Keeping America’s Railways Moving

By Patrick Hofstadler, Plasser American Corporation

“One of the biggest challenges today, caused by increased rail traffic, is limited track time to perform maintenance”
-Patrick Hofstadler

Today’s railway industry has come a long way from the days of steam locomotives, cabooses and hordes of track workers performing manual labor. Increased supply and demand for goods has increased freight rail traffic and economic changes and popularity of public transportation have resulted in increased ridership on transit and commuter rail systems. Today, some of the heaviest freight trains in the world, high-speed passenger trains and sophisticated, purpose-built maintenance machinery, keep America’s railways moving.

Plasser American Corporation provides technology and know-how. Working in partnership with our customers we address the industry’s most pressing Maintenance of Way Challenges. From a small operation with five employees in 1960, Plasser American now has more than 200 employees headquartered in a modern 170,000+ square foot facility in Chesapeake, Virginia and our expertise lies in high capacity and customized equipment in all areas of track maintenance. Together with our affiliates have manufactured more than 13,800 machines in 104 countries worldwide over the past 50 years.

One of the biggest challenges today, caused by increased rail traffic, is limited track time to perform maintenance. Recognizing the demands for increased performance early on, Plasser has continuously improved on its machines and by using the assembly line approach, Plasser also began to design multiple maintenance systems installed on one machine.  These systems quickly became the industry standard for many railways.

Some examples of technological improvements to maximize maintenance work during limited track time are:

Tamping machines
The first tamping machines were small, simple machines capable of tamping one tie at a time at a production rate of up to 1,500 ft/hr. Today the fastest, continuous action tamping machines are equipped with multiple computers and a plethora of electronics such as GPS and automatic tie detection. Some of these machines are capable of tamping two, three and even four ties at a time with production rates as high as 7,400 ft/hr.

Ballast management
Conventional Ballast Regulators move the ballast back-and-forth along the track. With today’s high production tamping machines, these ballast regulators cannot keep pace. Plasser’s Ballast Distribution System is designed with the capacity to easily keep pace with the high production tampers as the ballast is profiled to the railroads desired specification in one single pass. Its unique design and proper use can reduce the need for new ballast by up to 70 percent, paying for itself within two years. With an average of 2800 tons of crushed-rock per mile, the Ballast Distribution System helps control cost by spreading and profiling the optimal amount, or reclaiming excess ballast and redistributing it somewhere else.

Ballast undercutting/cleaning
The purpose of undercutting and cleaning the ballast is to improve drainage of the track. Lack of drainage leads to fouled ballast and deterioration of track conditions and Plasser’s ballast undercutting/cleaning machines excavate the entire ballast section and clean the excavated material by separating waste material from the reusable ballast which is put back into the track directly behind the excavating chain. The design of these machines has evolved from simple undercutting/cleaning machines working at rates of 700 ft/hr excavating eight to 10 inches of material to complete subgrade rehabilitation machines that lift the track, remove up to 3 feet of ballast and subgrade, insert geotextiles, reapply new subgrade and new ballast, replace old ties with new concrete ties and exchange the old worn rail with new rail, all in one pass. 

Dynamic track stabilization
One of Plasser’s most innovative machines is the Dynamic Track Stabilizer. This machine is used directly behind a tamping machine. It settles the disturbed track bed in a controlled environment, thus reducing the need for slow orders and allowing trains to run across maintained track at scheduled speeds.

Innovations like these increase productivity and track quality, allowing goods and the every day commuter to be transported safely and making sure they arrive on time.  A well-maintained track is a cost effective way to keep America’s railways moving.

Patrick Hofstadler is Sales Administrator for Plasser American Corporation.