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March 2026
Compiled by Michael Popke
For more than a decade, LILEE Systems has supported FRA-mandated, interoperable PTC implementations by enabling secure and reliable data exchange among onboard, wayside and back-office systems that railroads rely on for safe and efficient operations.
Built on large-scale, real-world deployment experience, LILEE’s TransAir® rugged mobile gateways are designed for mission-critical rail communications where network availability, cybersecurity, compliance, reliability and lifecycle stability are essential, company officials said.
The TransAir STS-2020 serves as a wayside communications and messaging platform engineered for high reliability and long service life. Its integrated single-box architecture simplifies field maintenance, reduces lifecycle support burden and helps lower total cost of ownership, especially for railroads managing large-scale deployments, company officials said.
The TransAir STS-2025 extends those capabilities to onboard applications. With AAR S-9401 compliance and an IP54 rating, it is built for operation in harsh rail environments, making it suitable for locomotives and hi-rail vehicles.
Both platforms support over-the-air management, including remote deployment, zero-touch onboarding and centralized configuration and troubleshooting. The capabilities help railroads accelerate onboarding, streamline maintenance, improve operational efficiency and optimize device uptime across distributed networks, company officials said.
To meet railroads’ stringent cybersecurity requirements, both platforms also support LDAP/RADIUS authentication and flexible firewall controls.
The Trolley Pipe Stabilizer (TPS100) from Strato is designed to assist with the replacement of end hoses on AAR S-427 or similar arrangements. It locks trolley pipe assembly in place and prevents movement while replacing the end hoses, company officials said in an email.
The TPS100 attaches to trolley rods ranging in diameter from 1/2 inch to 7/8 inch and clamps to the trolley pipe assembly. A thumbscrew is used to hand-tighten the clamp onto the trolley rod.
When the TPS100 is positioned correctly and its hard jaw hooked into place, a threaded knob is used to hand-tighten the device to the trolley pipe. The trolley pipe is then in a locked position and the end hose may be removed using the proper tool.
By using the TPS100 and a single wrench, one person can easily change the end hose safely and quickly, company officials said.
FTS Rail develops solutions designed to help track workers be safer and work more efficiently. One example: FTS’s battery-powered track maintenance tool line, built on the Milwaukee M18 platform. By eliminating the need for hydraulic hoses and gasoline-powered equipment, the tools reduce set-up time, simplify maintenance, and significantly improve jobsite safety and mobility, company officials said.
In addition to maintenance tools, FTS offers advanced track inspection technology that equips inspectors with dynamic load measurement data. The technology enables railroads to monitor trouble areas more accurately, identify issues earlier and keep track operating at full revenue service with greater confidence, company officials said.
Additionally, FTS within the past year introduced a product aimed at solving one of the oldest and most injury-prone challenges in railroading: spike setting. Since the earliest days of the industry, track workers have faced the risk of crushed fingers, flying spikes and chronic back strain.
The FTS Spike Tee addresses this problem by sliding onto the end of a railroad spike to enable the worker to easily insert and “tee up” the spike in the tie plate before driving it, eliminating the need to manually hold the spike in place. Most Class Is, along with many contractors, transit agencies and short lines, have adopted the Spike Tee, FTS officials said.
High forces at the wheel-rail interface pose a persistent challenge within the rail industry. The excessive forces can cause significant damage to both equipment and track infrastructure, resulting in hundreds of service interruptions every year. Such disruptions carry substantial financial consequences and reduce overall operating efficiency while increasing labor demands. Addressing these issues is essential for maintaining safe and reliable operations, L.B. Foster officials said.
For decades, the company’s Wheel Impact Load Detectors (WILDs) have helped the industry identify and remove defective wheels before they cause major damage, they said. By detecting irregularities that generate high-impact loads, WILD technology enables targeted maintenance, preventing defects from escalating into costly failures.
Industry research spanning more than 25 years demonstrates the transformative impact of WILD systems on rail safety and performance, L.B. Foster officials said.
The utilization of WILD technology has led to an 85% reduction in condemnable wheel loads in the 90 to 140 KIP range, company officials said. Equipment-related incidents have decreased by 60%, while track-related incidents have been reduced by 65%, with track component service life improving by up to 60% and wheel defects dropping by as much as 90%, officials added.
Collectively, these improvements contribute to a 60% reduction in derailments caused by track and equipment issues, they said.
Railway worksites are among the most complex and hazardous operating environments in the transportation industry. Protran Technology, a Harsco Rail company, provides artificial intelligence-based vision and radio-enabled collision avoidance and railway worker protection systems designed specifically for railway applications.
Protran technology combines AI, computer vision and secure radio communications to create a real-time safety ecosystem. Al-powered vision systems continuously monitor work zones, detecting vehicles and rolling stock even in low visibility.
The system also provides layered protection that does not rely on human input. This redundancy is critical in dynamic rail environments where conditions can change in seconds, company officials said.
For railway worker protection, Protran systems actively track the proximity between workers, machines and trains, issuing immediate visual, audible or in-cab alerts before unsafe situations escalate into incidents.
Protran solutions are predictive, designed to identify risk early and support workers in making safer decisions, company officials said. Protran systems also help rail operators reduce near-misses, prevent collisions and improve compliance with safety regulations, they added.
MaxAccel’s SafeTrack Mobile™ app functionality continues to evolve as a key component of the company’s SafeTrack™ platform, company officials said. SafeTrack helps drive safety training, certification/qualification management and regulatory compliance across a wide range of freight, passenger and railroad contractor operations.
SafeTrack Mobile extends SafeTrack’s web-based functionality through a dedicated mobile app available for both iOS and Android operating systems. It allows supervisors in the field to capture such tasks as efficiency testing, check rides, Part 243 OJT, safety audit checklists and job safety briefings in both cellular-connected and disconnected modes, company officials said.
The corresponding productivity gains provide supervisors more time to work with employees to ensure rules knowledge and safe operating practices are being observed, they said. Additionally, the new compliance goals dashboard delivers real-time visibility into a testing supervisor’s monthly testing plan.
Performance trends also can be captured through SafeTrack Analytics™. Report generation and audit capabilities are provided through the report-generation engine.
Employees also have access to a local library of electronic rulebooks, timetables, current operating bulletins and general orders managed by SafeTrack Mobile. Targeted communication capabilities facilitate new information or version updates for transmission to specific employees, crews or departments in real time.
FRA safety compliance audits have historically required significant railroad resources and time in order to comply, and multiple audits per year magnify that issue. QualPro 2.0 from PS Technology provides railroads a solution to quickly create customized on-demand reports in minutes, company officials said.
A “one-button” reporting solution was requested by users, allowing them to quickly select the scope requested by the inspectors and then publish a report to a downloadable PDF file for either on-site or electronic delivery, company officials said. The time savings of this capability has reduced audit preparation time from multiple days to less than 15 minutes, they added.
QualPro enables railroads to self-serve and create, manage and track compliance for trainmen, engineers, MOW part 242 and 243, signal teams or any other crafts needed. QualPro allows railroads to develop their own training rulesets, testing schedules and notifications of recertifications, whether mandated by the FRA or the company.
For managers overseeing staff requiring compliance, the QualPro system also automatically creates daily, weekly or monthly schedules for field tests, which can then be completed with on-location mobile devices. This capability further insulates railroads from missing tests that would create decertification events caused by inadvertent testing or compliance omissions.
Miller Ingenuity’s ZoneGuard is an electronic roadway worker protection system used in active work zones and rail yards. The system can satisfy requirements for a redundant form of protection for rail transit workers in accordance with the new FTA Final Rule 49 CFR Part 671 for Rail Transit Roadway Worker Protection, company officials said.
ZoneGuard works with existing RWP procedures and provides a secondary form of protection for work crews by delivering them with advanced warning of approaching track vehicles. The system includes a patented combination of diverse sensor technologies that work together to ensure track vehicles are detected consistently and accurately, company officials said.
ZoneGuard also helps eliminate human error factors, such as distractions, complacency, inexperience and miscommunication, all of which contribute to close calls and accidents.
The ZoneGuard product line consists of three products — the portable kit, the fixed system and the yard protection system — but the technology also can be applied to additional safety applications such as pedestrian crossings and collision avoidance, company officials said.
The portable kit is durable and lightweight enough to easily transport the equipment to every jobsite, and it can be set up in minutes, they added. The ZoneGuard fixed system is permanently installed and provides 24/7 train-tracking capabilities with no configuration or set-up required.
The ZoneGuard yard protection system, a winner of the REMSA Innovation Award, warns workers within a rail yard of any incoming track vehicles or cars being shoved into the facility.
Blue signal protection is crucial: When a blue flag or blue light is displayed on the railroad, the equipment must not be moved, coupled to, operated or disturbed. Only the employee who applied the blue signal can remove it. Accordingly, blue light devices must be charged, highly visible and instantly available in yards, shops and on locomotives.
Railhead Corp.’s Magnetic Wall-Mounted Charging Station and Rechargeable M25 Light system is built to support these safety requirements by keeping blue light devices organized, powered and ready for immediate use. The wall-mounted station helps declutter shops and crew areas by providing a dedicated, space-saving storage and charging solution. Pre-drilled mounting holes spaced 16 inches apart allow for fast and secure installation directly onto standard wall studs, company officials said.
The compact charging kit measures 18 inches long, 9 inches high and 0.8 inches deep, making it ideal for tight spaces. A magnetic docking system securely holds each light during charging, while integrated red and green indicator lights provide confirmation of charging status. Power is supplied through a 3,000 mAh wall-charging cable.
The Rechargeable M25 Light features updated circuitry for up to 50% longer battery life and a 20% lower profile for improved pocket comfort, company officials said. Integrated high-strength magnets provide a 22-pound pull force for secure hands-free placement on steel surfaces, and high-visibility and long-runtime modes support blue light applications.
The M25 is powered by two 1.2V, 2,000mAh Ni-MH AA batteries. An optional solar panel charger also is available.
Founded in 1904, Aldon Co. Inc. manufactures railroad safety products and tools. The company’s suite of products includes a variety of standard safety signs, sign holders and lights.
Aldon also can produce custom signage at its in-house sign shop. The company can furnish more than 80 Class I signs made to standard-approved drawings, Aldon officials said. Other product offerings include multiple styles of railway derailers, rerailers and accessories.
Aldon can produce permanent hinged derails for various track sizes that include both manual lift and automatic sign holders. It also offers four models of portable derails, as well as retractable hinged derailers. After a derailment occurs, Aldon can get railroads back on track fast with Straddle, Burlington, McCarty and Big Red styles of rerailers, company officials said.
To keep rail yards and lines running efficiently, Aldon offers specialized track tools for inspection — including gauges, levels and rolling gauge readers — as well as numerous rail handling track tools and products for maintenance and repair. They include rail benders, gauge control rods, jacks and stabilizers, as well as steel and urethane wheel chocks.
Michael Popke is a Madison, Wisconsin-based freelance writer.
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