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February 2025
Rail News: C&S
Technology update: Monitoring equipment and systems
Compiled by Bridget Dean, Associate Editor
Amsted Rail
Amsted Digital Solutions’ IQ Series™ gateway with Bogie IQ® technology is at the forefront of freight-rail monitoring technology, company officials said in an email. The onboard monitoring device is designed to capture comprehensive rail-car health and operational data without additional wireless sensors. It provides a cost-effective alternative to traditional telematics systems, Amsted officials said.
Mounted anywhere on a rail car, the IQ Series gateway monitors GPS location in real time, enabling accurate mileage calculations, dynamic estimated times of arrival (ETA), geofence alerts, and first- and last-mile validation, they said. Using machine learning, it also identifies changes in load status and detects impacts.
When mounted directly on a rail-car truck and configured with Bogie IQ technology, the same device also monitors for wheel tread defects and brake slide events. This proactive, data-driven monitoring enables fleets to identify and address potential problems before they escalate, Amsted officials said.
The IQ Series gateway’s hybrid power system combines solar and rechargeable batteries for a performance life of up to 10 years. The solution is further enhanced by over-the-air firmware upgrades, which provide instant access to new capabilities. By extending the device’s lifespan and eliminating the need for routine replacements, Amsted Digital developed an eco-friendly monitoring solution that minimizes battery and component consumption, company officials said.
With advanced telematics and machine learning technologies, Amsted Digital aims to enable safer, more efficient and cost-effective fleet management. As the industry continues to evolve, the company’s technology-driven approach meets today’s demands and delivers smarter, more sustainable solutions for the future of freight-rail monitoring, Amsted officials said.
BossPac
Undetected rail breaks can result in significant revenue losses, environmental impacts, and safety risks for the public and crew. BossPac’s Broken Rail Sensors (BRS) are installed in nonsignalized (dark) territory networks, providing an economical option to monitor for rail breaks without costly centralized traffic control infrastructure, BossPac officials said.
Each BRS is compact, solar-powered and communicates wirelessly, using DC current to measure the integrity of rail. The sensors operate in groups of one to 10 sensors, each positioned one mile apart, where they transmit and receive low voltage signals through the rail. When one sensor detects a rail break, its group member sensors validate the reading, greatly reducing false positives, BossPac officials said.
The sensors offer multiple options to wirelessly communicate data. A self-healing mesh network allows interconnectedness among network devices, ensuring continuous data flow, even if some units are offline.
Hot-box detectors are integrated into the mesh network, serving as gateways to upload data to the company’s back office. All BRS units are equipped with 4G LTE modems for data uploads to the back office via LTE networks.
BossPac started installing BRS for Class Is in 2021 and has detected hundreds of rail breaks, company officials said. The technology provides Class Is with a cost-effective system that is 80% less expensive than centralized traffic control, they said.
Censys Technologies
Censys Technologies’ Sentaero 6 is a next-generation, fixed-wing Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) drone designed to transform railroad operations, particularly for “over the horizon beyond visual line of sight” missions, company officials said.
With a 115-mile command and control range, 120-minute endurance and dual payload capabilities, the Sentaero 6 provides rail operators with an efficient and reliable solution for large-scale track inspections, monitoring infrastructure and surveying rights of way, Censys officials said. These features enable operators to perform long-duration missions quickly, covering vast stretches of track with high accuracy.
Manufactured with American-made components, the Sentaero 6 offers a more cost-effective alternative to traditional crewed aircraft and manual inspections for rail operators, Censys officials said.
The Sentaero 6 offers the ability to process data in real time thanks to its onboard computer and CensWise AI/ML software. That enables operators to immediately act on critical insights regarding track conditions, infrastructure integrity and potential hazards, Censys officials said.
Designed to improve safety, reduce operational costs and enhance efficiency, the Sentaero 6 is an essential tool for railroads seeking to modernize their inspection and monitoring processes, they said.
Duos Technologies
Duos Technologies’ Railcar Inspection Portal (rip®) has been championing rail safety and efficiency for nearly a decade, providing Class I and passenger railroads with real-time, high-resolution, 360-degree images at track speeds up to 125 mph, company officials said. Leveraging artificial intelligence, the rip highlights potential issues for faster, safer and more comprehensive rail-car inspections.
Duos’ rip-as-a-Service™ offers the technology as a cost-effective, software-only solution. The subscription-based offering allows a wide array of stakeholders — including rail-car owners, operators, manufacturers and shippers — to access critical insights generated by the rip network without investing in portal hardware, company officials said. Through a monthly or annual subscription, users gain real-time visibility into rail-car health, enabling proactive maintenance, reduced downtime, predictive analytics and fleet performance optimization.
Since rip-as-a-Service leverages the existing infrastructure of rip systems deployed on customer railroads, there’s no hardware to buy or maintain, Duos officials said. The software-only solution is browser-based and provides a seamless user experience with virtually no learning curve, making advanced rail-car inspection and monitoring easy and intuitive, they added. In addition, account setup is quick, enabling new customers to inspect their rolling stock the same day.
By extending the reach of the rip technology, Duos aims to empower stakeholders to make data-driven decisions, enhancing safety, efficiency and operational excellence across the board, company officials said.
Loram
Loram Technologies Inc.’s line of SENSR products deliver real-time, 24/7 alerting with actionable data and images from the monitored structure, company officials said.
Movements on structures can happen at any time, whether due to river scour under a bridge pier, effects of adjacent construction, impacts from barges or trucks, or loss of soil stability on a slope or embankment. Prompt notification of unexpected movements can be crucial to maintaining safe and efficient railroad operations, Loram officials said.
Powered by either standard AC or solar panels, the SGC1 gateway controller continuously sends minute-by-minute data from up to six connected devices over cellular data connection to the SENSRsi cloud, they said. Each SR1 sensor continuously records biaxial tilt and triaxial acceleration measurements that give a detailed look at the movements of the structure.
Tailored alerting thresholds can be set for each sensor for average tilt, dynamic tilt and vibration. Any exceeding threshold is automatically reported to the relevant parties within minutes via email, text message or automated phone call.
This affords bridge owners the peace of mind that any unexpected movement due to underlying foundation failure or adjacent pile driving will be discovered within minutes, company officials said.
Joining Loram’s other products, the SIM1 camera provides relevant visual feedback for any event detected by the system, they said. Especially when employed for detecting vehicle impacts, this provides the bridge owner with a prompt, firsthand account of the event.
With their diverse power sources and IP68 rating, Loram’s SENSR products are versatile and durable enough for any real-time structural health monitoring application, company officials said.
Nexxiot
Whether a customer is shipping pharmaceuticals, perishable foods or hazardous materials, Nexxiot’s Temperature Monitor — which is installed on tank and box cars — ensures temperature monitoring for goods that require precise environmental conditions for the entire journey, company officials said.
Certified to HazLoc Class I Division 2 standards, the sensor leverages advanced analytics and continuous monitoring to support cargo integrity, they said. Customizable alerts notify users when temperatures exceed specified thresholds, enabling proactive risk management and the prevention of waste and costly incidents.
The Temperature Monitor integrates seamlessly with Nexxiot’s ecosystem as well as with third-party platforms via API, offering a single view of critical data through a single platform.
Senceive
Senceive has announced a new application for its InfraGuard™ responsive monitoring technology — rockfall detection. Designed to address the unique challenges posed by rockfall hazards, the solution provides near real-time detection of sudden rockfall events, offering rapid, precise alerts with high-quality photo verification for quick, actionable insights when every second counts, Senceive officials said.
The wireless systems use cellular communications to send automated alerts to remote users. It has been tested extensively in trial conditions deployed at several rail sites in Europe, Senceive officials said.
The solution can detect rockfall in three modes:
- Using draw wire sensors, this method is based on sensors detecting the extension of a series of draw wires fixed to the fence because of loading by rockfall debris;
- Sudden impact on catchfence detected by tilt sensors, and approach based on impact sensors in the Senceive NanoMacro tilt nodes mounted on catchfence stakes detecting a sudden acceleration or shock; and
- Rotation of catchfence stakes detected by tilt sensors, an approach based on the detection of rotational movement by the highly sensitive tilt sensors in the NanoMacro nodes.
Equipped with cameras capable of detecting football-sized objects from 50 yards in any lighting conditions, this system enables rapid decision-making, helping to significantly reduce the risk of infrastructure disruptions, accidents and derailments, Sencieve officials said.
Built to withstand the most rugged and remote locations, the rockfall monitoring solution requires no external power or fixed communications infrastructure, they said. This makes it ideal for challenging, inaccessible areas where rockfall presents a serious risk to rail infrastructure.
TransmetriQ
A Railinc® brand, the TransmetriQ Platform monitors and manages critical rail-car location, health and status data in real time.
TransmetriQ automatically displays key rail-car health and location data flowing from detectors covering the entire North American rail network, company officials said. Users can customize dashboards, empowering them to make faster, better decisions based on key considerations including:
- asset location and ETAs;
- dwell time;
- load/empty status
- health alerts;
- upcoming maintenance, compliance and leasing dates;
- AI-enabled wheelset predictions;
- current and historical performance; and
- other key car insights.
With direct access to real-time Railinc data and AI-generated predictions, TransmetriQ provides component life estimates to help schedule safe and cost-effective replacements and maintenance at preferred repair locations, company officials said.
TransmetriQ dashboards leverage direct access to comprehensive rail industry fleet data, using Railinc’s Equipment Health Management System, Equipment Advisory System, Damaged and Defective Car Tracking, and movement systems. With these resources, fleet managers can access overall fleet health and drill down into specific alerts or cars, all within the TransmetriQ platform, company officials said.
The insights support uninterrupted operations of critical supply chains, they added. TransmetriQ is designed to improve cost control, car availability and complex data management, making it easier to keep fleets healthy and productive.
Tri-Logical Technologies Ltd.
Tri-Logical Technologies Ltd.’s RailBlazer rail-car telematics system offers an innovative approach to impact monitoring and analytics, providing rail-car manufacturers, leasing companies and fleet owners with precise insights to mitigate risks, enhancing car safety and longevity, company officials said.
Central to its effectiveness is the 50 Milliseconds Principle. RailBlazer’s advanced three-axis accelerometer transitions from low-power hibernation to active monitoring within 50 milliseconds, ensuring it captures the peak of critical impact events such as hard couplings or excessive loading forces, Tri-Logical officials said. The system processes this data within 100 milliseconds, balancing speed and precision while preserving RailBlazer’s battery life.
The RailBlazer platform transforms raw data into actionable intelligence, analyzing parameters like impact direction, force intensity-, railcar speed, load status and event location, Tri-Logical officials said. This detailed analysis enables the early detection of excessive impacts during loading or coupling, minimizing wear and tear and supporting the implementation of preventative maintenance strategies by identifying recurring risk patterns.
RailBlazer’s advanced impact and vibration monitoring ensures swift responses to high-risk events, including car and cargo damage during coupling and loading, flat wheels or brake problems in transit and derailment risks. Its user-friendly application delivers detailed metrics and historical trends, empowering informed decision-making, Tri-Logical officials said.
Customers benefit from reduced maintenance costs, extended rail-car lifespans and improved safety, all achieved through precise and timely insights, they said. The impact monitoring speed and accuracy combined with comprehensive analytics means RailBlazer’s rail-car management helps enhance safety, reduce costs and extend fleet service cycles while ensuring timely responses to potential risks, Tri-Logical officials said.
Visiostack
VisioStack’s RailLinks® platform is at the forefront of transforming how the railroad industry manages and utilizes data, company officials said. By harnessing AI analytics, RailLinks automates data pipelines and provides advanced visualizations and predictive capabilities across operations. This improves efficiency and empowers companies to make data-driven decisions that enhance risk management, reduce costs and increase safety, company officials said.
Tailored to meet the specific needs of each client, RailLinks helps support every level of asset management, from real-time tracking to long-term maintenance planning. The platform prioritizes quick data searches, easy access to critical insights and the ability to leverage vast datasets for actionable intelligence. With RailLinks, railroads can easily integrate and analyze diverse data types, ensuring operational excellence and informed decision-making, company officials said.
RailLinks continues to adapt to match the demands of modern railway operations, breaking new ground with its robust mobile support, integration with real-time track sensors and next-generation track analytics, they said. Whether improving infrastructure, streamlining maintenance or enhancing capital planning, RailLinks helps ensure clients are equipped for the challenges of today and prepared for the opportunities of tomorrow.
ZTR
ZTR’s Pivot is an advanced rail-car remote monitoring solution, delivering reliable data and actionable insights to enhance safety, improve efficiency and reduce operational costs in rail-car management, company officials said. RailPulse-certified, Pivot meets industry standards for connectivity and innovation, offering rail shippers, lessors, railroads and operators a cutting-edge solution for monitoring and optimizing their fleets, they said.
Developed in collaboration with BlackBerry, Pivot integrates telematics sensors with an IoT gateway device installed on rail cars to capture and transmit critical data in real time. The system offers a range of functionalities, including location monitoring, impact detection and door, hatch, load and handbrake status monitoring. By leveraging those features, users gain the ability to streamline supply chain efficiency with precise railcar location tracking and data-driven logistics planning, ZTR officials said.
Pivot also enables optimized asset utilization by preventing overuse or underuse of equipment, while safeguarding cargo and rail cars against mishandling, damage or unauthorized access. Furthermore, it reduces downtime and operational costs by enabling proactive management of incidents and maintenance requirements, ZTR officials said.
Engineered for durability, Pivot operates on a replaceable battery with a lifespan of up to eight years, requiring no solar or external energy sources and no maintenance between battery changes. The devices are intrinsically safe, C1D1 certified and designed to withstand the harshest rail conditions, ZTR officials said.
The solution helps ensure rail operators can achieve improved safety, efficiency and operational cost savings across their fleets, they said. The gateway can be installed anywhere on a rail car in under 10 minutes, using provided installation kits and a dedicated mobile application for a seamless setup process.
Email comments or questions to bridget.dean@tradepress.com.
