Railway Track & Structures - July 2008 - (Page 3)

ON TRACK Vol. 104, No. 7 USPS # 860-560 ISSN # 00339016 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South Clark Street, Suite 2450 Chicago, Ill. 60603 Telephone (312) 683-0130 Fax (312) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com Working season George S. Sokulski/Associate Publisher Tom Judge/Editor, tjudge@sbpubchicago.com Wanda Welty/Managing Editor Mischa Wanek-Libman/Assistant Editor, mischa@sbpub-chicago.com Susan Taylor/Editorial Assistant J CORPORATE OFFICES 345 Hudson Street New York, N.Y. 10014 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr./ President and Chairman Robert P. DeMarco/Publisher Mary Conyers-Brown/Production Director Barbara DiGirolamo/Production Manager Maureen Cooney/Circulation Director Jane Poterala/Conference Director Robert G. Lewis/Director of Special Projects For reprint information, contact: PARS International Corp. 212-221-9595; Fax 212-221-9195 RT&S, Railway Track and Structures is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp., 345 Hudson Street, New York, N.Y. 10014. ISSN: 0033-8916. Canada Post Cust.#7204564; Agreement #41094515. Bleuchip Int'l, PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. Periodical Class postage paid at New York, N.Y., and additional mailing offices. Subscription price to railroad employees only in U.S. possessions, Canada and Mexico, Print or Digital version: $16 one year; $30 two years (all others $39.50 one year; $73 two years). All other countries, $68 one year ($168 for air mail); $120 two years ($320 for air mail). Both Print and Digital versions: $24 one year; $45 two years (all others $60 one year; $110 two years). All other countries, $102 one year ($202 for air mail); $180 two years ($380 for air mail). Single copies $8.50. Track Buyer’s Guide $21. All rates are payable in advance. The publisher reserves the right to increase subscription rates without notice. Call toll-free 1-800-895-4389 (or 402-346-4740) Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Central Time to place an order. Copyright 2008. Customer Service: Address all correspondence to: Subscription Department, RT&S, P.O. Box 10, Omaha, NE 68101-0010. Changes of address should reach us three weeks in advance of the next issue date. Send old address with new, enclosing, if possible, your address label. The Post Office will not forward copies unless you provide extra postage. Duplicate copies cannot be sent. POSTMASTER: Send change of address forms to RT&S, Railway Track and Structures, P.O. Box 10, Omaha, NE 68101-0010. uly is high construction season on railroads, the time when anybody affiliated with railroad engineering is out in the field working, measuring, recording, testing and more along the track. It’s a time for m/w laborers with spike mauls and for big yellow machines. If you’re one of those individuals who is thrilled by the smell of creosote in the morning, with a blend of diesel exhaust and other aromas (Are you listening, Jake Jacobson?), then this is indeed your season. People in board rooms love to read reports about miles of rail laid, new ties installed, tons of ballast put down and tamped, etc., but they don’t have the feelings of pride that the people in the field enjoy when they see those fine ribbons of track that simply would not be there to handle today’s loads if not for their personal efforts. I’ve never been one to avoid a tip of the hat to m/w people and the work that they do. But, lest I be charged with causing injuries from workers straining their arm muscles patting themselves on the back, I have to mention a few shadows on the horizon that could darken into some serious storms for our industry. The problem is not the work being done now. It’s the work that’s not being done now that could show up to bite us on our posteriors in the not too distant future. Not long ago, BNSF’s Matthew Rose made a presentation and pointed to a map drawn to illustrate the future of the U.S. freight rail network. The map was drenched in red from east to west and north to south. By 2035, those red areas could be experiencing traffic jams so severe trains would halt for days. “For those of you who have never seen a good rail meltdown, this is what it looks like,” Rose said. “It’s literally chaos in the supply chain.” The U.S. economic slowdown has led to a three-percent drop in freight train traffic in the first few months of 2008 compared with 2007, yet a new U.S. Chamber of Commerce report warns that demand for freight trains is expected to double over the next 25 years. The Chamber says expanding capacity on the U.S. rail system would cost $148 billion over 30 years. Of course, private rail companies would have to pay for most of it, but there has to be funding from federal and state governments to cover the rest. We really, really need more m/w workers and equipment out there right now, adding new track and generally increasing capacity. It’s going to be painful. Some rail trails will have to revert back to railroads. Some communities are going to see more trains blocking local grade crossings. And big capital dollars must be found somewhere to pay for everything. If you think I’m exaggerating the problem, remember that the forecast of the need for freight trains doubling in 25 years was made before oil prices zoomed skyward. With railroads’ fuel-efficient capabilities, that traffic increase just might be here sooner than anyone imagines. Tom Judge, Editor A SIMMONS-BOARDMAN RAIL GROUP PUBLICATION www.rtands.com Railway Track & Structures July 2008 3 http://www.rtands.com http://www.rtands.com

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Railway Track & Structures - July 2008 On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D Products and Literature People Calendar Sales Representatives Website Directory Advertisers Index Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective Extending Service Life for Costly Special Trackwork Rail Welding Gets Act Together Premium Fasteners, Rail Steels Help Meet Strain of Heavy Haul

Railway Track & Structures - July 2008

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