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June 2023
Compiled by Michael Popke
Danella’s Hi-Rail Bridge Inspection Truck features an Aspen A-30R lift for optimal reach, range and maneuverability, company officials said in an email.
“We specialize in renting you the equipment you need to operate effectively and safely,” said Danella Vice President of Business Development for North America Steve Bolte. “Inspecting a railroad bridge poses challenges and risks. Our Hi-Rail Bridge Inspection Truck is designed to allow your crews to operate safely on the rails.”
The truck features a high-performance lift to properly inspect all areas of the bridge and is equipped with rail gear and wireless controls. It allows for right and left deployment, and its stabilizing system requires no outriggers.
The truck is serviced and maintained for optimum performance, company officials said.
The DMF RW-2300HS is a front-mounted hydrostatic creep drive system designed to operate independently of the vehicle transmission. With a 33,000-pound gross axle weight rating, the front hydrostatic system can be mounted forward of the front tandems and, in special applications, behind the cab.
Full wireless control operates the Neotec-motorized front axle without needing integration into the vehicle, DMF officials said. The system will operate up to 7 mph in creep mode and disengage for up to 25 mph in freewheel mode using the vehicle propulsion. It is rated for 88,000 pounds at a 2% incline and for up to 200,000 pounds on level track.
Additionally, the system enables users to operate vehicle equipment without having to disengage the PTO to advance the truck down the track. Because the RW-2300HS is independent of the transmission, the vehicle can be moved off track, if necessary. The full system includes the Neotec axle, DMF integration package and the DMF RW-1630 or RW-1650 rear-axle assembly with auto-mechanical locks.
When operated together, Herzog’s Rail Unloading Machine (RUM) and Automated Tie-Down Car® (ATC) eliminate the need for manual intervention throughout the rail transport and delivery process, company officials said.
Traditional rail unloading methods involve numerous manual interactions with rail and can result in injuries to workers operating winch cars. Conversely, the RUM’s two-person crew oversees the entire operation from the safety of an operator station equipped with a 360-degree view. Using the RUM’s knuckle boom crane, the crew pulls the rail from a continuous-welded rail (CWR) train, passing it through a power box and placing it along a right of way as the train moves down the track.
Once unloading is complete with the RUM, there is no need to take up valuable track time planning equipment sequencing to reach another job site, Herzog officials said. Within a few minutes, the hi-rail vehicle can disengage from a rail train and exit a track at a grade crossing.
The ATC further complements the RUM’s hands-free operation because crews do not need to wait while tie-down car personnel manually clamp or unclamp rail with impact wrenches. CWR is loaded and secured on a rail train at the manufacturing plant with powerful hydraulic clamps, then transported to a job site with fail-safe, mechanical holding power, Herzog officials said.
At a job site, a rail is more easily unclamped from a rail train via remote control from the safety of the RUM’s operator station, they said. A process that usually takes an average of five minutes per rail to perform manually can be achieved in five to 10 seconds with the ATC.
Loram Technologies Inc. has redesigned its automated tie marking trucks into purpose-built, sub-10,000-pound hi-rail vehicles. The Aurora Tie-Marking trucks use graded backscatter X-ray and surface data to locate and mark ties needing replacement with paint.
The redesign simplifies operation, maximizes storage space for paint, eases loading and cleanup, and eliminates all unnecessary parts to reduce the truck’s weight below the required E-logging level (10,000 pounds).
“This maximizes working windows for operators who routinely are forced to wait on trains,” Loram officials said.
To meet weight specifications, the truck features an all-aluminum service body and tubular aluminum platform on the rear of the operator scale to service the paint system while on track. The new design was made possible with formed aluminum sheet metal and by carefully selecting lighter alternatives for electronics, instrumentation and tooling, company officials said.
A gas-powered vehicle with lightweight rail gear also saves on repair bills and downtime, compared to past designs with high-mileage diesel engines, they added. In addition, the modular design incorporates solid-state electronics and power distribution, eliminating mechanical relays and increasing processing speed.
Pettibone recently introduced the Speed Swing 445F2. Developed with customer feedback in mind, the 445F2 is designed to accept more than a dozen attachments for laying rails, setting ties and other tasks.
Powered by a 163-horsepower Cummins QSB4.5 Tier 4 diesel engine, the Speed Swing 445F2 offers a 49-gallon fuel tank, a 28% increase versus the previous model’s tank. The added fuel capacity allows for extended working intervals, company officials said.
The 445F2 offers a maximum front load capacity of 10,000 pounds and a maximum side load capacity of 8,000 pounds. Providing 180-degree boom rotation, the machine is primarily used to thread out old rail and thread in new rail; an optional magnet package can quickly clean up old plates, spikes and small pieces of rail, company officials said. The unit also can tow rail carts, move rail cars and supply air or hydraulics for hand tools.
Featuring a Dana T20000 3-speed transmission with twist-grip electric shift control, the Speed Swing quickly transitions between job sites, traveling at 25 mph on hi-rail and 20 mph with all-terrain rubber tires. A standard feature for the 445F2 is X-Command®, a Pettibone telematics program designed to provide real-time access to machine data.
RailWorks is a turnkey solutions provider that offers such services as flash-butt welding, thermite welding and grinding to maintain healthy track operations.
“The growth of flash-butt welding has continued to increase year over year,” said Jacob Alexander, the company’s director of operations for flash-butt welding services.
To keep pace with the demand, RailWorks expanded its fleet to more than 40 specialized mobile welding trucks, Alexander said. The fleet consists of AC and DC welders, with two narrow-head welders to perform in difficult scenarios. An array of quality assurance features is built into the units, including an automated weld cycle that doesn’t require operator input, along with rail preparation equipment.
Looking ahead, RailWorks VP of Maintenance of Way Jason Deaton expects increased demand for flash-butt and thermite welding from Class Is.
“With failure rates much lower, we are taking full advantage of track windows and keeping revenue trains moving,” he said.
RCE Equipment Solutions has designed and put into production more than 30 highly specialized machines for rail maintenance tasks.
Its product portfolio includes many hi-rail options, including the Railavator hi-rail excavator. Whether it’s pulling rail, cutting brush, craning items, undercutting, tamping ties, or simply digging and trenching, the Railavator performs at top productivity, RCE officials said. Featuring a patented hydraulic-powered retractable hi rail, operators can move the machine anywhere, company officials said.
RCE offers eight model options — 50G, 75G, 85G, 135G, 210G, 245G, 250G and 350G — and more than 20 attachments, including undercutter bars, brush cutters, grapples, buckets, magnets and several cart designs.
The Series 5 Swing Loader features a John Deere 544-size wheel loader rear section and a custom front chassis that’s been modified to work on rail. And the new 544P Series 5 and 544P Series 5N (Third Rail) provides “all the power required for railroad maintenance needs,” company officials said.
Michael Popke is a Madison, Wisconsin-based freelance writer. Email comments or questions to prograil@tradepress.com.
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