Maximizing work windows - effective railroad maintenance - Industry Overview

Railway Track and Structures, Feb, 2001 by Kristi Matoba

Features that allow maintenance crews to get the work done on time.

Of you ask railroad chief engineers about the challenges they face, virtually every one of them will state that the Number One challenge is getting the work done in the time allowed. Track time is costly and sometimes unavailable at any price.

Railroad vendors know how difficult it can be to obtain track time, so they are adding new designs and features to products and services to help railroads make the most of such opportunities. Below is a sample of what some manufacturers are doing to maximize maintenance work windows.

Kershaw

Kershaw, a Progress Rail Services division, works hard to minimize the setup time required after one of the company's machines has reached its work location. Automatic locks and lockouts on all types of machines preclude an operator from having to leave the operator cab in order to set up the machine for work. The same rule applies when the machine needs to be secured for travel back to the siding after work is completed.

"By minimizing set up and secure for travel time, a window for work is more completely utilized," said Phil Brown, vice president of sales and marketing. "As with anything mechanical, achieving greater speed comes at higher cost. While we are constantly looking for ways to increase the working speed of our equipment we are careful to make sure it affords value. Kershaw ballast regulators can be outfitted with accessories that allow single pass capability."

The company's biggest challenge is how to provide superior value equipment in a market environment that promotes lowest upfront cost.

"Many times a lower life-cycle cost is sacrificed by opting for a low purchase price," said Brown.

Plasser

Plasser American Corp. makes high production and quality machines with computer-driven systems that offer fast travel (50 mph) and set up time, according to Ralph Miller, Plasser's vice president of sales.

The MDZ 2000 mechanized track maintenance train, which is used by railroads worldwide, allows for higher output, quality and cost-efficiency by providing uniform, simultaneous, consistent and complete performance of work, and coordination of the machines regarding output, travel speed and set up time, he noted.

"Operator training and machine maintenance is important to maximize reliability and performance," said Miller. "We must design high-performance, yet reliable, systems for operators and mechanics.

"To get the work done in the allotted time, communications and planning must be in place and closely monitored for changing situations," said Miller.

Herzog

Herzog manufactures a high-speed ballast train, which will unload ballast at speeds up to 20 mph.

"No one is needed on the ground," said George Farris, Herzog's vice president of marketing. "The train is operated by one Herzog technician. This system is known as 'PLUS' which stands for Programmable

Linear Unloading System."

Herzog has high-speed, non-stop ultrasonic rail testing equipment that operates at speeds up to 25 mph. The company has also developed the Multi-Purpose Machine, called the M.P.M., which is used for ditching, tie distribution and pickup and O.T.M. work.

"This machine is self propelled and does not require a work train," said Farris. "Because of the self-propelled capability, along with quick disconnect attachments, more work can be performed in short work windows without waiting for a work train."

NORDCO

NORDCO sees machine speed and reliability as the key to maximizing work windows.

"The challenge, as an equipment manufacturer, is to find the proper balance of speed and reliability at an affordable cost to the customer," said Steve Wiedenfeld, NORDCO's vice president of sales. "As machine speeds increase, reliability becomes more critical to total productivity as any minute of down time means that much more potential lost total production."

Operator interface is also extremely important to maximize work windows, notes Wiedenfeld.

"The operator needs to be as efficient at the end of the work window as he is at the beginning, which has driven the requirement of operator comfort and ergonomics," said Wiedenfeld. "Improved comfort not only results in more production during the hours an operator spends in the machine, it also leads to the operator's willingness to spend more hours running the machine."

Racine

Racine Railroad Products' machines are designed with size, ergonomics and productivity as priorities, a combination that lends itself to performing work to maximize work-window time.

"Racine Railroad has been developing machines to operate within specific maintenance operations and maximize work-window environments," said Stephen Birkholz, Racine's president. "We have machines that have been designed for production and maintenance environments such as the S & F Clipper machines and portable Ultra E-Clipper machines."

Machines designed to provide more than one unrelated function with the intent of being more productive can end up with size, weight, and environmental concerns that may result in extending work windows. The company's objective is to keep the design simple and attempt to focus on logically-related functions for each new machine design.