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Danella Cos. Inc.’s Hi-Rail Material Handler can transport ties, timbers, rail, signal bungalows and other track materials. The vehicle offers hi-rail compatibility, a 22- to 25-foot flatbed, a 26-inch magnet and a bypass grapple with continuous rotation. 

“Drivers frequently operate in locations that are difficult to access. The Hi-Rail Material Handler is designed specifically to help get to these locations and place material right where it’s needed, safely and efficiently — on and off the rails,” Danella Vice President of Business Development for North America Steve Bolte said in an email.  

Equipped with a tandem axle and a gross vehicle weight rating between 56,000 and 66,000, the truck can withstand “sizable loads,” which result in fewer delivery trips, company officials said.  

The Hi-Rail Material Handler offers a heavy-duty steel body to handle tough jobs and a crane with a reach of 25 feet, eight inches. Danella services and maintains its vehicles according to specific guidelines.  

Diversified Metal Fabricators offers the DMF RW-2300HS, 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 to integrate into the vehicle, company officials said. The system operates at up to 7 mph in creep mode and disengages for up to 25 mph in freewheel mode using vehicle propulsion. The unit also is rated for 88,000 pounds at a 2% incline and up to 200,000 pounds on level track.  

Additionally, the system allows users to operate vehicle equipment without having to disengage the Power Take-Off to advance the truck down the track. Also, because the RW-2300HS operates independent of the transmission, the vehicle can be moved off track if necessary.  

Geismar North America recently introduced the ECTR, a track-laying machine designed to pull two rows of rails from a flat car or rail train and place them directly to pre-distributed ties for new construction. It also can be used for siding extension and transit builds.  

Designed with rail wheels and/or optional caterpillar tracks, the gantry system allows flexibility at the job site — working either on rail or sub-grade, company officials said. The unit is radio-controlled, which enables operating personnel to avoid red zones.  

The ECTR also is available with an optional tie beam capable of handling up to 20 ties. The machine picks, places and automatically spaces the ties by dropping every other tie in the correct spacing arrangement for a given worksite, minimizing the need to prepare the site for rail installation, company officials said. 

An optional jig allows the machine to handle slab track under tight clearances in tunnels or underground builds.  

A solution for on-track material handling, Herzog’s Multi-Purpose Machine® (MPM) is designed to provide increased safety, versatility and efficiency for new construction, routine maintenance or emergency response efforts. 

A self-propelled unit, the MPM can travel in either direction down the track and is controlled by one Herzog operator. The unit’s excavator cab moves along a gantry system atop six large well cars and can transport any type of material or equipment with ease, company officials said.  

With a 27-foot reach from track center, its excavator arm is outfitted with a Rototilt head with a number of interchangeable attachments designed to tackle a variety of tasks along a right of way. The MPM can perform a number of maintenance-of-way activities, from ditching, brush cutting or auger drilling to rail, tie or ballast pickup/distribution. 

The MPM’s predecessor, the CarTopper® Material Handling Services machine, can handle ties, ballast, rip rap or OTM. The CarTopper is ideal for distributing ties on a consist that comes directly from a tie plant, company officials said.  

The machine — which self-mounts from the ground to a rail car in less than 10 minutes — can travel with the consist by lowering itself down into a rail car on the way to its project start location. When ready for work, the unit sits atop the rail cars unloading ties as the work train moves down the track. Paired with GPS technology, the CarTopper’s precision tie placement along a right-of-way helps maximize tie-gang production. 

Knox Kershaw Inc.’s KTC1250 Tie Handling Crane can handle 1,200 pounds at a radius of 24 feet from a track centerline. The upper deck and tie grapple are capable of 360-degree rotation, and the boom and grapple design facilitates quick tie handling with minimal labor, company officials said.  

The new curved boom is designed to reduce weight and stress concentrations while improving strength and work-area visibility. Precision induction-hardened pins and case-hardened solid bushings maximize joint life, and extra thick bosses improve resilience, company officials said. One cylinder size powers the root and dipper booms.  

The upper and lower decks are structurally optimized and made from high-strength, low-alloy steel. Pedestal mounts in both decks maximize slew-bearing support, and the slew ring, pinion, gearbox and motor are integrated into a single-sealed unit for “a perfect gear mesh and protection from the elements,” company officials said. The bearing uses six more mounting fasteners (with 24% more strength) than previous versions.  

The cab features a new ergonomic console, increased headroom, and air conditioning and heat. Precise openings with seals maximize cab pressurization. A rear-view camera with dedicated color display and rear wiper is standard.  

Demand for continuous-welded rail (CWR) “has stayed strong over the past several years and continues to grow with increased federal funding,” L.B. Foster Co. officials said. The company owns and operates an upgraded fleet of trains to ship CWR to railroads and transit agencies throughout North America.   

For track replacement and expansion work, railroads and transit agencies remain committed to transitioning from the use of stick rail — or individual pieces of rail that require joints — to welded or ribbon rail. Welded rail results in a safer, smoother track that requires less maintenance, L.B. Foster officials said.   

As railroads and transit agencies continue to outsource more functions, including offloading rail, L.B. Foster plans to continue offering a range of services, including project management and unloading supervision on every CWR train. When requested, the company also can furnish full unload crews and equipment to help reduce unloading times to as short as one day. 

Severe weather has become more prevalent, resulting in more floods and washouts. Loram’s material handling equipment — including the DumpTrain®, SlotMachine® and material-handling cars — is designed to help railroads prepare and recover. 

DumpTrains can deliver 1,500 tons of material to stockpiles or washout locations and unload a full consist in less than an hour; offloading is completed up to 45 feet from a track centerline. The DumpTrain for Curves® offers the same features as the traditional DumpTrain, but also can operate while in curves and on tangent track. Preparing stockpiles and prepositioning full Dump Trains before severe weather strikes helps ensure customers have the right material in the right location to quickly return to service when needed, Loram officials said.  

The SlotMachine fleet supports “almost any recovery effort a railroad may need,” they said. The SlotMachine consists of overlapping gondola cars carrying an excavator that can traverse the full 378-foot length. This arrangement allows for quick and efficient loading and offloading of ties, ballast, rip rap, spoils, rail, scrap metal and almost anything in a right of way that’s within reach of the excavator, Loram officials said. 

Loram Technologies also provides equipment and services to upgrade customer-owned ballast cars to improve performance with the latest developments in the GateSync®, HydraDump® and Solaris® products. GateSync software independently operates the remote-controlled gates on existing ballast cars to automate ballast delivery when combined with Solaris, while HydraDump converts existing side dump cars from pneumatic to hydraulic operations.  

Plasser American Corp. offers machines that are designed to provide safe and efficient material-handling solutions to railroads and contracting partners. 

MFS Hopper and Conveyor Cars transport ballast, spoils or other material in train formation to and from various work sites. They can transport, store, load and unload material as a single unit or with other like units, company officials said. MFS cars are available in various sizes to meet various needs and requirements, and material storage capacity can be increased by coupling multiple units. Each unit also is capable of transferring material to the unit ahead. 

The BDS100/BDS200 System is equipped with plows to profile the ballast and gather excess ballast to be loaded directly into an integrated hopper for storage. Onboard conveyors are then utilized to distribute ballast at locations where needed.  

The BDS machines also allow users to utilize excess ballast along a right of way and redistribute it. Up to six MFS cars can be added for additional ballast storage. The machines are available for purchase or as a contracted service.

Michael Popke is a Madison, Wisconsin-based freelance writer. Email comments or questions to prograil@tradepress.com.