Good ballast is one of the fundamentals of good track, and supplier offerings help keep ballast in top shape.

Ballast provides drainage and drainage is necessary for good track. Suppliers are updating their offerings to enable railroad engineering departments to keep ballast in excellent shape.

Ballast Tools Equipment

Ballast Tools Equipment has introduced the BTE Beast Undercutter. Weighing under 50,000 pounds with more than 550 total horsepower, The Beast is a mobile off-track undercutter equipped with an additional 350 horsepower hydraulic power pack that delivers maximum power to the undercutter chain and spoils digging wheel.

The BTE Beast is a high-performance, off-track undercutter that cleans switches and turnouts at a rate of 130 feet per hour.

The BTE Beast is a high-performance off-track undercutter that cleans switches and turnouts at a rate of 130 feet per hour or approximately two-to-four ties per minute. The machine is equipped with an 18-foot-long bar and chain that can undercut a turnout or switch from one-side in one-pass. It is also equipped with a BTE Spoils Removal Wheel, which can clear the spoils from the cut area without requiring deep trenches or disturbing the subgrade. The chain and removal wheel cuts with maximum power, speed and efficiency due to the dedicated power system. The BTE Beast removal wheel is fully adjustable and controllable to accommodate any obstructions near the tracks. BTE has several Beast machines in service in the U.S.

The BTE Beast can be fitted with various sized undercutter bars and chains to handle any track condition. The bars are even interchangeable, as required.

Ballast Tools Equipment offers a variety of bar and chain combinations. For example, the 12-foot bar is designed for cutting main line track, or the BTE 15-foot bar is intended for cutting a combination of main line and switch track. Finally, the massive 18-foot bar is designed to handle increased horsepower for cutting switch tracks at peak performance and productivity.

All BTE bars and chains are manufactured with Ballast Tools, Inc., Wear Parts made from solid tungsten carbide, specialty alloys and special hard surfacing materials that deliver good performance and wear-life.

Balfour Beatty Rail

"Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc., continues to develop a client base for its technology offerings," said Mark Snailham, vice president of rail services. "Radar is an effective means of scanning ballast and ballasted track so clients can do a better job planning their maintenance. Ground Penetrating Radar enables us to zero in on the problem spots, which greatly enhances efficiency. Instead of having teams do shoulder cleaning and undercutting across a wide, undirected swath, they can focus on the areas that truly need the work. That saves time and money.

"With Zetica's Advanced Rail Radar (ZARR), our team can perform an accurate scan of ballasted track, a technique widely used in the United Kingdom," Snailham said. "With ZARR, Balfour Beatty Rail can gauge the quality of ballast in the critical areas at the center and over the tie ends. We provide a clear, inexpensive picture of ballast fouling so our customers know exactly what they're up against before spending more maintenance dollars.

"Railroads have been asking for more-efficient and cost-effective ways to get the job done, now more than ever," he said. "We've responded with our GPR technology, which enables them to concentrate on regionalized track surfacing instead of covering areas that don't yet need the service. They're also able to save with short-term undercutting. GPR targets the precise location and extent of the work they need accomplished."

Snailham continued: "Our demand for undercutting remains high. We've had our first full year using the new Plasser RM 80 in the field and it's done a tremendous job. In terms of speed and efficiency, it's unmatched, even in heavily encrusted areas. The setup and knockdown times are also extremely quick. The RM 80 can cover up to 1,200 feet per hour, restoring ballast integrity and preventing serious problems down the road. We think it gives us a decisive advantage over competitors.

"The ZARR system is available on multiple Hi-rails, regardless of where our clients are in the U.S.," he noted. "We offer train-mounted surveys with the option of sensors on Hi-rail platforms.

"To get an even more thorough picture of track asset condition, we employ laser and video technology," he pointed out. "Once our scans identify the specific problem locations, Balfour Beatty Rail can undertake a wide range of high-production services: undercutting, complete surfacing gangs, spot/switch undercutting and shoulder cleaning.

"We do all this high-production work without compromising safety," Snailham said. "Year after year, Balfour Beatty Rail wins awards for safety excellence. It was no different in 2009, when our people took home both a gold and silver award from the joint NRC/RT&S safety contest. In addition, our parent company, Balfour Beatty plc, has an ongoing Zero Harm safety program."

Brandt

Brandt Road Rail Corp.'s Brandt Rail Tool is a high-rail excavator capable of traveling at 25 mph on track while pulling railcars. It can do undercutting, bucket cleanup work, brush-cutting, moving railcars and dumping ballast cars after undercutting has been completed.

"One quality that has proven to be very valuable is the capability to undercut on- or off-track, simplifying the undercutting and increasing the production of undercutting in all of the unique locations," said Neil Marcotte, sales and marketing manager at Brandt. "The mobilization of the undercutting equipment and the ballast is all done with the Brandt Rail Tool, eliminating the need for many pieces of equipment."

Georgetown Rail

Although Georgetown Rail Co. admits to feeling the effects of the economic downturn and lower traffic, the company says the past year was another strong one.

"GREX managed to stay busy throughout the year helping railroads deliver the ballast necessary to keep their operations up and running. Railroads continue to invest in infrastructure improvements while traffic levels are down and will be prepared when pre-2009 traffic levels return," said Lynn Turner, vice president marketing and sales at GREX.

Turner notes that the GREX DumpTrain continues to be utilized on various Class 1 and shortline railroads around the country and there are more than 1,100 Solaris/GateSync-equipped ballast hoppers in use.

One improvement that will be coming in the near future is the new prototype GREX Ballast Gate. While still in its infancy, once released, this will be an additional option for customers who are retrofitting their ballast fleet and will make the GREX GateSync/Solaris more of a turnkey operation when it comes to delivering ballast. This new gate was developed through a partnership with GREX and a large Class 1.

"Vast experience in ballast delivery operations allowed GREX to design a gate that is faster, stronger and avoids some problem areas presented by current marketplace offerings," said Turner. "It was also designed with the goal of lowering required maintenance and the cost of replacement parts when maintenance is necessary. This gate is undergoing testing all over the country and the results thus far are very positive. Once released, this gate will be available as a retrofit item for new and current GateSync/Solaris cars or as a standalone upgrade."

Harsco Rail

Harsco Rail's single operator Mud Mantis Undercutter/Ballast Cleaner provides complete switch and spot undercutting without auxiliary equipment and its patented "flat bottom" cut provides optimum drainage. According to Harsco, the machine removes dirty or fouled ballast or stone from underneath railroad tracks, provides the ability to dig trenches or drainage ditches on either side of the track and cleans the ballast or stone while it is being removed, sorts the stone by size and returns the clean portion to positions under the track and/or on either side of the track.

The Mud Mantis is also capable of performing shoulder ballast cleaning operations or ditching operations on either or both shoulders simultaneously. Each digging wheel can be independently deployed to remove the shoulder ballast from the track and place it onto the conveyor system of the machine for processing. If a ditching operation is employed, the digging wheel is capable of being placed at an angle to the rails and extended laterally beyond the ballast shoulder to enlarge or improve drainage ditches.

Harsco says the machine can reduce ballast maintenance costs in a switch by more than 35 percent because the machine reclaims ballast, drops the track level by one inch and allows trains to pass at reduced speed before the track is resurfaced or re-leveled.

Herzog Railroad Services

Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.'s Ballast Division is offering the Smart Train. "This innovative piece of equipment allows for shoulder and center ballast spreading while traveling up to 20 mph," said George Farris, vice president marketing. "This means less ballast handling and quicker start times for work gangs and it reduces the risk of injuries because there is no need for ground personnel."

Herzog Railroad Services' Smart Train allows for shoulder and center ballast spreading while traveling up to 20 mph, which means less ballast handling and quicker start times.

The Smart Train has been in development for several years. It was brought about by an expressed need from the industry for high-speed center ballast unloading. It also increases the amount of ballast that can be safely spread per mile.

"These cars can be unloaded by remote control, push-buttons located on the side of the cars or by a Herzog technician using a laptop and our specialized unloading software, making these some of the most versatile ballast cars available today." Farris said.

Knox Kershaw

Knox Kershaw Inc. is a leading supplier of ballast regulators, tie cranes, track brooms, material handlers and other equipment. The company also builds custom equipment to meet specific customers' requirement and rebuilds equipment.

Loram Maintenance of Way

"To meet the demand of Loram's customers, Loram's fleet of High Performance (HP) Shoulder Ballast Cleaners continues to grow with the production of SBC25 and SBC26, which will both begin service in spring 2011 on Class 1 railroads in North America," said Tom DeJoseph, vice president marketing and sales. "Demand for Loram's shoulder ballast cleaners is increasing as more railroads across the globe realize the benefits of shoulder ballast cleaning on a regular cycle. These benefits include: delaying or eliminating the need for full-section undercutting, improved tie life and increased time between surfacing cycles."

"Loram's new HP Shoulder Ballast Cleaners feature variable incline screens, allowing the screen incline to be increased from the current nine degrees up to 19 degrees. The steeper screen angle allows for a speed increase of 10-20 percent under average ballast conditions. In wet conditions, the screen angle can be decreased to allow more interaction time between the screen and the fouled ballast, resulting in better quality cleaning in wet conditions. The new machines also a feature fuel-efficient and low-emission auxiliary engine to be utilized during idle periods to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

"There is also growing demand for Loram's Railvac Excavators," DeJoseph said. "The most recent addition to the Railvac fleet is RV330. This Railvac incorporates the power and functionality of current Railvacs, but with the added ability of storing more material and fitting in to tighter clearances. Increased storage capabilities allow our customers to be able to utilize more of the track window for excavating, resulting in lower unit costs. Along with RV330, Loram is currently building two more standard Railvacs for service on Class 1 railroads."

DeJoseph continued: "The demand for Loram's ballast maintenance equipment and services has also been soaring internationally. Loram recently came to an agreement with China Ministry of Railways to produce 11 new Loram Shoulder Ballast Cleaners to be manufactured as part of a technology partnership with Beijing Railway Transportation Equipment Co."

Miner Enterprises

Miner Enterprises, Inc., continues to refine its new retractable ballast plow based on knowledge gained in the field.
Demand has slowed for ballast gates in North America while there continues to be small levels of demand for ballast gates to offshore railroads.

Nordco

"On our M7 ballast regulator/snowfighter, we have revamped the hydraulic system to improve the functionality of the machine along with providing a cooler running hydraulic system," said Bill Straub, Nordco president of equipment services. "The cooler running hydraulics will lead to longer service life of hydraulic components. In addition, we have added an air compressor for auxiliary tools to improve the serviceability of the machine. The compact design can be retrofitted to existing machines.

Nordco's M7 ballast regulator/snowfighter at work.

"We have secured orders for combination ballast regulator/snow fighters that will be delivered in time for the winter snow fighting season," he said.

"The M7 production has been moved from our Oshawa, Ontario, manufacturing facility to our Oak Creek, Wis., manufacturing facility in an effort to align machine production with the capabilities of each facility. Our Lean initiatives at both facilities have made a smooth transition possible," Straub pointed out.

"We find the market to be very steady and have been very fortunate during the recent downturn in the economy," he said.

Plasser American

Plasser American Corp. notes that working closely with railroads has resulted in customer solutions, such as the Ballast Profile Measuring System offered on Plasser Track Recording Cars, Plasser's Ballast Distribution System used to manage existing ballast and the PBR-2005 Ballast Profiling Machine used to profile ballast behind tamping machines in a one-pass high-speed operation.

Plasser's shoulder plow used on the PBR-2005 Ballast Profiling Machine and BDS 100/200 Ballast Distribution System has the ability to reach far out on the shoulder and reclaim ballast that would otherwise be left using conventional ballast regulators.

Progress Rail

Progress Rail's Kershaw division is working closely with all of its customers on all equipment, which it designs and manufactures to each customer's unique specification. Kershaw will continue to design and manufacture to meet customers requirements. The company recently designed and shipped a unique ballast regulator for the international market that is specifically required to clear sand from the right of way.

Kershaw is offering the Model 26, Model 46-2, 46-6 and 46-60 ballast regulators. The Model 26 continues to be in demand on shortline railroads and with railroad contractors and the company's All Track facility also offers remanufacturing of all types of equipment to meet customer's needs.

Rail Construction Equipment

Rail Construction Equipment Co. has added a 15-foot undercutter bar, as well as the standard 12-foot bar.

"We have also been working to promote the use of our undercutter bars with the RCE 225D reduced-tail excavator equipped with high rail," said Dennis Hanke, sales manager. "This provides the ability to undercut on- or off-track."

RCE equipment at work.

RCE has been very successful this year with orders from CSXT, Union Pacific and several contractors. The company has also increased its rental fleet, placing units with UP, BNSF and CSXT.

"Our manufacturing capabilities have been increased this year by adding additional staff," Hanke said. "As for distribution, we are currently handing this in house.

"I feel the market is in a state of change for some of the railroads by adding the use of contractors," he noted. "Others who have developed a program are moving ahead using the equipment they own or are renting from our company."