Railway Track & Structures - August 2008 - (Page 36)

Technical report Supplier be signiﬁcantly higher,” said Zarembski. “Under the numbers I’ve been looking at, there is clearly a place for both stoneblowing and tamping,” said Zarembski. “Because the stoneblower is more expensive, the economics are very strong for high-density track, okay for medium-density track and not favorable for low-density track. “This enters into maintenance management, which is using the right tools for the right problems and being as efﬁcient and cost effective as possible,” said Zarembski. “Where stoneblowing makes economic and operational sense, you stoneblow and where tamping makes operational and economic sense you tamp and you use the right tool for the right job.” For a more in-depth comparison of stoneblowing and tamping, Dr. Zarembski’s paper, “Comparative Technical and Economic Analysis of Stoneblowing vs. Tamping,” will be presented at 8:00 a.m., September 23, during the Maintenance Functional Group Technical Session. Room for all techniques Supplier report With stressed budgets, increased trafﬁc and heavier loads, keeping track deterioration at a minimum and ballast in top shape is more important than ever. Suppliers are working with railroads to make sure equipment is innovative, ballast maintenance programs are cost-effective and existing assets last. Georgetown “The economy might be slowing down, but the need to maintain the rightof-way is not. Given this business climate, it makes even more sense to drive operating efﬁciencies into railroad maintenance. Although the cost of quality rock continues to increase, it is track time that has become the most precious commodity for engineering maintenance. The railroads need a tool that can efﬁciently distribute ballast and maximize limited track time. That tool is GateSync,” said Lynn Turner, vice president sales and marketing, Georgetown Rail Equipment Co. Turner continued, “The best possible ballast delivery solution for the railroads is one that will consistently deliver ballast precisely where it is needed. GateSync is an innovative ballast delivery tool. By combining the technology of GateSync (synchronized ballast gate unloading system) with Solaris (automated, remote unloading hardware), railroads are able to quickly and accurately deliver ballast exactly where they need it. Once a track survey to identify target areas and where rock should not be deposited (road crossings, bridges and switches) is completed, these data are downloaded into GateSync and the result is precision ballast delivery at speeds of up to 10 mph. By automating this entire process, fewer personnel are needed to complete the same amount of work, improving the overall safety of the entire operation. Increased productivity and safety mean improved operating costs.” Turner notes that GateSync’s greatest attribute may be that it utilizes existing ballast ﬂeets. He also points out that GREX engineers can size Solaris to ﬁt about any ballast car in use today. “By retroﬁtting existing ballast ﬂeets, railroads are able to maximize their capital investments, increase productivity of those same cars and extend the lives of their ﬂeets. CSXT, BNSF and Conrail have adopted this technology and already have hundreds of cars in service today,” said Turner. “It is in the lean times that contractors have the greatest opportunity to prove their worth. The contractor that can help innovate and improve operating efﬁciencies is a great asset to the railroads,” said Turner. “It has always been the goal of GREX to be such a partner and we will continue to provide cutting-edge technologies and unsurpassed services.” Herzog Contracting Corp. has introduced a multi-functional PLUS Train with plow arrangement, which can be used for new construction or high-speed ballast spreading. Push buttons on the cars or remote controls will be used while construction dumping at slower speeds. Kansas City Southern received its second PLUS Train for use on its property in Mexico. “With heavier rail tonnage, increased surfacing and new construction, ballast trains continue to be in great demand, particularly for the Herzog GPS Trains,” said George Farris, vice president marketing at Herzog. “The Herzog MPM, or Multi-Purpose Machine, continues to grow, with more machines being built this year. The MPM is being used for spot ballast spreading, ditching, OTM distribution, scrap rail pick-up and tie work, as well.” Farris continued, “All areas of the Herzog product mix continue to grow Herzog 36 Railway Track & Structures August 2008 www.rtands.com http://www.rtands.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Railway Track & Structures - August 2008

Railway Track & Structures - August 2008 Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D Wish List: What Chief Engineers Really Want in M/W Machinery Keeping Ballast in Shape Amtrak Turns to Sophisticated System to Manage NEC Assets Supplier Profiles Products and Literature People Calendar Sales Representatives Website Directory Advertisers Index Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - August 2008

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