Railroad Maintenance

Replacing railroad track ties

English 202C Section 033

Ronak Patel

10/19/2010

Audience and Scope

The purpose of this article is to inform college engineering students about the process of

replacing railroad track ties. The college students will be interested in an internship or a full time

position within a railroad agency. Therefore, these students are likely to know how trains operate

and some basic railroad terminology. However, they probably do not know about the different

railroad maintenance processes. This information will help the reader become more

knowledgeable about a subject that is related to their career. Thus, the students will be able to

better transition and succeed at work.

Important Definitions

Ballast: Gravel and rocks that make up the railroad bed

Ballast Distribution System: Track vehicle that distributes ballast along the track to create an

even and level track bed

Rail Vac: Track vehicle that is used to vacuum ballast from the track

Slack: Track segments that are not fully secured

Spikes: Metal nails that are used to secure the rails to the ties

Spike Puller: Tool that is used to remove spikes

Tie: Wooden beams that sit underneath the railroad rails

Tie Crane: Track vehicle that is used to lift, remove, and insert ties

Introduction

Many companies provide commuters with train

service from one location to another. For example,

Amtrak (Figure 1) offers people train service all

around the country. To ensure safe and reliable travel,

these companies need to maintain the railroad tracks.

A key task in maintaining the tracks is ensuring that

track ties are secure and in good condition. If the

track ties are not secure or are in poor condition,

slack develops and causes the train to move violently

and potentially derail. Hence, it is critical that

companies replace track ties when needed. Replacing

track ties is a three phase process that uses both track equipment and manual labor to replace ties.

Figure 1. Amtrak train

Process of Replacing Ties

Replacing track ties is an essential track maintenance process. Track ties are replaced whenever

the ties begin to rot, wear, or break down. During tie replacement, the track is taken offline so

that work can be done. When a track is taken offline it changes the train schedule, so work is

normally done early in the morning or late at night on the weekends. It is important to replace

ties efficiently to reduce the impact on commuters. Replacing track ties occurs in three major

phases.

Phase I: Removing Ties

Track ties are removed in two steps. The two steps for removing ties are removing the spikes and

pulling the tie out.

Removing Spikes: Before ties can be pulled out, they need to

be separated from the rails. Rails are secured

to track ties with spikes. Spikes are removed

by track workers. Track workers use a spike

puller (Figure 2A) to pull most of the spike

out. Once the spike is loose, the track

workers use a crowbar to pry the remainder

of the spike out (Figure 2B).

Pulling the Tie Out:

Workers prepare to pull the tie out by

moving ballast away from one end of the

tie. The ballast is moved to prepare for the

Tie Crane. The Tie Crane uses a hydraulic

arm on its side to grab onto one end of the

tie. After it has a secure grip, the arm

extends out, which pulls the tie out (Figure

3). All of the old ties that are removed are

put into a pile together to be discarded.

Figure 2A. Spike Puller Figure 2B. Crowbar

Figure 3. Tie Crane sliding tie out

Phase II: Inserting Ties

Track ties are inserted in two steps. The two steps for inserting ties are picking up ballast to

make room for the tie and sliding the tie in.

Picking up Ballast: When a track tie is removed, there is a hole

where the old tie was. However, the hole

does not stay open for a long time. All of the

track work causes the ballast to fill the hole

up. Track worker reopen the hole using a

Rail Vac to make room for the new tie. A

Rail Vac picks up the ballast using a vacuum

attached to a boom (Figure 4). The ballast is

stored in the tank attached to the Rail Vac.

The stored ballast is transferred from the

Rail Vac to the Ballast Distribution System

to be used later.

Inserting the Tie:

After a hole is cleared, the Tie Crane is used

to insert a new tie. The Tie Crane grabs a tie

from the side. Then, the Tie Crane positions

its arm to align the tie with the hole where

the old tie was. It then uses its hydraulic arm

to slide the tie into the hole (Figure 5). After

the tie is all the way in, track workers secure

the rails to the ties with spikes.

Figure 4. Rail Vac

Figure 5. Tie Crane inserting tie

Phase III: Distributing Ballast

Ballast is distributed in one step. The one step for distributing ballast is using a Ballast

Distribution System.

Ballast distribution: The final phase in the process is to create a

level bed of ballast along the track and its

sides. The ballast is spread using a Ballast

Distribution System. The vehicle has a tank

of ballast that can drop ballast where there is

not enough ballast. If there is too much

ballast the vehicle uses wings and flaps to

direct the ballast as desired (Figure 6). The

track workers run the Ballast Distribution

System one additional time to make sure the

ballast is level. After there is an even track

bed, the track can be put back online.

Conclusion

Track ties are replaced over a three phase process. The first phase is removing the old tie. The

old tie is removed by removing the spikes and sliding the tie out with a Tie Crane. The second

phase is inserting a new tie. The new tie is inserted by picking up extra ballast and sliding the

new tie in with a Tie Crane. The last phase of the process is distributing ballast. Ballast is

distributed along the track to create a level track bed. It is important to complete these three

phases efficiently because train schedules are impacted during track work, which impacts many

train riders. Overall, replacing railroad track ties keeps the track in good condition and ensures

that commuters have a safe ride.

Wings

Flaps

Figure 6. Ballast Distribution System

Works Cited

Title Page Figure: http://www.thisplaceis.com/archives/54

Definitions: http://www.merriam-webster.com/

Figure 1: http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/2010/06/amtrak-failed-us.html

Figure 2A: http://www.westernsafety.com/stanleyrailproducts/stanleyrail.html

Figure 2B: http://www.wrm.org/projects/trackCrew/8.16.07/8.16.html

Figure 4: http://www.wrm.org/projects/trackCrew/12.08.07/index.html

Figure 5: http://www.epptrack.com/versatile.html

Figure 6: http://www.plasser.com.au/en/p_ballast_regulation/bds100.htm