Railway Track & Structures - June 2008 - (Page 24)

Heavy-Duty panel design we have been developing in conjunction with the BNSF Engineering Department. While the BNSF/ UP main line standard design is adequate for 95 percent of crossing applications, there are always situations that call for extreme measures. Our new Heavy-Duty panel incorporates the latest in concrete reinforcement technology, along with larger, heavier panel frames and an increased number of lag screw holes for holding power,” said Mottola. OMNI Products, Inc., manufactures a variety of concrete crossings, including Common Standard concrete with bolt-on rubber, ECR Concrete with embedded attached rubber, Improved Concrete with full-depth non-attached rubber, Heavy Duty Concrete with Grade 75 Rebar and Tieless Tub Style Concrete Crossing (TraCast™). Bob Cigrang, vice president sales and marketing at OMNI, points out that some railroads are moving away from concrete crossings, but budgets are steady, as is the demand for smooth and safe crossings. “Because of high fuel prices, more industry seems to be shipping by rail and spending money on upgrading their track and grade crossings,” said Cigrang. Rail-Way, Inc., continues to offer a full line of grade-crossing products, including concrete grade crossings, full-depth rubber grade crossings and rubber rail seal. The company’s precast concrete grade crossings come in two panel lengths, its common standard eight-foot, 1-1/2-inch panel and its nine-foot panel. Both systems can be used on eight-foot, six-inch, nine-foot and 10-foot wood or concrete ties. Custom surfaces, colors and patterns are available for the company’s concrete crossing panels. Rail-Way also manufactures custom pedestrian crossings with covers over the lag holes and lifting hook recesses. TRANSPO® INDUSTRIES, Inc., manufactures the BODAN® Highway-Rail Grade Crossing System. Although the system is unchanged from the original design, the company now offers an imbedded ﬂashing warning LED light detail for those crossings requiring additional warning, for both vehicles and pedestrians. All panels have a lifetime skid-resistant surface treatment for enhanced safety under wet weather conditions. TRANSPO uses polymer concrete and precasts the material into molds, where it self cures thermally to full strength in less than 20 minutes. The compressive strength of the material is 14,000 psi. The surface panels are all 24 inches nominal in width and the length varies depending upon the length of the crosstie. According to TRANSPO, polymer concrete was designed for harsh environments and has zero expansion and contraction, as tested in accordance with ASTM C 666, in addition to its high strength. Richard P. Brown, senior vice president sales at TRANSPO, sees a renewed interest in crossings that can reduce maintenance costs and extend the life of the crossing. “The highway sector is driving the demand for our higher level of performance. With trafﬁc rates at highway-rail grade crossings increasing, coupled with a higher percentage of trucks, crossings designed for relatively low levels of trafﬁc are having difﬁculty with the heavier trafﬁc loads. The high-strength polymer concrete material used for the BODAN crossing surface makes it particularly well suited for heavy trafﬁc. The unique ‘bridge’ design of the system, where the panels bridge from the 24 Railway Track & Structures June 2008 www.rtands.com http://www.rtands.com

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Railway Track & Structures - June 2008 Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D Grade Crossings Provide Interface Between Railroads, Public Grade-Crossing Equipment & Materials Guide Fastener Suppliers Getting a Grip Grinding Plays Part in Rail Maintenance Big Picture Products and Literature People Calendar Sales Representatives Website Directory Advertisers Index Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - June 2008

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