October 2011
TODAY
A monthly newsletter for employees of
RailWorks Corporation and its subsidiaries
Vermont Gets Historic Track Overhaul
INSIDE LINE
Working April through August, the rail gangs installed 1.495 million feet of continuous welded
rail (CWR) along 191 miles on New England Central Railroad between St. Albans, Vt., south to the
Massachusetts border.
RailWorks Track Systems was already wellacquainted with RailAmerica’s New England
Central Railroad (NECR) in Vermont. Its
production gangs spent the past few summers rehabilitating the line. The latest challenge – to upgrade the line to accommodate
higher-speed Amtrak “Vermonter” passenger
service – presented an opportunity to return
to familiar territory, but not without some
unusual twists and turns.
RailWorks won the joint venture project with an
uncommon partner: competitor Atlas Railroad
Construction. The two contractors have shared
the job of installing 1.495 million feet of continuous welded rail (CWR) and replacing 140,000
wood ties along 191 miles between St. Albans,
Vt., from the north and the Massachusetts border to the south. The sweeping upgrades will
allow passenger trains to travel up to 59 mph
north of White River Junction, Vt., and up to
79 mph south of White River where centralized
traffic control (CTC) has been installed. For
Amtrak passengers, the historic improvements
will result in a smoother ride that’s up to 40
minutes shorter than before.
Work on the project began last fall when
the first of 18 rail trains arrived with CWR. A
RailWorks gang worked each train to position
50, 1,600-foot strings of rail along the track
shoulders, enough for 15 miles of rail. Also
last fall, Operations Manager Kyle Myers and
Project Manager Scott Collins began meticulous planning so the rail and tie gangs could
hit the ground running when they arrived the
following April. They set up accounts, determined equipment needs, pinpointed material
unloading and distribution spots, and set up
initial schedules to complete the work.
On April 4 two rail gangs – one from RailWorks and another from Atlas – began replacContinued to page 2
We’ve worked in
Vermont on the New
England Central line
before. Some of us
– management, key
Scott Collins
laborers and opera- Project Manager
RailWorks Track
tors – have worked
Systems
there for several
years. We have good relationships with
the railroad and Amtrak personnel and
we know the line and the train schedules.
Our familiarity with this property and its
personnel absolutely contributed to the
success of the project. All of it came into
play, from planning, to managing day-today operations, to reacting to extreme
conditions, such the flooding that came
after Hurricane Irene.
Weather always plays a big part in laying
rail. It’s a huge factor with the tie gang,
too. This year we had Hurricane Irene and
washouts, which caused the railroad to shut
down operations for nearly three weeks.
Although the shutdown gave us almost
unlimited time on the track, the washouts
hurt our ability to get our materials.
Keeping both of the gangs supplied with
materials was a big challenge. Kyle and I
created detailed plans mapping out where
to stage materials and in what quantities
along the entire route. But executing the
plan so the gangs would not run out of
materials – rail, spikes, anchors, plates,
plugging compounds and fuel – was
difficult. We were fortunate to have Matt
Continued to page 2
2
October 2011
DART Blue Line
Progressing on All Fronts
The DART Blue Line project is progressing on schedule with both
RailWorks Track Systems and L.K. Comstock National Transit
achieving key milestones. The DART extension, scheduled to
wrap up at the end of 2012, will add 4.5 miles to the light rail line
to link the downtowns of Garland and Rowlett, Texas.
RailWorks Track
Systems crews,
led by Concrete
Superintendant
Frank Ciaravino
and Foreman
Jim Boggess,
have constructed
7,800 track feet
of direct fixation (DF) track
since July and
Direct fixation track
completed the
final DF pour on
October 14. In early October, crews reached the half-way point,
laying ballast and DF track over half of the alignment. Welding
and de-stressing begins in late October.
Project Manager Andy Jones reports that the arrival of cooler
fall temperatures will make the task of meeting the strict DART
specifications a lot easier for the crews. He adds that DART
representatives commented that it is the best DF work they have
seen in 19 years.
Following completion of
track in several areas, L.K.
Comstock began installing
the overhead cantenary
system (OCS), including the double crossover
with the corresponding
head span arrangement
shown here. OCS crews,
under the direction of OCS
Foreman Tim Meyers, will
construct 44,000 feet of
catenary system over the
next three months.
OCS head span arrangement over the double
crossover
Vermont Gets Historic Track Overhaul from page 1
ing rail starting in St. Albans and working south. The RailWorks gang
took the western rail and the Atlas gang took the eastern rail. Positioned about 2 to 4 miles apart, each gang first removed the existing
rail, laid about 1 1/2 miles of rail and readied the track for service
at the end of each shift. The RailWorks tie gang started two months
later to replace defective ties marked for replacement by NECR.
The gangs generally worked 15 straight days. During the seven-day
stretch when they were off, another five-person gang spent three to
five days unloading each rail train to position CWR on the track ahead
of the rail gangs.
With up to 150 workers on the line and so many moving parts, communication between NECR, Amtrak and all workers and subcontractors on the track was essential not only to ensure safety, but also to
meet production goals. Communication became particularly important after Hurricane Irene hit the last week of August.
NECR/Amtrak Vermonter Project Leadership Team
Scott Collins, Project Manager
Kyle Myers, Operations Manager
Clint Hoffman, Project Administrator
Jordan Bounds, Superintendent-Rail Gang
Jeremy Hopkins, Superintendent-Tie Gang
Matt Mills, Truck Driver/Equipment Operator
Inside Line from page 1
Mills as our equipment operator. He operated the Prentice truck and
stayed in constant communication with both gangs. You can’t afford to
lose any minutes when you have track time. We did the best we could
to plan in advance and Matt provided the flexibility to meet the needs
of the gangs.
The tie gang posed for a photo after wrapping up work on the New England Central
Railroad. The gang installed nearly 75,000 new ties during the past summer and will
return in 2012 to install another 60,000 new ties.
Our Values: Customer Focus, Employee Focus, Industry Leadership, Integrity
3
October 2011
RAILWORKSMART RAILWORKSAFE
RAILWORKSMART
RAILWORKSAFE
A significant near-miss occurred recently that involved
using a tractor-trailer to move
a hobbled speed swing. It’s
likely that being alert and
intentional about heading
off safety issues would have
produced a better outcome.
Lessons Learned – Be observant, evaluate a situation thoroughly before
acting, and take a methodical approach to resolve incidents involving
faulty equipment.
Santiago Velasco
Safety Manager
L.K. Comstock National
Transit
Bill Field
Safety Director
RailWorks Track
Systems
Situation – An operator was
attempting to load a Pettibone
speed swing onto a drop-deck trailer under reduced power (due to a blown
engine). The driver of the tractor-trailer was giving directions to the operator
as he drove the equipment onto the trailer. The driver watched while the
machine came over the rear trailer platform and down on to the main deck,
and he noted it was off center by about a half-inch. The driver then requested
that the operator reposition the machine to center it on the trailer.
As the operator attempted to center the machine, it began to slide off the
side of the trailer. It ended up off the trailer and on its side, with damage
to the cab that included a broken windshield and door windows, and a
damaged hand-hold.
News Across the Line
RailWorks Track Systems
The Western and Central Divisions are joining
the oil boom currently under way in Northwestern North Dakota. Much of the growth
in this area is due to development of the
Bakken shale oil fields.
CP Rail, one of two Class I railroads serving the state, is rapidly expanding its rail
infrastructure in the region. The railroad is
transporting materials into the region to construct and service drilling rigs and pipelines
to produce and transport the oil. Each horizontal drilling rig/well site consumes about
23 railcars of inbound products per month.
About 20 percent of the outbound Bakken
production is moving by rail.
In general, account for factors like rainy weather, a faulty motor or a broken steering lock, all of which were present in this situation. Pay attention to the trailer in use, questioning whether it’s the right one for the job.
Arrange for a better match for the job, such as a flatbed, if the condition
of equipment creates restricted vehicle power or uncertain mobility.
In this instance, the trailer was on an uneven surface that contributed to
the equipment sliding toward the low side of the trailer. Ensure trailers
are on even ground to maximize the chance of a successful equipment
move. Further, this trailer had oil on the deck. Obviously, clean away any
slippery residue before using trailers and other equipment.
Provide experienced spotters to guide equipment operators. Don’t rely on
a tractor driver to help an operator reposition heavy equipment.
If, after the equipment is on the trailer, it is a hair off center or extends
only slightly beyond the trailer’s edge, leave well enough alone. Don’t
continue to maneuver the equipment.
Project Manager Richard Carney is leading RailWorks activities for CP Rail. He is
supported onsite by subcontractors Hulcher
Services and Midwest RailWay Services and
a team of 35 employees, including Project
Engineer Ben Petersen, Track Supervisors
Brian Wilson, Martin Moreno and George
Waskovich and a dedicated group of operators, laborers and a mechanic.
Crews are working at four sites to provide
upgrades to handle additional traffic. In
Flaxton, they are installing 3 miles of track to
extend existing track. Crews are building just
over a mile of passing siding in New Town.
Work in Max involves putting in a mile of track
as well as yard rehabilitation. And crews are
rehabilitating 14 miles of main line between
Parshall and New Town – replacing 14,000
ties, undercutting, grading adjacent right of
way, ballasting and surfacing the main line.
Crews are constructing a loop track for Savage
Industries in Trenton, N.D.
Elsewhere in the region, RailWorks is installing multiple-loop tracks at three crude oil
transload facilities. In Tioga, for Amerada
Hess, Foreman Tony Fenno leads construction on 32,000 feet of track and 12 turnouts.
At a project for Rangeland Energy in Epping,
where Roger Recker is superintendent,
Continued to page 4
4
October 2011
News Across the Line from page 3
crews are building 24,000 feet of track and
18 turnouts. In Trenton, the Savage Industries expansion features 27,500 feet of track
and 17 turnouts. The project foreman is
Bob Braun. All the work facilitates the loading of unit trains of crude oil for shipment to
refineries, primarily in the South.
During the last week of October, the South
division will start its third project working as
a subcontractor for Stroebel/Starostka. For
the latest effort, a $3.5 million project for
Koch Refining in Odessa, Texas, RailWorks
will construct 20,000 feet of track and install 12 turnouts. Kudos to Project Manager
Darrin Pouncy for his leadership in building
a strong working relationship with Stroebel/
Starostka and its customers.
Ten employees from the South division just
completed the University of Tennessee’s
Railroad Track Inspection and Safety Standards training workshop in Tyler, Texas. The
five-day course featured both classroom and
field instruction focusing on FRA and Class I
inspection processes.
Congratulations to
Foreman Larry Cork
and his crew, who
earned the following praise from Cargill
Maintenance & Reliability Lead Bill Reavey
for their work at the Cargill Crush and Refinery in Gainesville, Ga.:
“Just want you to know, as we wrap
things up here in Gainesville, that Larry
and his crew have been outstanding!
They have been very accommodating
with 4 switches from the railroad, which
should have occurred at night but slid into
the daylight hours. His calm demeanor,
interaction with Cargill employees, open/
honest communication, care for his
people, and commitment to getting the
job done correctly and safely can’t be
over emphasized. You can send his crew
back to us anytime! Huge kudos to Larry.
Thanks, you should be proud of him.”
RailWorks Track Services
Congratulations to the St. Louis region for
winning a $2.9 million project with Italgrani
USA for a track expansion project at its
facility in St. Louis, Mo. Starting in mid-November, Project Manager Marshall Latham
will lead crews on the three-month project
to construct 10,248 feet of jointed track and
a 144-foot solid timber grade crossing and
to install 16 #9 turnouts.
The Youngstown region will soon begin work
on a tie installation project for the Massachusetts Coastal Railway. A tie gang, directed by
Superintendent Dave Snyder and Foreman
Paul Reed, will install 10,000 ties and surface
50,000 feet of track. In mid-November, the
Calendar Notes
Oct. 23-25
ASLRRA Southern Region Meeting, Louisville, KY
Oct. 25-27
Annual Safety Summit, Long Island, NY
Oct. 25-27
Breakbulk Americas, New Orleans, LA
Oct. 31 - Nov. 23 Open Enrollment for US employees eligible for health benefits
Nov. 1-2
RailTrends, New York, NY
Nov. 5-9
CUTA Fall Conferences and Trans Expo 2011, Toronto, ON
Nov. 6-9
National Highway Grade Crossing Safety Training Conference &
Exhibition, Galveston, TX
Nov. 17
NW Maintenance Railway Club (NWMRC) Meeting - BNSF Night
Mounds View, MN
division will begin work on a $2 million project
for DuPont in Wilmington, Del. Working as
a subcontractor to R.E. Pierson, crews will
replace 9,500 feet of track and install 13 turnouts. Supervisor Sean Gleydura and Foreman
Pablo Gonzalez will lead the project.
The Chicago region has racked up some
impressive new projects that will keep them
busy into 2012. Starting the third week
in October, Superintendent Will Dorris is
leading a $2.5 million project for Zion Solutions to rebuild existing tracks and some
new track to decommission the nuclear
plant in Zion, Ill. Meanwhile Senior Project
Manager Lee Roberts is overseeing a $3
million project for Progress Rail to design
and build a test track and turnouts for their
new locomotive facility under construction
in Muncie, Ind. Beginning next April, General
Superintendent David Galvan will direct a
$40 million project for the Chicago Transit
Authority to replace deteriorated track and
ties on the Loop’s elevated line in Chicago.
RailWorks Corporation
RailWorks Corporation has been named one
of three “gold member companies” to serve
a three-year
term on the Associate Advisory
Board of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), an organization representing
major freight railroads in the United States.
In this role, RailWorks will have the opportunity to represent the interests of railroad
contractors on various committees that
report AAR’s Safety and Operations Management Committee.
RailWorks Signals & Communications
RailWorks Signals & Communications was
recently awarded a $591,000 project from
the North Carolina Department of Transportation to replace the grade crossing warning
system at five locations on its Piedmont and
Northern (P&N) Railroad Corridor in Gaston
County, N.C., between Mount Holly and Gastonia. This project is the second phase of the
overall upgrade program for this corridor.