As wheel/rail lubrication's benefits prove out, suppliers are improving friction modifiers and offering easier-to-maintain distribution systems.

by Tom Judge, editor

Portec Rail Group PROTECTOR® IV with Remote Performance MonitoringTM technology in remote territory on Canadian Pacific Railway as part of Portec Rail's Total Friction ManagementTM program.

Wheel/rail lubrication has come a long way from the days of simple grease placed on the rail. Today's modern systems deliver an improved friction modifier to promote fuel efficiency, better train handling and reduced noise and the delivery system themselves are getting easier to maintain and keep filled.

L. B. Foster rail lubrication system working on BNSF in Kansas City.

L. B. Foster

"L.B. Foster Company continues to aggressively add to its lubrication and friction management product offerings," said Sid Shue, general manager, Rail Products Engineering with L. B. Foster. "Responding to increasing market demand for lubrication and friction management, L.B. Foster has introduced a new, top-of-rail friction management system to broaden its existing lineup of lubrication and friction management devices marketed throughout North America. We are working with our partner in the United Kingdom, QHi-Rail, to optimize a system already being sold in Europe for specific North American operating conditions. Our top-of-rail system will provide friction management to address noise and rail wear issues by both heavy-haul railroads and transit agencies. Rail squeal noise will be dampened under curving situations. And lateral forces at the rail/wheel interface, which cause premature rail wear and degradation of the track structure, will be reduced. With the introduction of our top-of-rail friction management system, we intend to provide the same value and performance as our current line-up of gauge face lubrication devices."

L.B. Foster entered the track lubrication and friction management market several years ago as the company introduced to the North American rail industry the Electro 20 Electric Rail Lubricator with a sophisticated telemetry system. Since then, product enhancements have been made to the Electro 20. Last year, the cabinet was redesigned with a lower profile to provide ergonomic advantages when manual grease filling is required. And where height was an issue, for example, with various North American transit systems, this lower profile provided an advantage over other units.

The company also introduced a larger, 800-pound reservoir cabinet to complement its 400-pound reservoir lubricator. Since this larger reservoir will require less frequent filling, it is a great fit in high rail traffic areas. And to take that one step further, the company now provides a double-track unit using the 800-pound reservoir to supply grease for double-track applications.

"In addition, the company introduced a product enhancement called EASi-BLADE in 2009," Shue said. "Essentially, a completely new concept in wiper blade design, this unique blade pivots off of the railhead without having to be removed prior to rail grinding. The EASi-BLADE moves out of, and then back into, position quickly, which is critical during rail grinding operations. It is competitively priced, is installed quickly and is a single-point wiper blade attachment. It is also suitable for all wayside lubrication devices currently in use, another distinct advantage over other products."

EASi-SENSOR was also added to the product array. EASI-SENSOR mounts to the field side of the rail and provides added protection from wheel strike and in-track damage. These follow other product enhancements such as a new blade design that incorporates a trough to catch excess grease, keeping the track cleaner and reducing maintenance costs, and two new blade options. These new blades include both a longer, 48-inch blade that increases grease coverage per wheel when compared to standard 18-inch blades and a restraining, or guard rail, blade that is mounted to hardware for use on most types of guardrails, typically "T" rail or "U" sections.

The complete line-up of various lubrication devices sold by L.B. Foster includes the Electro 20 Electric Rail Lubricator (with and without telemetry, as well as with solar, wind or main line charging options), for heavy-haul railroads. For use in heavy-haul, shortline and industrial applications the company markets the Lubricurve^TM 50 Hydraulic Lubricator. L.B. Foster sells the Memolub® Rail Lubrication System, a self-powered, portable, track-mounted lubrication system, for passenger and commuter rail lines. The company also provides a complete line of ancillary products for its various lubrication devices, such as track mats, grease and maintenance parts and offers installation and site evaluation services, along with equipment maintenance, to ensure that its lubricators are delivering the required lubrication.

Initially entering the market in 2005 by offering lubrication devices to North American heavy-haul and transit systems, L.B. Foster expanded more recently by selling products to the shortline and regional railroad segment and railroad contractors.

 "Our customers continue to see an increase in rail life, noise reduction, enhanced fuel economy and reduced greenhouse gas emissions that our wayside lubrication devices provide," Shue pointed out. "New technologies and products are replacing older track lubrication equipment and new devices are being added in areas that hadn't previously been lubricated. We are very pleased with the progress we have made since we introduced our line of lubrication and friction management products and their acceptance by our customers." 

L.B. Foster provides manufacturing and distribution through strategically located facilities in Pueblo, Colo., and Niles, Ohio.

Lincoln Industrial Top of Rail system on Norfolk Southern track in Harriman, Tenn.

Lincoln Industrial

"Lincoln is a world leader in manufacturing lubrication products and brings 100 years of expertise to the rail industry," said Pete Laucis, director of product management at Lincoln Industrial Corp. "The company listens to what rail customers need and develops new products and systems based on those needs. In this way, Lincoln harnesses its diverse lubrication market experience to provide the rail user with a unique relationship to solve their lubrication problems."

Lincoln has developed the following products applicable to rail lubrication:   

Digital Controller. The digital controller provides greater flexibility in lubrication intervals, has fewer components and a more compact design.

600mm Gauge Face Short Bars.  These short bars can to lubricate closer to or in the spiral of a curve.

Special Systems for Metro/Transit Applications. These systems provide unlimited tank customization for unique applications.

Next Generation Gauge Face Dispensing Bar. This dispensing bar takes precision lubrication placement to another level.

New Installation Accessories. These accessories include a variety of items designed to reduce maintenance time.

Electronic Interfaces with User-specific Communication Platforms. These electronic interfaces are universally compatible with known telemetric systems.

"The railroads have increased their focus on lubrication programs," Laucis said. "Expectations are up for more precise dispensing systems that are easier to use, monitor and maintain. Data collecting is becoming more important. However, each user defines this differently. Flexibility is also essential in order to optimize the specific railroad user application needs. Railroads look to sources that understand their requirements and are straightforward in how they can help. Because rail revenues are down, there is increased need to prolong rail life. Some railroads cut their lubrication programs in 2009 but are expected to have the programs back in place for 2010 as rail activity picks up. Lincoln has experienced greater acceptance of the benefits of its TOR friction modifier application."

Lincoln is experiencing an increase in international business, and the demand for custom-built dispensers is growing. The trend is for smaller, more-flexible, modular dispensing systems.

"Railroads seem to more open to looking for distributor or third-party assistance in maintaining lubrication programs than in the past," he said. "In response to this increased demand for our systems, Lincoln has doubled the size of its railroad distribution network, allowing the company to provide more after-sale service."

Portec Rail

"Friction management remains an exciting and dynamic core business segment for the Portec Rail Group. As we continue to advance our offering in the marketplace we are learning first-hand that the industry is looking at Portec Rail as the ‘go-to-player' for the North American Class 1 railroads regarding friction management expertise. We continue to make significant advances in application equipment, consumables, remote monitoring and organizational capabilities," said Kevin Oldknow, Portec Rail vice-president Friction Management Corporate Division.

Oldknow continued: "This remains particularly true for top-of-rail  friction control technology, in which KELTRACK® thin film TOR friction modifiers are used to actively control the frictional characteristics at the TOR/wheel tread interface. This approach provides major benefits over and above the savings in wear and energy that can be achieved through highly effective gauge-face lubrication, in which high performance greases, capable of withstanding extreme pressures and temperatures, are applied to the GF/wheel flange interface.

"KELTRACK remains a truly unique material, the only one in the industry capable of delivering true friction control (described nearly 15 years ago by Kalousek et. al. as an intermediate COF and positive friction-creepage characteristic1 aimed at producing desired benefits without impacting adhesion or braking), in contrast with standard lubricants," Oldknow said. "Less than a decade ago, KELTRACK represented a very new material and technology to the North American heavy-haul freight industry, with the daunting task of proving out not only its potential benefits but also that it would not produce negative effects in the areas of adhesion, signaling, standing, ultrasonic testing and rail surface conditions.

"Today, the concerns associated with KELTRACK application at the TOR/wheel tread interface have been methodically and scientifically addressed," Oldknow noted. "In addition, the benefits including reductions in fuel consumption, rail wear, lateral forces and track structure degradation have been proven and re-proven in Class 1 revenue service conditions. As a result, the combination of KELTRACK and the Portec Rail PROTECTOR® IV trackside friction management system is delivering millions of dollars of savings to the North American heavy-haul freight industry with major expansion under way and more than 1,000 wayside systems deployed to date.

"In the past year, the Portec Rail Group has continued to actively improve and refine not only its equipment and consumable products, but also its capabilities in the areas of full service project management, performance monitoring and reporting, equipment maintenance and supply logistics," he said. "Both the TOR and GF versions of the flagship PROTECTOR IV wayside application system have seen significant improvements in tank materials and geometry, as well as design and the  improved GF-XL^TM Grease Distribution Bar featuring improved flow symmetry and the innovative GreaseGuide^TM. Both applicators now feature optional quick-clamp designs in addition to product application performance improvements.

Oldknow added: "We also provided a sneak-peak in September at the AREMA Conference and Exhibition in Chicago of a revolutionary new KELTRACK applicator currently under development. Another noteworthy introduction at AREMA was Kelsan's KELTRACK® DuraFilm^TM, a version with enhanced retentivity through advanced chemistry.

The more-durable film provides equivalent benefits at 50 percent reduced application rates. The increased costs are off-set by decreased operating costs through logistical benefits of reduced application rates and product consumption that doubles the refilling interval while providing better wheel/applicator transfer efficiency and improved site cleanliness."

According to Oldknow, system control sophistication and robustness has continued to improve, as has the Portec Rail Remote Performance Monitoring (RPM^TM) system including its advanced web-interface and automated reporting tools.

"The Portec Rail Group has leveraged this range of products and capabilities to deliver substantial benefits through the Total Friction Management (TFM^TM) model that has now been fully established in collaboration with Canadian Pacific in the Western Canada main line heavy-haul corridor," Oldknow said.

The TFM approach incorporates an outsourced management model, in which the Portec Rail Group oversees the deployment, management and monitoring of state-of-the-art TOR friction-control and gauge-face lubrication systems. A Portec Rail project management team directs all maintenance and filling logistics, and overall system performance is reported regularly to ensure ongoing delivery of expected benefits.

Implementation and results from the TFM initiative on CPR were presented at the 2009 International Heavy Haul Association conference in Shanghai, including territory-wide fuel-monitoring results that demonstrated an average fuel savings of five percent over the project area.

"This level of savings significantly exceeds the conservative estimates that were used to build the TFM business case for Canadian Pacific, indicating results that will not only meet, but substantially exceed that the expectations of a sub-two year payback on the project," he said. "While wayside friction control has clearly dominated the North American heavy-haul landscape to date, train-mounted KELTRACK application systems are also showing significant promise. The AutoPilot®-Train Based TOR application system has now proven itself through several years of operation under demanding environmental conditions, demonstrating robust operation and substantial benefits, particularly in closed-loop operations."

Portec references

1. Kalousek, K., Hou, E. Magel, and K. Chiddick, (1996) "The Benefits of Friction Management: A Third Body Approach." Proceedings of the World Congress on Railway Research, Colorado Springs, pp 461-468.

2. Roney, M., Eadie, D., Oldknow, K., Sroba, P., Caldwell, R. and Santoro, M. (2009) "Total Friction Management on Canadian Pacific." Proceedings of the IHHA Conference, Shanghai, China, June 2009, 10pp.

Tranergy's CurvGlide lubricates both top of rail and gauge corner with one system and one lubricant.

Tranergy

Tranergy Corporation introduced and installed its newest version of their CurvGlide wayside lubrication system.

Tranergy points out its CurvGlide is the only wayside lubrication system that lubricates both top of rail and gauge corner with one system and one lubricant. This new unit has dual tanks to accommodate both winter and summer lubricants. The system automatically switches from summer lube to winter lube at a predetermined temperature and switches back to summer lube when a warm-up occurs. The system and lubricants work at temperatures ranging from 160 F to minus 30 F.

The system's storage tanks are large enough so that they only need to be filled once or twice per year, depending on the rail traffic. This dual-tank system is available in both AC power and solar power. It can also be equipped to wirelessly communicate information ranging from fluid levels, battery voltage, wheel counts and other data as needed. These units can lubricate single or dual tracks.

Tranergy notes that this is the only unit available that can also lubricate switch points, frogs and guard rails.