Railway Track & Structures - June 2008 - (Page 5)

INDUSTRY TODAY UP back on track after major Oregon mudslide After 105 days and 19 million cubic feet of mud, Union Pacific completed the Herculean task of restoring all rail service through the Cascade Mountains in Oregon. The mudslide occurred on Jan. 19, 2008, eight miles southeast of Oakridge, Ore., and wiped out 3,000 feet of track in three different areas. Union Pacific employees and contractors worked around the clock to remove logs and unsuitable material from the site, and bring in rock to rebuild the mountain. “Our folks did an incredible job. They rolled up their sleeves and made the impossible, possible,” said Bill Van Trump, assistant vice president of engineering and maintenance for UP, who led the efforts at the site. “This was an extraordinary event which required an extraordinary effort. Not only did we put a mountain back together, we were also able to do it safely, without any injuries.” Crews worked on clean-up efforts until late this past month. A slide fence, which activates a warning if there is a subsequent slide, was constructed on the mountain. Until the fence is complete this month, the area will be continuously monitored to ensure the tracks are safe for rail traffic. By the numbers: 200: Number of workers at the site during the peak of construction. 150: Number of construction equipment at the site. 660,000 board feet of timber: Total volume of timber that was salvaged from the site – which is the property of the National Forestry Department. This is enough timber to build approximately 66 three-bedroom houses. 700,000 tons: Amount of rock it took to restabilize the mountain. One million tons: Amount of unsuitable material that was removed from the site, about the weight of 25 super carrier naval ships. Most of the slide was very fine silt that could not be used in rebuilding the mountain. 42-76 hours: The typical delay to customers due to the mudslide. 15: Number of daily trains that had to be rerouted via Bend, Ore., and Salt Lake City. 30: Daily average of the number of Union Pacific work train round trips that helped haul material in and out of the site. 1: Helicopter used to remove timber. 0: Number of available hotel rooms in Oakridge, Ore., during construction. Harriman Awards honor 12 railroads for safety records Last year was another strong year for safety on the nation's railroads, with records being set in two key safety measurements, while a third fell just shy of setting a record. “Over the years, the railroad industry has developed a strong safety culture,” said Edward R. Hamberger, president and ceo of the Association of American Railroads at the annual E.H. Harriman Awards luncheon that honors railroads with the best employee safety records for the previous year. “Last year, the train accident rate was the lowest in history. So was the grade-crossing accident rate. The total number of fatalities from all rail-related incidents was also the lowest in history. And the employee injury rate was the second lowest in history, missing the record set in 2006 by less than one percent.” Norfolk Southern was awarded top, gold honors for the 19th year in a row in Group A, which is comprised of linehaul railroads whose employees worked 15 million employee-hours or more during 2007. Other Group A recipients included CSX Transportation (silver) and Union Pacific (bronze). In Group B (line-haul railroads www.rtands.com Railway Track & Structures June 2008 5 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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