The brains and brawn of m/w: successful maintenance-of-way programs combine hi-tech information and communication methods with precision equipment and raw manpower - Industry Overview

Railway Age, April, 2003 by Christopher Ytuarte

Even the best automobile design in the world cannot improve upon a bumpy ride if the road it's driven on is poorly maintained. And in the rail industry, no car, wheel, truck, or cushioning design will ever eliminate the need for a well-run maintenance-of-way program to keep the track and all its structures in good condition.

Suppliers and railroads continue to look for innovations in m/w methods that can reduce cost, improve safety conditions, and reduce time spent on track maintenance. To do so, many are looking to combine ever-evolving technology with the good old fashioned elbow grease that has long been a staple of successful m/w programs. Real-time information and hand-held computer technology can't replace the inspectors walking the tracks, but it can help them be more efficient.

ENSCO, Inc., has been developing track geometry measurement systems and other m/w tools for over 30 years. Today, the company is working to improve the instrumentation it has designed. "We've been listening to our customers, and in the area of measurement systems, we need to produce equipment that's cheaper, works faster, and can be more-easily applied by workers in the field," says Manager-Rail Services Kevin Kesler. "They want it so that it's not just their track geometry car flying over the tracks once or twice a year. They want more frequent, automated measurements."

ENSCO is has been concentrating on data management, helping maintenance teams organize their information and schedules. "Our PalmPilot-based system has been on the market for a few years now," says Kesler. "We take automated inspection data, download it into a Palm, and use a global positioning satellite receiver to follow up behind automated inspection cars. Inspectors can use it to do their primary inspections, and instead of writing out paper forms and then transferring the information to a computer back in the office, its all goes right into the system while they're out in the field."

Kesler says Trackmaster, the company's new enterprise-level, web-based track data management system, enables railroads to take all track data, including construction, curves, grades, and crossings, and combine it with their current condition data, such as rail flaw, track geometry, and rail wear measurements. They then take their rail planning data--maintenance, tie installation--and provide access to that information to employees throughout the organization via the corporate network or Internet access.

"This truly is a frontier," Kesler says. "It's one of those situations where people have understood the problem for years--that track charts are never up-to-date--and now we can get this information in there quickly and provide access to everybody. So when they want to look at a track chart they don't just reach into a desk drawer and pull out whatever they received at the beginning of the year. They have it in real time."

Key to the success of Trackmaster is the fact that it doesn't require specialized computer software or hardware. Users need only an Internet browser and minimal training to access the information it generates. The Federal Railroad Administration utilizes Trackmaster to manage its track inspection data, and CN hired ENSCO to integrate all of its data sources into one system, which will be available through the corporate site and over the Internet for those who need remote access. Implementation of the program at CN was to begin at the end of March. Amtrak's Acela Express trainsets are also equipped with the Trackmaster program, relaying continuous feedback on Northeast Corridor track conditions every time they operate.

"Real-time information is critical for maintenance-of-way because the railroads today are putting a lot more tonnage over the same route," says Kesler. "Ten years ago, a 50-MGT line was pretty heavy. Now it's 200 or 250 MGT. So the track is being used harder and is degrading faster. The windows available for inspection or maintenance are much smaller. They want to get the track inspector's data into the hands of the maintenance people so they can get out on the right-of-way and get the job done. They can't afford to waste time looking for the trouble spots that somebody casually pointed Out. They have GPS receivers, and all these events are being tagged with longitude and latitude so that they don't have to measure from a milepost to find a location. They can drive right up to it."

Use of GPS in m/w work is increasing as well. At Herzog, the P.L.U.S. Train (Programmed Linear Unloading System) automatically unloads ballast at speeds up to 20 mph using a pre-programmed survey guided by GPS.

"A maintenance worker goes out with a roadmaster, and they make a hi-rail trip and input into the computer program how much ballast is needed and where they want it dumped," explains Herzog Vice President-Marketing George Farris. "They input markers where bridges and turnouts and various obstacles are-places they don't want ballast dumped. That program is then put on a disk and transferred to the computer on the ballast train, and it automatically unloads in accordance with the instructions."