June 2017

In a 13-month project that wrapped up in late June, RailWorks Track Systems played an integral role at the Port of Tacoma during capacity expansion to better accommodate longer, unit trains.

RailWorks was the prime construction contractor on the $9.3 million North Lead Rail Improvement project, which called for constructing 17,500 track feet of new rail, including two new lead tracks at the 2,400-acre port in Washington state, a major seaport and one of the largest container ports in the United States. Crews:

• demolished 15, 070 track feet of existing rail in the arrival and departure tracks, replacing them with the longer tracks

• realigned existing rail yard support tracks to provide adequate space for the new tracks

• installed 26 turnouts: nine crossovers and two diamonds

RailWorks’ construction area bordered a large terminal and auto facility that occupy the southwestern end of the port. Crews worked in the Pierce County Intermodal Rail Yard, which is adjacent to 141-acre Pierce County Terminal, the largest of the port’s six container terminals. RailWorks also worked alongside the 147-acre Marshall Avenue Auto Facility on its auto-loading tracks; in a support yard; and in a yard belonging to Tacoma Rail, the operating railroad in the yard. BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad serve the port and now have more efficient yard access.

“That’s really what this project was for, so BN and UP could come

TODAY A monthly newsletter for employees of RailWorks Corporation and its subsidiaries

Increasing Yard Capacity at Port of Tacoma

These two diamond cross-overs were among 26 turnouts that RailWorks installed at the Port of Ta-coma during a 13-month project to expand capac-ity at the facility. The en-hancements mean more efficient operations for BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, which serve the port.

Continued to page 2

Increasing Yard Capacity at Port of Tacoma

November 2011

straight through off their main lines through a bullfrog junction and right into the yard,” says Bill Lenhart, project manager. “The port could bring unit trains in before, but because the trains were so long, it would tie up some of their yard space and some of their leads going into their yards. It took a long time to jockey around, and that pugged up the whole yard.”

A factor creating the bottleneck was a 50-foot water-filled trench in the middle of the work area, part of a storm-water drainage system. The project called for filling a portion of the open channel to create space for the new tracks over it. After a subcontractor installed a 10-foot arched culvert in the ditch, RailWorks was able to construct four long tracks running north-south through the yard. Crews then relocated switching leads from the north and south ends of the track to the middle of the tracks, on the east and west sides.

Skillful scheduling, including twice-weekly meetings and strategic pre-staging of materials, contributed to the success of the project, which occurred during live operations and with multiple contractors at work. “We had multiple flaggers on site to ensure safety,” notes Bill, “and we had to learn to plan everyone’s work so we weren’t stumbling over everybody in the little time we had to get in and get out. Sean Perkins helped us understand the phasing and execution plan. Ash Vijaykuma updated the schedule each month.

“There was a lot of communication and paperwork on this one,”

Bill continued. “Our engineers helped with outages, materials and submittals. Jessica van Strander worked with the submittals, and Seth Thompson worked with subs and their needs.”

RailWorks ultimately finished a couple of months ahead of schedule. Marty Lenhart, Bill’s brother, acted as the project superintendent, leading RailWorks’ crews on-site and managing the subcontractors. He attributed the early finish to crews that are accustomed to producing good work, and doing so quickly. On average, RailWorks had about 14 people working, with 20 workers during some shutdowns.

Another key was having worked on past projects for both the Port of Tacoma and Tacoma Rail. “The relationship had a big impact,” Marty says. “They trust our work.”

Editor’s Note: Want a compressed look at the North Lead Rail Im-provement project? You can see 54 days of the project unfold in about 8 minutes in this time-lapse video.

June 20172

At the Port of Tacoma, a RailWorks crew positions clips and base plates while clipping up tracks 8 and 9.

Increasing Yard Capacity at Port of Tacoma from page 1

Project Leadership TeamBill Lenhart – Project Manager

Marty Lenhart – Superintendent Seth Thompson – Project Engineer

Jessica Van Strander – Project EngineerSean Perkins – Scheduler

Ash Vijaykumar – Project Controls, Scheduler

June 20173

Pilot Safety Programs Address Vehicle AccidentsRAILWORKSMART RAILWORKSAFE

RAILWORKSMARTRAILWORKSAFE

RailWorks is taking aim at two types of vehicle incidents, starting small pilots this month designed to combat back-ing incidents and accidents in which parties outside of RailWorks are at fault.

“We want to enhance driver awareness and ultimately reduce third-party vehicle accidents and backing-up accidents,” says Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) Director Greg Coleman. “We want to bring down those incidents and get ahead of these issues.”

Many key safety perfor-mance indicators, such as Total OSHA Recordable Incidents or Total Incident Rates and even Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVAs), have improved. In fact, year-to-date MVAs in which RailWorks drivers were at fault are down about 50 percent over the same period last year. However, accidents involving another party at fault are holding steady against this time a year ago.

For that reason among others, the company is instituting a defen-sive-driving course. This month, in an initiative led by Regional HSE Manager Mike Lane, a small set of employees in the Central Region will take a computer-based defensive driving program that covers some of the latest techniques and driving recommendations. The

program, produced by Skillsoft, will be available through the RailWorks online Learning Management System. The

40-minute course will cover topics such as Other Drivers and Road Hazards and Driving Defensively

as a Plan.

Employees will take the training within a 30- to 60-day period. “After possibly

incorporating some suggested changes that come out of the

pilot, we plan to implement this companywide,” says Greg.

The same is true for an orange-cone pilot program,

requiring RailWorks’ drivers to place orange cones at the front and rear of

their vehicles after parking them. Regional HSE Manager Mark Blankemeyer of the West

Region is heading up this pilot program. The cones will serve as reminders to perform a 360°

walk-around inspection before re-entering vehicles, helping drivers see obstructions in order to reduce acci-

dents while backing up. The cones also will be reminders to note any tire wear, leaks and similar concerns.

See driving tips such as pulling through spaces or backing into them when parking, using spotters and more, in the September 2016 RailWorks Today safety article.

One out of every four accidents can be blamed on poor backing techniques.

The cost of “Property Damage Crash” (a typical backing up accident)

is presently estimated at an average of $7,400

per event.

Source: National Safety Council

Earlier this month, two former executives of defunct engineering firm Birdsall Services Group were each sentenced to 270 days of jail, along with probation for two years, and they were also barred from doing any business with any public entity in New Jersey for 10 years. The sentences stem from a scheme instituted at the engineering firm to bypass the state’s pay-to-play laws whereby executives had individual employees make political contributions to candidates, for which they were later reimbursed in the form of company bonuses. The real purpose of the contributions was to secure public contracts for which the engineering firm was otherwise ineligible.

A lesson from this story: Many laws prohibit corporations, like RailWorks, from making political contributions

to candidates for public office, which includes reimbursing employees for political contributions they make. Accordingly, RailWorks Standards of Conduct strictly prohibit any RailWorks operating company from making any political contributions or from reimbursing any RailWorks employee for any political contributions made in the employee’s personal capacity.

Compliance is a fundamental business standard at RailWorks. Watch for more “Compliance Mat-ters” examples in RailWorks Today. Employees can address any questions or comments to RailWorks’ Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Christopher K. Smith.

EXECS OF DEFUNCT ENGINEERING FIRM RECEIVE JAIL

Pacific region crews used a tie changer to replace switch ties on a connection to the Southern Railway of

British Columbia’s (SRY) mainline in Cloverdale, B.C. (l to r) Jonathan Thiessen, estimator; Gurmeet Dhaliwal, foreman; Cass Elwood, foreman; John Rhee, project coordinator; and David

Pearce, superintendent.

June 20174

RailWorks Values In Action: Committed to Integrity, Employee Engagement

Deep Community Roots Yield Fruit Year After

Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society (FVHRS)

For more than 15 years, employees in the Pacific Region have given time and materials to support the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society’s (FVHRS) operation of electric Interurban passenger rail service in the suburban Vancouver area. Now they’re at it again with another volunteer track project with historic implications.

They started by donating a “speeder” and constructed a small loop track for a children’s train. Next, they rehabilitated some abandoned track on Southern Railway of British Columbia’s (SRY) main line so FVHRS could operate weekend passenger trains. In 2015, when the interurban’s access to the SRY’s line was continually blocked by grain cars on an adjacent spur, PNR RailWorks employees jumped into action and constructed a bypass track.

In conjunction with Canada’s 150th birthday this year, FVHRS is restoring Car 1304, an interurban car used in 1912 to carry Prince Arthur, third son of Queen Victoria, the Duke of Connaught and the Governor General of Canada. It was named the “Connaught” car from then on. Thanks to the efforts of PNR RailWorks employees, this special car will be key part of the area’s birthday celebration.

Project Manager Floridor Oprea organized 20 volunteers to construct the 150-foot track and switch to allow this special car access from the car barn, where it is currently being restored, to the SRY’s main line. To make this improvement a reality, PNR RailWorks and its employees donated more than 370 hours of work.

“We spend a lot of time at work so I was looking for a fun activity we could do together as a team,” said Floridor. “It gave us something to show our families what we do on a regular basis … a way to show our kids that we are proud of the work we do. We succeeded in that.”

The restored Connaught will make its debut September 7, at the Cana-da 150 launch celebration at the Cloverdale Station in British Columbia.

Make-A-Wish® Foundation - Toronto and Central Ontario

Seventeen years after PNR RailWorks employees, family and friends in Ontario started a golf tournament for fun, the event has evolved into an impactful charitable event and a hot ticket for railway industry professionals in Greater Toronto.

Since 2014, when PNR RailWorks partnered with the Make-A-Wish® Foundation, the annual charity golf tournament has raised more than $55,000. This year’s tournament, held June 6 in Brampton, ON, will bump up that total by more than $10,000.

Procurement Specialist Kevin Bond and Executive Assistant Maria Ta-vares started planning this year’s event in January. The tournament sold out in just three weeks, with 35 area businesses signing on as sponsors to donate prizes and cash gifts.

Despite a rainy day, about 150 people turned out for the 18th annual event, featuring golf, a silent auction, raffles and a luncheon. For the fourth consecutive year, the event benefitted the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

“The highlight of the day was remarks at our luncheon by Prabjote “P.J.” Lakhanpal, a young man who had his wish granted by Make-A-Wish Canada in 2016,” said Kevin. “P.J. told of being diagnosed with lymphoma and the challenges he had. He shared how Make-A-Wish Canada stepped up and granted his wish to be Prime Minister for a week. He was funny, articulate and full of passion for all that Make-A-Wish Canada does for children.”

In addition to raising funds for a worthy cause, the event fostered fun and goodwill among many across our industry, as evidenced by countless text messages and emails of support received from cus-tomers, subcontractors and suppliers after the event.

RailWorks’ tradition of community service took root well before the company was formed in 1998. Employees at our founding companies were active in the communities they served. Our workers across PNR RailWorks have carried on that tradition by continuing to give back year after year. Here are two timely examples.

Rainy conditions didn’t

dampen the enthusiasm of

golfers at PNR RailWorks’

annual Charity Golf Tour-

nament. (l to r) Donald

Laplante, vice president,

and Allan Laplante,

president, both of MilRail

Inc.; Gord Strilchuk,

vice president-business

development, and Alykhan

Manji, general manager,

both of PNR RailWorks;

and Terry Cattani, presi-

dent of Railway Corridors

at Metrolinx.

News Across the LineJune 20175

RailWorks Track SystemsRailWorks Track Systems’ Gulf Region is set to begin work within days on a large storage-in-transit (SIT) yard at an existing LyondellBasell facility in La Porte, TX, near Houston.

Project Manager Graham Reiff and Superintendent Victor Muñoz will lead the RailWorks job, valued at $30 million. RailWorks will construct 85,000 feet of track and 66 turnouts on steel ties at the high-den-sity polyethylene plant at LyondellBasell’s petrochemical complex. RailWorks will also be responsible for managing civil and electrical subcontractors required for construction of the SIT yard. Project com-pletion is scheduled for December 2018.

This project is one of several construction projects that RailWorks has carried out at Houston-area facilities for LyondellBasell. RailWorks’ Gulf Region employees have performed sizable upgrades at the Bay-port location and constructed a $19 million storage yard at the Pas-adena location. In addition, LyondellBasell has RailWorks Gulf Coast employees on site full-time at its La Porte, Bayport and Chocolate Bayou complexes to handle ongoing day-to-day track maintenance.

Northeast of Dallas, at Luminant Energy’s Monticello Power Plant, the RailWorks Bridge Division recently finished improvements on a railroad bridge leading in and out of the plant.

A crew started the work at the end of March on the bridge, which spans a portion of the 9,000-acre Lake Bob Sandlin, and finished in about two weeks. They changed out about 200 ties and several hundred feet of guard timber on the bridge. Brent Stutts, quality assurance supervisor for Monticello Railroad, which operates over the bridge to deliver coal to fire the plant, singled out RailWorks among other contractors in an email.

“We would like to extend our appreciation to the entire RailWorks crew for their diligence, professionalism, and most of all the ‘safety first’ approach and mindset throughout the entire project” Brent wrote. “I personally had the pleasure of dealing with you guys daily, and your entire crew and management are some of the best that we’ve seen come through our workplace.”

General Superintendent J.P. Onhiser and Superintendent Ken Parkus oversaw RailWorks’ on-site efforts.

Give Us YourBest Shot!July is a busy month throughout RailWorks. In the August issue of RailWorks To-day, we’d like to share what RailWorks at work looks like across the company, but we need your help. Please email us your best photograph of employees on the job during July. Be sure your photo checks out for safety and your customer does not restrict taking pictures. Also, never risk your safety when taking a photo.

Please email your single best project image (no more than one) and include this information:

• Your name and title• Company• Customer• Location• Caption describing what’s going on in the photo• Name of project manager or supervisor on project

Email your best shot by July 31 to RailWorksToday@RailWorks.com.

We’ll share the images in the August issue of RailWorks Today.

RailWorks Track SystemsCargillAtchison, KS

L.K. Comstock National Transit

El Paso StreetcarEl Paso, TX