weather outside created a standing-room-only crowd. The exhibitors in the 35,000-square-foot exhibit hall tent were less happy on Wednesday evening when the whipping El Niño winds caused a bit of rocking and rolling in the tent, but everyone made it through safe and sound and in good spirits. Once it was time for the NRC golf and sailing tournaments on Friday, the sunshine came out!

RT&S: Where will the next NRC Conference be in January 2017?

Bell: We’re all set for January 8-11, 2017 at the Boca Raton Resort in Boca Raton, Fla. We’ll notify members this summer via e-mail when conference and exhibit booth registrations are available and also when the hotel room block opens and, of course, we’ll advertise the event right here in RT&S. For more information, visit: www.nrcma. org/2017conference.

RT&S: Aside from the Annual Conference, are there other NRC-sponsored activities during the year?

Daloisio: Yes, the NRC equipment auction and Railroad Day on Capitol Hill are the other two major events each year. The NRC Railroad Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction is held in early spring. This year’s auction was hosted

by Blackmon Auctions in Little Rock, Ark., on April 14.

Collins: A portion of the proceeds from the consigned equipment at the auction goes to the NRC Safety, Training, and Education Fund. The Fund benefits our membership and the industry as a whole and is the main source of funding for the Safety Training DVD program.

In addition, some of the equipment is actually donated to the NRC, with 100 percent of those proceeds going to the safety program. We are extremely grateful to our Class 1, shortline, contractor and supplier partners who have donated pieces to the NRC Auction over the years. Donations this year came from Balfour Beatty Rail, Railway Equipment Services and Encore Rail Systems.

Baker: The auction committee has been doing great work on this event and at the previous auctions. The key Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 19

State of the NRC committee members are Danny Brown of V&H Trucks, Deric Berry of Herzog Contracting Corp., Mark Gaffney of Stacey and Witbeck, Jay Gowan of Harsco Rail, Paul Laurello of Delta Railroad Construction, Dean Mackey of Progress Rail Services, Dan Samford of Peak Performance Asset Services and Greg Spilker of Encore Rail Systems.

Blackmon Auctions is our auctioneer every year and they do a great job, too. The equipment at the auction typically includes air compressors, ballast regulators, brush cutters, spikers, pickup trucks, hi-rail trucks, cranes, rail threaders, spike pullers, tie inserters and removers, tampers, crib consolidators, log loaders, adzers, pre-gaugers, speedswings, anchor and clip applicators, rollers, cribbers, swing loaders, etc.

Daloisio: The NRC is a major sponsor and organizer of Railroad Day on Capitol Hill. NRC members, along with representatives from the ASLRRA, AAR, REMSA, RSI, RSSI and RTA all converge on D.C. to get our message out and be heard by our elected officials. Each year, dozens of our member companies are represented at meetings with members of Congress and their staff in order to present our concerns on major issues affecting the railroad industry. There are many issues in Washington, D.C., that can directly affect our businesses. It’s extremely important that the NRC have the representation provided by Chuck Baker and the NRC’s government affairs staff at Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell, but it’s equally important for each of our contractor and supplier member companies to keep up

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on the issues, as well. Please contact your representatives and senators and let them know that their constituents care and are deeply concerned about legislative issues that could adversely affect our industry and business opportunities.

This year’s event was another successful one. The event occurred on March 3, 2016, and representatives from the railroad industry met with more than 350 U.S. Senators and Congressmen. Many NRC member companies found that the event provided them with an excellent opportunity to spend time with their railroad customers and speak directly with their congressional representatives. If you were not able to make this year’s event, I encourage you to participate at the next Railroad Day on Capitol Hill in the spring of 2017.

RT&S: Speaking of Congress, tell us more about the NRC’s Grassroots Program and why a railroad contractor or supplier would want to host their member of Congress for a visit?

Collins: Because it’s more effective to “show and tell” than simply “tell,” the NRC’s Grassroots Program was created to invite United States Members of Congress to visit NRC member facilities and construction project sites. These visits give the members of Congress firsthand knowledge of the rail industry and demonstrate how rail contractors and suppliers are positively affecting the rail industry, the local and national economy. NRC member companies gain positive publicity, foster good relationships with their congressional

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State of the NRC members and build strong contacts for the NRC to utilize when advocating for rail industry issues on Capitol Hill. It’s a win-win-win! These congressional visits are coordinated and executed by the NRC staff with little work required by the host company. If your company is interested in hosting your member of Congress for a visit, please contact me at lcollins@nrcma.org or 202-715-2916.

RT&S: What are the NRC’s current legislative priorities?

Baker: We’re focused on trying to get a permanent extension of the 45G shortline railroad rehabilitation tax credit to provide the long-term planning certainty necessary to maximize private-sector transportation infrastructure investment. This is a crucial piece of legislation to help maximize rehabilitation spending in the shortline industry. The credit provides a 50-percent tax credit to shortline railroads for investing in their infrastructure, capped at $3,500 per mile owned. This results in more than $300 million per year of additional capital investment by shortline railroads, much of which is contracted out to NRC members or spent on materials and equipment from NRC suppliers.

The NRC also continues to make the case to Congress against an increase in the size and weight of trucks that are allowed on the highways. We were pleased that the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act surface transportation reauthorization bill passed in late 2015 made no such changes. Heavy trucks are already subsidized and increasing their weight and length would increase that subsidy and allow them to compete unfairly against the privately-funded freight railroads. Bigger and heavier trucks are unsafe and unwise – they’re bad for the roads and bad for the rail industry. The American public is solidly against them and Congress was wise to not support bigger and heavier trucks.

We are also actively supporting efforts by the freight railroads to maintain the existing reasonable and balanced economic regulation of their business and we will argue forcefully against legislation or regulation that would needlessly complicate rail service or cap rates. Reregulating the railroads is a sure-fire way to reduce much-needed capital investment in the national railroad network.

And we’re always focused on the annual appropriations bills, which have billions of dollars at stake for rail-related investments, including for the Northeast Corridor and the intercity passenger rail ‘National Network’, Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, the State of Good Repair partnership program, the Restoration and Enhancement program for discontinued intercity passenger rail service, Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery and New Starts.

RT&S: How does the NRC attempt to accomplish its legislative goals on Capitol Hill?

Baker: As Chris mentioned earlier, the key to the NRC’s legislative success in D.C. is the active participation of our membership. Congressmen only care what I have to say because I am representing their constituents. Hearing frequently and forcefully from those constituents directly is by far the most effective way to get our messages across.

Also, in addition to our own direct legislative efforts, the NRC is a member of the OneRail Coalition, with APTA, the AAR, ASLRRA, Amtrak, NARP, RSI, the States for Paswww.rtands.com

senger Rail Coalition and other key rail industry groups.

When all of those groups can agree and go to Congress with a coordinated message, we’re a powerful force, representing hundreds of thousands of workers and tens of billions of dollars of economic activity.

RT&S: Beyond the immediate priorities of tax credits, guarding against increased truck size and weights and increased regulation of the freight railroads and the annual appropriations bills, what are the NRC’s other legislative and policy priorities?

Baker: The NRC also advocates for improvements to the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan program, some of which were achieved in the FAST Act. RRIF is a $35 billion infrastructure loan program that is under utilized by the railroads, but we are seeing a recent pick-up in activity, at least on the application side. RRIF provides low interest (around 2.6 percent currently), 35-year loan money for railroad rehabilitation and construction.

Since 2002, the FRA has approved 35 RRIF loans for a combined total of approximately $2.7 billion.

The NRC will work with our railroad customers to protect and expand the Section 130 Grade Crossing Program, which has a long record of success in improving public safety, but only funds a small fraction of the documented needs.

The NRC will work with APTA and other rail transit advocacy support groups to make sure that Congress continues the meaningful rail transit investments of the past decade. More and more U.S. cities are realizing the economic and environmental benefits provided by constructing and expanding light rail and metro systems and we are seeing a shift in travel patterns across the country. However, this momentum is at risk as the funding for the mass transit account of the highway trust fund is no longer sufficient to expand and maintain the system. Simply put, more funding needs to be dedicated to rail transit investments and the NRC will work hard in D.C. every day to get that message across to Congress.

And the NRC will continue working with passenger rail advocacy groups to aggressively support and fund a meaningful investment into the national intercity passenger rail network.

RT&S: Do you have any closing thoughts?

Daloisio: I would like to thank all the NRC member companies and my fellow board members for supporting me in my position as chairman of the board during my first year.

We have continued to grow our membership, set new conference attendance records and get a greater participation in our “Safe Contractor of the Year” contest along with our equipment auction and Railroad Day on Capitol Hill. These are all positive signs of a healthy and growing organization. Our committee members and directors of the board will remain active and engaged. All continue to get a high level of support from their respective employers, as well. I would like to thank the NRC member companies that support those who serve on the board and on the committees for allowing us to dedicate some of our very valuable time to this great organization.

The state of the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association is stronger than ever. God bless the United States of America, the men and women that serve in our military and the NRC. Have a safe day.

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Dennis Riggs, general superintendent for Railroad Construction Co. of South Jersey, is recognized by colleagues and clients as a trusted source of construction solutions.

by Jennifer Nunez, assistant editor

Dennis Riggs:

2015 NRC Field Employee of the year

Riggs with NRC’s Chuck Baker and Lindsey Collins at the 2016 NRC Conference.

T

h e railroad industry is filled with intelligent, hard working men and women with a positive outlook and well-rounded character, which make for a stand up employee. Every year, the National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association (NRC) selects one exemplary employee from a slew of nominations to be named Field Employee of the Year and for 2015, that person was Dennis Riggs, general superintendent for Railroad Construction Co. of South Jersey (RCCSJ), Inc. Riggs began working at RCCSJ as a laborer in March of 1989. He quickly progressed to the position of foreman by 1991, becoming RCCSJ’s youngest ever foreman at that time.

By 2000, he had continued his advancement to the position of general superintendent. In this role, Riggs coordinates manpower, organizes deliveries of materials and equipment and spends countless hours answering questions from both customers and project personnel. He oversees as many as 12 projects at one time and deals with a work force of 110 people. He is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Riggs was described by a customer as their “most trusted source for honest, appropriate and effective rail construction and maintenance solutions” and as someone that “has always gone above and beyond.” His colleagues describe him as a mentor, an exemplary leader and “the backbone of the company.”

R i g g s s ay s t h at r e p r e s e n t i n g R C C S J a s f i e l d superintendent is a privilege and an honor and points to the Daloisio family: Jim, Jamie and Chris, who he says, have always provided him with the resources needed to service customers at the highest level.

“RCCSJ has a workforce who, because of the tireless efforts, makes me shine in a positive light,” Riggs said.

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May 2016

“Without their dedication to their crafts, this honor would not be possible.”

Riggs says he was fortunate to learn the business from some great railroad men who shared their knowledge with him including John Morris, Mike DeRose, Bill Dorris, Ken Gilman, Lester Risell and Wayne Riggs.

“Every day I step onto a piece of railroad track, I use the skills these men taught me,” he explained. “They would all be deserving of this award and I take great pleasure in sharing this recognition with all of them. I must also thank my wife, Connie, and my children for their support and understanding, as this is a 24/7 job; Many times I have had to change our personal plans due to one of our customer’s needs.”

“Safety, quality of work and the service that Dennis provides to our customers is the best in the industry,” explained Christofer Daloisio, vice president, RCCSJ. “He truly cares about our customers and our coworkers and shows that in his everyday dealing with all.”

In a letter to the NRC nominating Riggs, Nick Morina, project manager/estimator at RCCSJ pointed out his colleague’s vast wisdom and sound business practices.

“Dennis’ knowledge of the railroad industry is second to none,” Morina explained. “I have had the opportunity to conduct track inspections with Dennis on numerous occasions. His ability to rattle off railroad standards, hole drillings, rail measurements, do’s and don’ts of track construction and his overall knowledge of railroading is extremely impressive. His knowledge is always first and foremost based on the safest industry methods. Dennis constantly preaches building track the ‘right way’ and doing it safely, not cutting corners on either one of these virtues. Customers respect Dennis not only for his complete www.rtands.com

Dennis Riggs

understanding of track construction, but his fairness in quoting work for potential customers; always doing what is right for the client.”

James Daloisio, president and chief executive officer of RCCSJ had plenty of good praise for his employee and says that Riggs is by far the company’s most important field employee and says he feels that he represents one of the key reasons that the company is and has been successful.

“His quiet and unassuming way, along with his knowledge of track construction and maintenance enables him to work well with all sorts of owners or their representatives,” Daloisio wrote in his recommendation letter.

It is one thing to receive a nomination from your coworkers and boss, but Riggs brought in a number of letters from clients, as well. When your client is happy with the work, one has clearly achieved success.

Honeywell’s MI Engineer Lead Tai Do noted that Riggs always goes above and beyond his role, noting that on a Friday night, given short notice, he assembled a crew to repair a broken rail, which allowed the line to be back in service that same night and customers did not receive any delay in shipment.

Do says Riggs provides stellar service – always.

“Dennis is always able to remain calm during stressful situations and his expertise makes him a real asset to the

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company,” noted Darryl Mosley, maintenance/project specialist for Mexichem Specialty Resins, Inc. “Dennis is a dedicated employee who takes great personal pride in a job well done. He is only a phone call away if ever he is needed.

Customer satisfaction is his number one priority.”

Riggs on a jobsite.

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NRC PROject of the Year:

Port of Long Beach, Pier E Herzog Contracting Corp. and Reyes Construction worked to safely build a 345-acre intermodal yard that will help the Port of Long Beach increase capacity and cut air pollution.

by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor All photos and renderings courtesy of the Port of Long Beach

C

alifornia’s Port of Long Beach (POLB) is the second busiest port in the United States and is located in one of the nation’s most populated areas. Capacity matters, but so does efficiency and environmental friendliness. POLB developed a plan that would give it both with the Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project.

The project will combine two aging shipping terminals at Pier E and F into the greenest, most technologicallyadvanced container terminal in the world. The new terminal, at full build out, will have more than double the capacity of the two terminals it replaces and cut air pollution by more than half.

In 2012, POLB signed a 40-year, $4.6 billion lease with Orient Overseas Container Line and its subsidiary, Long Beach Container Ter minal (LBCT), for the new Middle Harbor property, in the largest deal of its kind for any U.S. seaport. POLB and LBCT have been working to progress the nine-year, $1.31 billion project that will upgrade wharfs, water access and 24 Railway Track & Structures

May 2016

container yards, as well as add a greatly expanded on-dock rail yard.

Phase 1 of the project was completed in 2015 and included the development of Pier E, which allowed LBCT to continue operation at its existing terminal on

Pier F. The entire project is scheduled for completion by 2019 and will help support thousands of jobs in the area.

The work performed on Pier E is the centerpiece of the Middle Harbor redevelopment efforts and Herzog www.rtands.com

Opposite Page: Top image shows the original configuration of Pier E and F. Bottom rendering illustrates what the completed Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project will look like.

This Page: Pier E was connected to Pier F by filling an additional 40 acres of Slip 1. The Herzog Contracting/Reyes team expanded the on-dock rail yard from 10,000 linear feet to 75,000, creating a single, consolidated container terminal, which includes 55 acres of newly created land.

Contracting Corp. was the managing joint venture partner with Reyes Construction for this portion of the project.

According to Herzog Contracting, “This intermodal yard spans 345 acres and will handle 10,000 truck trips per day, 2,100 trains, 3.3 million twentyfoot equivalent units per year and will employ nearly 3,000 people. The total linear footage of crane rail foundation and rail installed was 40,982 (almost eight miles). The vehicle traffic areas required the construction of a flexible paving cross-section, which consisted of up to 13-inch thick roller compacted concrete, with a three-inch asphalt wear course. The project also involved the installation of drainage structures, utilities and demolition of the prior site. The contract included the construction of reclaimed land by connecting Pier E to Pier F, which consisted of filling an area of the harbor previously used for ship navigation.” www.rtands.com

H e r z o g C o n t r a c t i n g ’s a b i l i t y to complete the project on time, on budget and with zero “lost time” accidents helped the company garner the 2015 NRC Project of the Year award. This is a repeat win for Herzog Contracting, which also won the 2014 award for its work on the Port of Los Angeles Berth 200 Rail Yard.

“One of the many goals of this project was to incorporate our expertise in being environmentally conscious with innovative solutions. Transforming two aging terminals into the greenest and most technologically-advanced container terminal in the world was no small task,” Herzog Contracting wrote in its Project of the Year entry. “The utilization of solar panels, adding shore power for ships and the reuse or recycle of many waste materials were just a few of the ways that we succeeded in delivering a project of the highest quality.”

Challenges and strategies

Herzog Contracting notes that the largest challenges of the project were the project’s schedule and accuracy required of the construction process.

“The challenge on this project was working over the top of an operating oil field, with an aggressive schedule, promised in the 40-year, $4.6 billion lease agreement between POLB and the Orient Overseas Container Line. Our strategy was to work with the Port and the tenant. This allowed our construction team to sequence and accelerate work so that we could Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 25

NRC 2015 Project of the Year meet important milestones, allowing the tenant to install and test its highly automated container handling equipment,” said Herzog Contracting.

The company continued, “The biggest challenge with accuracy was that with the performance characteristics of the automatic stacking cranes, placement of anchor bolts for the direct fixation crane rail track was highly critical. The automatic stacking cranes used at this terminal travel at very high rates of speed, up to 30 miles per hour, while handling loads of up to 45,000 pounds.

“Our strategy to ensure complete accuracy of the final product was to use high caliber total station survey equipment to aid in aligning concrete forms and anchor bolts, both vertically and horizontally, prior to pouring concrete.

“Immediately after concrete was poured, all of the bolts and forms were checked again to verify no movement.

This process, with quality and hold points built in to the Construction Work Plan, provided a positive means for our crews to work in a timely, efficient manner, while maintaining the required accuracy to build the project correct the first time. This kept the project on-time and on-budget.”

“Transforming two aging terminals into the greenest and most technologically-advanced container terminal in the world was no small task,” –Herzog Contracting Corp.

26 Railway Track & Structures

May 2016

Safety: Zero lost time

A large component of the NRC’s Project of the Year contest is the safety record of a project. Herzog Contracting accrued 313,046 total man hours on the project with zero “lost time” accidents.

“Herzog employed a safety director who was dedicated to the project on a full-time basis. The success of our safety record is attributed to every team member believing a culture of safety was part of everyone’s responsibility,” said Herzog Contracting.

www.rtands.com

New enviromentally-conscious electric stacking cranes were installed.

“Each foreman was tasked with developing an Activity Hazard Analysis (AHA) for each definable feature of work.

Every AHA identified the tasks required to complete the work. The AHA outlined potential hazards that might be encountered and identified steps to mitigate every hazard associated with the task. Additionally, if a near miss occurred on the project, there would be a ‘Safety Standown’ for the entire project. All crews would be notified of the near miss and crews would be retrained to ensure a similar event would not reoccur. Herzog is a hard working company that goes above and beyond to not only meet, but also exceed construction safety standards,” said the company.

Concerning cost control strategies, Herzog Contracting stuck to a simple, yet effective, formula.

“Herzog’s cost control system was fully integrated within the management team, from the foreman to the project manager. Engineers responsible for managing various disciplines of work were tasked with creating very simple man hour budget work sheets for each of the foremen.

These budget sheets were designed in a way that the foreman could fill in the number of hours used to perform each task during the workday. The budget worksheet also allowed foreman to identify how many units of production the crew accomplished. This allowed the foreman to determine the number of man hours required to complete each task on a given day. The foreman could then compare the actual number to the budgeted number, allowing them to better understand their daily estimated goal. This method of cost control proved to be a valuable process for controlling costs in the field. Each month every discipline engineer would update their units of production in the cost report, as well as verify all of the inputs for accuracy, allowing for a detailed job cost report to be completed for the project manager and company executives. When these techniques indicated the likelihood of a cost overrun, the management team identified potential improvements to be made to the operation, providing increased efficiency or determining whether or not the character of the work had changed,” said Herzog.

Herzog Contracting completed its work at Pier E at the end of August 2015. Following successful testing, Pier E accepted its first vessel on April 7, 2016. www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 27

Railroad Construction company celebrates

90 years

by Jennifer Nunez, assistant editor

Railroad Construction Company has grown significantly in its 90 years.

The company still embraces the values established at conception and remains a strong, family-owned business.

N

inety years ago, Railroad Construction Company, Inc. (RCC), was established by Joseph Daloisio, Sr., as a track services company serving the East Coast. Since then, the company has grown into a large general contracting business with experience in all areas of track construction and civil construction. Services include excavation, grading, site work, utility installation, structural concrete, building fit-out, station construction and rehabilitation, bridge construction and rehabilitation, roadway construction and railroad track transit and intermodal installation and maintenance.

“The success of RCC can only be measured by the collective success we share as a team following the same mission: To deliver quality construction and engineering services to our customers with professionalism and integrity while providing opportunity to our co-workers, security for their families and sharing our resources to benefit others,” explained Al Daloisio, president of RCC. “RCC began as a small family business and is now run by a family of co-workers, strong in dedication and diverse in character.

The longevity and success of RCC is rooted in the company’s motto: Safety, quality, productivity and having fun.”

Al Daloisio, Jr., says part of the company’s success is because of its mission to share resources to benefit others and is exhibited by the ongoing effort by donating to local charity groups including Eva’s Village, Oasis Haven for Women and 28 Railway Track & Structures

May 2016

Children, Paterson Boys and Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity, several animal rescue organizations and many other groups.

“We have built strong relationships with local unions and have found these partnerships to be a key element to our success,” he said. “For the past 90 years, we have been supported and assisted by many subcontractors, vendors and joint venture partners. We feel we have been fortunate to find a circle of people that thrive as a team to fulfill our mission and the company today is dedicated to providing the same service and quality on which it was founded.”

History

Joseph Daloisio, Sr., left his job with the Erie Railroad Company in 1926 after recognizing that there was need and an opportunity to maintain the private side tracks that were not the responsibility of the railroads. He grew and developed RCC by providing service as a contractor dedicated to on-time completion of projects. Al Daloisio, Sr., joined his father in 1927 and took over the reigns of RCC in 1941 with the help of his brother, Tony, sister, Mary Daloisio Falcione and her husband, Tony Falcione.

RCC operated out of a small office next to the Daloisio home on Summer Street in Paterson, N.J., and a customer base was established through hard work and dedication to quality and service. The company notes that at that time, a “big job” for constructing a complete new siding was in the www.rtands.com

RCC - 90 years RCC constructed an entirely new branch of NJ Transit, including stations, tracks, structures and signals to serve the new Meadowlands Sports Complex.

magnitude of $2,000. In 1942, property was purchased and RCC moved to its current Grove Street location in Paterson, N.J. Dur ing the fir st 15 year s of operation, RCC would not bid any project with a value more than $10,000. In 1941, a project for Todd Shipyards in Brooklyn, N.Y., for $25,000 marked the beginning of a move into larger projects and company growth. As the company grew, RCC expanded beyond rail work and into excavation, drainage and site work.

By the 1950s, RCC had grown to expand its service area further from its northern New Jersey home. While continuing to serve the customers around Paterson, larger projects took the company out to Hershey, Pa., and down to Camden, N.J., for the Cooper’s Point Railroad Relocation beneath the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

Joseph Daloisio, Jr., officially joined the company after college and service in Army Corp. of Engineers in 1956.

As contracts began to grow, so did the company. By 1970, RCC was performing work for the Hunts Point Terminal in Bronx, N.Y., for a contract price of $507,412. RCC was incorporated in 1979 and in 1983, after working with his father for many years, Al Daloisio, Jr., took over as president.

RCC notes that in the 80s the company really began to evolve by developing the Civil Division, taking on more diverse projects and entering into the heavy-highway sector as a general contractor.

“This allowed us to self-perform all aspects of a track installation project, including heavy earthwork, excavation, drainage, bridge, road and utility work,” noted Al Daloisio. “This is what set us apart from the competition then and still does, in many ways today as we have started or purchased separate companies that do building work (RCC Builders & Developers, Inc.) steel fabrication and erection (RCC Fabricators, Inc.) and electrical work (Beach Electric Company, Inc.).”

The first large public project for RCC was in 1980 - a $6-million www.rtands.com

contract to install more than 22 miles of continuous welded rail for New Jersey Transit Newark City Subway. RCC formed its first joint venture with Hess Brothers to complete the Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) Harrison Car Maintenance Facility, working alongside Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor on a daily basis.

The 1990s saw an increased

focus on highway and civil projects.

Jointly with its Electric Group, RCC performed the installation of E-Z Pass on all tollbooths of the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway. Still maintaining its trackwork core, RCC’s geographical expansion took the company into Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia as the track division

Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 29

RCC - 90 Years

performed track installations for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Mid City E Direct Fixation Tunnel trackage and floating slab double crossover and Greenbelt Yard construction, as well as Baltimore’s MTA light-rail system serving Linthicum, Maryland.

The new millennium saw continued diversification and presented particular challenges.

Immediately following the tragedy of September 11, 2001, RCC co-workers volunteered in a search and rescue mission at the World Trade Center, working around the clock from

Left, Cooper’s Point Railroad Relocation.

PATH Harrison Car Maintenance Facility project.

September 11 to September 15. At the same time, other co-workers were working 24 hours a day designing and installing a concrete plug in the PATH Tunnels to keep the remaining PATH system from flooding.

RCC joined forces with J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc., and Joseph M. Sanzari, Inc., to form a Tri-Venture on a contract in excess of $125 million to successfully construct an entirely new branch of NJ Transit, including stations, tracks, structures and signals to serve the new Meadowlands Sports Complex.

Shortly after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, RCC redesigned and replaced the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey existing Greenville Yard Float Bridge requiring its team to use cranes on barges and self-perform pile driving.

With joint venture partner, Iron Bridge Constructors, managing partner RCC recently completed the $100 million Benjamin Franklin Bridge and Track rehabilitation project for Delaware River Port Authority and Port Authority Transit Corporation.

Today, RCC has performed work in more than 15 states for a myriad of private and public owners on projects ranging in value from a few thousand dollars to more than $100 million.

Future

Originally established to provide New Jersey and New York area industries with railroad track construction and maintenance services, today, RCC has the capability to maintain and construct roadways, bridges, buildings, utility systems and rail facilities. The company has recently added an office in Philadelphia, Pa., to focus on providing civil and track maintenance services. With that office, the Eatontown, N.J., materials yard and the Edison, N.J., warehouse and equipment facility, RCC says the company is well positioned to serve customers throughout the region.

“We strive to maintain a family atmosphere to ensure that each and every customer receives the personal attention required to produce a successful project,” explained Al Daloisio, Jr. “As long as we remain true to the values in which RCC was founded, we will continue to thrive and look forward to celebrating our 100th anniversary and beyond.

30 Railway Track & Structures

May 2016

www.rtands.com

AREMA NEWS Professional Development Seminars Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering July 20 - 22 Toronto, Canada

Message from the President

Happy anniversary

Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering August 26 - 28 Orlando, FL rail bulk terminal design August 27 Orlando, FL

Brian A. Lindamood, PE AREMA President 2015-2016

building the steel interstate August 27 Orlando, FL environmental permitting issues in railroad construction projects August 28 Orlando, FL intermodal terminal engineering August 31 - September 1 Orlando, FL track alignment design August 31 - September 2 Orlando, FL fra 213: Track Safety standards August 31 - September 2 Orlando, FL Railroad bridge load rating steel structures September 1 Orlando, FL

To see a complete list of all upcoming seminars and to register, please visit www.arema.org or contact Desiree Knight at dknight@arema.org

32 Railway Track & Structures

May 2016

This past year, a notable anniversary passed with little or no fanfare. Most people who have worked in and around the railway engineering field are familiar with Cooper’s Loading. Confounding to some, misunderstood by many, Cooper’s Loading is a systematic approach to defining live loads on railway structures. In 1905, Theodore Cooper’s method for establishing live loads on railway structures (“Cooper’s Loading”) were incorporated into the AREMA* Manual for Railway Engineering (MRE). They represent the foundation of railway bridge design, not only due to their continued use over such a long period of time, but because it is the application of that live load on a structure which then defines so many other key elements of design.

The growth of the railway industry in the second half of the 19th century paralleled many other developments in materials, mechanization and engineering. As with many new technologies, railroads were being built at a frantic pace, but there were no clear guidelines as to their design. Accidents in these early days were not uncommon and some of these incidents included bridge failures.

A number of early authors, Trautwine, Wellington and Allen, to name a few, started publishing texts on railway design. A few others, started to publish their own specifications for bridge design, Cooper included. The specifications were available, much as the Manual for Railway Engineering is published and sold by AREMA today. By the 1890s, Cooper and J.A. Waddell were embroiled in a fierce debate over the way live loads should be applied to bridges for design through the annuls of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The deliberation continued openly for years.

One of the endeavors at the onset of the formation of AREMA was to bring all of the railroad’s engineering know-how together and develop a single tome of recommended practice for the betterment of the industry. Just as the debate between Waddell and Cooper and their bridge loading systems spanned the 1890s at ASCE, the issue then spilled into American Railway Engineering Association (AREA) and the structural committees responsible for assembling guidance on railway structure design. The debate within the committees is likely lost to history, but the result is well known; Theodore Cooper’s system was incorporated by AREA in basically the same form as it is used today and J.A. Waddell’s was not.

It is exciting to me to consider the debate at the time. While I am sure the participants were aware that their work was important, I do not believe that they could have imagined that the subject matter they were considering is still an integral part of the industry today. What is even more exciting is that these same discussions are still occurring within the technical committee structure of AREMA and they are just as important now as they were when the MRE was first published more than a century ago. It is therefore just as important for all of our members to participate in committees to assure that the material www.rtands.com

Upcoming Committee Meetings

May 19-20 Committee 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations May 24-25 Committee 15 - Steel Structures May 26

Committee 9 - Seismic Design for Railway Structures

June 12-14 Committee 24 - Education & Training

Vancouver, WA Lancaster, PA

June 16-17 Committee 30 - Ties

Urbana, IL

June 28-29 Committee 10 - Structures, Maintenance & Construction Kansas City, MO

Philadelphia, PA

July 27-28 Committee 7 - Timber Structures

Denver, CO

Anchorage, AK

Sept. 20-21 Committee 15 - Steel Structures

Buffalo, NY

For a complete list of all committee meetings being held at the AREMA 2016 Annual Conference & Exposition please visit www.arema.org/meetings/2016.

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

published is accurate, timely and reflects the best practices of the North American railway industry. So, happy 101st anniversary, Cooper’s Loading.

As a postscript, one might think that Cooper went on from his apparent victory to an exalted place in history while J.A. Waddell faded away. In fact, the opposite is true. While Cooper probably got some credibility from AREA adopting his bridge loading system, his career ended in disgrace shortly thereafter when a bridge he designed and under construction over the St. Lawrence River in Quebec City collapsed in 1907, killing 75 people.

Meanwhile, J.A. Waddell went on to a very distinguished engineering career leading the engineering consulting company he had founded in the late 1870s, which later became Hardesty and Hanover, as it is known today. * The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way-Association was founded in 1899, but changed the name to the American Railway Engineering Association about 1912.

When several railway engineering associations merged in 1997, the name changed back to the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association.

Call for Mentors As the years pass, it becomes more vital to introduce and educate the next generation to the railroad industry. To aid in this cause, AREMA has developed a Mentoring Program to benefit the AREMA Student Members. We would like to extend an invitation for you to influence the next generation as part of this Mentoring Program. As part of the Mentoring Program, you will be paired with a Mentee that is an AREMA Student Member. The pairing will try to match Student Members with someone with experience in the areas of the railroad industry they are interested in. Please visit the AREMA website listed under Education & Training to become a mentor today.

Not an AREMA Member?

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

FYI‌

Registration is open for the AREMA 2016 Annual Conference & Exposition, August 28-31, 2016, in Orlando, FL. Visit www.arema.org to register today.

Call for entries for the 2016 Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence. The Selection process for the 18th W. W. Hay Award has begun. Entries must be submitted by May 27, 2016. Please visit www.arema.org for more information.

The AREMA 2016 Manual for Railway Engineering is available.

Order your updated, 2016 version online at www.arema.org or with Morgan Bruins at 301-459-3200, ext.

711 or mbruins@arema.org.

Do you want to generate leads, promote a product and reach a target audience? Sign up for sponsorship of the AREMA 2016 Annual Conference & Exposition. Please contact Lindsay Hamilton at lhamilton@arema.org for more information on sponsorship investment opportunities.

Post your career opportunity now on AREMA's Railway Careers Network Target your recruiting and reach qualified candidates quickly and easily.

Use code MAY2016 for 10 percent off the three, five and 10 pack of job postings during the months of May and June.

Start posting jobs today.

AREMA on social media... Stay up-to-date on the most recent AREMA information through all official social media outlets. Become a fan of the AREMA Facebook Page and join the AREMA LinkedIn Group.

Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 33

AREMA NEWS

Getting to know Keith Holt Each month, AREMA features one of our committee chairs.

We are pleased to announce that the May featured chair is Keith Holt, chair of Committee 37 - Signal Systems.

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

HOLT: Although I have always had an interest in railroads, I didn’t intentionally choose it as a career. At the end of my senior year in college, I thought I had a job lined up with a chemical manufacturer, but due to a recession, they rescinded my offer. A recruiter happened to be visiting our campus at the time and he wanted me to interview with a division of Safetran Systems Corp. called TESCO. They offered me a job as a signal circuit designer and I have been in the industry ever since.

AREMA: How did you get started?

HOLT: I worked for TESCO and studied everything I could get my hands on. There wasn’t a lot of material available to learn about signals, but I read everything available. I also took design very seriously and took work home every night.

In a few years, I worked my way up to the head of TESCO’s engineering department. In 1983, I went to work for Union Switch and Signal in Pittsburgh, Pa., and in 1990, I joined Amtrak. I was promoted to my present job in 1992.

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

HOLT: After spending several years at Safetran/TESCO, I moved to Pittsburgh and started to work for Union Switch & Signal. My boss, Chuck Wall, got me involved in committee work on Committee E under the Association of American Railroads at the time. Committee E is now Committee 37 under AREMA and after almost 30 years of participation, I am the chair. I have always enjoyed committee work. It gives you the opportunity to meet some of the best people in the industry. We work, we socialize and we have fun, but mostly, we learn from each other.

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

HOLT: I have a woodworking shop in my basement. I make furniture, cabinets, jewelry boxes, anything to keep me busy.

I find it relaxing and challenging. I also dabble in model railroading, although, I haven’t had the time to build a nice layout. Maybe when I retire I will find the time.

AREMA: Tell us about your family.

HOLT: I met my wife in high school and we got married when she finished college (I still had a year and a half to go). We have been married 43 years. We have a son who is 37 years old and lives near Hershey, Pa., with his wife and a daughter, 30 years old who teaches in Delaware County, Pa. We are a pretty close-knit family and enjoy being together. My kids still act like teenagers when they get together. They like to laugh and pick at each other and mostly, at their mom and me. I have to say that my kids have never given me any serious problems and I am thankful for that. They are pretty special.

34 Railway Track & Structures

May 2016

E. Keith Holt Deputy Chief Engineer – C&S Amtrak

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

HOLT: When I was younger, I had a motorcycle and my wife asked me to get rid of it when our son was born. I have always wanted to have a Harley, so I recently bought one at a silent auction. My wife is not crazy about the idea, so I don’t know how long this will last, but I am having fun with it for now.

AREMA: What is your biggest achievement?

HOLT: I would have to say my family. I really enjoy my family and like to help my kids when I can. As far as my career goes, I would have to say completing Positive Train Control (PTC) on the Northeast Corridor (NEC). Amtrak was really the first railroad to have PTC. We implemented PTC in New England in 2000 and had been working on a PTC project in Michigan even before that. We had a terrible accident last year on the NEC before PTC was completed in that area and that made me realize just how important PTC really is.

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

HOLT: I would highly recommend a career in railroading. It has provided me with a very stable living. I have never had to worry about a job. It is interesting, challenging and a lot of fun. At the end of the day, you feel like you have accomplished something. The railroads are located here in the United States, so they can’t take the jobs offshore. There will always be a need for railroad employees. www.rtands.com

Dr. William w. hay award for excellence

AREMA Publications 2016 Manual for Railway Engineering ©

now available There have been numerous updates to more than 5,000 pages of the Manual for Railway Engineering.

The chapters are grouped into four general categories: • Track • Structures • Infrastructure & Passenger • Systems Management.

The Manual is an annual publication, released every April. It is available in a multi-volume loose-leaf format, CDROM, revision set (loose-leaf only) and individual chapters (downloadable format).

Downloadable Chapters Available Online.

2016 Communications & Signals Manual of Recommended Practices

©

The Communications & Signals Manual is a manual of recommended practices written

by AREMA technical committees in the interest of establishing uniformity, promoting safety or efficiency and economy. The Communications & Signals Manual of Recommended Practices is an annual publication released every October.

Downloadable Sections Available Online.

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

Railway Memoirs by William G. Byers, PE To see a complete list of available publications and to order, please visit www.arema.org or contact Morgan Bruins at +1.301.459.3200, ext. 711, or mbruins@arema.org.

www.rtands.com

Call for Entries

2014 Portfolio of Trackwork Plans ©

The Portfolio of Trackwork Plans consists of plans and specifications that relate to the design, details, materials and workmanship for switches, frogs, turnouts and crossovers, crossings, rails and other special trackwork.

This is a companion volume to the Manual for Railway Engineering.

AREMA Bridge Inspection Handbook ©

The AREMA Bridge Inspection Handbook provides a comprehensive source of information and criteria for bridge inspections for engineers engaged in the assessment of railway bridges.

This handbook is published as a guide to establishing policies and practices relative to bridge inspection. It covers such topics as confined spaces, site conditions, loads & forces, nomenclature, bridge decks, timber, concrete & steel bridges, movable bridges, tunnel and culvert inspections, and emergency & post-earthquake inspections.

Also included are many color photographed examples in several chapters, as well as a glossary in the back of the book.

Practical Guide to Railway Engineering ©

This guide provides a comprehensive overview and understanding of the railway system.

Whether you are new to the rail industry or a longtime contributor wanting to learn more, this bound book and CD-ROM offer in-depth coverage of railway fundamentals and serve as an excellent reference. (Also available in a CD-ROM version only.)

The selection process for the eighteenth Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence has begun and this year’s chair, Michael W. Franke, a former student of Dr. Hay, has issued a call for entries.

The 2015 Hay Award went to Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway for their project, “The Tower 55 Multimodal Improvement Project.”

The purpose of the award is to honor innovative railway engineering procedures, projects and products and the individual(s) who have created and successfully applied them to the railroad industry. Criteria for winning the award are: • Innovation • Safety • Service performance and reliability Consideration is also given to the project’s objective, stated goals, costs and benefit achievement and the general advancement of the base of railway engineering knowledge.

Deadline for Entries: MAY 27, 2016 Please contact Stacy Spaulding at sspaulding@arema.org or +1.301.459.3200, ext. 706 or visit www.arema.org for more information.

Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 35

AREMA NEWS Ask John Report:

Timber connections in railway bridges

by Robert Keller, P.E., senior engineer, Rebecca Arthur, mechanical engineer, Dan Tingley Ph.D., P.E. (Canada), RPEQ, MIEAust CPEng, senior structural engineer, wood technologist, Wood Research and Development, Jefferson, Ore.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to all of the AREMA Committee 10 and 7 members for their assistance in preparing this report.

Introduction

Connections between timber elements provide strength, continuity and stability in the structure. Direct bearing connections are simple and effective, but not always possible; therefore, mechanical fasteners are used to join elements and transfer loads. Timber elements may also be connected to metal or concrete using mechanical fasteners.

Two basic types of connections used in timber bridges are lateral (shear) and withdrawal (tension.) This paper discusses lateral and withdrawal connections, typical fasteners used to make these connections and points to consider in developing robust, long-lasting designs. For further case-specific information, consult: • AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering, Chapter 7, Timber Structures • N at i o n a l D e s i g n S p e c i f i c at i o n ( N D S ) f o r Wood Construction • Timber Bridges: Design, Construction, Inspection and Maintenance, USDA Forest Service

Lateral and withdrawl connections

Lateral connections are shear connections where the forces are transmitted by bearing stresses developed between the fasteners and structural elements. The loads can be parallel to the grain or perpendicular to the grain of the structural elements and the distance of the fastener(s) from the edge or end of the element must be designed to prevent splitting or other failure.

Withdrawal connections are tension connections where the load is transferred by friction and/or thread interaction with the wood. The loads are parallel to the fastener axis.

Connections designed in withdrawal are generally to be avoided in heavy timber construction.

Fasteners typically used

Fasteners for timber railway bridges are fabricated from the 36 Railway Track & Structures

May 2016

following materials: • Malleable iron. Malleable iron castings conforming to ASTM A47, Grade 35018, with minimum yield point of 35,000 psi.

• Cast iron. Cast iron conforming to ASTM A48, Class No. 30.

• Rolled steel. Rolled steel plates, bars and shapes conforming to ASTM A36.

• Cast Steel. Cast steel conforming to ASTM A27, Grade 65-35, fully annealed with minimum yield point of 33,000 psi.

Creosote oil helps retard corrosion of embedded iron or steel fastenings. Hot dip galvanizing on metal fasteners is recommended, but not required, if the fastenings are to be entirely embedded in untreated or creosote treated timber or if the metal is to be exposed only to ordinary weathering.

Metal fastenings not completely embedded and exposed to corrosive timber treatments or salt water should be hot dip galvanized or have some other protective coating on the exposed metal.

Dowel-type fasteners include: • Through bolts. The most common mechanical fastener made of rolled steel with U.S. standard square or hexagon heads and nuts. Steel bolts with nuts and washers are used for moderately high lateral and tension strength. They may be used singly or grouped together for additional strength.

Washers may be cast iron ogee, malleable cast iron round or rolled steel round plate washers.

• Lag screws. Threaded fasteners that provide lateral and withdrawal resistance where through bolts cannot be used.

These include steel drive dowels and spikes with spirally grooved shanks and are made of rolled steel. Lag screws do not have as much lateral strength as bolts and must have adequate penetration to be effective.

• Drift pins, drift bolts. Unthreaded bolts or steel dowels driven into pre-bored holes for lateral connections of large timber elements. They are made of rolled steel.

• Spikes and nails. Spikes are long nail-like fasteners used to connect large timber elements. As with lag screws, they do not have as much lateral strength as bolts and must have adequate penetration to be effective. Nails used for fastening timbers must have grooved, barbed or otherwise www.rtands.com

deformed shanks for greater holding power.

Other Connectors: • Timber connectors. Split ring and shear plate connectors are placed between timber members and secured with a bolt or lag screw. They provide the greatest amount of lateral strength due to their large bearing area. They are made of rolled steel.

• Metal plates and straps. Rolled steel bars and plates allow connections between elements.

• Metal hangers and saddles. Fabricated steel connectors that combine dowel and bearing action.

Refer to the AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering, Chapter 7, Part 4 for diagrams of standard recommended connection details.

Wood to wood connections

The strength of these connections is usually controlled by the strength of the wood rather than the strength of the fastener.

The density and specific gravity of the wood species must be taken into account. See Table 7-2-13 in AREMA Chapter 7.

When using bolted connections, the center-to-center distance along the grain between bolts acting parallel with the grain should not be less than four times the bolt diameter; the tension area remaining at the critical section should be at least 80 percent of the total area in bearing under all bolts for coniferous woods and 100 percent for hardwoods. In a tension joint, the distance from the end of the timber to the center of nearest bolt should be not less than seven times the bolt diameter for coniferous woods; five times for hardwoods.

In compression, the distance from the end of the timber to the center of nearest bolt should be not less than four times the bolt diameter. For loads acting perpendicular to the grain, the distance between the edge toward which the bolt pressure is acting and the center of the bolt nearest this edge, should be not less than four times the bolt diameter.

Wood to metal connections

Holes in metal connection must be elongated to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the wood.

Wood to concrete connections

Timbers should not bear directly on concrete or masonry; they will absorb water from the concrete promoting decay.

The ends of timber elements should not be encased in concrete, creating potential pockets of water around the timber member.

Factors affecting strength

Many factors affect connection strength and must be considered in design and construction. Among these are: • Moisture content of the wood. Retighten all connections after six months or a year of shrinkage and settling.

• Excessive moisture. Avoid vertical connections that can allow water to seep into the interior of the wood causing decay. Direct contact with concrete can transfer moisture to the wood. Metal or other coverings on top of timber elements www.rtands.com

can trap moisture against the wood, causing decay.

• Fabrication tolerances. Proper size and alignment of holes is required so no undue stress results on a single bolt.

Unless otherwise shown on the plans, holes for dowels and drift bolts should be bored 1/16 inch smaller than the nominal diameter of the dowel or bolt used; holes should not be bored deeper than the length of the dowel or bolt.

Holes for machine bolts and rods other than dowels and drift bolts should be bored the same size as the nominal diameter of the bolt or rod used. Holes for lag screws should be bored with a bit not larger than the body of the screw at the base of the thread.

• Adjustment factors. Many factors, such as duration, perpendicular or parallel to grain loading, adjustments for multiples and spacing of connectors must be taken into account. Refer to the NDS for additional information.

• Wood species. Design properties for connection designs in wood are directly related to the specific gravity of the species used. Refer to the NDS for additional information.

• Wood preservatives. All holes bored in treated material should be field treated in such a manner that the entire surface of the hole receives thorough penetration. All countersunk recesses for bolts which would form pockets to retain water should be first treated, then filled with mastic, after the bolt is placed. Machining and drilling prior to treatment are even more effective.

Environmental factors

Excessive moisture, temperature extremes and corrosive environments all have negative impact on the longevity of timber bridges. Good design practices utilizing treated timber, hot dip galvanized metal connectors and avoiding vertical connections will increase the effective life of these structures and reduce costs.

Conclusion

Timber railway bridges are subjected to extremes of temperature and moist or wet conditions. These factors and the inherent properties of wood must be taken into consideration when designing the connections. While direct bearing connections are best for transferring loads within the bridge structure, mechanical connections are structurally important. Many bridge failures are a result not of inadequate structural elements, but of poorly designed connections.

References

1. AITC. Timber Construction Manual, Sixth Edition. American Institute of Timber Construction, 2012.

2. ANSI/AWC. NDS National Design Specification for Wood Construction. American Wood Council, Leesburg, Va. Current Edition.

3. AREMA. Manual for Railway Engineering. American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association, 2013.

4. Ritter, M. Timber Bridges: Design, Constr uction, Inspection and Maintenance. Washington, D.C. 5. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1990.

Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 37

38 Railway Track & Structures

May 2016

www.rtands.com

PRODUCTS

CALENDAR MAY 16-18. Railroad Bridge Inspection. Knoxville, Tenn.

Contact: Diana Webb. Phone: 865-974-5255. Website: http://ctr.utk.edu/CTRrailcourses/index.html.

18. Understanding and Complying with FRA 213 Track Safety Standards. Madison, Wis. Contact: Dave Peterson. Phone: 800-462-0876. E-mail: peterson@epd. engr.wisc.edu. Website: https://epd.wisc.edu/courses/.

JUNE 7-8. Rail Insights. Hotel Allegro. Chicago, Ill. Phone: 212620-7208 and 212-620-7205. E-mail: conferences@sbpub. com. Website: www.railwayage.com/railinsights.

Rail grapples

Rotobec’s rail grapples were specifically designed to handle rail ties. The Loose Tie Grapple is a modified version of Rotobec’s Combination Grapple and is mainly used for loading and unloading ties by the rail side. The 5805RA Grapple is specially designed to handle rails, ties and tie bundles. To optimize each motion, the edges have been modified to pick up two or more ties at a time. All of Rotobec’s rail grapples come equipped with high-pressure cylinders and a bolt-on head for easy maintenance.

Oversized, chromed and hardened pins and an interlocking head structure come standard and a strengthening ellipse has been added to the jaws of the Loose Tie Bundle. Each comes with Rotobec’s RT rotations, which have a standard 360-degree rotation, fully supported pinion gear and are fully sealed. Phone: 616-250-0405.

Work gloves

Ergodyne released its ProFlex® Trades Gloves Series, including a mix of eight updated and six new models designed and built from two patent-pending ProFlex® glove platforms: the Utility and Heavy-Duty Utility. They boast improved functionality and protection with touch screen-capability, enhanced cut resistance, improved abrasion resistance and more. Incorporated technologies include abrasion resistant Tena-Grip™, touch screencapable synthetic leather and reinforcements, AX Suede™ materials, and cut resistant Armortex®.Touch screen capability means workers won’t have to remove their gloves and expose their hands; enhanced cut protection helps reduce the risk of one of most common sources of workplace hand injuries; genuine leather helps strengthen grip and a superthin 0.5 millimeter palm provides control during detailed work. All gloves feature an integrated ID space for personalizing and marking to help tell them apart from those of coworkers on the jobsite. Phone: 800-225-8238.

40 Railway Track & Structures

May 2016

14-16. International Crosstie & Fastening System Symposium. Newmark Civil Engineering Lab. Urbana, Ill. Phone: 217-244-4600. E-mail: crosstieconf@illinois.edu. Website: http://railtec.illinois.edu/ Crosstie/2016/crossties.php.

19-22. APTA 2016 Rail Conference. Sheraton Grand Phoenix. Phoenix, Ariz. Contact: Kwakuita Spence.

Phone: 202-496-4845. E-mail: kspence@apta.com.

Website: www.apta.com.

28-30. RSSI 56th Annual C&S Exhibition. Gaylord Texan Resort. Grapevine, Texas. Contact: Mike Drudy.

E-mail: mike@rssi.org. Website: www.rssi.org.

JULY 24-27. 2016 American Railway Development Association Annual Meeting. Renaissance Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nev. Contact: Fred Oelsner. E-mail: staff@amraildev.com. Website: www.amraildev. com/2016annualmeeting.

AUGUST 2-4. Railway Engineering Short Course. Newmark Civil Engineering Lab. Urbana, Ill. Phone: 217-244-4600.

E-mail: railtec-shortcourse@mx.uillinois.edu. Website: http://railtec.illinois.edu/short-course/overview.php.

8-12. 2016 RTA Crosstie Grading Seminar. Best Western Riverfront. La Crosse, Wis. Bangor, Wis. Phone: 770-460-5553. E-mail: ties@rta.org. Website: www.rta.com/grading-seminar.

28-31. AREMA 2016 Annual Conference & Exposition. Hilton Orlando. Orlando, Fla. Fax: 301-4598077. Website: www.arema.org.

SEPTEMBER 15-16. Next-Gen Train Control. Key Bridge Marriott.

Arlington, Va. Phone: 212-620-7208. E-mail: conferences@ sbpub.com. Website: www.railwayage.com/nextgen.

OCTOBER 27-28. Energy by Rail. Key Bridge Marriott. Arlington, Va. Phone: 212-620-7208. E-mail: conferences@sbpub. com. Website: www.railwayage.com/energy. www.rtands.com

Ad Index Company

Phone #

Fax#

e-mail address

Page #

Amtrac Railroad Contractors of Maryland, Inc.

301-797-3730

cchaney@amtracmd.com

AREMA Marketing Department

301-459-3200

301-459-8077

marketing@arema.org

Aspen Equipment Co.

952-656-7132

952-656-7157

bmarini@aspeneq.com

Atlantic Track & Turnout Co.

973-748-5885

973-784-4520

stacyw@atlantictrack.com

Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc.

888-250-5746

904-378-7298

info@bbri.com

205-424-7245

205-424-7436

Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co.

NRC 16

Cover 3 NRC 15

Cover 4

NRC 43

bhamrail@aol.com

8

615-515-6048

darmstrong@com-ins.com

NRC 12

800-611-7245

859-885-7804

www.rjcorman.com

NRC 45

610-828-6200

610-828-2260

pbarents@danella.com

9

770-944-1930

770-944-9136

fbrown142@aol.com

NRC 26

Encore Rail Systems, Inc.

866-712-7622

303-922-6178

www.encorers.com

NRC 15

ESCO Equipment Service Co.

847-758-9860

gehr@escoequipment.com

NRC 14

412-928-3506

glippard@lbfosterco.com

NRC Cover 4

541-746-2426

bhirte@hamil.com

NRC 12

816-233-9002

816-233-7757

tfrancis@hrsi.com

800-274-7245

319-455-2914

info@hirail..com

708-672-0119

ptenhoven@hollandco.com

Commercial Insurance Associates LLC R. J. Corman Railroad Group

Danella Rental Systems, Inc.

Dixie PreCast

L.B. Foster Co. Hamilton Construction Company Herzog Railroad Services, Inc. HiRail Corp.

Holland Co.

Hougen Manufacturing, Inc.

412-928-3512

708-367-2987

NRC 16 27

NRC Cover 2

866-245-3745

800-309-3299

info@trak-star.com

Koppers Inc.

800-356-5952

608-221-0618

rrdiv@koppers.com

7

Landoll Corporation

800-428-5655

888-293-6779

jim.ladner@landoll.com

NRC 26

Lanier Steel Products Inc.

706-335-7200

rlgillespie@windstream.net

NRC 26

Messe Berlin GMBH

+49 30 30381852

+49 30 3038 2278

just@messe-berlin.de

13

Moley Magnetics, Inc.

844-662-4638

716-434-5893

sales@moleymagneticsinc.com

29

National Compressor Exchange, Inc.

718-417-9100

rlsnational@aol.com

NRC 14

10

Neel Company, The

703-913-7858

703-913-7859

jlewis@neelco.com

5

NMC Railway Systems

866-662-7799

402-891-7745

info@nmcrail.com

26

414-766-2379

info@nordco.com

25

815-344-5086

bcigrang@omnirail.com

20

Nordco Inc.

414-766-2180

OMNI Products, Inc.

Plasser American Corporation Progress Rail Services Corp.

815-344-3100 757-543-3526

PortaCo, Inc.

757-494-7186

plasseramerican@plausa.com

218-236-0223

218-233-5281

info@portaco.com

913-345-4807

913-345-4818

jstout@amstedrps.com

262-637-9069

Racine Railroad Products

262-637-9681

RAILCET

866-724-5238

Railway Educational Bureau, The

217-522-6588

973-763-4320

402-346-4300

Railroad Equipment Services, Inc.

402-346-1783

770-460-5553

70-460-5573

404-214-5374

404-250-9185

4

NRC 27 14

grif1020@yahoo.com

23

dluvara@railnj.com

NRC 13

rails@railsco.com

8

bbrundige@sb-reb.com

318-995-7006

Railway Tie Association Tensar/North American Green

973-763-2585

custserv@racinerailroad.com

Railroad Construction Company of South Jersey, Inc. 856-423-9385 Rails Company

Cover 2

30, 39

barbarastokes@railwayequipmentservices.net NRC 13 ties@rta.org

2

cmgovern@tensarcorp.com

6

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

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

Advertising Sales Jonathan Chalon, Publisher, jchalon@sbpub.com; Marc Condon, mcondon@sbpub.com; Jerome Marullo, jmarullo@sbpub.com; Heather Disabato, hdisabato@sbpub.com; Louise Cooper, lc@railjournal.co.uk; Julie Richardson, jr@railjournal.co.uk; Dr. Fabio Potesta, info@mediapointsrl.it; Katsuhiro Ishii, amkatsu@dream.com; Jeanine Acquart, jaquart@sbpub.com (classified) www.rtands.com

Railway Track & Structures

May 2016 41

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NEW & USED Grapple Trucks, Roto Dumps, Mechanics Trucks and Pickups.

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