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October 2025
Compiled by Pat Foran, Editor-in-Chief
Amsted Rail’s Twin Pack® draft gear protects tank cars by virtually eliminating slack and enhancing train handling performance, company officials said in an email.
An integral design consolidates the draft gear housing, AAR draft gear yoke and AAR coupler into a single component, reducing empty car weight by 220 to 300 pounds per carset. In a 120-car train, that translates to an additional 26,400 pounds of available lading capacity and substantial fuel savings, company officials said.
The design also allows for separate buff and draft performance for improved train action control. During draft events, the buff side stack is not engaged, so slack reduces up to 25% on startup, company officials said. In dynamic braking, a Twin Pack-equipped train behaves more like a single unit, reducing in-train forces by 35%, they said. The system also reduces free slack by up to 3 inches per connection.
All coupling energy is absorbed by Amsted Rail’s proprietary Key-Gard® elastomer compound, protecting car bodies and lading from damaging over-solid impact forces typical of steel-friction draft gears. This helps eliminate housing wear, friction clutch wear, spring fatigue and yoke strap damage.
Twin Pack requires no draft gear pocket modifications for new or retrofit applications, installs easily with standard tools and performs consistently across all temperatures, company officials said, adding that “hundreds of thousands of units” are in service. Twin Pack has obtained AAR M901G-03 unconditional approval.
TrinityRail®, which applies focused, quality assurance processes throughout its tank-car operations, has introduced a range of innovative features. They include a robust, service-proven draft sill; a highly configurable operating platform based on commodity and customer-specific needs; coil systems to promote greater operational efficiencies; and new, ergonomic safety appliances, company officials said.
To help meet repair and maintenance needs and address compliance requirements, TrinityRail offers full-service maintenance shops, growing on-site and fast-track operations, and a network of mobile repair units.
The company also has implemented automated technologies to enhance quality control and employee safety. One example is the Tersus Robotic Tank Car Cleaning System.
Earlier in 2025, the system was recognized with a Product Safety Award by the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care® Awards Program. Tersus helps address the issue of minimizing confined space entry in hazardous tank-car cleaning operations.
By removing residual commodities from tank cars without requiring personnel to enter confined spaces, worker safety is enhanced while efficiently cleaning and preparing tank cars to return to service, company officials said.
To help ensure hazardous commodities are moved safely and responsibly, TrinityRail works to develop solutions designed to drive greater insight and clarity into tank-car logistics. For example: Through RSI Logistics, TrinityRail is working to provide solutions such as tracking and management software, rail rate analysis software, rail logistics services, terminal services, rail data and insights, and yard management.
Tank cars require maximum cushioning, enhanced operational safety, reliable energy management and long-term protection. Miner Enterprises draft gears, side bearings, brake beams and running board grating systems are designed to fulfill all four of these essential performance mandates, company officials said.
Certified under AAR M-901E / Group J specifications and AAR quality certification M-1003, Miner’s TF-880 draft gear utilizes a patented TecsPak elastomer compression spring package within a friction clutch design to maximize cushioning. With 44% more energy absorption than double-coil spring designs, the TF-880 can significantly reduce the transfer of damaging force to tank cars and provide long-term protection and reliability in tank-car operations, company officials said.
Miner’s TecsPak® Constant Contact (TCC) Side Bearings are engineered to improve curving performance and control over truck hunting and car body roll. TCC-III LT side bearings enable tank cars to run with reduced truck and wheel wear. Its durable heat-resistant design provides superior heat dispersion, increasing the life of the side bearings in demanding, high-mileage applications.
Meanwhile, Miner Series 2008 Brake Beams are designed to minimize uneven brake shoe wear. Notched brake heads reduce beam binding for more consistent braking and a reversible strut allows for quick conversion of the hand of the beam.
Also, Miner Grating Systems manufactures and fabricates safety running board products for top-of-car and end panel applications. Miner’s bar grating, diamond grating and round hole safety grating products are approved by the AAR.
Manway covers have long been a leading source of tank car non-accidental releases (NARs), typically caused by loose fasteners, improper torquing or defective gaskets, company officials said. To address these risks, UTLX and PROX, in collaboration with Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, have developed a three-bolt manway cover and seal design that incorporates several key innovations. The aim: mitigate NARs while enhancing reliability, durability and operational efficiency for shippers.
The design incorporates a spring-energized elastomeric seal that provides uniform sealing force around the manway nozzle. This design uses three bolts instead of six or eight required by traditional designs, reducing torque complexity and potential operator errors while shortening open/close time — making operations safer and more efficient, company officials said.
The cover and manway nozzle are designed to make metal-to-metal contact when closed, providing several benefits over traditional designs reliant on bolt torque for proper sealing, company officials said. This ensures the lip seal is optimally compressed for sealing the tank car with every closure, preventing seal wear and damage from over-torquing and enabling reuse over multiple cycles.
The metal-to-metal contact when closed has a secondary benefit: the solid engagement between cover and nozzle will minimize release, company officials said.
Greenbrier’s GBX Training Tank Car™ is a mobile, state-of-the-art platform designed to advance rail safety through interactive, hands-on learning. Built with a 286,000-gallon capacity, it provides expert-led instruction to customers, maintenance center professionals and attendees at industry events, company officials said. The training can help rail professionals improve compliance efforts and streamline maintenance schedules, reducing downtime.
The car features a rooftop platform equipped with safety railings, designed for training on all major commodity-type top fittings. It also includes cutouts in the outer tank shell to display insulation and heater coil systems.
An end-of-car door opens into a climate-controlled classroom that accommodates 15 people and includes display racks with all major valves, fittings and gauging devices. Interior roof ladders allow crews to practice safety inspections, while onboard telematics — GPS, impact sensors and open-hatch detection — enable real-time monitoring and data collection.
By converting a tank car into a mobile classroom, Greenbrier provides a dynamic environment that bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application: The GBX Training Tank Car equips shippers, operators and repair teams with hands-on experience in real-world settings, company officials said. long-term maintenance costs and improve safety, which are key drivers for hi-rail equipment end users, DMF officials said.
The Aluminum Bottom Outlet Cap from the Salco product line of A. Stucki Co. is widely used on tank cars transporting both hazardous and non-hazardous commodities, company officials said.
Featuring a lightweight design, the cap is corrosion and flame resistant. The use of corrosion-resistant aluminum represents a shift from traditional carbon or stainless steel designs, cutting the cap’s weight to roughly one-third of conventional steel versions, company officials said. This reduction improves ergonomics for rail workers, lessening physical strain during frequent installation and removal.
The standard 5¼-inch railroad thread ensures full compatibility with existing nozzles from any manufacturer, company officials said. To address mechanical stress points, a steel-reinforced hex head is added, offering improved wrench grip and helping prevent tool slippage during service.
Salco also manufactures bottom outlet caps in nylon, stainless steel and ductile iron. The material range allows tank-car operators to select components based on their required balance of strength, durability and corrosion resistance.
Rail fleet management has long been fragmented, with delays, incomplete data and unpredictable arrivals, driving up costs and eroding supply-chain reliability. Enter the enhanced AITX portal that’s designed to change that by offering real-time visibility into rail-car status, locations and events, company officials said.
With the portal, predictive arrival times outperform railroad estimates, and proactive alerts flag weather, congestion or other disruptions before they create ripple effects.
The updated portal also can bring critical workflows together. Shippers can submit and monitor service requests, generate reports and oversee fleet health in one connected interface. Leasing, repair and digital tools all operate seamlessly in the same environment, eliminating the need to jump between systems.
With predictive insights built directly into daily operations, shippers can cut downtime, improve planning accuracy, and drive stronger supply-chain performance, company officials said.
Email comments or questions to pat.foran@tradepress.com.
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