RT&S 0513

May 2013 | www.rtands.com

Ditching and drainage

NRC Project of the Year

AND Also

AREMA News p. 43

plus

stAtE of NRCCoNtRACtoRs stRENgthEN

NRCAnnual

MembershipDirectory

Inside

www.rtands.com Railway Track & Structures May 2013 1

May 2013

Contents News

5 Industry Today 5 Supplier News

9 People

Columns

3 On Track A safety reminder for summer

10 NRC Chairman’s Column Biggest and the best

auction yet

Features

16 NRC Project of the Year UTA’s FrontRunner South

commuter rail line was successfully constructed due to good planning and a focus on safety.

24 Ditching and drainage Mud and water can ruin

a perfectly good railroad. Today’s equipment taps into advances to help keep water at bay.

35 Strength of the NRC rooted in membership

As the association continues its growth, NRC’s leadership reveals their thoughts on where the organization is headed.

16

RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURES

Photo courtesy R.J. Corman Railroad Group.

Departments12 TTCI R&D

43 AReMA News

48 Products

49 Advertisers Index

49 Sales Representatives

50 Calendar

51 Classified Advertising

52 Professional Directory

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Vol. 109, No. 5Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514

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RAILWAY TRACK AND STRUCTURESOn Track

A safety reminder for summer

A s a Chicagoan for the past 12 years, I, along with the rest of the metropolitan area, look

forward to this time of year when we can take our oversized puffy coats and shove them in the back of our closets; confident that we will not need to call on them again until October.

The weather is warming up and while our winter apparel gets to hiber-nate the summer away, the mainte-nance and construction forces in the rail industry are doing the opposite and starting to ramp up activity. The RT&S breaking news section on our website has been packed with stories about groundbreaking ceremonies for transit projects, Class 1s scheduling regular infrastructure maintenance and large capacity expansion projects pro-gressing. With all this activity going on along our railroads, now is a good time to remind ourselves to be safe.

Generally speaking, the industry is in a pretty good place as it per-tains to safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) called 2012 the safest year on record. It was the fifth fiscal year in a row that the indus-try improved on all six of the FRA’s official safety performance measures, including the rate of grade-crossing incidents, human factor-caused train accidents, track-caused accidents, equipment-caused accidents, signal and miscellaneous train accidents and non-accidental rail hazmat releases.

However, there is always room for improvement when it comes to safety. Railroads, municipalities and Oper-ation Lifesaver continue to team up in public outreach efforts to educate communities about safety around rail-roads and the hazards associated with driving around gates and trespassing.

Industry-focused outreach efforts encompass FRA’s risk reduction pro-grams and system safety programs including the current collaborative effort with the railroads to educate

and raise awareness among industry employees of the dangers of using elec-tronic devices on the job. Addition-ally, all of the major rail organizations and associations have their own safety efforts to benefit their members.

There are many elements to the safety equation. Not only is there a commitment needed from every indi-vidual to keeping yourself and those around you safe, but there is also lead-ership’s role in safety and ensuring a good safety example is given all the way up the managerial ladder.

The railroad, while an industry full of opportunity, can be an unforgiving environment. And as traffic increases and networks expand, a focus on safety will continue to play a prominent role in all of our day-to-day work.

Beginning in June, RT&S will fea-ture a series of guest editors over the next three months whose thoughts on the industry will be appearing on this page. We have three experts who will be tackling subject matter from various corners of the industry start-ing with Dr. Allan Zarembski in June, who will discuss railway engineer-ing education. In July, Transporta-tion Technology Center’s Semih Kalay will write about technology’s role in developing solutions to improve safety and efficiency. In August, Canadian Pacific’s Brent Laing, vice president of engineering, will provide a railroad-er’s perspective.

We are very excited to have these three distinguished men on board as guest editors. Be safe this summer and I’ll see you in September.

Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor


Amsted RPS and Switzerland-based Schwihag AG formed a joint venture to manufacture and supply skl style rail fastening systems to the global heavy-haul freight market.

Bombardier Transportation signed a contract worth approximately $195 million with the Florida Department of Transportation to provide operations and maintenance services for Central Florida’s SunRail commuter rail project.

J.L. Patterson & Associates, Inc. (JLP), has been awarded a three-year, $6 million contract to provide supplemental engineering services for rail facilities and third-party coordination by the Los Angles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors.

TIGER’s fifth round will make $474 million available There will be a fifth round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recov-ery (TIGER) grants that will provide $474 million in funds to surface transportation projects, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) said.

The Fiscal Year 2013 Appropriations Act requires that TIGER funds be obligated before October 1, 2014, which means USDOT will give priority to projects that are ready to proceed quickly.

In addition to project readiness, primary selection criteria include improving the condition of existing transportation facilities and systems; contributing to the eco-nomic competitiveness of the United States and creating and preserving jobs; increasing transportation choices and access to transportation services for people in communities across the U.S.; improving energy efficiency, reducing dependence on oil and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving safety.

“We’re taking the next step to keep moving our transportation infrastructure into the 21st century with a fifth round of TIGER funding. And, as excited as we are about TIGER 2013 here at DOT, I know that communities across the country are even more thrilled over this latest version of DOT’s favorite cat,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wrote in his FastLane blog.

The four previous rounds of the TIGER program provided $3.1 billion to support 218 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Congress dedi-cated $1.5 billion for TIGER I that funded 51 projects, $600 million for TIGER II that funded 42 projects, $526.944 million for TIGER III that funded 46 projects and $500 million for TIGER IV that funded 47 projects. Demand for the program has been over-whelming, with more than 4,050 applicants requesting more than $105.2 billion during the previous rounds.

According to the USDOT website, the TIGER program “provides a unique oppor-tunity for the U.S. Department of Transportation to invest in road, rail, transit and port projects that promise to achieve critical national objectives...Each project is multi-modal, multi-jurisdictional or otherwise challenging to fund through existing programs. The TIGER program enables USDOT to use a rigorous process to select projects with exceptional benefits, explore ways to deliver projects faster and save on construction costs and make investments in our nation’s infrastructure that make communities more livable and sustainable.”

In addition to multiple port and transit projects with rail elements benefitting from the program, several major freight rail-related projects have progressed with TIGER funds including Norfolk Southern’s Crescent Corridor, CSX’s National Gateway and the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program.

SupplIER NEwS

INDUSTRY TODAY

INDUSTRY TODAY

6 Railway Track & Structures May 2013 www.rtands.com

SupplIER NEwS

Union Pacific plans to invest $38 million in various infrastructure upgrades in Kan-sas, Wyoming and Nebraska.

The railroad’s Kansas infrastructure will see $19 million in improvements along the line that runs between Salina and near Oakley. UP will install more than 133,000 crossties and more than 63,700 tons of ballast, replace more than a quar-ter mile of rail in various curves and renew the surfaces at 174 grade crossings. The project began in April and is scheduled to be completed by the end of July.

The rail line between Granite and Raw-lins, Wyo., will receive $12 million in infra-structure investment. The project, which is currently underway and will be completed by the end of July, will replace close to 69,000 crossties, install more than 27,000 tons of ballast, replace more then five miles of rail in various curves and renew the surfaces at 26 grade crossings.

The UP line between Grand Island and

North Bend, Neb., will see $7 million in trackwork performed. The work planned includes replacing 33,500 concrete cross-ties and replacing one switch.

All three projects are part of the nearly 1,500 that Union Pacific will complete across its 32,000-mile network this year to help improve train operating efficien-cy, reduce motorist wait times at cross-ings and enhance safety. The railroad will spend an estimated $3.6 billion in 2013 on capital expenditures.

“Union Pacific helps link businesses with consumers, suppliers and markets across the nation and around the world,” said Donna Kush, Union Pacific vice pres-ident - Public Affairs, Northern Region. “In addition to helping move custom-ers’ goods more safely and efficiently, our investments support communities by reducing traffic congestion, facilitating industrial development and promoting economic expansion.”

union pacific plans to perform $38 million in trackwork in three states

Lilee Systems and Alstom are introducing a new suite of interoperable Positive Train Control products for rail lines; Lilee also partnered up with Cisco to define, design and implement an end-to-end communication architecture for PTC systems.

RailComm is providing its Domain Operations Controller system, as well as remote control blue flag protection with its RADiANT data radios, universal

INDUSTRY TODAY


The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave the green light to the Detroit, Mich., Woodward Avenue Streetcar Proj-ect. With FTA’s environmental clearance, the project can now proceed to the next phases of design, right-of-way acquisition and construction.

The project is a 3.3-mile, fixed-rail, at-grade streetcar system located entirely with-in the right-of-way of Woodward Avenue. It would operate in mixed traffic and run from Larned Street in downtown Detroit north to Chandler Street/Delaware Street, north of Grand Boulevard, in the New Center district. Twelve stations are pro-posed along Woodward Avenue, 11 with project implementation and a potential 12th station in the future.

M-1 Rail, which will operate the streetcar service, expects to begin construction of the system south of Adams Street in 2013. Con-struction north of Adams Street will begin in 2014, which will include Michigan Depart-

ment of Transportation’s planned recon-struction of 2.5 miles of Woodward Avenue from Sibley Street to Chandler Street. M-1 Rail plans to complete the entire system and begin operations in late 2015.

In other approval news, the FTA also approved Phoenix Valley Metro Rail’s request to enter project development for the Tempe Streetcar, a 2.6-mile extension of the Valley Metro system. Valley Metro said the approval marks the first step in receiv-ing federal project approval and ultimately federal funds to build the extension.

The approval allows for completing the environmental study and initiating the engi-neering phase. The project cost is estimated at $130 million. At this time, more than half of the funding has been identified through Proposition 400 regional transit tax and federal air quality dollars. The city of Tem-pe’s local transit tax funds all operations costs with a portion of the cost offset by passenger fare revenue.

Detroit, Tempe streetcar projects advance with FTA approvals

SupplIER NEwS

switch machine/blue flag controller and blue flag indicators to a yard in Alliance, Neb.

Tutor Perini/Zachry/Parsons, a Joint Ven-ture, has been identi-fied as the best scor-ing team for the Cali-fornia High-Speed Rail Authority design-build contract for construc-tion of the Madera to Fresno segment.

Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., acquired Martin/Alexiou/Bryson, P.C., a Raleigh, N. C. transportation planning and design firm.

INDUSTRY TODAY


President Obama released his fiscal year 2014 budget on April 10 and included $77 million for the U.S. Depart-ment of Transportation. The figure is six percent above the FY 2012 enacted levels and the administration says the budget provides immediate transportation investment in key areas.

“A well-functioning transportation system is critical to America’s economic future. Whether it is by road, tran-sit, air, rail, pipeline or waterway, Americans rely on our transportation system to move people and goods safely, facilitate commerce, attract and retain businesses and support jobs,” the administration wrote in the budget.

Rail, both freight and passenger, has been placed in the budget spotlight with the president requesting $6.6 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), up $5 billion from actual 2012 numbers, and $10.9 bil-lion for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), a slight increase from the $10.6 billion spent in 2012.

The requested $6.6 billion for the FRA includes a

multi-year high-speed and intercity passenger rail pro-gram that would establish a National High Performance Rail System (NHPRS) program. According to the admin-istration, the NHPRS would use an integrated approach to improve rail safety, promote economic competitive-ness, ensure cost-effective rail investments and support domestic manufacturing and jobs.

Among the specific requests of the NHPRS, the Northeast Corridor would receive $675 million; state corridors would receive $300 million; long-distance routes would receive $800 million and national assets, those rail facilities that form Amtrak’s “backbone,” would receive $925 million.

Also included in the FRA budget numbers: $3.7 bil-lion for a rail service improvement program; $54.7 mil-lion to stimulate research, development and technology; $184.5 million for FRA’s safety and development pro-grams and $35.3 million for safety-related research and development activities.

FTA’s requested budget is meant “to strengthen tran-sit safety oversight, bring bus and rail transit infrastruc-ture into a state of good repair and provide new and expanded transit systems in communities nationwide.”

Among the highlights of the proposed FTA budget is an additional $195 million in New Starts funding that would go toward two Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority projects, the Regional Connec-tor Transit Corridor and the Purple Line Extension, as well as Washington state’s Columbia River Crossing proj-ect, which includes a light-rail extension.

In reaction to the proposed budget, U.S. Transporta-tion Secretary Ray LaHood took to his FastLane blog and wrote, “This country needs–and its people deserve–a modern transportation network that helps create jobs, encourages businesses to expand and helps us compete in a global economy. That’s exactly the transportation system that the President’s 2014 budget for DOT seeks to build.”

president’s proposed FY 14 budget includes $77 million for transportation

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The proposed FY 14 budget includes $675 million for the Northeast Corridor. Both passenger and freight rail would benefit from the administration’s proposed budget.


A&K RAIlROAD MATERIAlS promoted Jeff Galyean to chief financial officer after Ray Yamasaki retired.

CAlIFORNIA HIGH-SpEED RAIl AuTHORITY hired Scott Jarvis as assistant chief program manager.

GANNETT FlEMING hired Keyvan Pirbazari, PE, as senior program manager for its Transit and Rail Practice.

HARSCO CORpORATION appointed F. Nicholas Gras-berger to senior vice president and chief financial officer.

IOwA MOlD TOOlING CO. INC. promoted Laurie John-son to customer support manager.

l.B. FOSTER COMpANY promoted Bill Zimmer to director, Class 1 rail sales; hired David Sprinkle as regional Class 1 sales manager, handling CSX and Norfolk Southern; pro-moted Rick Steininger to director, technical rail sales; pro-moted Mark Hammons to general manager, rail sales West; promoted Joe Mahoney to director of rail sales; promoted Chuck Parks to regional sales manager, Southeast Sales District; promoted Jay Roach to regional sales manager, Midwest Sales District; named James Irr-Barr as sales rep-resentative in the Midwest Sales District; promoted Hector Herrera to regional sales manager, Latin America; promot-ed Victor Gonzalez to sales manager, Mexico; promoted Michelle Chapin to director of inside rail sales; hired Roger Babusci as an inside sales representative; named Hannah Posner as an inside sales representative and hired Nancy Spirko as rail inside sales coordinator.

METROpOlITAN TRANSpORTATION AuTHORITY will be served by Thomas Prendergast as chairman and chief executive officer and Carmen Bianco as New York City Transit acting president.

NORFOlK SOuTHERN promoted Tom Schnautz to assis-tant vice president of research and advanced technology; Gerhard Thelen retired March 31 as vice president opera-tions planning and support.

NORTH CAROlINA DEpARTMENT OF TRANSpORTA-TION named Paul Worley director of the Rail Division.

STANEC hired Thomas Westerman, PE, as railway bridge lead for its Heavy Rail Sector.

STV named Richard Amodei as head of the firm’s Trans-portation and Infrastructure Division’s Northeast Region.

T.Y. lIN INTERNATIONAl named Eric Winters, PE, to Rail Group manager for Southern California and Nevada.

uRS CORpORATION named Richard Reis vice president and northwest regional manager for its Infrastructure & Environment Division.

pEOplE


NRC CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN

The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association, Inc. 500 New Jersey Ave., N. W. Suite 400 Washington D. C. 20009

Tel: 202-715-2920Fax: [email protected]

The NRC’s 2013 Rail Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction was Tuesday, April 16, at the Blackmon Auctions Yard in Little Rock, Ark., and it was our biggest one ever. I would like to thank Thomas Blackmon, Jr., for doing an outstanding job once again as host and auctioneer. The auction committee deserves a big “thank you,” as well, which was led by Danny Brown of RailWorks Corporation, Mark Gaffney of Stacy & Witbeck, Paul Laurello of Delta Railroad Construction, Inc., Greg Spilker of Progress Rail Equipment Leasing and Dan Samford of Herzog Contracting Corp. For the first time this year, we did the auction in conjunction with Union Pacific’s annual spring auction that it does with Blackmon and we believe this worked out well. In total, there were more than 300 pieces of equipment bought and sold for approximately $1.5 million.

In addition to the dozens of contractors and railroads that consigned equipment to the auction, Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc., Railway Equipment Services, Delta Railroad Construction, Inc., and Cahaba Truck and Equipment all donated equipment to the NRC Auction this year. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of that donated equipment goes into the NRC Safety, Training and Education Fund, which is used to fund all of the NRC’s safety activities, including the Safety Training DVDs, the pocket safety manual, tool box talks, RWP training materials and the safety award contest.

To Mark Snailham and R.T. Swindall at Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc., Eddie and Barbara Stokes at Railway Equipment Services, Paul and Larry Laurello at Delta Railroad Construction, Inc., Paxton Estes and Kevin Barber at Cahaba and all of the other good people working behind the scenes at those companies, your donations to the auction and support of the NRC and the rail industry are truly appreciated.

The Safety Training DVDs and other

safety materials are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to benefits of membership in the NRC. Our website, www.nrcma.org, houses multiple resources to benefit members, including a “Bid Notifications” page with various links and information on new projects, a membership directory, legislative information and an industry calendar. Membership a lso includes inclusion on the NRC bulletin distribution list, access to the NRC library of safety reference material and other industry resources and, of course, a discount for registration to the annual NRC conference held every January in either southern California or south Florida.

Another resource to NRC members is Tabitha Layman. Tabitha is our grassroots coordinator and is available to help NRC members coordinate visits from congressmen, governors and other elected officials to members’ headquarters, construction sites and manufacturing facilities to demonstrate the importance of rail construction to the national economy. I encourage you to get in touch with Tabitha in the NRC office by calling 202-715-1245 or e-mailing [email protected].

In addition to getting on the NRC e-mail list and reading about the NRC right here in RT&S, you can also follow the NRC on Twitter (“@theNRC”) and join our group on LinkedIn.

Finally, don’t forget to save the date: The 2014 NRC Conference will be held at J.W. Marriott in Palm Desert, Calif., from Sunday, January 5, 2014, through Wednesday, January 8, 2014. Updated information will be posted on www.nrcma.org/go/conference.

2012 was the safest year in railroad history. Let’s make 2013 a better year yet. Work safe and keep those around you working safe.

by Terry Benton, NRC Chairman

Biggest and the best auction yet


TTCI R&DTTCI R&D

As railroad traffic increases, railroads are looking for longer lasting ties for their bridge decks. Railroad bridge engineers have noted increasing expenses and decreasing life of traditional solid sawn

timber bridge decks in revenue service. This has prompted interest in alternatives that might provide lower life-cycle costs and has led Transportation Technology Center, Inc., to investigate alternatives to solid sawn timber ties for open deck bridges.

For open deck bridge applications, ties in many cases serve as structural members, in addition to performing the functions of a conventional track tie. Such ties are sometimes referred to as span ties. For ties to perform adequately as structural members on open deck bridges, additional bending strength, shear strength and limited deflection are

required. Until recently, lack of design guidelines hindered development of alternative ties for open deck bridge applications.

Under the direction of bridge engineers from Class 1 railroads, TTCI has been working in three areas to encourage development of improved bridge ties: (1) in-track testing of ties at the Facility for Accellerated Service Testing (FAST) and in revenue service, (2) laboratory testing of ties to determine suitability and (3) development of recommended practice for bridge ties in conjunction with committees of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association (AREMA).

Revenue service installationsBased on acceptable performance in laboratory testing by a Class 1 railroad and TTCI, one railroad made a pilot installation of fiber-reinforced foamed urethane (FFU) ties on an open deck steel bridge in December 2011 (see Figure 1). FFU is essentially a fiberglass material and ties made of this material have been used in Japan for a number of years.

For this installation, the ties were dapped. However, no provision was made to provide relief for the protruding rivet heads on the top flange of the span. Instead, the ties were allowed to settle onto the steel under the weight of passing trains. The ties were installed using the railroad’s standard bridge tie insertion machinery. They are similar in weight and size to timber ties that have traditionally been used in this application. Girder spacing on this bridge is 6.5 feet center-to-center. For the girder spacing, the ties function as span ties, but the bending moments are much smaller than on spans with wider girder spacings, commonly up to approximately nine feet.

TTCI is monitoring performance of the ties on this bridge. Periodic measurements include tie

TTCI researchers investigate lower life-cycle cost crosstie options for open deck bridges.

by Duane Otter, Ph. D., PE and Richard Joy, PE,principal engineers, TTCI.

Figure 1: FFU bridge ties installed on a Class 1 railroad.

Recent developments in:

Alternative bridge ties for open deck steel bridges


deflections and track gauge restraint. The installation is on a track that carries primarily empty coal trains and mixed freight traffic. Maximum normal car weight is 286,000 pounds gross rail load. Annual tonnage over this bridge is about 26 million gross tons (mgt) per year.

Tie installations on steel bridge at FASTTTCI has installed two types of donated alternative ties and various solid sawn timber bridge ties on the steel bridge at FAST for testing.1

Douglas fir glulam (glued laminated timber) ties and solid sawn timber ties (white oak, Douglas fir and southern yellow pine) were installed on the 55.5-foot riveted steel span in late 2009. The solid sawn timber ties are serving as benchmarks for comparison. In early 2011, FFU ties were installed on the span. These ties are similar to those that were later installed on a Class 1 railroad.

This span is much like many of the open deck steel spans still in revenue service in North America today. It has eight-foot girder spacing, making it an excellent test bed for structural bridge ties. The test span is subjected to 100-150 mgt per year of heavy-axle-load traffic.

Figure 2 shows the tie layout for the FFU ties. Note that there is one long Douglas fir walkway support tie separating two adjacent five-tie panels. The bottoms of the FFU ties were milled so they would fit over the protruding rivet heads on the top surface of the steel girder on the bridge at FAST. The ties at FAST were not dapped. Note the difference in these details compared to the revenue service installation of FFU ties. There are two lines of rivets on each of the top flanges at FAST. The milling pattern allows the ties to move longitudinally along the top flange. During installation at FAST, the milling facilitated quick and accurate lateral location of the ties on the girders. The milling of the FFU ties to clear the rivets was performed based on the vendor’s recommendation. None of the timber or glulam ties installed on the span were milled or dapped. The timber ties were set directly on top of the rivets and allowed to seat under train traffic, as were the FFU ties in the revenue service installation.

The Douglas fir glulam ties are installed in two similar panels at the east end of the span. Nominal tie size for both the glulam and FFU ties is 10 inches wide by 12 inches deep by 12 feet long.

TTCI fastened the ties to the steel girder using hook bolts every fourth tie. Rail and tie plates were fastened using cut spikes. All ties were fastened to an outside spacer timber with lag screws. Note that this installation is typical of North American bridge installation practice; in this case, closely following plans used by the Class 1 railroad that donated the steel span.

Testing at FASTThus far at FAST, the ties have been subjected to 315,000-pound gross rail load traffic at 40 mph. The test train at FAST operates in both directions over these ties. Accumulated tonnage on the solid sawn timber and glulam timber ties is 448 mgt. Accumulated tonnage on the FFU ties is 268 mgt. To date, none of the ties has required any maintenance or replacement. Various species of solid sawn

timber bridge ties installed at the same time have not required any maintenance or replacement. A rail change has resulted in the need to insert plugs into spike holes. Standard wood plugs were used for all ties, including the FFU ties.

Measurements of tie deflections were taken at mid-tie and at each rail seat. Figure 3 shows the average deflection values at center of tie and beneath the rail seats for two different ties of five various types: (1) southern yellow pine, (2) Douglas fir (solid sawn), (3) white oak, (4) Douglas fir glulam and (5) FFU. These deflections are all within the recommended range of values for alternative bridge ties.2

As expected, the tie center deflections are greater than those under the rail seats for all tie types. The deflection values measured at FAST for the various tie types reflect the same relative deflection trends as measured in laboratory tests.3 This trend provides additional support for the recently-recommended laboratory guidelines.2, 4

Laboratory experimentsA Class 1 railroad and TTCI have performed laboratory tests to evaluate the performance of various ties in terms of the following tie properties:

• Spike insertion force• Spike pullout resistance• Tie plate cutting• Lateral gauge restraint• Bending

The bending test provides an indication of the performance of the tie as a structural member. The other tests quantify aspects of the ability of a tie to hold gauge, surface and alignment.

Selected ties that pass laboratory tests have been installed on a trial basis on open-deck steel bridges, both at FAST and in revenue service.

Some previous experimental ties that passed the laboratory tests were installed on selected bridges on one railroad. One early experiment with a steel-reinforced plastic composite tie was initially successful. But issues, such as the inability to consistently meet design specifications and inadequate fire resistance led to discontinuance of use of that particular tie design.

Bending testWhen a bridge tie must also function as a structural member (span tie), it is essential that it pass a bending test. The test rig simulates the girder spacing of the span and load points of the rail. Spacing of the reaction points was set up to replicate center-to-center girder spacing (eight feet). Spacing of the load points was 60 inches for standard gauge track.

For both the Douglas fir glulam ties and the FFU ties, two randomly chosen ties were tested in the laboratory. These ties were checked for defects before testing. A deflection test and a design load test were performed in the laboratory. The deflection test measured minimum and maximum tie center deflection under loads of 27,000 pounds (live load before factor of safety) at each rail seat. Under the live load of 27,000 pounds, all ties stayed below the recommended maximum deflection of 0.38-inch for tie center deflection for an eight-foot

TTCI R&D


girder spacing. All ties provided tie center deflections greater than the 0.11-inch recommended minimum for an eight-foot girder spacing. Values compared favorably to previously-defined minimum and maximum deflection values.4

A design load test was also performed. For this test, a load of 53,000 pounds per rail (live load including factor of safety) was applied. A visual inspection was made to the tie after this test to check for any damage. All ties performed well under the 53,000-pound load. No damage was observed. The maximum bending moment under this loading condition is about 106,000 foot-pounds.

Other laboratory testsTesting by the Class 1 railroad inc luded compress ion tes ts to determine the ability of the FFU material to resist deformation and cutting under compressive loads (tie plate cutting). Deformation of tie samples was barely discernible after the test. These results are much better than for any previously tested materials. In tests for spike insertion force and spike pullout resistance, the FFU ties performed favorably compared with many of the timber species.5

Testing was also performed by applying a cyclic lateral load to a cut spike dr iven into the tie to quantify lateral gauge restraint. The maximum lateral deflection

Figure 2, Top: FFU bridge deck ties being installed on the steel span at FAST.

Figure 3: Illustrates the average deflection of various solid sawn timber and alternative ties under the test train at FAST.


per cycle was monitored. The total lateral movement under load was also monitored. More than five million cycles were applied. Based on past experience, sufficient cycles were accumulated to indicate that the FFU material performs better in this lateral gauge restraint test than any other timber or plastic composite tie materials previously tested.5

Recommended practiceThere were no industry guidelines for railroad open deck bridge ties before publication of the 2012 edition of the AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering, other than the guidance for timber ties provided in Chapter 7.

In order to develop guidelines, railroad bridge engineers worked with AREMA Committees 30 and 7 and TTCI researchers on the development of recommended practices for alternative bridge deck ties as new AREMA recommended practices. The new recommended practices for “Engineered Composite Ties for Open Deck Bridges” are now found in Chapter 30, Part 5.6 of the Manual for Railway Engineering. The new practice references existing AREMA-recommended practices for performance as a track tie, with additional recommendations for structural bending ties, as are common on steel deck plate girder spans. The new provisions are based on performance testing independent of material properties.

The primary design load is based on the Cooper E-80 wheel load of 40,000 pounds with 100-percent impact, distributed evenly over three ties, per AREMA Chapter 15.2 Note that at FAST, the nominal wheel loads are 39,375 pounds, nearly the same as the design load.

Other provisions address workability and fire resistance, for example. Many of these issues are handled by reference to material in Chapter 30 that applies to conventional track ties.

Future testingThe performance of the test ties w i l l be moni tored in revenue service and at FAST for a period to be determined. Inspectors will visually inspect the condition of the ties and observe them under traffic on a regular basis for any signs of degradation or loss of performance.

AcknowledgementsThe authors are grateful for the assistance and contr ibutions of Class 1 railroad bridge engineers for donations of both solid sawn a n d g l u e d - l a m i n a t e d t i m b e r bridge ties for this study and also for the donation of the FFU ties from Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd., represented in North America by Sumitomo Corporation of America.

Thanks are also given to the AREMA Committee 30 - Ties, s u b c o m m i t t e e o n e n g i n e e r e d composite ties, chaired by Richard Lampeau, for i ts work on the development of the new AREMA recommended practices for engineered composite br idge t ies. AREMA Committee 7 - Timber Structures, chaired by Dr. Gar y Fr y, also provided valuable input and assistance in developing the new AREMA recommended practices.

This study was funded in part through the Association of American

Ra i l r oads ’ S t r a t eg i c Re sea r ch Initiatives Program.

References1. Otter, D. and Tunna, L. April 2012. “Evalu-ation of Alternative Open Deck Bridge Ties at FAST.” Technology Digest TD-12-008. Associa-tion of American Railroads Transportation Tech-nology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.2. American Railway Engineering and Main-tenance of Way Association. 2012. Manual for Railway Engineering, Lanham, Md.3. Joy, R., Ninness, K. and Duane Otter. October 2011. “Benchmark Testing of Timber Open Deck Bridge Ties.” Technology Digest TD-11-036. Asso-ciation of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.4. Joy, R. and Otter, D. October 2011. “Alter-native Material Ties for Open Deck Bridges.” Technology Digest TD-11-035. Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technol-ogy Center, Inc., Pueblo, Colo.5. Otter, D., Patton, R. and Joy, R. September 2012. “Developments in Alternative Bridge Ties for Open Deck Steel Bridges.” Proceedings, AREMA Annual Conference, Chicago, Ill.


which is composed of five UTA rail projects that will be in operation by 2015 and will expand the existing rail network by 70 miles. The FrontRunner South project scope of work included 30 bridges, two million cubic yards of earthwork, 50 miles of roadbed preparation and trackwork, 40 joint (with UP) at-grade crossings, signaling work and station construction. The project began construction in August 2008 and began carrying commuters between Salt Lake City and Provo in December 2012.

Challenges known and unknownThe project construction contract utilized a modified design-build process known as Contract Manager/General Contractor (CMGC). According to Clayton Gilliland, project manager with Stacy and Witbeck, the CMGC format helped the joint venture become familiar with the scope of work because the companies were able to

J uggling the var ious elements of a 45-mile, $525-million commuter rail project is challenging enough in railroad construction. Add to it the need

to closely work with local communities, transit agencies and a freight railroad to make sure safety is observed and communication remains open and it becomes clear why Stacy and Witbeck, Inc./Herzog Contracting Corp., a Joint Venture, was awarded the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Assoc iat ion’s 2012 Ra i l road Construction Project of the Year, which was presented at the association’s annual conference in January 2013.

“The safety record, scope of the project and the cost containment measures utilized in this multiyear project are what made the Stacy and Witbeck/Herzog Contracting Corp. project stand out. With more than million man hours worked in challenging situations without a single lost time accident, the companies have demonstrated that safety was the absolute top priority. The coordination and interface with major project stakeholders, such as Union Pacific, 14 cities, two counties and the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) was impressive and displayed a commitment to quality work in a partnership environment,” the NRC said of the project.

The FrontRunner South project is part of Utah Transit Authority’s (UTA) FrontLines 2015 program,

by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

Utah transit aUthority FrontrUnner soUth

The joint venture of Stacy and Witbeck,

Inc., and Herzog Contracting Corp.

utilize innovation and fluid communication to safely construct a 45-

mile commuter rail line.

NRC Rail Construction Project of the Year:

Above: Bridge construction within the Jordan Narrows area. The UP work train is involved in FrontRunner

South project-related work and is traveling to an adjacent project site that required mainline renewal by the railroad. The train is towing UP’s track laying

machine and related track materials.


UTA FronTrUnner soUTh

by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

work closely with the project designer and provide input throughout most of the design process, which allowed for accurate pricing of materials and work prioritization. The CMGC format also allowed the companies to tackle the known challenges of the project, such as fitting the commuter rail corridor inside Union Pacific’s existing right-of-way.

Gilliland notes that several industries are served off of the UP mainline. If the commuter rail project utilized the same side of the track as the various industries, the services would frequently intersect.

“The alignment itself was an engineering challenge because you’re trying to fit it in between the existing mainline and fit it on the right-of-way. UTA and UP made a decision that we would [build the commuter route] on the east side of the UP for the northern third of the job and on the west side of the UP for the southern two-thirds of the job and that fit better with industries and properties,” said Gilliland.

The joint venture constructed a flyover where the project crosses over the UP from east to west, in south Jordan. This flyover consisted of a 1,000-foot bridge constructed in the middle of a curve to carry the UTA commuter traffic over UP’s freight traffic.

Gilliland also said a five-mile stretch, known as the Jordan Narrows, right in the middle of the project presented another

engineering challenge. “There’s a section where we parallel the Jordan River

and it’s very remote, so there’s no access to the work except for a cut out at each end of the five-mile stretch,” said Gilliland.

He says that in addition to the multiple irrigation canal crossings, which could only be worked on during the winter so farmers were not affected during the summer season, the project needed to cross the Jordan River at two locations and a portion of UP’s line needed to be relocated in order to make room for the FrontRunner project.

“Sequencing the work, accessing the work and optimizing the alignment through the Jordan Narrows was a

“The safety record, scope of the project and the cost containment

measures utilized in this multiyear project are what made the Stacy

and Witbeck/Herzog Contracting Corp. project stand out.”


uta frontrunner south

big known engineering challenge,” said Gilliland.While the known engineering challenges allowed for

proper planning of solutions, there were a few situations that cropped up during the course of the project, which required innovative thinking on the part of the joint venture.

An example of this was making sure the FrontRunner South construction fit into the various project stakeholders’ requirements. UP requested the project be constructed 40 feet from its mainline instead of 25 feet, which pushed the project into private property requiring additional property acquisitions that needed to be prioritized to keep work progressing.

Additionally, the project included building several grade separations over UDOT roads. During FrontRunner South construction, Gilliland says UDOT was in the middle of an accelerated bridge construction campaign that severely limited roadway outages and required close to zero impact to the traveling public.

“We had to change our means of bridge construction,” said Gilliland.

The bridge designs were standardized and included precast elements that were a complete assembly, including deck, girders, ballast, retaining walls, walkway and handrail. Not only did this reduce traffic impacts during construction, but helped as a cost containment measure, as well.

“We also would work around the clock on the weekends to drill shafts so we could get out of the way by Monday morning and have the road completely opened,” said Gilliland.

While the project’s var ious challenges kept all stakeholders on their toes, the common theme with every solution seemed to be rooted to good communication.

Gilliland says Stacy and Witbeck was part of the FrontRunner North construction and the relationship with UP was a continuation for FrontRunner South.

“We had quite a bit of momentum with UP, but they would send a representative into our weekly planning sessions so we would describe to them in detail the work we had planned for the following week. They had representatives on the ground with our crews and during job briefings, where work being done that day would be described, the UP rep. could weigh in,” said Gilliland. “With UDOT, we met with them bi-weekly to talk about upcoming work and we met regardless if there were any issues. We just met to keep the dialogue open and I think that was effective. The rest of the municipalities, we provided them updates, such as stakeholder luncheons, to let them know where the work was and what was coming up.”

Safety factorAs with any project this size, safety is a top priority. The project expended more than two million man hours and averaged more than 325 persons engaged on site every day with zero lost time accidents.

In the NRC Project of the Year application, the joint venture noted several contributing factors to its safety success, including:• Unwavering support of the safety program from UTA and the



joint venture’s corporate leadership. • The joint venture felt strongly that

self-performed work (60 percent) gave it an extraordinary platform to set the

pace for safety performance in a very tangible way and earn the respect of the project’s subcontractors.

• Continually working to convince the

project’s individual craft employees that the joint venture cared for their individual wellness.

• Each day began with a START card, enhancing hazard awareness and each week began with an all hands safety meeting that included a var iety of training topics, recognition and awareness. Addit ional ly, ever y crew was encouraged to “Take 30” minutes every week for safety to review the site conditions, discuss the operational risks and generally recharge the safety focus.

• A “PPE Quick Reference Guide” was issued that visually identified the personal protective equipment recommended for all common power tools.

• The joint venture held a belief

The relocated UP mainline and new FrontRunner South line in the

Jordan Narrows area.


UTA FronTrUnner soUTh

that planned work decreases the risk of incidents.Another safety element was the

“Pinch Point Protection” system the team developed with UP. Gilliland says there were areas along the project that did not have adequate right-of-way to allow normal track clearance between FrontRunner and UP. The “Pinch Point Protection” system was designed to shut down both railroads in the event any equipment encroaches into the adjacent railroad’s operating envelope. According to Gilliland, the system consists of steel posts with an electrical circuit that were installed between FrontRunner

and UP tracks every 100 feet. If the post is knocked over by a derailed train, the circuit would be interrupted and it would shutdown both tracks.

Measure of successIn addition to being awarded NRC’s Project of the Year, the project won the Utah AGC “Partnering

The integration team, which includes test engineers, contractors, designers

and operations personnel, escorting the first test train set along the align-

ment. Testing in the first zone began in June 2012. There were five test zones,

each near 10 miles in length.



Project of the Year” in 2011; Keith Tarkalson, general superintendent and construction manager, was awarded Utah AGC “Superintendent of the

Year” in 2011 and the project won Stacy and Witbeck’s “Safest Project of the Year” in 2011.

While the recognition is certainly

nice, for Gilliland, being able to provide a transportation alternative to the region was also a great accomplishment.

“There is no other paralleling freeway or reasonable paralleling surface street, there is only one other option and that’s I-15. If there is a weather day or a traffic accident, the commute is just impossible,” said Gilliland. “Providing that option and seeing the excitement from everyone on opening day and knowing the commuters are adding two hours of useful time to their day because they’re on the train, not white-knuckled, stressful driving, is what I think is pretty cool.”

The joint venture and UP coordinated work along the 40 grade crossing

locations to minimize traffic impact and work more efficiently. During one

stretch, the team executed roadway and track improvements at 23

locations in 26 weeks.


go with the

flowSuppliers provide resources to

keep roadbeds clear of water.

w ater seepage can be a real hazard to the railroads, causing track damage and emergency situations when flooding occurs. Proper drainage along the

lines ensures a healthy operation and suppliers are on top of the latest technology and innovations to help railroads achieve just that.

BTEBallast Tools Equipment Company has been building and upgrading equipment that includes both hi-rail and off-track options this past year. The company focuses on fast, effective and efficient use of track time and results-oriented production. BTE has various sized excavator options and new large capacity back-hoes with hi-rail for multiple situations.

“Customers want the ability to perform on-track, as well as off-track,” noted Matt Weyand, sales engineer. “As a result, our hi-rail systems are becoming increasingly popular. These come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, depending on the customer applications and requirements. Most recently, we have ranged from smaller CAT 312 excavators, up to larger CAT 450 backhoes with a full range of hi-rail capabilities and attachment options.”

For larger projects, the BTE Beast Undercutter is offered. For tight applications, with off-track maintenance, positioning a ditching bucket can be difficult, he says.

“That’s where a combination of a hi-rail system and Rototilt attachment manipulation comes in handy; because you can match the angle of the track without making a ton

of adjustments,” said Weyand. “It’s a super time saver and with shortened work windows, that’s a way big deal.”

While BTE does not perform drainage jobs, the company has seen some additional challenges with fouled track and turnouts serviced by its equipment customers. This track fouling has been with a variety of materials, including coal, iron ore, fine powders and dust, as well as good, old-fashioned mud.

“We have found that our aggressive digging chains and attachments have the durability and performance life to work in these difficult situations every day,” explained Weyand.

GREXGeorgetown Rail Equipment Company’s (GREX) Self Pow-ered Slot (SPS) machine is a train that consists of gondola cars stretching up to 430 feet in length. With an on-board excava-tor, an experienced GREX operator and remote-controlled power, the SPS is offered to customers as a ditching solution. Additionally, GREX has recently implemented a new opera-tor training program occurring on a bi-annual basis.

The SPS of today has morphed from the original SlotTrain design, which required a work train for power. The SPS was conceived after demand for self-powered equipment; however, GREX still offers the traditional SlotTrain for those customers who may not need an SPS. With all of the capabilities of an SPS, other than being self-powered, the original SlotTrain still offers customers a ditching solution.

The ends of Snap-Tite pipe are designed to snap together in the field during the relining process.

Ditching anD Drainage

efforts that

by Jennifer Nunez, assistant editor



“In our continuous effort to increase production and improve safety, all SPS trains are now equipped with zero-turn radius excavators,” noted Lynn Turner, vice president of marketing and sales. “This feature allows for work to be performed when working on double main territory without fouling the adjacent track. Special lockouts prevent the excavator from physically moving

into the adjacent track’s territory, which means work can continue, even in high-traffic areas. We’ve also added rototilts to each excavator, which allows the operator to maneuver the bucket 360 degrees and tilt up to +/- 40 degrees. This gives our operator increased flexibility with the bucket, allowing them to more precisely form the drainage area. This feature, along with varying bucket sizes depending on the particular job, allows us to enact extreme precision when ditching.”

GREX takes pride in operator expertise. The average GREX SPS operator holds eight years of experience working on the railroad. In that time, these operators have performed work across all regions of the United States and are regularly asked to make recommendations based on their proficiency for ditching.

“With a bucket reach of 34 feet and 400 tons of capacity, our operators can handle just about any ditching scenario possible,” stated Turner.

HerzogHerzog Railroad Services, Inc. (HRSI), placed the first Multi-Purpose Machine (MPM) into service in 1999. The machine was designed to provide railroads with a piece of work equipment that could execute numerous tasks utilizing various attachments within a minimal amount of time.

“The MPM is a one-of-a-kind piece of work equipment,” noted Tim Francis, vice president of marketing. “It is operated by remote control with just one qualified HRSI operator. The MPM’s excavator rides a bogey that sits atop a gantry system that traverses the HRSI manufactured well cars. This allows us to have virtually unrestricted access to the material in all of the cars at all times. The MPM’s 27-foot reach makes it perfect for any task within its radius.”

A standard MPM is outfitted with a bucket, grapples and magnet, but upon request, a tree shear, brushcutter or auger can be added. The MPM is capable of traveling under its own power at up to 50 mph or it can be moved in train service at the rear of the consist. The zero-turn radius track hoe allows it to work on multiple track mainlines or in yards.

The MPM has the ability to load up to 240 cubic yards per hour and the entire machine can transport almost 480 cubic yards of material. HRSI is currently using its Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) truck technology to develop a program, which will allow the company to survey ditch lines, which the railroad has identified as an area of concern.

“The human subjectivity is removed from the equation and the MPM operator will be able to cut an even more accurate grade than without the assistance of the LIDAR scan,” Francis noted. “The MPM track hoe will be set up with a computer that will aid the operator by providing them with a 3D view of the track and ditch lines. The computer screen will identify areas where the grade is correct, where backfilling of material is needed or anywhere material needs to be removed.”

The company notes that the biggest advantage of the MPM is the final product it leaves behind. The newly cut ditch lines allow for unrestricted water flow and railroad subgrades can properly shed water, which will help reduce

Top, the Herzog MPM digging a ditch to help keep muddy waters off the tracks. 450 Hi-Rail Backhoe with ditching bucket from Ballast Tools Equipment.


new fouled ballast locations and subgrade failures.

Loram“Customers continue to reinforce that drainage is of utmost importance for providing a sound track structure,” explained Scott Diercks, product development manager for Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. “The success of any ballasted track design is directly related to the ability of the track bed to drain and the proper maintenance of the overall drainage system. An effective drainage system handles the rapid runoff of storm water from the ballast, across the subballast surface and into a properly designed parallel drainage system.”

Loram’s drainage products include shoulder ballast cleaning, ditching, specialty excavation, undercutting and track lifting. Inspection technologies, such as ground penetrating radar and LIDAR, continue to evolve and become standard tools for assessing and planning work needs.

Loram says it has experienced an increasing demand for ditching and drainage services from transit and freight railroads domestically and internationally. Benefits of a well-drained roadbed include less geometry degradation and increased component life. Loram says that by coupling a ditching program with a ballast-cleaning program, railroads are able to create a free-flowing track structure that provides a dependable infrastructure and better service.

As for the Loram Track Lifter Undercutter, it can lift track up 12 inches in one pass up to four miles per hour. The track lifting process creates a new subballast layer, establishing more permeable ballast and an overall stronger structure, Diercks notes.

Additionally, Loram offers its fleet of Railvacs and Badger Ditchers to its customers. Loram says customers utilize the equipment to address unique maintenance needs, such as ditching, cribbing/undercutting mainline mud spots, installation of drain tiles and culverts and undercutting switches and diamonds.

The Badger Ditcher is designed to provide economical, high-production solutions to drainage problems, such as overgrown and ballast-filled ditches and slope erosion. The machine is capable of moving more than 800 tons of material



every hour at depths up to six feet and dumps waste up to 35 feet from the center of the track.

Loram’s Railvac is designed for specialty ballast excavation in areas of tight clearances, such as ballast deck bridges, switch winterization, tunnels, culverts and hard-to-reach drains.

“The Railvac is a robust machine

designed to work on tough Class 1 railroad conditions, but flexible enough to accommodate transit and commuter railroads,” explained Diercks.

The Railvac applies 5,000 pounds of force and is coupled with a rotating nozzle to break up tough material. The machine also features remote joystick controls and nozzle flexibility to reach

hard-to-reach areas.

NMCNMC Railway Systems currently offers the Grip N Ditch bucket with 360-degree rotation in its attachment product l ine. The bucket, with the purpose build gearbox drive systems, is said to work effectively on stabilizing areas for flood control and other clean-up projects. The Grip N Ditch is best utilized on CAT backhoes and excavators.

NMC Rai lway Sys tems can accommodate ditching and drainage projects with a full line of Cat Work Tool ditching buckets with drainage systems. Cat skid steers also have trenching attachments.

One of the latest features for its ditching and drainage projects is the addition of the tilt function on Grip N Ditch buckets larger than 54 inches. Featured exclusively on the 324 High-Rail Excavator, the bucket includes a side tilt option up to 20 degrees.

“Utilizing a Grip N Ditch bucket on our line of hi-rail excavators allows operators to work and trench in remote areas of track line,” said Chuck Haskell, sales manager. “At NMC Railway Systems, we continually look for ways to improve track travel and track safety.”

Plasser AmericanClean ballast is extremely important to maintain track geometry, notes Plasser American Corp. and scheduled ballast undercutting/cleaning to create proper drainage and removing fouled mate-rial from the track is the first step to long-lasting track. Plasser supplies machines, such as the RM-80, which can undercut and clean plain track, as well as switches from either side, eliminating the need to turn the ma-chine around; high-capacity double screening unit machines, such as the RM-2003 Dual Shaker Undercutter-Cleaner and the RM-802 High-Speed Undercutter-Cleaner, which works with pre-dumped ballast and the FRM-802 Shoulder Cleaner.

“In instances where the track quality cannot be maintained due to weak subgrade or continuous fouling from the subgrade, a subgrade renewal machine may be used to correct the problem,” explained Plasser.


Top, Loram’s Railvac excavating ballast. NMC Railway Systems’ 312 High-Rail Excavator with ditching bucket.



“Subgrade renewal machines remove the ballast layer, as well as the subballast layer and replace it with a formation protection layer and a layer of ballast. The formation protection layer prevents material from coming up and fouling the ballast, prevents water from seeping down into the subgrade and distributes the load on the track over a larger area, reducing the stress on the subgrade by increasing the bearing surface.”

Plasser’s PM 200-2 R Formation Rehabilitation Machine, according to the company, can remove the ballast and subballast, recycle the removed material and then install a compacted formation protection layer and a ballast layer all in one pass. All work is performed without physically removing the track, allowing for shorter track outages.

Plasser recently developed the URM-700 High-Capacity Switch Undercutting/Cleaning Machine. The URM-700 is equipped with two shoulder cleaning chains and an undercutting chain that is capable of undercutting both tracks of a switch or crossover in one pass. The machine can also be utilized for spot undercutting/cleaning work. Initially, the URM-700 removes the shoulder on the side of the switch or crossover where the undercutter chain will be inserted. Then, the undercutting chain is inserted into the track, which can be done on either side of the machine and

the machine undercuts the switch or crossover by rotating the undercutter chain under the track until the entire switch or crossover has been cleaned.

“The greatest advantage of the URM-700 over conventional switch undercutters is that all excavated material is conveyed to a shaker car, cleaned by the vibratory shaker unit and the reusable ballast is inserted back into the track behind the undercutter chain and fouled ballast is discharged to the side of the track,” noted Plasser. “The geometry of the switch or crossover is maintained to a high level by roller clamps that hold the track during undercutting operations. Tamping and dynamic track stabilization can be performed immediately following undercutting. The URM-700 will be debuted at the 26th International Exhibition for Track Technology (iaf) from May 28 – 30, 2013, in Münster, Germany.”

RCE “With the erratic weather so far this spring, ditching and maintaining proper drainage is a huge issue this year for rail-roads,” explained Dennis Hanke, sales manager of Rail Con-struction Equipment Co. “We’re seeing a higher demand for equipment to address these issues.”

According to Hanke, ditching from on-track using



hi-rail excavators and dump carts has been in high demand this year and for that, RCE offers its customers the 225D Hi-Rail Excavator, along with its hydraulic side dump cart.

The 225D Hi-Rail Excavator is equipped with a hydraulic tilting ditching bucket, which is said to improve the ability to maintain proper drainage. This product provides the ability to clean up drainage issues form on- or off-track. When combined with the RCE Hydraulic Dump Cart, the customer has the ability to also remove unwanted material from the ditched areas.

Snap TiteSnap-Tite is proud to say that culvert rehabilitation is becoming more widely accepted in the industry and AREMA has recognized it as a recommended practice for fixing drainage issues.

“Railroads are looking for ways to reduce bridge inventory,” explained Mitch Goss, railroad project manager. “One way is to convert bridges into culverts using large diameter high-density polyethylene pipe (HDPE).”

One trend Goss has noticed this year is the increased use of a bullet nose on one end of a pipe used for sliplining. The

Plasser’s URM-700 High-Capacity Switch Undercutting/Cleaning Machine.



bullet nose allows for the liner pipe to push through ballast that has fallen through separated joints.

Snap-Tite is a no-dig lining method of drainage culverts. The Snap-Tite culvert lining pipe system is available for

use in drainage culvert repair/reline projects. Its patented male/female machining ends of the HDPE allows it to be “snapped” together, piece-by-piece and pushed into the full length of the existing pipe. It is available in lengths from two to 50 feet long and is available for culverts up to 84 inches in diameter. However, larger diameters are available upon request.

Snap-Tite focuses on both culvert rehabilitation and bridge replacement. Specific challenges for culvert rehabs are recognizing the problem and forming a plan before it’s too late, Goss says.

“In many cases, the culvert collapses and rehabilitation is no longer an option,” he explained. “Snap-Tite wants to work with the railroads to generate a maintenance plan for fixing culverts. The specific challenges for bridge replacement are addressing the loading and hydraulic concerns of creating a new structure. When you tear down an old bridge and replace it with a culvert made of HDPE, structural and hydraulic analysis must be done.”

Snap-Tite currently works with Class 1 railroads Union Pacific, CSX, BNSF and Canadian Pacific; passenger railroads Amtrak and Pan Am; regional railroads Florida East Coast Railway and Montana Rail Link and shortlines Iowa Interstate and Wisconsin & Southern.

The RCE 225D High-Rail Excavator ditching and cleaning up rock slides on the Union Pacific.


continue to grow the organization as my predecessors have.NRC membership has grown more than 75 percent in the past

six years, from 184 Member Companies in 2006 to 326 members in 2012. We have been joined by 65 new members in the past 12 months alone. Our Membership Committee, chaired by Stephanie Freeman of Coleman Industrial Construction, is doing a great job. Stephanie is joined on the committee by David Armstrong of Commercial Insur-ance Associates, Steve Bolte of Progressive Railroading, Danny Brown and Jim Hansen of RailWorks, Mike Choat of Railroad Controls Limited, Bob Hirte of Hamilton Construction, Phil McDonald of Koppers, Jody Sims of Kiewit Infrastructure West, George Sokulski of RT&S and Dave Stein of Holland Company.

RT&S: You mention expanding the membership. What bene-fits does the NRC offer to its current members and potential new ones?Benton: The Membership Committee and our Washington D.C. staff, including NRC President Chuck Baker, Director of Operations Matt Ginsberg, Operations Manager Ashley Bosch and Grassroots Coordinator Tabitha Layman, have done an excellent job of identify-ing and recruiting companies in our industry who will benefit from being NRC members. The NRC exists to support rail contractors and suppliers, expand their business opportunities and protect them from harmful laws and regulations. We are the only organization entirely dedicated to this purpose. We keep a close eye on all issues that could affect our membership positively or negatively and we vigorously defend our position in front of legislative and regulatory bodies.

Bosch: We have a long list of specific benefits we provide to our

Railway Track & Structures asked National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Chairman Terry Benton of Colo Railroad Builders,

NRC President Chuck Baker and NRC Operations Manager Ashley Bosch about the past year and what they believe is in the future for the NRC.

RT&S: Terry, you are in your second year as NRC Chairman. What goals have you established for the NRC to be accom-plished during your tenure and are you making progress towards those goals?Terry Benton: My goals for the organization are to continue promot-ing the importance of the NRC organization to the membership by:

•Listening to our members and helping determine where the NRC can assist in meeting their needs, whether in construction and maintenance of track, structures, communication and signals or any of the other disciplines that the NRC represents;

•Continuing to maintain the momentum of the NRC’s current leg-islative and safety initiatives and

•Promoting the NRC to non-members and customers to expand the membership of the NRC in order to build a stronger voice in Washington and to more fully represent the entire industry.

The NRC will continue to provide support, leadership and advoca-cy for the industry in the safety and legislative/regulatory areas. I have been building on the legacy of leadership left by Past Chairmen Jim Perkins of Loram, Jon McGrath of McGrath LLC, Manny Ramirez of Mass Electric, Rick Ebersold of Herzog Services, Larry Laurello of Delta Railroad Construction and Scott Brace of RailWorks and will

NRC is stRoNgeR thaN eveR

The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association has

experienced healthy growth by keeping the needs of its

members in the forefront.

Attendees view equipment at the NRC’s 2013 Railroad Construction

and Maintenance Equipment Auction, which was held April 16, 2013, and benefits the NRC Safety, Training and Education Fund.


state of the nrc

members, which are detailed on our web-site at www.nrcma.org. Membership includes discounted registration at the annual NRC conference and exhibition and a full company listing in both the printed and online versions of the NRC 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. Membership also includes access to the Contractor Safety Award contest, the Annual Railroad Construction and Mainte-nance Equipment Auction and inclusion on the NRC’s bulletin distribution list, which is full of useful information for rail contractors and suppliers.

At the moment, well over 350 rail con-struction, supply and professional service companies are members of the NRC, which as Terry said, is up more than 75 percent in the past six years. We attribute most of that growth to word of mouth, the NRC Mem-bership 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 col-leagues to convince them to join the NRC and support our industry.

Baker: I’d like to specifically thank each of our board members. Other than Terry, they are David Armstrong of Commercial Insurance Associates, Danny Brown of Rail-Works, Mike Choat of Railroad Controls Limited, Chris Daloisio of Railroad Con-structors (NRC Secretary/Treasurer), Joe Daloisio of Railroad Construction Co., Bill Dorris of RailWorks (NRC Vice Chairman), Stephanie Freeman of Coleman Industrial Construction, Clayton Gilliland of Stacy & Witbeck, Scott Goehri of HDR Engineering,

Jim Hansen of RailWorks, Norm Jester of Herzog Contracting Corp., Larry Laurello of Delta Railroad Construction, Greg Lip-pard of L. B. Foster, Dave Minor of A&K Railroad Materials, Scott Norman of Herzog Contracting Corp, Jim Perkins of Loram, Jody Sims of Kiewit, Mark Snailham of Bal-four 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.

Benton: The NRC is using a variety of methods to stay in touch with our members and get our message out to the world. In addition to constantly updating our website at www.nrcma.org and communicating via e-mail bulletins, the NRC has begun tweet-ing. I recommend following the NRC on Twitter. Just go to www.twitter.com, set up a quick, free account and follow “@theNRC” or just go to www.twitter.com/thenrc.

RT&S: What is the NRC doing to pro-mote safety?Benton: We have a very active Safety Com-mittee. Tammy Mathews of RailWorks is our current Safety Committee Chairwoman and follows Ernesto Scarpitti of Delta Railroad Construction. Tammy is an excellent rep-resentative of RailWorks, the NRC and the industry as a whole.

The Safety Committee oversees the Safety Training DVD program, the NRC’s participation in the Federal Railroad Admin-istration’s (FRA) Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) process, the Contractor Safety Award contest, the NRC’s Roadway Worker Protection 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 Safety Committee member and former Board Director John Zuspan of Track Guy Consultants. The two most recent DVDs in this series, Safety Around Flash Butt Welding and Fall Protection in the Rail Industry, were unveiled at the confer-ence in January 2013 and are now available to all NRC members. The entire series has received excellent reviews and is available at no cost to NRC members. The previous 12 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 Han-dling Material, Safety with Hot Work, Safety Around Thermal Adjusting of CWR, Safety Around Field Welds, Safety on a Rail Gang and Safety on a Tie Gang.

Safety Committee members, along with NRC staff, represent the NRC’s interests on FRA’s RSAC. RSAC membership and par-ticipation enables the NRC to provide input to the FRA as they create regulations dealing with such key issues as minimum training standards for railroads and contractors per-forming maintenance-of-way work, drug and alcohol testing policies, medical standards for safety-critical workers, bridge safety, roadway worker protection regulation updates, road-way maintenance machine operating rules, rail integrity testing, rail safety technology in dark territory, Positive Train Control imple-mentation and track safety standards.

Safety Committee member and Board Director 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. There are many excellent safety programs among our membership and this award is a valued acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of the leader-ship and safety managers of our member companies. There were a record number of entries in the 2012 contest and the winners were announced at the conference in Janu-

David Armstrong, far right, is shown with representatives of the four category winners of the 2012 NRC/RT&S/Commercial Insurance Associates Safety Awards, which

were presented at the NRC conference this past January.


state of the nrc

ary, published in the March issue of RT&S and appear again in the NRC Membership Directory. The submittals of the winning firms, including a comprehensive outline of their successful safety programs, were avail-able for viewing at the conference.

The NRC also offers a Roadway Worker Protection (RWP) training program, which has been developed by railroad safety profes-sionals with feedback from FRA staff. The RWP training program, which is compli-mentary to NRC members and is available on the NRC website, includes a training pre-sentation, complete with descriptions of the 49 CFR Part 214 RWP regulations, a train-ing examination, an answer key and training completion cards.

Additional safety resources offered by the NRC to our members include the newly updated “Tool Box Safety Talk” series, the Pocket Safety Manual for workers to ref-erence in the field and a model company safety program. RT&S: Your annual conference took place in early January in Miami Beach, Fla., and set another NRC conference attendance record. To what do you attri-bute the success of your conference?Benton: Our guest speakers are a consistent-ly impressive group of industry leaders who address pertinent and timely issues. These are the people conference attendees want to hear in order to be current with the industry. The sessions are well-attended and people are attentive and engaged. These speakers detail-ing railroad and transit capital spending plans are the core attraction of our conference.

Bosch: In addition, several other industry associations and companies hold meetings in conjunction with our conference, such as the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s Legislative Policy Committee, REMSA’s Board of Directors, the Railway Tie Association’s Executive Committee, the Association of Independent Passenger Rail Operators, GoRail, Nordco, Plasser Ameri-can and RailWorks.

Multiple seminars were offered at the conference, including a legal seminar by Burns White on “Avoiding Imputed Liability for FELA,” a contracting seminar on “Inte-grated Project Teams” by R&R Contract-ing, an RWP Train-the-Trainer seminar by Roadway Worker Training, Inc., and a pas-senger rail program seminar by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, including information on current timelines, prequalification requirements, bidding and Buy America rules.

Baker: This brings a new group of exec-utives to the NRC conference, adding to

the appeal for NRC members. It also allows many attendees 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 urge other rail associations, com-mittees, railroads, transit agencies and state DOTs to consider coordinating their meet-ings and seminars with the NRC conference.

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 exempla-ry work in the industry. The 2012 Railroad Construction Project of the Year was pre-sented to Utah Transit Authority’s Frontrun-ner South project (see story on page 16), a Stacy & Witbeck/Herzog Contracting Corp. joint venture. The 2012 Field Employee of Year was presented to Dave Friehl of Herzog Contracting Corp. and the Hall of Fame Inductee was Jim Daloisio of Railroad Con-struction Co. of South Jersey.

Finally, we had some high profile speak-ers this year, which helped draw the record crowd. Congressman Bill Shuster of Penn-sylvania addressed the conference attendees in his first speech as chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, which was an important moment.

RT&S: Your conferences are generally held in warm locales, which provides a nice break for those of us coming in from the frozen north.Benton: Glad to see you noticed! We hold our conferences in either south Florida or southern California in alternating years, just after the new year. It’s typically a slow time for resort properties, which allows us to get good hotel rates for our members and we feel this is a good time of year for rail contractors and suppliers to get away, due to it being a slow time of year for construction in the northern parts of the country.

RT&S: Where will the next NRC confer-ence be, in January 2014?Baker: We’re all set for January 5-8, 2014, at the J.W. Marriott Desert Springs in Palm Desert, Calif. We’ll notify members this sum-

mer 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/go/conference.

RT&S: Aside from the annual confer-ence, are there other NRC sponsored activities during the year?Benton: Yes, we have two major events, the equipment auction and Railroad Day on Capitol Hill. The NRC Rail Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction occurs each spring. This year’s auction took place in conjunction with the Union Pacific auction at the Blackmon Auctions Facility in Little Rock, Ark., on April 16, and it was our big-gest one ever. Blackmon Auctions was the host and auctioneer and did a fantastic job.

Bosch: We were pleased with the quan-tity and quality of donated and consigned equipment. Most of the equipment at the auction is consigned by members and a por-tion of those proceeds go 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. And some of the equipment is actually donated by rail-roads or contractors to the NRC, with 100 percent of those proceeds going to the safety program. Balfour Beatty Rail, Railway Equip-ment Services, Delta Railroad Construc-tion and Cahaba Truck and Equipment each donated significant pieces to the auction this year and we owe them a debt of gratitude.

Baker: The auction committee has been doing great work on this event and at the previous auctions. The key committee mem-bers are Danny Brown of RailWorks Cor-poration, Mark Gaffney of Stacy & Witbeck, Jay Gowan of Harsco Rail, Paul Laurello of Delta Railroad Construction, Dean Mackey of Progress Rail Services and Greg Spilker of Progress Rail Equipment Leasing. Dan Sam-ford of Herzog Contracting Corp. is also a past chairman of the committee and is always extraordinarily helpful.

Blackmon Auctions is our auctioneer every year and they do a great job. The equipment at

“The key to the NRC’s legislative success in D.C. is the active participation of our membership. Hearing frequently and forcefully from those

constituents directly is by far the most effective way to get our messages across.”


state of the nrc

the auction typically includes air compressors, brush cutters, spikers, pickup trucks, hi-rail trucks, cranes, rail threaders, spike pullers, tie inserters and removers, tampers, crib consoli-dators, log loaders, adzers, pre-gaugers, speed-swings, anchor and clip applicators, rollers, cribbers, swing loaders, etc.

Benton: The NRC is also a major spon-sor and organizer of the annual Railroad Day on Capitol Hill event in Washington, D.C., along with the AAR, ASLRRA, REMSA, RSI, RSSI and RTA. Each year, many of our member companies are represented at meet-ings with members of Congress and their staff in order to present our side of the story on major issues affecting the railroad indus-try. There are many issues in Washington, D.C., that directly affect our businesses, such as tax credits to incentivize railroad infra-structure investment, major grant programs, such as Transportation Investment Generat-ing Economic Recovery (TIGER) and High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail programs, regulatory changes under consideration at the Surface Transportation Board and truck size and weight issues. It’s important to have the representation provided by Chuck Baker

and the NRC’s government affairs staff, but it’s equally important for each of us contrac-tors and suppliers to keep up on the issues and to directly contact our representatives and senators, to let them know that their constituents care deeply about these issues. It provides contractors and suppliers an excel-lent opportunity to spend time with their railroad customers. I encourage everybody to visit our website or contact the NRC’s office to learn how to participate and also to par-ticipate in Railroad Day on the Hill next year.

Baker: This year’s Railroad Day on the Hill in March was a big success, and the next event is tentatively set for March 2014 in Washington, D.C. Please plan to join us in D.C.

RT&S: Speaking of Congress, tell us more about the NRC’s Grassroots Pro-gram and why a railroad contractor or supplier would want to host their mem-ber of Congress?Baker: Because it’s more effective to “show and tell” than simply “tell,” the NRC’s Grassroots Program was created to invite members of Congress to visit NRC mem-

ber facilities and construction project sites. These visits give the members of Congress firsthand knowledge of the rail industry and demonstrate how rail contractors and sup-pliers are positively affecting the rail industry and the local and national economy. NRC member companies gain positive publicity, foster good relationships with their congres-sional members and build strong contacts for the NRC to utilize when advocating for rail industry issues on Capitol Hill. It’s a win-win. These congressional visits are coor-dinated and executed by the NRC staff with little work required by the host company. Contact Tabitha Layman in the NRC office at [email protected] or 202-715-1245 if your company is interested in hosting your member of Congress for a visit. RT&S: What are the NRC’s legislative priorities right now?Baker: We have been working hard to try to get an extension of the 45G shortline railroad rehabilitation tax credit, which will expire at the end of 2013. Two bills have been introduced in Congress, HR721 and S411, which would extend the cred-it through 2016 to provide the long-term


state of the nrc

planning certainty necessary to maximize private-sector transportation infrastructure investment. This is a crucial piece of legisla-tion to help maximize rehabilitation spend-ing in the shortline industry. The credit pro-vides a 50-percent tax credit to shortline railroads for investing in their infrastruc-ture, 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’s contractor and suppli-er members have been crucial in helping the shortline railroads build up record co-sponsorship numbers among representatives and senators. In the 112th Congress, well over half of the House (256 representatives) and more than half of the Senate (51 sena-tors) co-sponsored the legislation, which is extraordinary. So far this year, we’re at 88 representatives and nine senators as co-spon-sors, and counting.

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 MAP-21 surface transportation reautho-rization bill passed in 2012 directed the USDOT to study the issue before making any changes to these limits. Heavy trucks are already subsidized and increasing their weight and length would increase that sub-sidy and allow them to compete unfairly against the privately-financed freight rail-roads. Bigger and heavier trucks are unsafe and unwise – they’re bad for the roads and bad for the rail industry. The American pub-lic is solidly against them and Congress was wise to drop the idea.

We are also actively supporting efforts by the freight railroads to maintain the existing reasonable and balanced economic regu-lation 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.

RT&S: How does the NRC attempt to accomplish its legislative goals on Capitol Hill?Baker: As Terry 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 effec-

tive way to get our messages across.Also, in addition to our own direct leg-

islative efforts, the NRC is a member of the OneRail Coalition, with APTA, the AAR, ASLRRA, Amtrak, NARP, RSI, the States for Passenger 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 priori-ties of tax credits and guarding against increased truck size and weights and increased regulation of the freight rail-roads, what are the NRC’s other legisla-tive and policy priorities?Baker: We are supportive of the TIGER grant program. Of the $3.1 billion in fund-ing that has been distributed in TIGERs 1-4, almost $1.6 billion has gone to rail-related projects, including Class 1 projects, short-line system upgrades, port rail infrastructure projects, commuter rail extensions, light-rail lines, streetcar projects, transit stations and intermodal hubs. In 2012, 24 rail-related projects received more than $297 million out of the $500 million of available fund-ing, which was great news for the rail con-struction and supply industry. A TIGER 5 program was funded at $474 million in the recently passed FY13 appropriations bill and that process will get underway short-ly. The NRC will continue to aggressively back funding for these types of multi-modal merit-based discretionary grant programs, whether in the form of TIGER 6, or poten-tially a program of Projects of National and Regional Significance or an Infrastructure Bank in the next surface transportation reau-thorization bill.

The NRC is also advocating for improve-ments to the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan pro-gram by subsidizing the interest rate and allowing payment deferrals similar to the Transportation Infrastructure Finance And Innovation Act program. Other improve-ments can be made by making the collat-eral rules more reasonable, enforcing the intent of the 90-day clock rules and allowing railroads to use the program for refinanc-ing purposes as provided by law. RRIF is a $35-billion infrastructure loan program that is underutilized by the railroads, but we are seeing a recent pick-up in activity, at least on the application side. RRIF provides low interest (around 3.5 percent currently), 35-year loan money for railroad rehabilita-

tion and construction. Since 2002, the FRA has approved 33 RRIF loans for a combined total of approximately $1.7 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 environmen-tal 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 lon-ger 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 work with passenger rail advocacy groups to aggres-sively support and fund a meaningful invest-ment into the national intercity passenger rail network.

RT&S: Any closing thoughts?Benton: I would like to thank my fellow board members and all the NRC member companies for supporting me in my posi-tion as chairman of the board. I am humbled to represent a great organization in a great industry. I believe the NRC has the proper priorities for our membership – leadership in safety initiatives and training materials, advocacy in legislative and regulatory matters, membership growth, a high-quality confer-ence and maintaining a high level of interac-tion with the other key industry organizations.

We are gaining membership, setting conference attendance records and getting unprecedented participation in our “Safe Contractor of the Year” contest – all signs pointing toward a healthy and active organi-zation. Our committee members and direc-tors of the board are active and engaged with a high level of support from their respective employers. 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 time to this quality organization.

The state of the National Railroad Con-struction and Maintenance Association is stronger than ever.


Message from the President

AREMA NEWS

When I took office last September, there were eight AREMA student chapters: the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Michigan Tech, Oregon State, University of Tennessee, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, University of Kentucky, University of South Carolina and Virginia Tech. In a real growth story, there are now 14. In only six months chapters have been added at Penn State, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, University of Manitoba and the University of Toledo. I would like to personally welcome all of the new chapters. To all of you students and faculty involved, those of us at AREMA are very excited about your interest in our organization, as well as our profession. I look forward to having the opportunity to meet and visit with many of you at Railway Interchange in Indianapolis, Ind., in September, and I know that many others do as well.

Amazing as that is, I believe that we will continue to see more new student chapters. I had the opportunity to speak to Dr. George List’s railway engineering class at North Carolina State University in April. They are a great group of students and I spent a very engaging time with them. It was thoroughly enjoyable for me and I hope they gained some knowledge about our industry and some of the things going on now. I hope to see a student chapter there soon and I’ve heard that there are some others in the works. These are truly exciting times on that front.

I would again like to mention the Student Speakers Initiative for AREMA members who are interested in volunteering to speak

Continued on page 44

Student chapters experience notable increaseBy Jim Carter

Jim CarterAREMA President

2012-2013

Professional Development UpComing seminars

traCk alignment design seminarJune 11-12, 2013 Denver, CO Please visit www.arema.org for more information and to register online.

introdUCtion to praCtiCal railway engineeringJune 16-17, 2013 Calgary, AB, Canada Please visit www.arema.org for more information and to register online.

Seven AREMA Seminars will be held in conjunction with the AREMA 2013 Annual Conference and Railway Interchange 2013 in Indianapolis, IN, September 29-October 2.

introdUCtion to praCtiCal railway engineeringSeptember 27-29, 2013

Fra 214: roadway worker on-traCk saFetySeptember 28, 2013

rail BUlk terminal designSeptember 28, 2013

environmental permitting issUes in railroad ConstrUCtion proJeCtsSeptember 29, 2013

intermodal terminal engineeringOctober 2-3, 2013

Fra 213: traCk saFety standardsOctober 2-4, 2013

traCk alignment designOctober 2-4, 2013

Nila Jackson pictured with Dr. Jerry Rose at the University of Kentucky.

AREMA NEWS


FYI…New Team. Team 42 - Bridge Maintenance Steering Team. Team Leader: Steve Lloyd, assistant division engineer bridges, Norfolk Southern at Greenville, SC. “I think this would serve as perhaps the best venue for many young bridge supervisors coming into AREMA to become involved in a committee and Steve is an excellent person to lead this effort.” - James N. Carter, AREMA President.

Register now for the AREMA 2013 Annual Conference being held as part of Railway Interchange 2013, September 29 - October 2, 2013 in Indianapolis, IN. All AREMA badges will be honored for full access into the exhibition halls during operating hours. To register online, please visit www.arema.org.

Interested in sponsorship for the AREMA 2013 Annual Conference being held as part of Railway Interchange 2013? Please visit the NEW AREMA sponsorship website at www.arema.org/sponsorship or contact Lisa Hall at [email protected] for more information.

Call for entries for the 2013 Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence. Entries must be submitted by May 31, 2013. Please visit www.arema.org for more information.

Book your 2014 AREMA exhibit booth NOW for the AREMA 2014 Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago, IL, September 28- October 1, 2014. Exhibit booth sales are now being accepted. Receive a 10% discount off your booth purchase between May 1 and October 11, 2013. For more information and to book your exhibit space, please contact Christy Thomas at [email protected].

AREMA’s Official Facebook Page Become a fan of the official AREMA

Facebook Page and stay up-to-date on the most recent AREMA information.

The Official AREMA LinkedIn Group Join the official AREMA LinkedIn

Group by visiting www.linkedin.com and searching groups for “American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association.”

May 14-16 Committee 5 - Track Dallas/Ft. Worth, TXMay 20-21 Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways Manly, IAMay 21-22 Committee 15 - Steel Structures Greensboro, NCJune 14-15 Committee 24 - Education & Training Calgary, AB, CanadaJune 19-20 Committee 9 - Seismic Design for Railway Structures Seattle, WAAugust 7-8 Committee 7 - Timber Structures Denver, CO

Sept. 12-13 Committee 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations Kansas City, MO

Please see page 47 for a complete listing of committee meetings being held at the AREMA 2013 Annual Conference in conjunction with Railway Interchange 2013, September 28 – October 2, in Indianapolis, IN.

2013 Upcoming Committee Meetings

American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association

10003 Derekwood Lane, Suite 210, Lanham, MD 20706-4362

Phone: +1.301.459.3200 / Fax: +1.301.459.8077

www.arema.org

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

Put your career on the right track with AREMA’s Railway Careers Network. Services are free and include confidential resume posting, job search and e-mail notification when jobs match your criteria.

Presidents Column continued from page 43about various topics in the rail industry at select universities or colleges nationwide. This is an opportunity to give back to the educational community and to interact with students eager to learn and expand their horizons about the rail industry. I assure you that you will do few things that are more fulfilling – one of my young colleagues, Nila Jackson, at Norfolk Southern recently spoke at the University of Kentucky and she thoroughly enjoyed her experience. If you are interested, contact Ashley Backhus at [email protected].

I am a bridge guy and it gives me a great deal of pleasure to announce the re-establishment of AREMA Team 42 – Bridge Maintenance Steering Team. Steve Lloyd of Norfolk Southern is the new Team Leader. This Team will work on developing best practices in bridge maintenance methods and materials. We hope to get a good mix of seasoned and young bridge maintenance professionals on the team. For you young supervisors and managers, this will be an excellent way to meet your peers from throughout the industry, network with them, build relationships that will make you better and more effective at what you do and help make this industry better while you are doing that. If you are interested, contact Steve at [email protected] or apply online at http://www.arema.org/committees/commapp.aspx.

The program for our annual conference should be on your desk by the time you read this. Please get your registration in early and reserve your hotel room. This is a Railway Interchange year and attendance will be higher than normal. The AREMA Headquarters hotel is the J W Marriott (there are a number of Marriott Hotels in Indianapolis...be sure to select the J W Marriott).

Never forget that AREMA is your organization. If you have ideas about how we can make it better for you, whether you are a grizzled veteran like me, a young professional or one of our new student members, e-mail me at [email protected]. I would sincerely like to hear any ideas that you have.

Be careful and have fun out there.


Each month, AREMA features one of our com-mittee chairmen. We are pleased to announce that the May featured chair-man is Robert Matthews, chair of Committee 9 - Seismic Design for Rail-way Structures.

AREMA: Why did you decide to choose a career in railway engineering? Matthews: My career is a conscious choice to do what I love and design various structures ranging from loading docks to power plants and utility structures to railroad bridges. I enjoy working on projects that are tangible to me and useful to the public. When I go to the airport, I drive under a tunnel and pass by a control tower that I helped design. When I travel on the railroad I pass over and under bridges that I have designed. It is a rewarding feeling to be involved in an industry that has been the backbone of our society for so many years.

AREMA: How did you get started? Matthews: I developed an interest in railroad engineering through the projects I worked on in the early 1990s. At that time I was working for a firm named Holmes & Narver, which was one of the original AECOM companies. I heard about AREA and wanted to join so I could contribute to the industry and learn more about railroads.

AREMA: How did you get involved in AREMA and your committee?Matthews: In the early 1990s, I was involved in some bridge design work for the Port of Los Angeles on the Alameda Corridor and was looking for seismic design criteria. At that time, Committee 9 was just being formed and the chapter was no more than an outline. I joined Committee 9 and have been a member since its inception to help develop the seismic design criteria that is now used for railroad bridges throughout North America.

AREMA: Outside of your job and the hard work you put into AREMA, what are your hobbies?Matthews: My wife and I like to go hiking and traveling. I author a website, structsource.com, which provides

information to those interested in structures and I also write computer software for structural analysis, which I distribute through my structware.com website. AREMA: Tell us about your family.Matthews: My wife, Vichuda, and I live in Southern California where we enjoy the beautiful beaches and nice weather. Vichuda is a medical scientist and assistant professor. We travel to Thailand often to visit her parents who moved there after retirement.

AREMA: If you could share one interesting fact about yourself with the readers of RT&S, what would it be? Matthews: I have been a Christian for more than 30 years and have been involved in various aspects of ministry from an usher at church to counselor for a global evangelical organization. AREMA: What is your biggest achievement? Matthews: Finding an intelligent, playful and beautiful woman and marrying her.

AREMA: What advice would you give to someone who is trying to pursue a career in the railway industry?Matthews: Join a railroad or consulting company that works on railway projects, find a good mentor and ask a lot of questions. Take the time to join AREMA and become actively involved in a committee so you can meet interesting people and learn more about the industry.

Getting to know Robert Matthews

RobERt MAtthEwsChair, Committee 9 - Seismic Design for Railway StructuresTechnical Director, AECOM

arema news


Reflections on a Half Century of Railway Engineering and Some Related Subjects© Railway Memoirs by William G. Byers, PE

2013 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, each in a separate volume: • Track • Structures • Infrastructure & Passenger • Systems Management. The Manual is an annual publication, released every April. It is available in four-volume loose-leaf format, CD-ROM, revision set (loose-leaf only) and individual chapters (hard copy and downloadable formats).

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.

2013 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.

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 long-time 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.)

2012 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 Publications

To order any of the AREMA publications,

please visit www.arema.org or contact

Beth Caruso at +1.301.459.3200, ext. 701, or

[email protected].

Canadian National Funds AREMA Foundation Endowment

CN has committed a US$50,000 endowment to the AREMA Educational Foundation.

CN Vice President - Engineering David W. Ferryman, PE, announced the grant at the recent AREMA Board of Governors Meeting. The endowment will fund a CN scholarship through the foundation in perpetuity.

James N. Carter, Jr., PE, foundation president said, “We are very pleased that CN has decided to endow a scholarship. CN is the fourth Class 1 railroad to support the AREMA Foundation in this extraordinary way.”

The AREMA Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Contributions from companies or individuals are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. To make a donation, please visit www.aremafoundation.org.

*NEW* Downloadable Chapters Now Avilable Online.

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PRODUCTS

Telematics systemHarsco Rail released COMPASS™, a telematics system designed to monitor location awareness, asset analysis, productivity management and maintenance tracking. Since January 2013, Harsco has been beta testing COMPASS with railroads in the United States. The system provides a graphical representation of machine activity with daily alerts for required maintenance, engine faults and diagnostics. Using cellular or satellite communications, a machine’s condition and performance data are uploaded to a central location. COMPASS can be installed on a variety of industrial equipment types and connects directly to the machine’s control system. Phone: 1-800-723-3878.

Radio warning systemGrace Industries, Inc., offers its Track-Watch® radio telemetry safety system, which is designed to give workers an advanced warning of approaching trains, vehicles or rail equipment. In addition to an advanced warning of oncoming rail traffic, a lone worker has the ability to summon assistance by automatically transmitting a “man-down” emergency distress signal, enhancing worker safety. Grace offers a full suite of Smart-Signaling® radio telemetry products, including various other visual alerting and audio alarm safety products. Phone: 724-962-9231.


Ad IndexCompany Phone # Fax# e-mail address Page #

Aldon Company, Inc. 847-623-8800 847-623-6139 [email protected] 20Ames Construction, Inc. 952-435-7106 [email protected] NRC 13 Amtrac Railroad Contractors of MD, Inc. 301-797-3730 301-797-3740 [email protected] NRC 12AREMA Marketing Department 301-459-3200 301-459-8077 [email protected] Cover 3Atlantic Track & Turnout Co. 973-748-5885 973-748-4520 [email protected] NRC Cover 2Auto Truck Group 816-412-2131 816-412-2191 [email protected] 15Ballast Tools Inc. 636-937-3326 636-937-3386 [email protected] 5, 8J.F. Brennan Co., Inc. 800-658-9027 ext.236 608-785-2090 [email protected] 14Colo Railroad Builders 309-944-4479 615-523-2180 [email protected] 11Commercial Insurance Associates LLC 615-515-6048 615-515-6048 [email protected] NRC 13Danella Rental Systems, Inc. 610-828-6200 610-828-2260 [email protected] 6ESCO Equipment Service Co. 847-758-9860 847-758-9861 [email protected] NRC 40Georgetown Rail Equipment Co. 512-869-1542 ext.228 512-863-0405 [email protected] 33Hamilton Construction Company 541-746-2426 541-746-7635 [email protected] NRC 40Herzog Railroad Services, Inc. 816-233-9002 816-233-7757 [email protected] NRC 15Herzog Services, Inc. 816-233-9002 816-233-7757 [email protected] 30Holland L.P. 708-672-2300 ext.382 708-672-0119 [email protected] 32Hougen Manufacturing, Inc. 866-245-3745 800-309-3299 [email protected] 22Industry-Railway Suppliers, Inc. 630-766-5708 [email protected] NRC 12ISCO Snap-Tite 800-CULVERT 502-238-8102 www.culvert-rehab.com 27 L.B. Foster Co. 412-928-3506 412-928-3512 [email protected] NRC Cover 4L.B. Foster Co. - Friction Management 412-928-3506 412-928-3512 [email protected] 4Lanier Steel Products, Inc. 706-335-7200 706-335-3410 [email protected] NRC 14Lewis Bolt & Nut Co. 800-328-3480 952-449-9607 [email protected] 18Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. 763-478-6014 763-478-2221 [email protected] 25North American Rail Products Inc. 604-946-7272 888-692-1150 [email protected] 6National Compressor Exchange Inc. 800-225-7381 [email protected] NRC 16 Neel Company, The 703-913-7858 703-913-7859 [email protected] 7New York Air Brake 607-257-7000 607-257-2389 [email protected] 2OMNI Products, Inc. 815-344-3100 815-344-5086 [email protected] 40Osmose Railroad Services, Inc. 800-356-5952 608-221-0618 [email protected] Cover 2Plasser American Corp. 757-543-3526 757-494-7186 [email protected] 29Progress Rail Services Corp. 800-476-8769 256-593-1249 [email protected] 39Ragnar Benson Construction LLC 847-698-4900 847-692-9320 [email protected] NRC 15RAILCET 866-724-5238 217-522-6588 [email protected] 34Railroad Construction Co. of South Jersey, Inc. 856-423-9385 856-423-9389 [email protected] NRC 14Rails Company 973-763-4320 973-763-2585 [email protected] 9Railway Tie Association 770-460-5553 770-460-5573 [email protected] 19RailWorks Corporation 866-905-7245 952-469-1926 [email protected] 37Railway Educational Bureau, The 402-346-4300 402-346-1783 [email protected] 48, 50S&C Distribution Company 708-396-1755 708-396-1754 [email protected] 9Unitrac Railroad Materials, Inc. 412-298-0915 865-693-9162 [email protected] 17voestalpine Nortrak Inc. 307-778-8700 307-778-8777 [email protected] 31Willamette Valley Company 541-484-9621 541-284-2096 [email protected] Cover 4

Reader Referral ServiceThis 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 SalesJonathan Chalon, Publisher, [email protected]; Emily Guill, [email protected]; Mark Connolly, [email protected]; Heather Disabato, [email protected]; Steven Barnes, [email protected]; Louise Cooper, [email protected]; Dr. Fabio Potesta, [email protected]; Katsuhiro Ishii,

[email protected]; Jeanine Acquart, [email protected] (classified)


CALENDAR

MAY22-24. Timber and Steel RailRoad Bridges. University of Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn. Contact: Diana Webb. Phone: 865-974-5255. Fax: 865-974-3889. Website: http://www.ctr.utk.edu/ttap.

29-31. North American Rail Shippers 2013 Annual Meeting. Hilton Inner Harbor Hotel. Baltimore, Md. Phone: 972-690-4740. Fax: 972-644-8208. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.railshippers.com.

JUNE2-5. American Railway Development Association 2013 Annual Meeting. Marines’ Memorial Club and Hotel. San Francisco, Calif. Website: www.amraildev.com.

2-5. APTA Rail Conference. Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. Philadelphia, Pa. Contact: Marcus Eng. Phone: 202-496-4874. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.apta.com.

JULY7-13. Rail and Intermodal Summer Youth Program. Michigan Technological University. Houghton, Mich. Contact: Pam Hannon. Phone: 906-487-3065. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: http://www.rail.mtu.edu/summer_youth2013.html.

30-AUg. 1. Railway Tie Association Tie Grading Seminar. Courtyard by Marriott-Bossier City/Louisiana Boardwalk. Shreveport, La. Phone: 770-460-5553. Fax: 770-460-5573. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.rta.org.

SEPTEMBER29-OcT. 2. Railway Interchange 2013. Indianapolis, Ind. Phone: 301-459-3200. Fax: 301-459-8077. Website: www.railwayinterchange.org.

29-OcT. 2. APTA Annual Meeting. Hilton Chicago. Chicago, Ill. Contact: Yvette Conley. Phone: 202-496-4868. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.apta.com.

OcTOBER6-11. International Railway Safety Conference (IRSC 2013). Vancouver, BC, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.irsc2013.org.

9-11. 95th Annual Railway Tie Association Symposium and Technical Conference. Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe. Incline Village, Nev. Phone: 770-460-5553. Fax: 770-460-5573. Website: www.rta.org.

15-16. Railway Age Passenger Trains on Freight Railroads. Washington Marriott. Washington, D.C. Contact: Jane Poterala. Phone: 212-620-7209. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.railwayage.com.

NOVEMBER4-8. Railroad Track Inspection & Safety Standards. Chattanooga, Tenn. Contact: Diana Webb. Phone: 865-974-5255. Fax: 865-974-3889. Website: http://ctr.utk.edu/ttap/training/railinspect.php.


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TIE INSERTERS/EXTRACTORSNordco TRIPPs - 2012 thru 2005TR-10s & TKOs925 S/Ss and Standards

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HI-RAIL ROTARY DUMPS, GRAPPLE TRUCKS & EXCAVATORSGradall XL3300 Series III w/Digging Buckets & Brush cutters - 2012Badger 1085R with Brush Cutter and Ditch Cleaning Bucket



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RT&S2013revAd.indd 1 2/12/13 2:57 PMFor Sale100 ea. 36” GaugeEBTRR HoppersJoe Kovalchick724-388-4500

Premiere Railroad Contractor in the Northeast is currently looking for Qualified, Enthusiastic and Hard Working individuals for the following positions:

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• Project Engineer• Project Manager• Estimator



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eMPloyMent

RT&S 0513

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