Track Machinery

Pettibone Celebrates 75th Anniversary of Cary-Lift

BARAGA, Mich. – Pettibone Traverse/Lift, LLC is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Cary-Lift, which became the world’s first forward-reaching, rough-terrain material handler upon its invention by Phil LaTendresse in 1949. Shortly after its origin, the Cary-Lift product line was acquired by Pettibone, and it remains an industry-leading solution for pipe, pole and log handling to this day.

Smart Rocks, Smart Tamper: Investigating the Mechanics of Ballast Tamping

ATLANTA – Railway Track & Structures, April 2024 Issue: There are many forces that work to deteriorate track geometry over time. These forces don’t begin and end at the wheel/rail interface; they are transmitted to the vehicles and their components and into the track structure and its components. On ballasted track, ballast absorbs these forces, and its maintenance is critical to preserving and correcting several types of track geometry defects.

Boosting Rail Safety and Efficiency: Pioneering Autonomous Inspections and Predictive Maintenance with ENSCO

In the rapidly evolving world of rail infrastructure management, a groundbreaking approach is revolutionizing safety and efficiency. ENSCO, a leader in inspection technologies and engineering solutions, is at the forefront of this transformation, leveraging autonomous data acquisition, advanced sensor technologies, and predictive analytics to redefine rail maintenance globally.

BNSF Completes Sandpoint Jct. Connector (Updated)

SANDPOINT, Idaho – A four-year, multi-faceted project to widen a single-track chokepoint on BNSF’s Northern Corridor at Sandpoint, Idaho, is now complete, following the cutover of new track during a 16-hour work

‘Women in Rail’ Event Set for Nov. 2

CHICAGO – The industry conversation continues with Railway Age / RT&S Women in Rail 2023—our first in-person Women in Rail conference covering the freight, passenger and transit rail sectors.  The Nov. 2 conference, presented live at

Loram Technologies, Inc., hosted U.S. Rep. John Carter (R-Tex.; pictured) at a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Global Rail Campus in Georgetown, Tex.

Loram Technologies to Launch Global Rail Campus

Loram Technologies, Inc. on May 3 held a groundbreaking ceremony in Georgetown, Tex., for its new Global Rail Campus, which will comprise a corporate office and facility for the production and manufacture of maintenance-of-way equipment and inspection technologies.

The MERMEC-built rail inspection vehicle uses lasers, sensors, cameras, measuring systems, and data management systems to create a comprehensive profile of the track, all while traveling at speeds of up to 70 mph, according to BART. (BART Photograph)

First Look: BART’s MERMEC Geometry Car in Action

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District on May 3 unveiled its newly acquired rail inspection vehicle from MERMEC that will measure track position, curvature, smoothness, and alignment, as well as wear and corrugation, which contribute to train noise.

Racine Railroad Products Announces Dominic DaPra Will Assume Leadership Role

Mt. Pleasant, Wis.–Racine Railroad Products President Steve Birkholz retired March 7, 2023 following more than 29 years of service to the company, serving as the President for more than 28 years. Dominic DaPra, previously Vice President at Generac Power Systems, succeed Birkholz as President. DaPra started with Racine Railroad on Dec. 5, 2022, to allow for an extended transition period.

RSI, REMSA, RTA Study: “Power of the Rail Supply Industry”

The Railway Supply Institute (RSI), Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) and Railway Tie Association (RTA) have issued Rail Supply Industry: Manufacturing and Services Keeping the American Economy on Track, their latest major economic impact study, which “quantifies the economic