Grinding the track removes rust and debris from the new track, allowing the electrodes on the weld head to make proper contact and ensuring that the rails will adhere properly when welded together. Grinding The Rail The Super Gang uses a specialized machine called a Rail Polisher to grind the new railroad track.Donny Calhoun, a foreman with Norfolk Southern, helped develop this technology. Multi-Purpose Crane Threader Cart Once the ribbons of rail are laid out, a Multi-Purpose Crane Threader Cart is used to move the rail that was deposited on the side of the track into the cradles in the center of the track to begin replacement. Setting The Table When it’s time to replace railroad rails, the work starts weeks in advance when a work train unloads 1,440-foot ribbons of rail (over a quarter mile long), tons of ballast, tie plates, kegs of rail spikes and bags of rail anchors along the track.The daily safety briefing provides workers with information about where they will be working for the day, their authorization to occupy the track for maintenance work – or track time – and instructions regarding train speed through the maintenance area – or slow orders. Before work on the tracks even begins, Maintenance of Way crews hold a safety briefing and a group session of calisthenics exercises before breaking up into smaller groups for their job briefings. Safety Is No Accident Safety is the railroad industry’s number one priority.In a six-to-eight hour day, the Super Gang can lay eight to ten quarter-mile long ribbons of rail. The machines they use – which stretch for more than a mile from end to end – have greatly enhanced efficiency. This gang, composed of 78 employees and 42 pieces of equipment, has the ability to lay dual ribbons of rail. Here, Norfolk Southern has dispatched its Super Rail Gang to a site in Georgetown, KY. When rail is scheduled for replacement, a rail gang is sent to the location to do the work. More than 35,000 railroad employees nationwide perform railroad track and bridge work. People Power Maintenance of Way employees lay rail, install crossties and build track to ensure trains run safely at optimum track speed.These specialized technologies use laser sensors to detect track wear and tear and alert railroads to potential defects, enabling them to schedule maintenance in a safe, timely and cost-effective manner. Railroad companies inspect their track using specialized equipment such as track geometry cars and rail defect detector cars, as well as visual inspections. Today, the lifespan of rail averages 50-60 years, depending on how much freight is transported annually on the line and other factors. Built Stronger, Built Better Thanks to advancements in steel manufacturing, the quality of steel used for railroad track has gotten much better.Ballast: Crushed rock or gravel placed beneath the ties to provide a foundation for the track.Tie plate: Piece of metal that supports the rail.Tie: Wooden or concrete laid perpendicular to and beneath the rails.Spike: Piece of metal used to attach the tie plate pad to the rail.Rail: Set of steel bars placed end to end in two parallel lines. Railroad track: Parallel steel rails laid on wooden ties.The ties are set into ballast, which consists of stone particles that help transfer the load of the trains to the underlying foundation. The rails are fastened to the ties by spikes, bolts or special clips, depending on the type of tie. The rails are connected to each other by railroad ties, which may be made of wood, concrete or other material. A railroad track consists of two parallel steel rails set a fixed distance apart, called the gauge. Railroad’s Steel Spine While railroad tracks might look much like they did 100 years ago, advanced technology has made railroad infrastructure stronger, safer and more reliable.To maintain and expand such a critical network, America’s freight railroads plan to invest approximately $26 billion of their own money – not taxpayer dollars – in 2014. Backbone Of America’s Economy Spanning coast to coast, America’s 140,000-mile freight rail network connects the nation’s supply chain and provides consumers and businesses with a safe, efficient and cost-effective way to ship the things we use every single day.slide-1 slide-2 slide-3 slide-4 slide-5 slide-6 slide-7 slide-9 slide-10 slide-11 slide-13 slide-14 slide-15 slide-16 slide-17 slide-18 slide-19 slide-20 slide-21 slide-22 How do you construct a freight rail network that is the envy of the world? From the tracks to the ties to the spikes, click through to learn how railroads have built and maintained America’s modern rail network.
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